Skill Challenge Rules

A skill challenge boils down to the following tenets:

● The characters encounter a series of obstacles that can be solved through their skills
and abilities, rather than combat.
● Only one character makes an ability check for each obstacle (e.g., making a Stealth
check to guide the party through a dangerous area).
● The goal of the skill challenge is to reach X successful checks before accruing three
failures. X is determined by the difficulty of the challenge, and is not told to the players. A
Hard skill challenge requires five successes before three failures, while a Moderate skill
challenge requires three successes before three failures. An Easy skill challenge can be
resolved with a single successful check, and is often not worth distinguishing as an
explicit “skill challenge.”
● Skills challenges are about collaborative, creative storytelling. The DM presents the
obstacle, and the players suggest solutions that utilize their skills.
● Failure on a skill check is not a wall; instead, the PCs progress, but at the expense of a
resource like time, energy, or power.

The rules of a skill challenge are as follows:

● A skill can be used only once per character (e.g., if Conan the barbarian uses Athletics
to leap a chasm, he cannot use Athletics again to lift a boulder later. Other characters,
however, can still use Athletics for other obstacles.)
● Similarly, cantrips can be used once per character in place of a skill check. The
spellcaster must make an ability check with their spellcasting ability modifier, adding
their proficiency bonus, and comparing it against the DC of the obstacle they are facing.
● Spells of 1st level or higher are automatic successes, so long as they can be logically
used to surpass a given obstacle.
● Tool checks can be used in lieu of skills if a character is proficient in them, and if they
make sense in the context of the given obstacles.
● An easy skill check has a DC of 8. A moderate skill check has a DC of 13. A hard skill
check has a DC of 18. These DCs increase by 2 when the PCs reach levels 5, 10, 15, or
20.
● There is no set initiative order while running a skill challenge; any PC can seize the
initiative when faced with a specific obstacle. However, no single PC can take initiative
two consecutive “turns” in a row.