Skills: Difference between revisions
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===Ability Checks and Caster Checks=== | ===Ability Checks and Caster Checks=== | ||
The normal take 10 and take 20 rules apply for ability checks. Neither rule applies to caster checks. | The normal take 10 and take 20 rules apply for ability checks. Neither rule applies to caster checks. | ||
== Group Skill Checks == | |||
As an optional but strongly suggested system, it is possible to levy skill checks upon groups of players or NPC's. This is a handy method for resolving shared tasks, such as the entire party sneaking into a dire fortress, or everyone trying to make it through a stuffy diplomatic dinner without using the wrong fork. In such tests, everyone is in it together. There is no separate success or failure: You all will succeed or fail together. You all sneak into the fortress, or you are all seen. You all get the treaty signed, or you all wind up in a war. | |||
To resolve a group skill check, the GM assigns a skill to be rolled, a difficulty target number, and a number of successes required. The most common group skill check is a shared stealth roll in most games, and the typical default is that you must roll a Stealth check, against an Average difficulty for the CR of the creatures you are opposing, and you need one success for each person in your party. | |||
Success or failure in a shared check is calculated very simply. All members of the group making the shared check, both players and any non-player characters, roll a skill check (using all systems detailed above). They compare this check to the difficulty. If an Average difficulty is required, then all rolls must equal or exceed the Average DC for the party to succeed. This only rarely happens. However, in a shared check, those members of the party who are more skilled in a particular skill can 'help out' those who are less skilled. For every success class above the target success needed (or for every 5 the roll exceeded the target), a high roll counts as an additional success. | |||
Rolling very poorly can only fail once, unless you roll a 1, which counts as two failures. Rolling a natural 20, of course, always counts as an extra success as the +5 bonus will add a success. | |||
Example: Five players and an NPC are trying to sneak out of the NPC's house before his wife spots them. If they fail, their planned evening of partying and sports events will be ruined! The GM decides they need six successes (one for each player and an extra one for the NPC), the target is an Average DC for the challenge rating of the wife (and we all know how tough THAT can be), and they must make either a Stealth check or a Sense Motive check. Three of the players decide to make Stealth checks, and two players decide to make Sense Motive checks, to guess when the wife will be distracted. The GM rolls a Stealth check for the NPC. | |||
Of all the rolls, most went smoothly, getting an Average success. However, the groups heavily armored combat monster failed badly, rolling a 1. This counts as TWO failures. To counteract this, the groups highly-skilled roguish 'face' rolled a natural 20 on her Sense Motive, scoring an Impossible success! An impossible success with a natural 20 counts as a whopping four successes all by itself! Thus, four players and NPC's scored one success with average rolls, one player scored two failures with a natural one, but another player scored four successes with a natural 20. Four successes, minus two failures, plus four successes, equals six total successes, and thus by the skin of their teeth, the players slip out to eat delicious tavern food, drink tasty beverages, and watch the arena fights. | |||
Shared checks can be adjusted to any difficulty required, and can scale to as many or as few players are needed. The GM may declare by fiat that more or fewer successes are needed, or otherwise adjust the shared check as they see fit. Very difficult checks (lifting a castle door off its hinges) may require party size plus two successes against a Hard target. Very easy checks may require party size minus one success against an Easy target. | |||
Referees are encouraged to be flexible and use Group Skill Checks to advance the game while generating maximum fun for all. | |||
==Libraries== | ==Libraries== | ||