Exploration & Social Skill Challenge Rules for ALL TTRPGs

[@fanboykc9140]

T Minus 36 days and counting down!!!

[@Mortarah]

Having a proper exploration and social skill challenge guide in the core rulebook will be so beneficial to many games.

[@PRINCEofNONE]

Alright. I’m printing the free stuff. I have to try it. Well done Dungeon Coach and team. As the budget permits I think you can expect me to back this project. Wow.

[@ed-chivers]

Your video got me thinking about the idea of using success points as a kind of reserve, to see how well the party prepared for a difficult situation, to let you build up tension The key difference I'm thinking of is that there might be some scenarios where the players and the game master don't know at the start how many successes are needed. Let me give you an example! Say the party are out on an icy tundra and it's going to get dark soon, and there's a storm brewing. You could run a skill challenge to see how well they manage to find shelter or set up camp. They get four successes - great! But is it enough? Then night falls... the party describe what they're doing overnight, how they're keeping watch, as usual. Meanwhile you're rolling dice to represent the storm battering their shelter - will the four successes be enough? You could draw it out as you roleplay the overnight section, rolling dice at certain intervals. If the storm gets more successes than the party, their shelter breaks - maybe they don't get the benefits of their rest, or have to expend resources to fix it up in the pitch darkness. If the players get more successes than the storm, they get a good night's sleep and their shelter holds together throughout the night. You could make a number of different scenarios using this variant option, where the players bank successes that are then contested by either antagonists or the environment, and by having the challenge be contested you're adding an additional element of chance. Sure they only got two successes, but maybe they'll be lucky... maybe...

[@EcthelionOTF]

I LOVE this idea! Great concept

[@ThaCosmonaut]

I had this in mind for chase type scenarios! I’m building first campaign, and I wanted to have a chase, but I know nothing about the TTRPG and their mechanics yet, and I thought of a tug of war system, 3 successes each way, you succeed? Plus one, enemy succeeds? Back to 0, you lose? Doesn’t move, enemy succeeds, -1, you win, back to 0 until someone gets to 3 (or a certain point where I feel it ran too long) if you get to three first, you catch the dood, he gets to -3 first he escapes.

[@ThaCosmonaut]

Now that I wrote it I think it’s better have it separate where the team has to succeed 3 times and the target as well. You succeed gets 1 you fail gets -1 Same for the guy escaping, until someone gets to 3 first.

[@khavens293]

I love this idea -- it also helps me imagine how to Solo Play DC20 (or 5e) using the Skill Challenges / Reserve system. One of the hardest parts of solo play is setting DCs for social / exploration especially over time. Your camping example has gotten the gears turning in my head! TYVM!

[@cgollimusic]

You can combine this with the progress clock system borrowed from Blades in the Dark. Sneaking into the castle? Skill challenge on the approach/planning phase. Scouting, preparing, distractions etc. Each success counts gives a point. Number of success points = how many times they can fail a stealth check when sneaking through the castle, before guards are alerted.

[@stephanjohnson9205]

You are one of my biggest inspirations to becoming a DM. Your creativity is amazing and hugely helpful. Thank you for what you do.

[@GutisFive]

Let's go DC20!!!

[@chasecurt69]

As usual, another interesting take! I love skill challenges, so this was one of my most anticipated videos to watch! DC20 hype!

[@9HPRuneScape]

I feel this diplomacy system is the most common method for what players already do in TTRPG’s. In my game, all NPC’s have a Diplomacy’s stat block showing their interest & setback’s along with a patient’s meter; the players can use skills to unlock interest’s or learn through trial & error. I really wish we worked together so I didn’t always have to keep my concepts so vague 😅 but I have legitimate solutions to add to EVERY concept you release for the game and together, the depth of immersion would truly become next level imo!

[@9HPRuneScape]

I definitely like how you went about success & failures correlating to success points! All around a quick solution to an unsolved problem in many out of combat encounters.

[@Jdomz97]

Loving Skill Challenges so far. What made my group fall in love with them was a Social Skill Challenge to pass off a fake magic crystal to a shady looking wizard. The Rogue tried to Influence the shady wizard to convince him it was genuine, the Fighter tried to Help, but they both failed. Luckily, our own Wizard rolled super high on his Arcana check to distract the shady wizard by talking his ear off about the intricacies of magic crystals that the shady wizard got fed up and left without checking if it was real! Ended up being a cool moment and the Skill Challenge let me run the game in an interesting way when my players threw a curveball at me

[@mineral520]

This has been really good for me and surely developing the little campaign I want to do to introduce my group to DC20! I love skill challenges and our DM doesn't really do them that much

[@abcrasshadow9341]

Very excited to back the kickstarter when that drops! I want to be promised a final end product and the kickstarter seems like the perfect time to support!

[@MrShdutchy]

I usually dont tell players the target number until after everyone says what they will be doing. Because in the beginning, I found they would choose to do something that gives them the best chance, over a cool idea they had to begin with. If the cool idea they had isn't the most "optimal" for their character, I secretly adjust the DC because I want to see their cool idea succeed too

[@JamesHazlerig]

Great mechanic! I will mention a caveat, as I've seen Group Checks misapplied. This was the situation: The party had to push open a giant-sized door. The GM said that each of us had to make a Strength Check, and we needed as many successes as we had party members. This makes no sense. The door doesn't get heavier or otherwise harder to push depending on how many people are pushing on it. It bugged me because one of the PCs had Strength as their dump stat. It wouldn't make sense for him to even try to push--he had nothing to add. But the player still had to make a Strength Check and potentially screw it all up--when he would just be standing aside. This is different from "all present party members need to make a Charisma check to see how good an impression you make" or "all of you need to make an Agility check to avoid unbalancing the boat as it goes over the rapids." In those situations, it's possible for one person to ruin everyone else's efforts. Anyway, rant over! Your system looks great!

[@Deziar28]

Yeah, the issue here is more about using a group skill check when it shouldn't have been. A single check would have been better, with the possibility of more characters just giving an assist bonus to try to beat that one high level check Or if a group skill check was still requested, other ways to solve it should have been possible. For example, if that strength dumping character was a wizard, instead of pushing with their hands they could have cast the grease spell so the door could move more easily (and a failure would also be possible, just by applying it on the wrong surface, so the ones pushing the door would slip under it)

[@bryan__m]

Yeah, the number of successes should be divorced from the number of players. This is the equivalent of the basic lock being harder to open because you are a high level rogue.

[@airdragon11studios]

Hype!!!!!!!

[@TheArcaneHeathen]

Can't wait my friend looking forward to it

[@JoshEastburn]

Forbidden Lands has a fantastic system for travel that is in a similar vein. Every player has a role: keep watch, hunt, make camp, etc. These roles have to be filled or you can't travel safely. If a player rolls a success, all goes well with their contribution. If they fail, then something happens that negatively affects them or the party: they fail to spot bandits on the road and get ambushed, don't find food and everyone's stores go down, camp doesn't stand up to weather and they take the sleepy condition from having to get up in the middle of the night, etc. I like that each person's role and roll matters in a distinct way. You find yourself rooting for each other and appreciating what each person contributes. Worth mentioning that the resource management system is fantastic also. Roll a die every time you use consumable equipment like torches, food or water. Roll a success, die stays where it is. Fail and the die drops one down the chain from d12 to d4. After that, the resource is depleted. Adds genuine tension to otherwise mundane activities that make travel preparation critical! Following a river, for example, means your water stores stay topped up.

[@Domin0Affect]

I just started writing my own dice system for a ttrpg. You've both inspired me and annihilated my dreams. 😂 FR tho just found this today and I dig the DC20 concept a lot! I'll be waiting for June

[@Cyberfender1]

Mad genius! I really like your ideas the way you present your ideas!

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Thanks for that!

[@bigfoot_booki]

I've been running skill challenges for a while and personally love them! Many of my players are often way too tied to their abilities that they have on their sheets, so I often give numerical bonuses (or outright success) when they expend resources such as spell slots or other limited use abilities which has worked great for a more "rules oriented group". But I haven't used them on these kinds of greater scale yet, so gotta try it the next time they travel between settlements.

[@GrandOldDwarf]

I can't wait for the Kickstarter!

[@Dephtor]

Awesome Video!!! I like the flexibility of the system and the cinematic outcome a group of players could achieve! I begin to have some ideas outa nowhere haha with social, exploration and combat you can do soo much stuff! thank you Coach

[@BIGBENMACDOUCE]

DC:20 FTW !!

[@tulaimes]

I'm so excited!

[@galaxyfoxnightsky2042]

Heey coach would love a video on more ways too give the party cool things for high amount of sucses points or obstacles for low sucses points Good luck with the kickstarter

[@TheNoMoreGamer]

This is amazing and I plan on taking so much of this lol

[@grr-OUCH]

This is how Savage Worlds does it.

[@shadowstep420]

Congrats on the dc20 going to kickstarter loving the .6 playtest is been awesome so far. Hope you get all the moneys for dc20 like mcdm did!

[@zTom_]

Good stuff! 👍

[@CountryBwoy]

So excited!!!! I just went and purchased a few PDFs! I got the DC20 rules (alpha?), City and Town builder and the PC/NPC builder. Can't wait to dig into them. ✊🏾❤️💛💚

[@kamchatmonk]

An elegant solution. It kind of marries combat with social and exploration. Each problem essentially has HP that you have to take out. But perhaps there's gotta be spells and techniques for skill challenges? Like fast-talk, pressure, blackmail (a consumable, essentially), etc?

[@thomasscott7937]

Smart game, smart creator.

[@unfortunate_error]

For the ALGORITHM!!! 💜🐲💜 (Sorry the dragon isn’t purple)

[@ChrisBarney]

How is this different than the skill challenges that were in 4th edition D&D? I mean other than being explained clearly.

[@PHJcz]

Awesome. 😮😊👍🏻

[@louis1372]

DC20 Love 💜💜💜

[@adambilton3567]

I'm a bit confised about how this works. So in the desert travel example, you tell them a bunch of events that will happen, before they happen. They then make a roll to interact with one of them? Un real time on the journey, wouldn't they all be at all of the events?

[@chriscampion6721]

Has it been established WHEN on June 4 the Kickstarter opens? I know there will be some hot limited tiers and I want to make sure I don't miss out. Midnight release?

[@TheDungeonCoach]

11am CST!!

[@chriscampion6721]

@@TheDungeonCoach I'm sure it will be an extremely busy day so no worries if it's not possible but a countdown live stream would have my attendance

[@clmdcc]

DC20 sounds alot like the best of DND merged with the best of savage worlds

[@Joshuazx]

0:06 I hate skill challenges from 4e. Please don't scare me like that.

[@Charlie_Wolf]

Best TTRPG evermade 😎

[@eddy0356]

After launching DC20, do I intend to translate it into other languages, such as Brazilian Portuguese?

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Yes that is definitely on the docket!

[@Wheeler1717]

Very cool.

[@crowemagnum1337]

🔥

[@Knucklebone.of.Fickle.Fortune]

Obligatory comment to interact with the video

[@crowemagnum1337]

I feel like our robot overlords are programming out behavior..

[@KentaQiric]

🎉

[@Ghostdesuu]

this sounds a lot like pf2e victory points

[@screes620]

I've been watching a lot of your DC20 video's and i really like what i see. One of them i remember you going through all the D&D and Pathfinder rules that just make you feel bad and i think you've done a great job resolving most of those pain points, but i feel like there is one major one where you made it better but could maybe improve on it further. As far as I'm aware in DC20 when you attack you roll to see if you hit, and then based on how high above the hit dc will affect how much more damage you will do beyond the base amount. But there's still a chance to miss, and missing feels awful, no one likes to miss, but everyone loves to roll for damage and I've seen a few reviews so far of DC20 where people miss rolling for damage. I like how you combined hit and damage, but what if instead of just rolling to hit, you just rolled for damage? What if every attack always hit? Now you might roll poorly and do very little damage, but doing very little feels way better than not doing anything at all. I don't even think it would take that much work to redesign, you could still have your base damage values on everything, just have those be the minimum, the guaranteed damage you do with those attacks, and then just roll for how much increased damage you do. If you want to have a miss mechanic, have it be some sort of reaction from enemies instead of having players roll to see if they hit or miss. Everything else I've seen so far I'm absolutely in love with including all these Exploration and Social Skill challenge rules. It's so refreshing to see someone actually doing more for these 2 pillars. A lot of the times it feels like they are completely ignored, relying on the DM and players to just sorta wing it, and the rule books are mostly just for combat. Keep up the great work, i will definitely be on the lookout for your kickstarter in June.

[@Wolfbane971]

"I like how you combined hit and damage, but what if instead of just rolling to hit, you just rolled for damage? What if every attack always hit?" Look at the MCDM rpg for that type of play, trying to make DC20 into MCDM RPG at this point won't help it in any significant way

[@damianspence]

As the previous guy said, you might like MCDM for the "roll only for damage" model. DC20 will only use a d20 die, so damage dice mess with that. Spells always hit already, and you roll for effects/more damage. Martial combat also has maneuvers that can succeed even if the hit fails, so you tend to be more likely to still manage something. Finally, the big reason I want to keep failure is due to how it incentivizes helping each other to get advantage. With enough advantage, you are almost guaranteed to at least do one damage. These are just my takes on why I'm happy the way it is, but how you feel about it is totally valid

[@Deziar28]

With the action economy and already lower damage number per attacks (most of the time 2 or 3 without extra resources spent nor heavy/brutal/crit), this would make repeated actions (ex: a fighter doing 4 attack rolls per turn, each following one with an extra disadvantage level) almost always more rewarding than trying to pump the damage of one single attack or using the expose maneuver to give oneself advantage. Same thing with the help action: why wasting an action that could guarantee some damage just to help someone who doesn't risk either not making damage if they roll too low themselves? This would go completely against the actual goal of DC20 combat system, which favor diversity of actions and cooperating together on each turn! It could still work in other TTRPG, like DnD 5e (actually, Dungeon Coach did a video on a similar house rule, proposing not guaranteed damage, but just a lower second AC threshold where you could still damage a creature while rolling up to X points below their base AC, but doing half damage or something in that case), but just not DC20

[@kasperfage]

this is an ad

[@caurd]

Okay, you're literally selling smoke here. "Skill challenge" is making rolls... and that's it, it's the same as always, you literally haven't added anything new here. There is no new mechanic, no invention, no way to make rolls that all DMs haven't already done since... always, maybe? Presenting a situation to the players, asking them how they are going to solve it, making rolls and evolving the situation in relation to that is called DMing, and it is... the oldest thing in the game, and in literally ALL role-playing games. . In the next video you will say that you have invented dice.

[@galaxyfoxnightsky2042]

I apolegise for the bad grammer in advance i am dyslectic and not a native speaker. But your comand made me think I think you make a good point On the GM Introducing a cenario and asking the players too roll for it part thats not new But in my personal experience i have seen lots of games that have a heavy focus on combad and their isnt much guidence on other ways too interact with the world you play in again in my experience and opinion I like that somane is willing too put a litle effort into this mecanic and explaining how you can use this tool as a DM and add it too your game even if it has alredy existed for a while I also think their is velue in a video whare somane gives practical advice on how too use a system wether its old or new but tips about how too set a dc stories about personal experience and straight up senarios at the end and how too run it is prety usefull in my eyes I hope you see my point of view and i hope you have a wonderfull day ❤

[@caurd]

@@galaxyfoxnightsky2042 Don't worry, I'm not a native English speaker either and I also make mistakes (in fact I use Google translate a lot). However, everything you said, everything from the first sentence to the last, can be found in the DM's guide to D&D, and much of it is also in the player's guide. Both manuals have rules for exploration, interaction, social encounters (including several optional rules for adults), and how to interact with the environment. All games have rules like this. I'm not against DC 20 having rules for these things, obviously not. But saying "this is the new thing", acting like he's inventing something when in fact the skill challenges are something from D&D 4e with THAT EXACT SAME NAME. That's what I call "selling smoke." In other words. My problem is not what he is doing, it is HOW he is doing it and presenting it. It's not creating anything new, it's not original, it's not innovative, it's not creative.

[@scarbrow01]

@@caurd It is true that Skill Challenges existed in D&D 4E and I have also used similar mechanics in Savage Worlds (Dramatic Tasks and Social Conflicts). I however did not take any offense at how he presented the new rules for DC20. Let's be honest, there are so many role-playing systems out there that someone designing a new game is likely to borrow system components from other rpgs. I think its great that the creator is so excited about his game and so are many other people. So, it is apparently not your cup of tea...that's fine. I will definitely be taking part in the upcoming kickstarter and I look forward to playing and running DC20.

[@caurd]

@@scarbrow01 Skill challenges exist in ALL role games. Skill challenges are just a way of saying "tell me what you want to do and roll."

[@Deziar28]

​@@caurd skill challenge exist, but this is way much more than just "tell me what you want to do and roll". This is grouping all of it in one big party objective, how to design it, how to balance it, how to give opportunity to everyone to choose the best action to maximize their ability bonuses, rewarding beating a threshold by large amount, how to account failures, what could be the outcome if the number of success is not achieved, barely beaten or beaten by a large amount, etc. Yes in the end, you are still asking your players to roll with some bonuses, but there is so much flavor added to those rolls! And yes, any DM could have come up with something similar, but this is a guide to make it easy for any DM to make it as engaging as possible. And from my own experience, every DMs I got so far would have benefitted from those more fleshed out rules, and myself who wants to start DMing will benefit from them!