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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lanefan" data-source="post: 8385452" data-attributes="member: 29398">Sometimes the pillars are distinct other times they combine.  An example of a combination: you asked about interrogations, which are a perfect blend of Social (you're interacting with someone else) and Exploration (once you start getting any info out of the victim).Where I'm quite willing to let it grind to a halt, if that's what it takes to get them to come up with a viable Plan B (and yes, this can include bailing on the mission) without my having to hold their hands.OK, I think I get it.My immediate idea is what about tying it not to successes or failures but to side effects.  Regardless of whether the original action succeeds or fails, every time an action generates a side effect (noise would probably be the most common), bang another die into the pool.So, if you try to bash down a door without first casting Silence you're guaranteed to generate a Noise side-effect, regardless whether your bash attempt succeeds or fails.Too bad.  It's hard to do a true zero-to-hero character arc when the system chops off the zero end.Ayup. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />By 9th I can get behind it, in part because in my eyes 9th counts as high level (my games tend to soft-cap at about 11th-ish) and thus a 9th-level character has earned the right to be a big damn hero. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />In 1e a typical Goblin was about a match for one or two typical commoners.  A single Goblin against a 1st-level character - even a MU - would be the underdog.It seems there's room in 5e for a level 0 and maybe even a level -1, to fill the gap between commoner and ordinary 1st-level.  In 4e there was room for about 4 or 5 levels in that same gap; while in 1e-2e-3e there's room for 0th level and that's about it.Which might mean you end up having to houserule some DM-side stuff in order to generate those challenges.That said, I'm not shy about changing rules to remove abilities if I have to; largely because the other option - beefing up the challenges - just plays into a power-creep arms race I'd rather avoid if possible.</blockquote>

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