A narratish challenge system

Inspired by 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons, a future challenge system could ask for a certain number of success by the group. A certain number of failures, would let them fail. This numbers don't have to be open to the players.
But instead of only taking into account sucessfull skill checks, there shoule also be a possibilty to manage the clever use of items. Basic manouvres like spillling perfume on a monster are maybe not handled by a skill check (although a trick out of Savage Worlds would work perfectly here), but by loosing of resources. The only question is, how abstract resources should be in this context.
She you literally use perfume from the character sheet, just improvize that this kind of character has perfume along or just tick off one (of for example three) abstract pieces of equipment or - even more abstract - uses of equipment.

Narrative about it is that the players themselves come up with skills to use. What counts is only the number of successes. Most of the rest is decided by the narratively empowered gamers.