Mistwell said:I thought the use of secondary skills and aid-another was explained well in the DMG, and expected. I don't see how you can hand-waive them if you are going to crunch the numbers.
They explain aid another in one section, but don't go into with their skill challenges sections. Even in their example they don't use aid another, so I'm not sure when you are supposed to add it in.
Further, aid another becomes extremely easy in short order. For example, by level 4 most characters can autopass aid another rolls in their good skills, heck some character can do it at level 1. In such a case, the lead guys gets a +8 bonus, which then makes the skill challenge extremely easy, and boring as the rest of players just aid. If that's how WOTC intending skill challenges to be done then my numbers would need to be fixed, and I would say that skill challenges are too easy
As for secondary skills, many challenges don't have them, or have a combination of hard and easy skills. But I think your right that it would be good to see how those easy DCs affect things, I will run some more numbers and get back to you with them. Probably won't be today though