What good is an Endurance skill?

[loseth]

Perhaps...

--force march
--hold your breath
--ignore hunger/thirst
--run for longer
--swim or tread water for longer
--sleep in armour


But if that's all there is, I'm thinking it'll be a pretty crappy skill. So, what other uses for this skill can you think of?

 

[Frostmarrow]

I think it's an odd choice. For sure, we need someway of saying "my character can run for a day" but as a skill it's a bad choice.

If skill challenges are as proavtive as they appear Endurance is completely backwards. You know, during a skill challenge any player can chime in and do something towards a common goal and use any applicable skill to do so. But what can you actually do with Endurance?

Let's say the challenge involves looking for clues in a room. You can search, peruse books, look at paintings, and so on. "Hey man, I'm gonna use Endurance. I'm gonna sit here till they come home..." Not very good at all. Please stitch.

 

[Dalamar]

I don't think Endurance would be "I sit still untill the clues come out", it would be more "I'm searching this place, and I'm going to keep at it untill something turns up".

Not to mention that personally I feel that "looking for clues in a room" is probably a touch too narrow for a skill challenge. You can't really make a case for using any skill besides Perception, except maybe Thievery.

 

[loseth]

You can't really make a case for using any skill besides Perception, except maybe Thievery.

I'd add Insight to that: 'Now, if I were a drunk and an amateur thief like the rogue we're after, where would I have hidden the gems?'

 

[GoLu]

According to the scalegloom hall quickplay rules, it lets you stave off ill effects and push beyond normal physical limits.

...which could mean anything. But I could easily see that including feats of strength and (duh) endurance which come up during skill challenges. How often does an adventurer need to hold something heavy for a long period of time (aka, lift the portcullis long enough for everyone to squeeze through)?

(That said, I think my characters have lifted a portcullis all of zero times during their collective lifespans. But at least the skill sounds useful in that context.)

 

[Frostmarrow]

I don't think Endurance would be "I sit still untill the clues come out", it would be more "I'm searching this place, and I'm going to keep at it untill something turns up".

Not to mention that personally I feel that "looking for clues in a room" is probably a touch too narrow for a skill challenge. You can't really make a case for using any skill besides Perception, except maybe Thievery.

I could make a case for various skills in interpreting the books and paintings but the example is not the point. Being able to do-something-for-an-extended-period is too different from being-able-to-do-something or even know-something. Most skill challenges will be set in a time frame where Endurance won't become a factor.

Take Escape from Sembia as an exemple: Up til now we've heard of outrunning the guards, lose the guards in the crowd, create diversions, or slip through a secret passage. How can I use Endurance here? The whole affair will be over in minutes, what good is the capacity to run up and down the midfield for ninety minutes?

 

[Crosswind]

My suggested uses:

Party's doing a forced march (happens all the time): Endurance checks, or take penalties.
Holding your breath underwater (Happens an alarming amount. =/)
Chasing an enemy of equal speed for a long time (Stupid fleeing kobolds!)
Holding up a falling stone in a trap, for your party to get through
Being able to sleep in heavier armor without taking penalties
Boozing all night, fighting in the morning.
Shrug off heat exhaustion

I dunno - I see a lot of warrior-types taking endurance. I know my parties end up, more often than not, doing long travels/marches...

-Cross

 

[Andur]

Making sweet whoopie to a Succubus all night...

 

[Lacyon]

I could make a case for various skills in interpreting the books and paintings but the example is not the point. Being able to do-something-for-an-extended-period is too different from being-able-to-do-something or even know-something. Most skill challenges will be set in a time frame where Endurance won't become a factor.

Take Escape from Sembia as an exemple: Up til now we've heard of outrunning the guards, lose the guards in the crowd, create diversions, or slip through a secret passage. How can I use Endurance here? The whole affair will be over in minutes, what good is the capacity to run up and down the midfield for ninety minutes?

IIRC Endurance was used in that challenge by a couple of guys in the fashion of 'I keep up a running pace longer than the guards can'.

 

[Lord Zardoz]

How about temporarily overcoming penalties inflicted by fatigue, pain, poison, hunger, and the like? Resisting physical torture? Endurance is a pretty big bone to throw towards the simulationist gamers in that regard.

The new edition does not use skill points, so having a few skills that seem extraneous is not a big deal, I think.

END COMMUNICATION