Defaulting Skill Checks
You have the ability to forgo rolling a check on certain skill checks and instead Default to a set number. Defaulting can only be done when you cannot receive negative consequences from failing, such as setting off a trap with Manipulate Device.
If your bonus to a skill would make it so that even on a one you cannot trigger negative effects, such as failing by 10 to disable a trap, and you have identified the DC in-character you can Default the skill check. Some checks such as attacking, spellcasting, saves, attribute checks, and most checks in combat or stressful situations cannot be defaulted. When Defaulting a skill check you treat it as if you have rolled your skill rank bonus in the skill before adding any modifiers.
Defaulting a skill check causes the check to take five times as long to perform. In some cases, the GM may allow you to Default to an automatic success, if you have enough situational or roleplay bonuses. In these cases, the check takes ten times as long.
Aiding Skill Checks
At times, you will find the need to attempt to assist a friendly creature in a task. To ‘aid another’, requires a Basic Action with a DC equal to the DC of the action attempted to be assisted, minus 10. Some tasks such as harvesting, crafting, attacking, or spellcasting require a set DC to be hit to aid. These special types of aid actions will have their DC listed in their respective rules. If successful, when you perform the aid-another action, the aided creature will receive a bonus, equal to half of your skill rank bonus, to their final result.
Depending on the task, certain tasks cannot be aided (as it would not be beneficial), or limits the number of creatures that can aid (item size, room constraints, or duration of task). At base only two creatures can assist on any given task. It is also possible that the task being performed requires specialized knowledge and training to be able to assist.
You may have access to spells, items, or abilities that can be used in conjunction or to bolster Aid-Another on a creature performing an action. In order to gain bonuses from any of these (including other creatures), you must be present for the duration of the action requiring a check.
Downtime
Over the course of an adventure, you will want to spend time performing actions which require extended periods to complete such as training and crafting. These extended actions are broken up into how many Downtime Actions are required to complete them.
By default, you always have 1 Downtime Action each day while adventuring or traveling. If you choose, you may take time to stop traveling or adventuring to get additional downtime actions, increasing the number of actions each day from 1 to 3. However, when choosing to take downtime in this way, you are unable to perform any actions that provide mechanical effects other than the 3 specified downtime actions.
You are still able to talk to and interact with other people at the GMs discretion, but would not be able to spend an extended period performing a non-designated action. Some abilities may give you additional downtime actions, however these actions are commonly limited in what can be performed.