# Nothing is inherently wrong with this idea You're essentially creating a higher than normal DC and having the players do a "combined check" to complete a task instead of a "group check". This would also work for a "good cop, bad cop" routine; Bad cop rolls for Intimidation and the good cop rolls Insight (being empathetic). ## I do wonder about how you are arriving at the DC I don't think that an arbitrary doubling of DC is the right move. Consider the "Setting a DC" table: | Difficulty | DC | | ----------------- | --- | | Very Easy | 5 | | Easy | 10 | | Moderate | 15 | | Hard | 20 | | Very Hard | 25 | | Nearly Impossible | 30 | Most tasks that would even require a roll will be Moderate or Hard. Which means the DC is always going to be 30 or 40. And if any aspect is Very Hard, then it becomes 50 and puts a lot of pressure on both parties instead of just the aspect that would be difficult. Throwing a lit torch to someone is easy, but catching it one-handed, the right way, is much more difficult. In your example, yelling is not that difficult; ask any couple that's been married for a few years. But hearing **and understanding** that yelled message is going to be much harder; ask the other person from that couple. If not prepared to listen, picking out a single voice from a crowd (even a loud one) and understanding the message being yelled, is quite a feat. So it might be better to create a DC for each part separately, and then combine the two for a more varied total required. ## And you take away some roleplay options Say the yeller rolled very well, but the person they yelled to rolled poorly; combined they did not get DC 30. By combining the totals it is just a pass/fail (which is correct for skill checks). But if you keep things separate you can now run with "Character B didn't hear your message, but the local guard did and are coming to investigate." Or the opposite, "Char A tried yelling at the same time as some vender started their presentation to draw attention, so their message was lost in the din. However, Char B did recognize Char A's voice yelling something." Char B can now take action based on hearing "something" but no idea what the message was. ## In the end; it may not help The idea works better with characters both performing the same task; both using Strength to break a door, or both using Sleight of Hand to cheat the house at cards. It's pass/fail based on both efforts. But when it's two characters performing two different tasks that just happen to have a common goal, it can break down. Not in a game breaking way, but in a missed opportunity and possible illogical DC standard. As a DM, I've always ruled the way you initially did. It's two separate checks, but the success/failure on the first check influences the chances of the second check. --- ### Side note In the given example, unless Char B was actively listening for a yell, they probably shouldn't have gotten a roll at all, but only used their Passive Perception value. So in this case, it would be Char B's PP then add Char A's Intimidation roll.