Welcome once again to an ongoing series of articles on skill challenges. As with any series, this installment makes little sense unless you have read the ones that came before it. You should read parts 1 and 2 before diving into this installment, either to refresh your memory or catch up. Eventually, I'll stop asking you to read the entire series over and over again, but the first few installments are tightly linked.

In the last two columns, I wrote about the process I used for putting together a skill challenge. The steps I've covered so far are the easiest. They rely on simply looking at what the characters can do, thinking about the skills needed to overcome the challenge, and trying to build many options into the challenge from the beginning. Now comes the really hard part: putting all that stuff together to make something that'll make your campaign better. The steps I've worked through so far are fairly simple, requiring some thought and planning but nothing ground breaking. Now we hit the hard part, actually bringing that all together to build a memorable gaming session.

As luck would have it, my final rule for skill challenge design speaks directly to this issue.

About the Author

Mike Mearls is the Lead Developer for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. His recent credits include H1: Keep on the Shadowfell and Player's Handbook II (v.3.5).