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<blockquote data-quote="Manbearcat" data-source="post: 8941290" data-attributes="member: 6696971"><p>[USER=1282]@darkbard[/USER] and I were having a conversation about his choice of Feat at level 4 for the present 4e PBP game we're running on here (we're well into at this point). He's deciding between Bard of All Trades (which is +3 to all Untrained Skills so therefore enormously useful to Secondary Skill Buffs and comfortably expanding his move-space for the large number of Medium DCs you face in Skill Challenges) and Bardic Knowledge. The latter's +2 to specific Skills (a few of which are his "Big Guns") is extremely appealing because "hitting the Hard DC is the biggest pressure point in 4e Skill Challenges" and its certainly amplified in the games I run as I tend to run a large number of up-leveled challenges (both SCs and combats).</p><p></p><p>That sparked my thoughts on the big Skilled Play components of 4e Skill Challenges (at their final construction) as I see it is (in no particular order): </p><p></p><p>1) Playing the fictional positioning appropriately including employing (success chance optimizing) Group Checks when its appropriate. The fictional positioning will be constraining to your suite of prospective declared actions. Maximizing and optimizing that space is key...but... </p><p></p><p>2) You cannot overoptimize for any given individual space (any singular "move made"). You have to consider that your downstream decision-space will be like-constrained by fictional positioning; this is like your total "line of play" in a hand of cards that features several passes/tricks. So if the fictional positioning is suddenly opened up to take advantage of using a Primary Skill that is naturally less "fictional positioning available," you need to consider carefully at jumping at the opportunity to deploy it right now (lest you "lose the opening"). </p><p></p><p>3) Deftly marshaling Skill Challenge-specific available resources (Secondary Skills and Advantages). Over a longitudinal cross-section of play (perhaps half a Tier), this will be absolutely essential to success (particularly in up-leveled SCs). It can often be "the play of the game" to deploy an SS for a +2 buff and then either (a) wagering an Advantage on a Hard DC for 2 Successes where you have a BIG NUMBER to throw at the High DC or (b) down-throttling a Medium DC to a Low when you can strategically deploy an oft-used Skill (see 2 above) that isn't particularly high but its good enough to hit the Low. </p><p></p><p>4) Then of course we have deftly marshaling non SC-specific resources; +2 buff for gear, +2 buff for fictional-positioning appropriate Encounter Powers, throwing 1/10 item level Coin or = value item at it when its fictional positioning appropriate (see 2), Rituals or Dailies for auto-success particularly against High DCs (or buffs to hit them), and of course using Hirelings/CCs to expand your move-space.</p><p></p><p>[HR][/HR]</p><p></p><p>Anyhoo, just came up as a topic of conversation. [USER=1282]@darkbard[/USER] may want to unpack his thoughts on the subject further (or how they've manifested in our play thus far).</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Manbearcat, post: 8941290, member: 6696971"] [USER=1282]@darkbard[/USER] and I were having a conversation about his choice of Feat at level 4 for the present 4e PBP game we're running on here (we're well into at this point). He's deciding between Bard of All Trades (which is +3 to all Untrained Skills so therefore enormously useful to Secondary Skill Buffs and comfortably expanding his move-space for the large number of Medium DCs you face in Skill Challenges) and Bardic Knowledge. The latter's +2 to specific Skills (a few of which are his "Big Guns") is extremely appealing because "hitting the Hard DC is the biggest pressure point in 4e Skill Challenges" and its certainly amplified in the games I run as I tend to run a large number of up-leveled challenges (both SCs and combats). That sparked my thoughts on the big Skilled Play components of 4e Skill Challenges (at their final construction) as I see it is (in no particular order): 1) Playing the fictional positioning appropriately including employing (success chance optimizing) Group Checks when its appropriate. The fictional positioning will be constraining to your suite of prospective declared actions. Maximizing and optimizing that space is key...but... 2) You cannot overoptimize for any given individual space (any singular "move made"). You have to consider that your downstream decision-space will be like-constrained by fictional positioning; this is like your total "line of play" in a hand of cards that features several passes/tricks. So if the fictional positioning is suddenly opened up to take advantage of using a Primary Skill that is naturally less "fictional positioning available," you need to consider carefully at jumping at the opportunity to deploy it right now (lest you "lose the opening"). 3) Deftly marshaling Skill Challenge-specific available resources (Secondary Skills and Advantages). Over a longitudinal cross-section of play (perhaps half a Tier), this will be absolutely essential to success (particularly in up-leveled SCs). It can often be "the play of the game" to deploy an SS for a +2 buff and then either (a) wagering an Advantage on a Hard DC for 2 Successes where you have a BIG NUMBER to throw at the High DC or (b) down-throttling a Medium DC to a Low when you can strategically deploy an oft-used Skill (see 2 above) that isn't particularly high but its good enough to hit the Low. 4) Then of course we have deftly marshaling non SC-specific resources; +2 buff for gear, +2 buff for fictional-positioning appropriate Encounter Powers, throwing 1/10 item level Coin or = value item at it when its fictional positioning appropriate (see 2), Rituals or Dailies for auto-success particularly against High DCs (or buffs to hit them), and of course using Hirelings/CCs to expand your move-space. [HR][/HR] Anyhoo, just came up as a topic of conversation. [USER=1282]@darkbard[/USER] may want to unpack his thoughts on the subject further (or how they've manifested in our play thus far). [/QUOTE]
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