Last night I encountered a situation where the party has to drag a heavy object. The AP calls for a "strength check with DC of 15":
This is in "Crypt of the Everflame," where the party can beat uh, I mean drag, a dead horse to reveal a skeleton underneath.
I handled it by having each character try the strength check on their own, with the happy result that the weakest character dragged the weight away by herself, with a growl and a snort. In retrospect, it seems that Aid Another would be a better way to handle the check, but I'm not sure of the mechanics of it.
First of all, is a "strength check" a skill check, to which Aid Another can be a applied?
Second, Aid Another doesn't seem too satisfying in a situation where each character really can help more-or-less equally. Would it be better to assign a DC for each subtask e.g., a quarter of the load, and make each character pass that check by themselves? Or, even better, determine how the load compares to their maximum dragging capacity (5 times their maximum carrying capacity) and determine a straight yes / no based on that?
In this case, the characters had a better chance to move the weight by each giving it a go individually than if they had all made their Aid Another rolls and helped the strongest! Obviously the result would be different if the weight was much heavier.
I think the core of the question is about strength checks, and assisting those strength checks?
That is what we are talking about, right?
Yes, but I am also curious if a strength check is the appropriate mechanic for a group lift or drag challenge.
Quaternion,
Aid Another is not limited to skill checks. You can use it for just about any d20 check where one player can reasonably help another.
You can also use this standard action to help a friend in other ways, such as when he is affected by a spell, or to assist another character’s skill check.
Note the 'such as'. Ie it is not limited to the text. Even slapping someone awake is considered an 'aid another' action (Sleep spell). Additionally, there is a specific example of a strength based Aid Another on CRB p435.
It takes a DC 15 Strength check to winch the throwing arm down; most catapults have wheels to allow up to two crew members to use the aid another action, assisting the main winch operator.
In any case, a DC15 strength check is a handwave if there is sufficient time. All the PC needs to do is take 20.
Ability Checks and Caster Level Checks: The normal take 10 and take 20 rules apply for ability checks. Neither rule applies to concentration checks or caster level checks.
- Gauss