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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Remathilis" data-source="post: 3807862" data-attributes="member: 7635">You know, I could create a scenario with four 5th level Iconic PCs facing a basilisk and you could tell me how the PCs wouldn't fight them since there isn't a 100% chance of them making their DC 13 fort saves (the rogue and wizard esp). I assumed risk:reward ratio would be sufficient, and maybe (since I did change some stuff mid-writing) overestimated the DCs for a 5th level party. Increasing the numbers does two things though. It allows challenges to scale with competency levels (since DC 15 is rough for a 5th level cleric, but easy for a 25th) and give the PCs a sense of accomplishment (I just jumped a 15' gap! I never did that before) setting the DCs at 5 or even 0 is not even worthy of a die-roll. Its a formality. For the example, I stated the idea of the wizard maybe having fly to circumvent the obstacle, but not every caster has the proper spell to counter the obstacle at hand. Sure, missile weapons, summons, or even rope and pitons are all acceptable (and useful) alternatives, but I was specifically speaking of the option of JUMPING across the pit and how SAGA gave the other PCs a bit more of an edge at making the same DC as the rogue who specialized in it (and still allowed the rogue to shine). Heck, I was trying to find a way to make it LESS encumbrant on magical items, spells and goodies (to remove the "Don't worry, I'll teleport us" bypass that PCs love and DMs bemoan. So fighters have a 100% chance to miss AC 15 with a +14 to hit since they always miss on a 1? You seem to be arguing that since a PC isn't guaranteed success, a +14 is the same as a +1. Listen, I could re-write a scenario which better describes the idea and better handles the math, but it would be a waste of typing. The moral of my story (which seems to have gotten lost in your picking apart my numbers) is that skills in 3.X are binary, you either have them or you don't. Thus, any encounter that relies on a skill (ride, swim, jump, climb, stealth, etc) ends up one guy having LOTS of fun because he invested in X skill and three guys standing around doing nothing. And in an RPG, I HATE standing around doing nothing. Give me a small chance to get in on the fun. SAGA's system gives me that small chance to succeed but doesn't reduce the challenge to that the PCs who invested in it feels cheapened (if the jump DC is only 5 so that the cleric can make it, why did I put 10 ranks in jump and not something else?). If it means I can use more obstacles in my game rather than flat, 10x10 rooms, its fine with me.</blockquote>

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