Compromise and Conceit

Linnaeus takes on the task of defining what a skill DC should be, as part of a revision of the AD&D 4th edition skill system. I actually think the underlying skill system in AD&D is a good idea, it just needs some rejigging to work smoothly, and the system can be changed so that every task can be handled consistently with skills. I think it can be further adjusted so that the degree of success above a skill DC defines the result – e.g. spells cast as a skill check, and every point of success indicates the duration and/or power  of  the effect. But at the core of the system is a relationship between numerical DCs and a sense of how difficult an action “should” be. This isn’t well defined in the original D&D 3.5 rules.

It’s not something I have ever paid much attention to, but obviously attaching numbers to the difficulty of actions is an essential task, and helps define the flavour of a campaign – heroic campaigns would have different DCs to grotty, realist campaigns. As much as possible I think DCs should be set by opposed skill checks, since this takes the task away from the DM and makes it less arbitrary. But ultimately this is the heart of the DM’s technical responsibilities, and doing it well is an important part of the job. It’s good to see someone taking it on!