Obsidian

SkillChallengeSystemVer.1.2
ByTravisHustonDunlap

Welcometoasystemthattakesthebasic4thEditionDungeonsandDragonsskillchallengesystemtoanentirelynew
level!Thissystematitscoreisverydifferentfromthestandardsystem,soitisnotforeveryone.

ConsiderusingtheObsidianSystemifyoubelieveinthefollowing:

1) Playersshouldalwaysbeincludedinskillchallenges,butshouldntalwaysgettousetheirbestskills.Asocial
charactershouldshineinsocialencounters,andanathleticcharactershouldshineinathleticencounters.
2) Playersshouldntfeelthattheirparticipationisactuallyhurtingthepartyschancesofsucceedingatachallenge.
Playersshouldalwaysfeelthattheyarehelpingthechallenge,evenifitstoasmallerdegreethanacharacter
withbetterskills.
3) Askillchallengeshouldworkasadecentencounter,butbeeasilyscalabletoamuchlongerandepicscale.
4) Playersshouldspendmoretimedescribingtheiractions,andlesstimetryingtofindwaystousetheirbestskills.
5) TheskillchallengemathshouldbesolidenoughtoallowDMtweakingwithoutcausingproblems.
6) Thestandardskillchallengesystemforwhateverreasonjustisntforyou.

SpecialthankstoFredrickSvanberg,whoinspiredtheideaofdoingskillchallengesinrounds,andtoKeithBakerwho
gavemetheideaofusingpartialvictories.

PG.1

 TableofContents
WhatEveryoneneedstoKnow....................................................................................................3
TheBasicSkillChallenge...........................................................................................................3
WhattheDMneedstoKnow.......................................................................................................4
SettingtheDifficultyofaChallenge..........................................................................................4
WinningandLosing...................................................................................................................4
DeterminingSkillsAllowedforaChallenge..............................................................................5
TypesofChallenges...................................................................................................................5
Mental....................................................................................................................................5
Physical..................................................................................................................................6
Social......................................................................................................................................6
AwardingXP..............................................................................................................................7
AdvancedOptions........................................................................................................................7
OptionalRules...........................................................................................................................7
CombatSkillChallenges............................................................................................................8
Short(2segment)SkillChallenges............................................................................................9
LargerSkillChallenges...............................................................................................................9
ExampleLargeChallenge:ESCAPEFROMJAIL.....................................................................10
AdjustingtheDifficultytoyourParty......................................................................................11
FrequentlyAskedQuestions......................................................................................................11
ChangeLog.................................................................................................................................13

PG.2

 WhatEveryoneneedstoKnow
TheBasicSkillChallenge
Everyskillchallengeconsistsofthreesegments.EachsegmentcanlastaslongastheDMdesires.Formanychallenges,a
segmentwillbeasingleround.Inothers,itcouldbeanencounterorseveralhoursofwork.Duringeachsegment:

1) Eachplayerdescribesanactionthathischaracterisdoing,whetheritstumblingpastaguardortalkingwitha
duke.
2) TheDMandtheplayerworktogethertodecidetherightskillcheckfortheaction.Ingeneral,aplayerusesa
skillthatfitsthechallengetype(seeChallengeTypes)thoughtheDMisthefinaljudgewhetheracertainskill
canbeused.
3) Iftheplayergivesaparticularlygooddescriptionorroleplayswell,theDMcangivehima+2totheskillcheck.
4) AllplayersrolltheirskillchecksversustheDCofthechallenge,usuallyallatthesametime.TheDMcountsall
thesuccessesthataremade.
5) Steps14arerepeatedforthesecondandthirdsegmentsofthechallenge.TheDMtotalsupallofthe
successesmade,andthendetermineswhetherthepartyfailed,obtainedvictory,oronlyobtainedpartial
victory.SeeWinningandLosingbelowformoreinformation.

PLAYERNOTE:IntheObsidiansystem,youcantakeactionsthatdirectlyaffectthechallenge,orthatsimplyhelpyour
teammates.Bothareconsideredequallyusefultothechallenge.Alsokeepinmindthatyouwontalwaysgettouse
yourbestskills,asocialcharactermightnothavegoodskillsforaphysicalchallengeforexample.Thatsokay,roleplay
youractionsanddoyourbestwhileoneofyourteammatesuseshisbigskills.Inthenextchallengeitwillbeyourturn
toshine.

PlayerOptions:Whileengagedinaskillchallenge,playerscanusethefollowing:
BoldRecovery:Aplayermayspendanactionpointtorerollaskillchecktheyhavemade,beforetheymightknowif
therollwasasuccessorfailure.Theplayermusttaketheresultofthereroll.

BrazenAction(CombatSkillChallengeonly):Aplayercantakea2toalldefenses.Hegainsa+2toallskillchecks
relatedtoaskillchallenge.Thebenefitsanddrawbackslastuntilthebeginningofhisnextturn.

CriticalSuccess:Anatural20onaskillcheckisanautomaticsuccess.Inaddition,theplayergetsoneadditional
success.

PrimarySkill:Formostchallenges,theDMassignsoneortwoskillsasthecenterpointofthechallenge.Playersusing
thatskillreceivea+2totheirskillchecks.Example:InanegotiationwithaDuke,diplomacywouldbetheprimaryskill.In
ascenewherethepartysneaksintoanorccamp,stealthwouldbetheprimaryskill.Iftheplayerswereresearchinga
secretfromancientarcanetexts,arcanawouldbetheprimary.

DMNOTE:WhilePrimaryskillscanbeuseful,youcanchoosenottohaveaprimaryskillforsomeofyourchallenges.If
youdohaveaprimary,makeitknowntotheplayersatthebeginningofthechallenge.Also,mostcombatchallengesdo
nothaveaprimaryskill.

Unburdened:Youmayspendonehealingsurgeandchooseaskillthathasanarmorcheckpenalty(suchasendurance).
Fortherestoftheskillchallenge,youmayignorethearmorcheckpenaltyforthatskill.Youmayspendadditionalsurges
toselectmoreskills.

PG.3

WhattheDMneedstoKnow
SettingtheDifficultyofaChallenge
Astandardskillchallengeisthesamelevelastheparty.Table1belowgivestheDCofaskillchallengeateachlevel.Ifa
DMwishestochangethedifficulty,a+1/1toDCchangesthedifficultyofthechallengebyabout+/10%.

Table1.SkillChallengeDCsforeachlevel

Lvl 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
DC 18 19 19 20 20 21 21 23 23 24 24 25 25 26 26

Lvl 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
DC 27 27 28 28 29 30 31 31 32 32 33 33 34 34 35

WinningandLosing
OncetheDMhastotaledupallofthesuccessesforachallenge,hecomparesthetotalnumbertoTable2givenbelow.
Thetableshowshowmanysuccessrollsthepartyneedsforapartialortotalvictory.Iftheygetfewerthanthat,they
sufferafailure.Thenumberisbasedonthenumberofplayersthatareinthechallenge.

Table2.SuccessesneededforVictory

Players* Victory Partial Failure

Victory
2 4+ 3 Lessthan3
3 6+ 45 Lessthan4
4 7+ 56 Lessthan5
5 8+ 67 Lessthan6
6 10+ 89 Lessthan8
7 12+ 1011 Lessthan10
*Thisisthenumberofplayersthatareinthechallenge,whichcouldbelessthanyourtotalparty.

FailureGuys,wehaveaproblem.
Thepartyhasfailedtoacquirethegoalsofthechallengeand/orhassufferedasignificantsetbackintheprocess.

PartialVictoryItsnotoveryet.
Thepartyhasaccomplishedmostofthegoal,buttheresstillmoretobedone,ortherearelooseendstotieup.

VictoryAjobwelldone.
Thepartyhascompletedallofthegoalsofthechallenge,andisreadyforanewadventure.

PG.4


DeterminingSkillsAllowedforaChallenge
Ingeneral,theChallengeType(seeChallengeTypes)willgiveyouagoodguideonwhatskillstoallowforanysingle
challenge.However,insomecasesaplayermaymakeaverygoodcasetouseadifferentskill.AstheDM,feelfreeto
allownewskills,especiallyforcreative,innovativeuses.

DMNOTE:Inthestandard4eskillchallengesystem,playersaregenerallyabletousesomeoftheirbestskillsinevery
challenge.ThisisNOTtrueinObsidian.Ifplayersareinasocialtypechallenge,theyareexpectedtousesocialskillsfor
example,eveniftheyarentthebestatit.Feelfreetorewardcreative,outoftheboxthinking,butdontletplayersget
awaywithusingtheirbestskillsallthetime.Thatway,eachcharactergetsachancetoshineindifferentkindsof
challenges.

RULEOFTHUMB:Onlyallowaplayertouseanonstandardskillonceperskillchallengeandonlyiftheplayeris
creativewiththeskill.

Example:Duringachasescene(aphysicalchallenge)therogueaskstheDMifhecanusebluff(asocial,notaphysical
skill)topsychouttheguardsandescape.Hegivesareallygooddescriptionofwhathewantstodo.TheDMallowsit,
butfortherestofthechallengeencouragestheroguetousephysicalskills(likeacrobatics).

TypesofChallenges
EverySkillChallengehasatypechosenbytheDM:mental,physical,orsocial.Thetypedetermineswhatkindsofskills
aregenerallyappropriatetothechallenge,aswellastheconsequencesofsuccessandfailure.

DMNOTE:Thechallengetypesaredesignedtobeaguideforyoutoquicklydeterminewhatskillsareusefultothe
challengeandtodesigntheresultsofsuccessandfailures.However,neverfeelstifledbythechallengetypes;usethem
toyourownbenefit.

Mental
AMentalchallengeletstheplayersusingtheirmindsandtheirsensestogaincluesandtofindtheirwayaroundthe
world.DMscanuseMentalChallengestodescribelargescalesofsceneryandgiveplayersachancetoworkoutcluesto
obtainvictory.

Examples:Findingyourwaythroughanoldforest,determiningthesecretentrancetotheundergroundcity,solvingthe
puzzleofElKarad,orfindingthelastingredientforaritualinanoldlibraryareexamplesofaMentalChallenge.

Standardskillsforamentalchallengeinclude:

Arcana(Int)
Dungeoneering(Wis)
Heal(Wis)*
History(Int)
Insight(Wis)
Nature(Wis)
Perception(Wis)
Religion(Int)
Social(cha)**
Streetwise(Cha)***

PG.5

*Whendealingwithanatomyormedicalinsights.
**Socialskillscanbeusefultogainclueswhenotherpeoplearenearthechallengesite,suchasusingdiplomacyto
acquirehelpfromtheheadlibrarian.Generallyallowthisonlyonceperchallengeperperson.
***Fornavigatingurbanterrainorgaininginformationonthestreet.

Failure:Failingamentalchallengeoftenmeansyouarriveatadifferentlocationthantheoneyouhadintended,orthat
youobtainapieceofinformationonlytolaterfindoutitisincorrect.
PartialVictory:Yougainsomeoftheinformationyouneed,butneedmore.Yousuccessfullynavigatetheterrain,but
aregreatlydelayedanditcausesproblemsdowntheroad.
Victory:Yougaintheinformationyouneedandsolvethepuzzle.Younavigatetheterrainquicklyandeasily,and
perhapsfindatreasurealongtheway.

Physical
Aphysicalchallengeoftenisthemostversatileofchallenges.Itcanincludesubtlestealthoroutrageousstunts.Players
areencouragedtodescribetheiractionsindetail.

Examples:Scalingagreatcliff,sneakingpastagroupofguards,andcrossingaragingriveraregoodphysicalchallenges.

StandardskillsforaPhysicalChallengeinclude:

Acrobatics(Dex)
Athletics(Str)
Endurance(Con)
Heal(Wis)
Stealth(Dex)
Thievery(Dex)
Social(cha)*
Knowledge(intorwis)**

*Socialskillscansometimesbeusefulinphysicalchallengesagainstothercreatures.Usingblufftothrowoffagroupof
guardsasyoumakeyourescapeisagoodexample.Generallyonlyallowthisonceperchallengeperplayer.
**Knowledgeskillscansometimesbeusefulinphysicalchallengesthatinvolvecertainenvironments.Usingnatureina
chasescenethatinvolvesthejungleisoneexample.Generallyonlyallowthisonceperchallengeperplayer.

Failure:Failingaphysicalchallengeusuallyinvolvesphysicalfatigueandpossiblygreatperil.Thepartymighteachlose
twohealingsurges,oreverypersoninthepartylosesoftheirhitpoints,andthenisforcedintoacombat.
PartialVictory:Thepartyhasovercometheobstaclebutmayhavecreatednewobstaclesintheprocess.Forexample,
thepartyhastoclimbarockwallinawaythatleadstootherhazardousterrain.Orthepartycompletesthetaskbut
suffersfatigueintheformoflosingtwohealingsurgeseach.
Victory:Thepartyovercomestheobstacle,fresh,strongandreadyforthenextone.

Social
Asocialchallengegenerallyinvolvestalkingandalargeamountofroleplaying.Playersareencouragedtouseeloquent
words,boldstatements,andoutrightliestowintheday.

Example:AnegotiationwiththeDuke,talkingyourwaypasttheguards,andconvincinganoldherototakeupthecause
onceagainareexamplesofsocialchallenges.

PG.6

StandardSkillsforasocialchallengeinclude:

Bluff(cha)
Diplomacy(cha)
Insight(wis)
Intimidate(cha)
Streetwise(cha)
Knowledges*(intorwis)

*Insomecases,someknowledgeskillscanbeusefuliftheyareparticularlyrelevanttothechallenge.Example:Using
religioninasocialchallengethatinvolvesapriest.Generallyonlyallowthisonceperplayerperchallenge.

Failure:Thepartydoesnotgettheirdesiredhelp,andoftentheothergroupsopinionofthepartyhasdropped.Ifthe
opposinggroupwasalreadyhostile,itmayresultincombat.
PartialVictory:Thepartygetswhattheywant,buttheothergroupwantssomethingtoo.Goodexamplesarearare
treasure,somekeyinformation,orafavor.Thiscouldleadtoanotherquest.
Victory:Thepartygetswhattheywant.Inmanycasestheothersidewillfeelgreaterrespect(orawe)fortheparty.

AwardingXP
Victory:GivetheplayersthesameamountofXPasiftheyhadfoughtastandardcombatoftheirlevel.Forexample,a
standardencounterfora2ndlevelparty(5characters)is5level2monsters.

PartialVictory:Ingeneral,rewardtheplayersthesameXPasiftheysecuredavictory.Justlikeincombat,sometimes
thepartydoeswellandsometimesnot,butiftheyovercomethechallengetheyshouldberewarded.Inothercases,
givethemhalforthreefourthsoftheXP,andthenrewardtherestiftheyareabletotieuptheirlooseends.

AdvancedOptions
OptionalRules
Challengesgeneratemore,notless,Combat:SkillChallengesprovideawayforDMstouseencountersotherthan
combattochallengetheirparty.However,combatcanbealotoffunforplayers.Insomecases,yourpartymaysecretly
wishithadfailedachallengeifitmeantgettingtofight.Forthesegroups,useskillchallengesthatwillhavecombats
afterthemregardlessofhowthepartydoes.Instead,givethema+1totheirattackrollsiftheyscoreavictoryanda1if
theyscoreafailure.

FollowtheLeader:Forsomeskillchallenges,itmakessenseforthepartytohavealeaderinthatchallenge.Inthat
case,donotassignprimaryskills.Instead,theleadergainsa+2toallofhisskillchecks.Whicheverskillheusesfora
segmentbecomestheprimaryskillfortherestofthegroupforthatsegment.

GoingforBroke:Thisrulegivesplayersmorecontrolovertheiractionsinaskillchallenge.Duringthethird(andlast)
segmentofaskillchallenge,playerscantakea5totheirskillrolls.IftheystillmaketheDC,theyreceiveoneadditional
success.Therefore,aplayerwhorolledacriticalsuccesswouldget3successes.Playersmustchoosewhethertogofor

PG.7

brokebeforeanyplayershavemadetheirskillrolls.Ingeneralthiswillgivetheplayersfewerpartialvictoriesandmore
totalvictories.Note:Thisoptionalruleisnotrecommendedforcombatchallengesorfortwosegmentchallenges.

PlayerschoosePartialVictoryConditions:Atthebeginningofthechallenge,allowyourplayersseveralchoicesonwhat
theygetiftheygainapartialvictory.Iftheygetatotalvictory,theyreceivealloftheoptions.

ShiftingPrimarySkills:Agoodwaytokeepaskillchallengedynamicistochangetheprimaryskillsaftereachsegment.
Thiscangiveasenseoftimeandflowtoyourchallengeasyourpartytransitionsfromoneareatoanother.

TotalVictoryandTotalDefeat:Insomechallenges,aDMmaynotdesirepartialvictory,insteadwantingeither
completevictoryorcompletefailure.Inthatcase,removethevictorynumberfromthechallenge,andjustusethe
partialvictorynumber.Fromthere,feelfreetochangetheDCtosuityourdesireddifficulty.

CombatSkillChallenges
SkillChallengescanbecomeevenmoreexcitingwhensetagainstthebackdropofcombat,andthereareseveral
differencesbetweenanormalskillchallengeandacombatone:

1) Acombatskillchallengedoesnthavesegments.Instead,playersconsumeactionstoovercomeachallenge.
2) Thereisgenerallynopenaltyforfailureinacombatskillchallenge.Forplayers,thepenaltyoffailureisthe
wasteoftheircombatactionswithnoreward.Further,thereisnormallynopartialvictory.
3) Itisassumedthatonlyaportionoftheteamisworkingonthechallenge(usuallytheonesmostsuitedforit).
Therestaretakingoutthebadguys.

ForEveryone
1) Ontheirturnininitiative,aplayercantakemoveactionstomakeskillchecksforthechallenge.Theymustbein
therightareatomakethecheck(beingnexttoatrapforathieverycheckisonepossibleexample).Ifaskill
involvesmovement,likeathleticsandacrobatics,theplayercanmovehalfhisspeedaspartofthecheck.Players
havethesameoptionstheyhaveforregularskillchallenges,includingcriticalsuccesses.
2) Thecombatchallengewillcontinueuntiltheplayersreceivetherequirednumberofsuccesses(normally23).
3) PlayerscanuseskillsasdeterminedbytheDM.Generally,skillsallowedforacombatchallengearemuch
stricterthanfornormalskillchallenges.Inmanycases,onlyoneortwoskillsareappropriate.Inaddition,
combatskillchallengesrarelyhaveprimaryskills.IftheDMallowsit,playersarealsowelcometousetheaid
anotheraction,ortosimplymakeskillchecksandflavorthemasaidingtheirfriendsiftheywishto.
4) UsingPowers:TheDMisfreetogiveplayersabonustoskillchecksiftheyuseaparticularlyrelevantpowerfor
thechallenge.Insomecasesapowermayreplaceaskillcheckentirely(suchasusingflytoreplaceanathletics
checktojump).Inthesecircumstances,theDMmayrewardyouwithanautosuccess.

FortheDM
1) TheDCoftheskillchallengeisthesameasanormalchallenge.Generally,usetheleveloftheencounterasa
guidelineforwhatDCstouse.
2) Combatchallengescanbecooperativeorpersonal.Inacooperativechallenge,allplayersuccessesareadded
togethertodeterminevictory,andplayerscantakeactionstohelpeachother.Inapersonalchallenge,players
successesarekeptseparate.Thefirstplayertogettherequirednumberofsuccessesgetstherewardofthe
challenge.Mostofthetime,playerscannothelpeachotherinthesetypesofchallenges.
3) Beatingacombatchallenge:Whentheplayersgaintherequirednumberofsuccesses,theyreceivethebenefits
ofvictory.Generallybeatingacombatchallengeshouldeitherweakenordestroyoneofthepartysenemies,or
providethepartysomekindofcombatbenefit.Aneasyexamplewouldbedisablingatrap.Anothermightbe
takingoutadarkcrystalthatisfeedingtheenemypartywithpower.Ingeneral,therearenopartialsuccesses,
andthereisnopenaltyforfailure.

PG.8

 4) Determiningthenumberofsuccesses:Threesuccessesarethedefaultforcooperativechallenges,andtwofora
personalchallenge.Keepinmindthatwhilethisallowsaplayerthepotentialtowinachallengeveryquickly,
skillchallengesDCsarenormallyprettydifficult.Increasingthenumberofsuccessesrequiredcanquicklymake
thechallengefrustratingtoyourplayers.
5) DeterminingXP:Acombatchallengesprovidesthepartyanalternatemeansofdefeatingachallenge,butdoes
notprovideadirectchallengeinitself.GrantthesameXPforthechallengeasyouwouldwithoutthecombat
challengeitself.

DMNote:Whenitcomestocombatskillchallenges,mybestadviceistokeepitshortandsweet.Keepthenumberof
successesneededsmall,andkeepthebonusesofsuccessreasonable.Ifyoufindyouarecreatingachallengethatisthe
hallmarkoftheencounter,withthemonstersmorelikewindowdressingthanasignificantthreat,considerusinga
standardskillchallengeinstead.

Youwillalsonoticethatthesystemdoesnttakeyournumberofplayersintoaccount.Thereasonisthatforacombat
challenge,playerswillgenerallyonlytrythingstheyaregoodat.Soeveninagroupof5playersonlyonemaybegoodat
thievery,andsoheistheonelikelytoattemptathieveryskillchallenge.KeepinmindthatifyouDMasmallerparty,
youmaywishtomakethebenefitsofsuccessgreater,asyourpartyhasagreaterlossofactionsifonepersondecidesto
dothechallenge.

Examples:
RidingtheDragon(Personal).Skills:AthleticsorAcrobatics.Aplayercanbeginthischallengewheneveradjacenttothe
dragon.After2successes,theplayerisonthedragonsbackandslideswhereverthedragonmoves.Theplayergains
combatadvantageagainstthedragon,andthedragonsuffersa2tohittheplayer.Ifthedragonmovesawayfromthe
playerbeforethechallengeissuccessful,theplayerlosesallsuccessesearned.

EndingtheChallenge:Thedragoncanmakeasuccessfulgrabattacktoremovetheplayerfromhisback.

TheArrowTrap(Cooperative).Skills:Thievery.Aplayermustbeadjacenttothetrapscontrolpaneltobeginthe
challenge.After3successes,thetrapshutsdown.

TheScaredLittleKobolds(Personal).Skills:Intimidate.Ifaplayermakes2successes,theybecomeasightofaweand
fearamongthekoboldshefaces.Hemarksanykoboldheattacks,whetherhehitsormisses.Iftheplayeralreadyhasa
markability,theattackpenaltydoubles.Special:Acriticalhitcountsasanautomaticsuccessforthischallenge.

TheCircleofStrength(Cooperative).Skills:ReligionorArcana.Aplayermustbewithin5squaresofthecircletobegin
thechallenge.Witheitherholyprayersorknowledgeofarcaneincantations,youbringthecirclebacktolifeafter
scoring3successes.Youoranyallythatstandsinthecirclegains+1toattackrolls.Thecirclefadesagainattheendof
theencounter.

Short(2segment)SkillChallenges
Therearetimeswhenthenormalchallengemayfeeltoolongforcertaincircumstances,orthreesegmentsjustdoesnt
seemcinematicallyappropriatetoyourparticularchallenge.Inthatcase,usethesestepstorunatwosegmentskill
challenge.

1) Startwithanormalskillchallenge,andsubtract1fromthenumberofsegments.
2) Subtract2fromtheDC.
3) Subtract2fromthenumberofsuccessesneededtoobtainTotalVictory.
4) Subtract1fromthenumberofsuccessesneededtoobtainPartialVictory.

LargerSkillChallenges

PG.9

Sometimes,oneskillchallengeisntenough!HerearesomegeneraltimeswhenaDMwouldliketohavemultipleskill
challenges:

PartialVictory.Bytheirnature,partialvictoriesinvokeunfinishedwork,whichcouldmeananotherskill
challengefortheparty.
Moreindepthchallenges.TheDMwouldliketouseskillchallengesasalargequestoranepicjourney.
MixedChallenges.ADMwantstouseawiderrangeofskillchallenges,includingmental,physical,andsocial
challengesallinone.

BuildingoffaPartialSuccess:Feelfreetocreateanotherbasicchallengefortheparty,andinsertitlaterinthe
adventuretotieupthelooseendstheyhaveremaining.Inthiscase,youmaywanttousetheTotalVictoryandTotal
Defeatoptionalrulelistedabovesothatonewayoranother,thepartywillbedoneafterthesecondchallenge.

Buildingalargerchallengefromthebeginning:ThisisveryeasyintheObsidiansystem.Justfollowthesesteps:

1) Chooseabasicskillchallenge,andgiveitatype.
2) Ifthepartyfailsthechallenge,dontgivethemastandardpenalty.Instead,theyreceivea1toallskillrolls
involvedinthenextsectionofthechallenge.
3) Ifthepartygetsavictory,dontgivethemastandardbonus.Instead,theyreceivea+1toallskillrollsinvolvedin
thenextsectionofthechallenge.
4) Ifthepartygetsapartialvictory,theyreceivenoadditionalbonusorpenalty,andproceedtothenextphaseof
thechallenge.
5) Repeatsteps14toaddasmanysectionstothechallengeasyoulike.Feelfreetousedifferenttypesaswell.
6) Forthefinalchallenge,providefailureandsuccessbenefitsasnormal.Youmaywishtomakethesegrander
thannormal,asthefinalresultistheeffortofmanychallenges.

ExampleLargeChallenge:ESCAPEFROMJAIL
Section1:Breakout(Social)
Thepartyisinahighsecurityjail,butoneoftheguardsissympathetictotheircause.Withenoughpersuasion,the
guardmightletthemout.

PrimarySkill:Diplomacy
Failure:Theguardisangeredbythepartysdemandsandsetsatraptoteachthemalesson.Thepartyisreleased,but
manyguardsarewaitingforthem.Theyenterthenextchallengewitha1toalloftheirskillchecksforthenextsection.
PartialVictory:Theguardletsthepartyout,butonlysecondsbeforesecurityisalerted.Thepartymustproceedtothe
nextsectionwithnobonusorpenalty.
Victory:Thepartyenlistsseveralguardstohelp,andmanagestoescapewellbeforesecurityisalerted.Theyreceivea
+1totheirskillchecksforthenextsection.

Section2:TheChase(Physical)
Thepartyisontherun,beingchasedbytheguards.Theymustmaketheirwaytotheexitofthecityandescape.

PrimarySkill:Athletics,Endurance
Failure:Thepartymanagestoescapethecity,butisterriblywindedfromthechase,andtheguardsarenotfarbehind.
Theyreceivea1toallskillchecksforthenextsectionofthechallenge.
PartialVictory:Thepartyescapesthecity,buttheguardsarenotfarbehind.Theyproceedtothenextsectionofthe
challengewithnobonusorpenalty.
Victory:Thepartyiswellaheadoftheguards.Theyreceivea+1ontheirskillchecksforthenextsection.

FinalSection:ForestRace(Mental)
ThepartymustnavigatetheforestofMral,whichsurroundsthecity,withtheguardsontheirheelsandpatrolsinthe
woods.Theymustfindthequickwaysthroughthedenseforest,orbeovertakenbythepatrols.
PG.10

PrimarySkill:Nature
Failure:Thepartyissurroundedbyguardsandaskedtosurrender.Theencounterisextremelydifficultfortheparty,
andmayresultinseveraldeaths.Theplayerscanfightorsurrender.Iftheysurrender,theyaretakentothecity
magistrate.
PartialVictory:Thepartyescapesmostofthepatrols,butoneliesbetweenthemandfreedom.Setupastandard
encounterfortheparty.Iftheysucceed,thepartyisfree,buttightenedsecuritywillmakeitextremelydifficulttoenter
thecityagain.
Victory:Thepartymakesitbyallofthepatrols,andescapeswithoutincident.Inaddition,theymanagetofinda
droppedreportthatgivesdetailedinformationaboutthesecurityofthecity,whichwouldassistifthepartydecidesto
returntherelater.

AdjustingtheDifficultytoyourParty
TheObsidianSystemassumesthatformostchallenges,a5playergroupwillhavethefollowing:

1) Onegoodskilluser,whohasahighstat(18or20at1stlevel)andtraininginaskillusefultothechallenge.
2) Twoaverageskillusers,whohaveskilltraining,butalowerstat(12or14at1stlevel,oran18withanarmor
checkpenaltyof2).
3) Twopoorusers.Theseguyshavenotrainingandalowstat(814)intheskill.

Withsuchaparty,thesystemgivesarounda2030%failurerate,a3035%partialvictory,anda4045%totalvictory
rateforanequallevelchallenge(so7080%ofthetimethepartyiswinningsomething).

AdjustingDCstoalterdifficultyortofityourparty

A+1/1totheDCofachallengewillchangethedifficultybyabout+/10%.
Ifaplayerhasa+5totheirskillovertheexpectednormal,thechallengegetseasierbyabout10%(the
equivalentofa1totheDC).A+1totheDCwillgiveyouthestandardchallengeforsuchachange.
Note:DontchangetheDCstoodramatically;a+1/1isusuallyenoughformostgroups.

AdjustingtheTotalVictoryNumber

Insomecases,aDMwillwanttoleavethefailureratethesame,butchangehowoftenthepartygainspartialortotal
victory.Inthatcase:

Adjustthetotalvictorynumberby+1/1withoutchangingthepartialvictorynumber.Thiswillchangeyour
partialvictoryratebyabout+15%/15%,andalteryourtotalvictoryratebythesameamount.

FrequentlyAskedQuestions
1) SometimesIwouldratherhelpmypartymembersthandrivetheaction.CanIdothatinObsidian?

InObsidian,allactionsareconsideredequallyimportant.Whetheryouareengaginginactivediplomacywiththenoble
orjustwhisperinghelpfulsuggestionstoyourfellowplayer,youractionshelptowinthechallenge.Feelfreetodescribe
youractionsinwhateverwayyoulike.Mechanically,helpingyourpartyisthesameskillcheckastakingamoreactive
role.

2) YoumentioninObsidianthatplayersarentalwayssupposedtousetheirbestskills.Iactuallylikeitwhenmy
playersallgettobegreatallthetime.CanIstilldothatanduseObsidian?

PG.11

Youcan,thoughitwilltakealittleadjustment.Ingeneral,yourpartywillsucceedfarmoreoftenthananormalparty
would,sothedifficultieswillneedtobetweakedtokeepthingsinline.Asastart,add+2toyourDCsandincreasethe
partialandvictorysuccessnumbersby1.Fromthere,feelfreetomakefurtheradjustmentsasyouseefit.

3) HowoftenwillmypartysucceedusingtheObsidianSystem?

Forastandardchallenge,thesystemassumesyouhaveoneguywhosreallygoodataskill,twoguyswhoareokay,and
twoguyswhoarebadatthoseskills.Withthatinmind,youwillgetapartialvictoryabout3035%ofthetime,victory
4045%,andfailure2530%.Soingeneralyourpartywillaccomplishsomething7080%ofthetime.CheckoutAdjusting
thesystemtoyourpartyintheOptionalRulesformoreinformationaboutadjustingthewinratetowhereyoulikeit.

4) YourDCsseemtoscaleupataboutthesamerateasmypartyincreasestheirskills.Doesntthatmeanthatan
epiclevelskillchallengewillbejustasmundaneasa1stlevelone?

Mechanically,theDCsaresetsothatapartywillgetagoodconsistentwinrateatanylevel.However,feelfreetoraise
orlowertheDCinordertogiveyourplayersaparticularlyhardoreasychallenge.Further,Obsidianisdesignedto
encourageflavorovermechanics.Atepiclevels,encourageyourplayerstothinkepicwhentheyaredescribingtheir
actions.Asuccessfulacrobaticsrollisbalancingonaninvisiblerazorthinthread.Anarcanacheckmightbecrackinga
wizardscode.inalanguagethatsbeendeadforathousandyears.

5) Iamlookingatthenewcombatskillchallenge,andIlladmit,thenumberofsuccessesseemslowtome.Imean,
aplayercouldfinishsomeofthosechallengesinasingleround!Isthattheintent,oristheresomethingIm
missing?

ItsimportanttokeepinmindthatObsidianDCsarenoteasyevenfortrainedcharacters.Sothechancesofaplayer
acingallofhisrollsandjustwinningthechallengearentashighasyouthink.Second,Ihavefoundthatmakingthegoal
ofthechallengeveryobtainableencouragesplayerstotryit.Ifaplayeronlyhastomake2or3successes,hemightgive
itatry.Ifhehastomake4or5,hemayjustignoreit.

6) Iamrunningabigskillchallengeformyplayersthatinvolveatrappedroom.Theplayerswillbemakinglotsof
skillcheckstoevadeanddefeatallofthetraps.Iwaswondering,wouldyourecommendthestandardskill
challenge,oryournewcombatchallengesystem?

Ingeneral,Irecommendthecombatchallengesystemonlywhentheskillchallengeissupposedtobeasmallpartofthe
overallencounter.Intheaboveexample,wherethechallengeistheprimarypartoftheencounter,Iwouldrecommend
usingthestandardsystem.

7) HowcomeyoudidntputX,Y,orZinyoursystem?

ThisisprobablyoneofthemostcommonquestionsIreceive.Ingeneral,oneofthestrengthsofObsidianisits
simplicity.Thesystemissolidandeasytouse,andfromtherecanbetweakedtoaDMsdesire.Addingtoomanyextra
rulesalwaysthreatensthat,soImverypickyaboutwhatIaddtothesystem.Second,manyideassoundgreatin
principalbutsimplybreakmathematicallywhenyouapplymechanicstothem.IalwayschooserulesthatIbelieveadd
benefittothesystemandthathaveastrongmechanicalfoundation.

8) CanIpostyoursystemonmywebsite,canItranslateitintoadifferentlanguage,andcanIdistributethe
system?

IamveryhonoredwithalloftherequestsIhavereceivedregardingdistributionofmysystem.Theanswertoallofthe
aboveisyes,providedyouaremakingnoprofitoffofmywork,andthatyougivemefullcredit.

9) InoticedyouchangedtheDCsat12thand13thlevel.Ialwaysthoughttheywereinerror,isthatwhytheywere
changed?

PG.12

Questionsaboutthe12thand13thlevelDCshavebeenverycommon.Inactuality,myanalysisshowedthattheoriginal
numbersworkedwell.However,giventhefloodofcommentsIhavereceivedaboutthis,Ihavecometorealizethatthe
publicseesthosenumbers,andlogicallyassumesitsanerror,andnottheintentofthesystem.ConsideringmyDC
numbersatthoselevelsarestillmainlytheoretical,Iwaswillingtobudgeonthisoneforthesakeofclarity.Iwillbe
watchingthatareaoftheDCtableverycloselyhowever,toensurethatpeoplestillhaveasatisfactoryexperiencewith
thenewDCs.

ChangeLog
ChangesfromVersion1.1

1) AddedTwosegmentskillchallengerules.
2) AddedBrazenActionandUnburdenedtotheplayeroptions.
3) Greatlychangedthecombatskillchallengesection.
4) IncreasedtheDCat12thand13thlevelfrom24to25.
5) Addedafewnewoptionalrules.

ChangesfromVersion1.0

1) CriticalSuccessnowgives2successes,insteadofprovidingrerolls.
2) Table2svictoryandpartialvictorynumbershavebeenchangedfora2personchallenge.

PG.13