Aiding Skill Checks

Characters can choose to aid each other when trying to succeed at a skill that otherwise might be too difficult to accomplish for a single person. They may aid each other on a skill check in multiple ways:

Cooperative Skill Check

Sometimes it is reasonable for multiple characters to cumulatively assist on a check, such as moving a heavy boulder or bursting open a stuck door. To determine the success or failure of the group, all character's make the Skill Check. The character with the highest result is designated as the leader and their result forms the basis of the skill check. All other character's results are considered to be aiding the highest result, comparing their result to the original DC of the check minus 10 [DC -10]. Each character that succeeds this aid check grants the leader a +2 bonus to the check. Finally, the leader result with all bonuses and penalties applied is compared to the original DC of the Skill Check.

Example
Toth, Grog, and Gretta are using their Climb skill to set ropes and pitons into a climbing wall. The GM rules that all three characters can work together to set the ropes and prepare the climb. Setting the ropes successfully requires a Climb check [DC 25]. Grog rolls the highest with a result of 24, Gretta is second with a 20, and Toth is last with a 9. Grog is designated as the leader, as he has the highest check, with Gretta and Toth assisting. Since the check DC is 25, the DC to aid the check is 10 less, or 15. Gretta and Toth's rolls are both compared to this Aid DC of 15. Since Toth’s roll is below the DC, he fails to assist in the check. Gretta on the other hand does an outstanding job assisting, granting a +2 bonus. Since Grog's result is already 24 by applying his +2 bonus from Gretta his result is 26 and enough to successfully set the ropes so the rest of the party can easily climb up the wall.

Direct Aid

With direct aid, a character takes one or more characters under their wing to assist them in completing a task. The character that is providing aid, henceforth known as the leader, makes a single check for both characters at a -5 penalty. The leader may directly aid additional characters, at a cumulative -5 penalty for each character. Success or failure applies to all characters involved in making the check.

Example
Toth the Silent wishes to Stealth past a guard while escorting a refugee. Instead of Toth making a Stealth check at a +20 bonus, and the refugee making a Stealth check at a +5 bonus, Toth directly aids the refugee, and they sneak past the guard together at a +15 bonus. If the roll fails, the guard is made aware of both Toth and the Refuge. If the roll succeeds, then Toth and the refugee both sneak past the guard unnoticed. If Toth had been escorting two refugees, then their Stealth check would have only been at a +10 bonus.

Indirect Aid

With indirect aid, one or more characters may assist in making a check by attempting related skill checks. Related checks typically include some sort of knowledge check or investigation to assist with the application of another skill. A related check may be made by any character (including the character that will make the final check) and grants a +2 bonus to the final check (at the GMs discretion, a particularly useful check may grant a +5). Multiple characters making the same check do not grant a stacking bonus. Multiple assist checks will stack if different skills are being used.

Example
Raster the Rogue comes across a trapped door. Upon finding the trap with an Investigate check, he wants to learn more about it before attempting to disarm it. He asks his associate, Glinrok to assist him in learning more about the device. Glinrok is skilled in the Trapsmith skill and knows something about Trap construction and design. With his Trapsmith check, Glinrok is able to glean information on the traps design, granting Raster a +2 bonus to his Thievery check to disarm it.

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