Basic Challenges

The basics for resolving all sorts of challenges in d20 Advanced are relatively simple. Everything from an arm-wrestling competition to a dance recital to jumping a motorcycle over sixteen school buses can be resolved with the same simple system.
==Elements of a Challenge==
All challenges in d20A have certain elements in common.
* Description: The rules presented in this Core exist so that they can help resolve a challenge which the GM has already described for the players, translating an interesting scenario into game rules. The description should suggest what sort of check a character will need to make to overcome the challenge (see below), what will happen if the character succeeds, and what will happen if the check fails.
* Check: All challenges, no matter how big or how small, can be resolved with a check. The most basic method is with a simple Ability Check. If you are using the Skills Module, a Skill Check is used instead.An important thing for the GM to consider is what checks would be appropriate to resolve the challenge. On one hand, the GM should realize that there's always more than one way to solve a problem: just because the GM assumes that the players, when presented with a fence, will try to climb over it doesn't mean that the players might not try to just break through it or jump over. At the same time, the GM should be wary of players with one strong ability or skill trying to shoehorn it in as the solution for every challenge.
* Difficulty Class (DC): Different challenges will be more or less difficult for a group to overcome. The variation in difficulty is represented by the Difficulty Class on the challenge (abbreviated DC). The more difficult the challenge, the higher the DC. If you are using the Skills Module or the Talented feat, simply increase the DCs listed above by 5.
BASIC CHALLENGE DCs	BASIC CHALLENGE DCs 	BASIC CHALLENGE DCs
Lock Type 	Example 	DC
Simplistic 	Follow a mob in broad daylight 	-
Easy 	Climb a knotted rope against a wall 	0
Average 	Hear an approaching guard 	5
Challenging 	Repair an alarm clock 	10
Difficult 	Swim in stormy water 	15
Very Difficult 	Pick the lock to a house front door 	20
Formidable 	Leap across a 30-foot chasm 	25
Heroic 	Track a ninja across hard ground 	30
Epic 	Hack the Pentagon mainframe 	35
Legendary 	Locate a master spy in a metropolis 	40
Mythical 	Open the vault at Fort Knox 	45
Impossible 	Perform open-heart surgery on yourself with a pen knife in the dark	50+
* Modifiers: Beyond the challenge itself, outside circumstances might conspire to make completion of the challenge more or less difficult. Picking a lock in pitch dark might be more difficult than doing so in broad daylight, while balancing on a ledge might've proven much easier if only it weren't rain-slick at the moment.d20 Advanced uses a simple, easy-to-apply system of bonuses and penalties, presented below. For each bonus you gain (such as turning on a light, clearing the work area, selecting proper tools, or having the proper feat), move the modifier one “step” up the following chart. For every penalty (such as poor lighting, stormy weather, limited room to work), move the modifier one “step” down. This modifier adds to the player's check. Penalties stack with penalties, and bonuses stack with bonuses. 1 penalty cancels out 1 bonus, and 1 bonus cancels out 1 penalty.
CHALLENGE MODIFIERS	CHALLENGE MODIFIERS	CHALLENGE MODIFIERS
Circumstance 	Bonuses / Penalties	Value
Ideal conditions 	3 or more bonuses 	+10
Great conditions 	2 bonuses 	+5
Good conditions 	1 bonus 	+2
Average conditions 	0 bonuses 	+0
Poor conditions 	1 penalty 	-2
Bad conditions 	2 penalties 	-5
Horrible conditions	3 or more penalties	-10
Penalties stack with penalties, and bonuses with bonuses.
1 Penalty cancels out 1 bonus, and 1 bonus cancels out 1 penalty.	
Penalties stack with penalties, and bonuses with bonuses.
1 Penalty cancels out 1 bonus, and 1 bonus cancels out 1 penalty.	
Penalties stack with penalties, and bonuses with bonuses.
1 Penalty cancels out 1 bonus, and 1 bonus cancels out 1 penalty.
Note that if you have more than 3 penalties, the modifier remains at its maximum -10. So if you have 4 penalties total, your modifier is at -10. If you manage to negate one penalty, reducing your total penalties to 3, but your modifier remains at its maximum -10. If you negate a second penalty, reducing your penalties to 2, your modifier finally falls to -5.
This holds true for bonuses at the top of the chart as well.
If you gain a bonus when you have a net of one or more penalties, gaining a bonus is equivalent to losing a penalty (moving one step up the chart), and vice verca (gaining a penalty is the same as losing a bonus).
==Resolving a Challenge==
Once the challenge is in place, the player knows which check to make, you've determined the DC, and the modifiers have been determined, it's extremely easy to resolve the challenge. Simply roll 1d20, add the relevant modifiers, and compare it to the DC. If the total result is equal to or greater than the DC, you succeed on the check. If you roll below the DC, you fail on the check.
Some challenges may have results for succeeding by an especially wide margin (often by intervals of 5, so successes by 5 or more and 10 and more are somewhat common). These are explained in detail in the subsequent modules.
If a character succeeds at the challenge, the game can move forward with another obstacle overcome.
If you are using the Skill Module, you may add ranks in the relevant skill to the check.
If you are using the Feats Module, you may add any modifier from relevant feats to the check.
==Dice Pools==
In some special cases, you don't roll a single die to resolve a challenge. Some modules give you the option of rolling a large number of dice at once called a Dice Pool. These are used in the Fortune Module, the Combat Dice Module, and similar modules. Dice Pools all work in the same way. When you roll a Dice Pool, you roll every dice in the pool at the same time. Then, select the die which shows the highest result (if multiple dice have an identical result which is the highest, choose only one). For the purpose of determining the results of that check you made with the Dice Pool, you use that highest die roll as your d20 roll. After resolving the check, remove the die that had the highest result from the die pool, decreasing the size of the Dice Pool you used by one die.
Some Dice Pools are very transient, and the entire pool is lost after resolving the check. These are generally used to represent an edge that you accrue and then lose quickly, such as additional dice from a Barrage or from a Potent FX. The Dice Pool for such traits is gained immediately before resolving the check and then lost immediately after resolving the check. This is always noted in the description of the trait for clarity's sake.
Category:Rulebook
Category:Action