Skill Combat

Paizo's performance combat system can be adapted to create skill challenges. Here's how. You can adapt these rules for other forms of "Combat" as well, especially if you want to run a series of extended and opposed checks (such as for a heist, with the crowd representing a building or structure and its inherit difficulty).

Skill Combat

Sometimes, characters sometimes find themselves among a crowd, or even an individual, where the reaction is at least as important as a hand-to-hand combat. They may find themselves in the middle of hostile terrain, where their overall survival depends on how well they work together. Whether a debate, a wilderness trek, or a hurriedly given speech, Skill Combat can provide a framework for skill-based encounters.

Skill combat can represent encounters that involve:

• Influencing a crowd
• Gathering information
• Sneaking through a large camp
• ...and more

Characters are able to influence the check through their skill ranks as well as RP choices.

The Skill Combat Sequence

The rough skill combat sequence is as follows:

1. GM determines the difficulty of the initial challenge. This is based on two factors:

Overall Difficulty on a scale of 1-5

Total number of NPCs to be affected

2. PCs make an appropriate skill combat check.

3. Apply modifiers.

4. Determine results.

Setting the Skill Combat Difficulty

The GM will set the initial difficulty of the Challenge, based on a scale of 1-5, with 1 being the easiest and 5 being the most difficult.

Skill Challenge Base Difficulty
5 "Hostile"	The Hostile difficulty imposes a –2 penalty on all attack rolls, combat maneuver checks, ability checks, skill checks, and saving throws. This is a mind-affecting effect. If the PCs are attempting to sway a crowd, a caster may not attempt to influence a hostile crowd while casting a spell. If the crowd is hostile towards a group and a member of that side fails a their Skill Combat check by 5 or more, that side automatically loses that part of the combat.
4 "Unfriendly"	Unfriendly crowds and situations have a demoralizing effect. The unfriendly difficulty imposes a –1 penalty on all attack rolls, combat maneuver checks, ability checks, skill checks, and saving throws. This is a mind-affecting effect. If the PCs are attempting to sway a crowd, a caster may not attempt to influence an unfriendly crowd while casting a spell.
3 "Indifferent"	Indifferent crowds and situations can be potentially open-minded or open-ended, but may swing either way. Audience members show little emotion other than anticipation and a desire for daring feats of combat to occur. A township may shrug its shoulders.
2 "Friendly"	A friendly crowd or situation grants a +1 morale bonus on all attack rolls, combat maneuver checks, ability checks, skill checks, and saving throws for their chosen side. This is a mind-affecting effect. At this difficulty, the crowd or situation is beginning to be swayed toward one side.
1 "Helpful"	Helpful crowds and situations are helpful and supportive. This difficulty grants its chosen champions a +2 morale bonus on all attack rolls, combat maneuver checks, ability checks, skill checks, and saving throws. This is a mind-affecting effect.