Need non-combat ideas for traveling across the salt flats... - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Need non-combat ideas for traveling across the salt flats...

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
ChrisSteele
Feb 08, 2011 0:20:52 My group is traveling from Salt View to Bodach and I'd like to role play the trip. I don't really want to wrap it up in a simple "roll endurance checks" skill challenge. And the group is certainly more interested in avoiding combat than seeking it out. So, I figured I'd raise the question: Any thoughts on non-combat, mostly non-skill challenge, encounters with the terrain or things they might find on the trip?

Thanks in advance!
#2
sirkaikillah
Feb 08, 2011 0:43:00 You can play avoid the raiders and predators. In the open someone who is going to hunt you can be seen from miles away. A hunt could last days with niether side getting even close to longbow range.
Players can do things like hide, camoflage, disguise there tracks, and fire light, and smoke. It would be up to you to adjudicate the effectiveness of the parties tactics in avoiding and losing their predator.

they can encounter a dust storm and have to device ways to survive. There is also the problem of navigating in a storm.

Navigation is another place a group can rp in Dark SUn without fighting.

The group can run into a caravan, and deal with sneaky burglar bargain with shifty merchants and even arm wrestle a strong man.

The party could get lost and cross into the "land in the wind" and discover an ancinet eladrin tower, occupied by a lone Eladrin maiden, who is a powerful psion. THe Eladrin maiden is only looking for some commpany and a few good stories. She is also a wealth of info on Ancient Athas.

The party could find the remains of a lost caravan, with some treasure but no survivors. What happened?

the party stumbles upon a lare cache of steel bars. over a ton of steel. Now what? How do you move a ton of steel? Do you leave it to try and find it again? What happens when others find out about the steel?

These are just off the top of my head.

P.s. these are all things I would use skill challenges to play out. But I am sure you can find other ways to adjudicate the outcome of your Pcs decisions, since non of the ideas require skill challenge format to bring them to life in a game.
#3
Palladinae
Feb 08, 2011 5:37:29 Odd looking ruins or tombstone. I remeber session, where players spent two hours investigating something, i mhave mentioned as a mere part of surroudning's description. Serve your players few interesting and isnpiring setences and they will lead you to adventure.
#4
ChrisSteele
Feb 08, 2011 9:11:33 I like finding the remains of a lost caravan a lot. It does raise so many interesting questions - why were they out here in the first place. In fact, were they coming from/going to the very destination we are? What's that say about the place?

Palladinae, you're right about the players taking mundane details and turning it into an hour long exploration. These guys do that a lot and I love it. Keeps me on my toes as I rarely have anything detailed out since things can change so fast. Just want to get a few more ideas for those starting thoughts.

I also think I'll throw a "grand canyon" like obstacle in front of them. Do we try to go around, it could take days. Or do we climb down and back up, but then what about the Kanks? What's at the bottom of the canyon? etc.

Any other thoughts/ideas?
#5
sirkaikillah
Feb 08, 2011 22:46:30
..,

I also think I'll throw a "grand canyon" like obstacle in front of them. Do we try to go around, it could take days. Or do we climb down and back up, but then what about the Kanks? What's at the bottom of the canyon? etc.

Any other thoughts/ideas?

Ooh., I like the Grand canyon idea, thats a good one.
#6
ritorix
Feb 09, 2011 0:31:53 You might want to look at Obsidian challenges, they let you do a narrative with skill checks added in. I've used them to pretty good effect for a lot of exploration scenes in my DS campaign.

For example:
(Round 1) You are in the salt flats, something is following you. Go around the table, everyone gets a turn doing something to avoid/scout/trick the pursuer. As each takes a turn (longer than a throw-away line; you are going for roleplay, not optimal skill use) you narrate what happens in response, and give each an appropriate skill check (encourage mental skills: perception, nature, arcane, etc). By the end of this round, you could be several days into the flats.

(Round 2) Did the players screw up the first round? The pursuers are in sight, and its a tribe of dangerous whatevers. The chase is on! Over the next few hours the players flee, going around the table as above, concentrating on physical skills (acrobatics, endurance, etc). You can raise the stakes: tell them if anyone fails their skill, that player is captured, but their allies can spend healing surges to give +2s on the roll to simulate making a last-minute save. Make sure they narrate. Eventually they take shelter in a ruined tower...

Did they ace the first round? The pursuers are long-lost, but a sandstorm is brewing. Similar thing, concentrating on physical skills as they push through the flats, and come upon your ruined tower.

(Round 3)
Now at the ruined tower and away from attackers or sandstorms, they find the tower is occupied. NPC encounter with whatever (lost spirit? druidic guardian? blind wiseman?). Use him to chat with the players and lead into your next story. He may help or hinder the players depending on results of their social skill checks during the round.

Heres a few DS challenges I did along this format: one two three
#7
big_goon
Feb 09, 2011 13:44:45 I had a little fun with this... oh how my mind wanders.

Playing with the salt bit of "Salt Flats"...

Play with the history of the plane a bit.

Why is it a salt flat?

Did it used to be an ocean, or salt water?

Could you find deposits of small seashells, petrified water vessels, coral, or some other great sea creature? What about the monsters, could they have been former sea creatures?

Maybe a sarlaac-like tentacle beast (see Return of the Jedi) that used to be an immortal leviathan?

...or maybe it's an aboleth that creates zombie slaves?

Maybe locals (koa toa, lizardfolk, halflings, sea elves, etc) treat the sarlaac like a god and make offerings?

Perhaps their help is being requested by Water spirit/priest, who believes a secret water spring exists beneath the flats?

He/she requests the help of the players to perform a ritual to raise a new oasis... but will the water be drinkable, or will the salt content make it poisonous?

Or maybe the priest does drink the water... and is now... an undead Thrax! He deceives them, and wants to suck their... water! (because he's forever thirsty... you know, from drinking salty water... d'uh).

Playing with the flat bit of "salt flats"...

Salt flats are also excellent places for wind-based adventures. Flying creatures race across flats, seeking pray. Raiding tribes roam the salt flats, ranging for miles.

Could a Roc-sized vulture be following in their wake?

What about a flight of razor wings combing a foot or two above the surface?

What about crodlu-riding or elf raiding tribes, they'd be able to spot prey from a distance and use their speed for hit-and-run attacks, how long can the players run and survive against these incessant attacks? Where are they being herded? Away from available water? Towards an ambush?

An insane priest of the wind sings a tune of loss and mourning. The tune can be heard from miles around and causes madness. It leads those that hear it (psionically?) like a Belgoi's bell herds prey.

Or maybe it's a Belgoi wind priest...??!?!

What about a saltstorm... like a sandstorm but full of grains of salt.

#8
BRJN
Feb 12, 2011 22:04:07 You are crossing the salt desert using a silt skimmer.
You see a vulture (what's the DS-equivalent called?) drifting by overhead.
Later, you see a vulture circling over one place. Something is on the horizon in that direction.
If the PCs investigate, they find a wreck or a ruin and can scavenge some survival days or a tank of water or similar.
Later you see a vulture circling over your silt skimmer. Shortly, you see something moving on the horizon.
OR if you check carefully, you notice that the "vulture" overhead is actually an aaracocra.

Silt runners attack the ship from one side (only); there is entangling terrain on the other side, or giants in ambush. If you hold out for long enough - maybe until an Inciter arrives - then they try to board the ship. Pirates, arrgh! Make sure there is an NPC who can tell the PCs about tactics if they don't know any.

One part of the salt flat is especially good salt; stop off for an hour to scoop up what can be taken. The PCs get to scout the perimeter. They don't have to actually meet anything. Maybe a vulture (see above)?

The captain of the ship "forgot" to tell anybody that he has a side business going and isn't taking the normal route from Here to There. He will be making a stop at his Secret Stash to pick up ... something small and valuable (spices, metal shards, gemstones, illegal intoxicants) from his pre-arranged drop. While off the beaten path, face equipment failure and try to fix it.

Inhabitants of a small oasis have crafted an improved (they hope) piece of equipment and want the ship's captain to give it a try. This could be as simple as spoked wheels instead of solid ones.

Mechanically, I'm not sure what your PCs want you to do - if skill challenges and fights are both out, I hope you all can role-play and ad lib well.
#9
RalofTyr
Feb 14, 2011 20:19:52 Things that can happen on the Salt-flats.

Encounter a strange hermit. Who is he? Cleric, druid, or Defiler?

Discovers the remains of a wooden vehicle that's very odd and they've never laid eyes on something like that: it's an old water-ship.

Bones of travelers that didn't make it.

A Salt-Mine; perhaps with slaves and slavers, or just an independent group of miners.

A metal-mine; all the metals in the mountains got washed into the former seas Salt-Flats were once. If you mine under the salt, you should find material. Though, it's in small quantites and it might take a day's worth of mining and smelting to yield anything visible; with the high-value of metal, this met be a lucrative option.

The Abandoned Metal-Mine: this is an ethereal place. They mined straight-down and then horizontal just under the salt. Some light passes though and lights up the mine. The Mine seems to go off in every direction.

The Rainy-Season; if the players travel during the "Rainy-Season", they might see a vast shallow very salty lake that's about a foot deep and very muddy.

They run into a huge army from Gulg or Nibenay and are forced to work as slaves for them (no combat, they were just enslaved).

#10
mgbeach
Feb 14, 2011 21:03:54 They come across a secret gathering of elves intent on proving who among them is the fastest (if only they had rocket cars!)
#11
phoenix_m
Feb 15, 2011 13:51:53
They come across a secret gathering of elves intent on proving who among them is the fastest (if only they had rocket cars!)

Oh I so need to remember this one!

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 ChrisSteele Feb 08, 2011 0:20:52	My group is traveling from Salt View to Bodach and I'd like to role play the trip. I don't really want to wrap it up in a simple "roll endurance checks" skill challenge. And the group is certainly more interested in avoiding combat than seeking it out. So, I figured I'd raise the question: Any thoughts on non-combat, mostly non-skill challenge, encounters with the terrain or things they might find on the trip? Thanks in advance!
#2 sirkaikillah Feb 08, 2011 0:43:00	You can play avoid the raiders and predators. In the open someone who is going to hunt you can be seen from miles away. A hunt could last days with niether side getting even close to longbow range. Players can do things like hide, camoflage, disguise there tracks, and fire light, and smoke. It would be up to you to adjudicate the effectiveness of the parties tactics in avoiding and losing their predator. they can encounter a dust storm and have to device ways to survive. There is also the problem of navigating in a storm. Navigation is another place a group can rp in Dark SUn without fighting. The group can run into a caravan, and deal with sneaky burglar bargain with shifty merchants and even arm wrestle a strong man. The party could get lost and cross into the "land in the wind" and discover an ancinet eladrin tower, occupied by a lone Eladrin maiden, who is a powerful psion. THe Eladrin maiden is only looking for some commpany and a few good stories. She is also a wealth of info on Ancient Athas. The party could find the remains of a lost caravan, with some treasure but no survivors. What happened? the party stumbles upon a lare cache of steel bars. over a ton of steel. Now what? How do you move a ton of steel? Do you leave it to try and find it again? What happens when others find out about the steel? These are just off the top of my head. P.s. these are all things I would use skill challenges to play out. But I am sure you can find other ways to adjudicate the outcome of your Pcs decisions, since non of the ideas require skill challenge format to bring them to life in a game.
#3 Palladinae Feb 08, 2011 5:37:29	Odd looking ruins or tombstone. I remeber session, where players spent two hours investigating something, i mhave mentioned as a mere part of surroudning's description. Serve your players few interesting and isnpiring setences and they will lead you to adventure.
#4 ChrisSteele Feb 08, 2011 9:11:33	I like finding the remains of a lost caravan a lot. It does raise so many interesting questions - why were they out here in the first place. In fact, were they coming from/going to the very destination we are? What's that say about the place? Palladinae, you're right about the players taking mundane details and turning it into an hour long exploration. These guys do that a lot and I love it. Keeps me on my toes as I rarely have anything detailed out since things can change so fast. Just want to get a few more ideas for those starting thoughts. I also think I'll throw a "grand canyon" like obstacle in front of them. Do we try to go around, it could take days. Or do we climb down and back up, but then what about the Kanks? What's at the bottom of the canyon? etc. Any other thoughts/ideas?
#5 sirkaikillah Feb 08, 2011 22:46:30	.., I also think I'll throw a "grand canyon" like obstacle in front of them. Do we try to go around, it could take days. Or do we climb down and back up, but then what about the Kanks? What's at the bottom of the canyon? etc. Any other thoughts/ideas? Ooh., I like the Grand canyon idea, thats a good one.
#6 ritorix Feb 09, 2011 0:31:53	You might want to look at Obsidian challenges, they let you do a narrative with skill checks added in. I've used them to pretty good effect for a lot of exploration scenes in my DS campaign. For example: (Round 1) You are in the salt flats, something is following you. Go around the table, everyone gets a turn doing something to avoid/scout/trick the pursuer. As each takes a turn (longer than a throw-away line; you are going for roleplay, not optimal skill use) you narrate what happens in response, and give each an appropriate skill check (encourage mental skills: perception, nature, arcane, etc). By the end of this round, you could be several days into the flats. (Round 2) Did the players screw up the first round? The pursuers are in sight, and its a tribe of dangerous whatevers. The chase is on! Over the next few hours the players flee, going around the table as above, concentrating on physical skills (acrobatics, endurance, etc). You can raise the stakes: tell them if anyone fails their skill, that player is captured, but their allies can spend healing surges to give +2s on the roll to simulate making a last-minute save. Make sure they narrate. Eventually they take shelter in a ruined tower... Did they ace the first round? The pursuers are long-lost, but a sandstorm is brewing. Similar thing, concentrating on physical skills as they push through the flats, and come upon your ruined tower. (Round 3) Now at the ruined tower and away from attackers or sandstorms, they find the tower is occupied. NPC encounter with whatever (lost spirit? druidic guardian? blind wiseman?). Use him to chat with the players and lead into your next story. He may help or hinder the players depending on results of their social skill checks during the round. Heres a few DS challenges I did along this format: one two three
#7 big_goon Feb 09, 2011 13:44:45	I had a little fun with this... oh how my mind wanders. Playing with the salt bit of "Salt Flats"... Play with the history of the plane a bit. Why is it a salt flat? Did it used to be an ocean, or salt water? Could you find deposits of small seashells, petrified water vessels, coral, or some other great sea creature? What about the monsters, could they have been former sea creatures? Maybe a sarlaac-like tentacle beast (see Return of the Jedi) that used to be an immortal leviathan? ...or maybe it's an aboleth that creates zombie slaves? Maybe locals (koa toa, lizardfolk, halflings, sea elves, etc) treat the sarlaac like a god and make offerings? Perhaps their help is being requested by Water spirit/priest, who believes a secret water spring exists beneath the flats? He/she requests the help of the players to perform a ritual to raise a new oasis... but will the water be drinkable, or will the salt content make it poisonous? Or maybe the priest does drink the water... and is now... an undead Thrax! He deceives them, and wants to suck their... water! (because he's forever thirsty... you know, from drinking salty water... d'uh). Playing with the flat bit of "salt flats"... Salt flats are also excellent places for wind-based adventures. Flying creatures race across flats, seeking pray. Raiding tribes roam the salt flats, ranging for miles. Could a Roc-sized vulture be following in their wake? What about a flight of razor wings combing a foot or two above the surface? What about crodlu-riding or elf raiding tribes, they'd be able to spot prey from a distance and use their speed for hit-and-run attacks, how long can the players run and survive against these incessant attacks? Where are they being herded? Away from available water? Towards an ambush? An insane priest of the wind sings a tune of loss and mourning. The tune can be heard from miles around and causes madness. It leads those that hear it (psionically?) like a Belgoi's bell herds prey. Or maybe it's a Belgoi wind priest...??!?! What about a saltstorm... like a sandstorm but full of grains of salt.
#8 BRJN Feb 12, 2011 22:04:07	You are crossing the salt desert using a silt skimmer. You see a vulture (what's the DS-equivalent called?) drifting by overhead. Later, you see a vulture circling over one place. Something is on the horizon in that direction. If the PCs investigate, they find a wreck or a ruin and can scavenge some survival days or a tank of water or similar. Later you see a vulture circling over your silt skimmer. Shortly, you see something moving on the horizon. OR if you check carefully, you notice that the "vulture" overhead is actually an aaracocra. Silt runners attack the ship from one side (only); there is entangling terrain on the other side, or giants in ambush. If you hold out for long enough - maybe until an Inciter arrives - then they try to board the ship. Pirates, arrgh! Make sure there is an NPC who can tell the PCs about tactics if they don't know any. One part of the salt flat is especially good salt; stop off for an hour to scoop up what can be taken. The PCs get to scout the perimeter. They don't have to actually meet anything. Maybe a vulture (see above)? The captain of the ship "forgot" to tell anybody that he has a side business going and isn't taking the normal route from Here to There. He will be making a stop at his Secret Stash to pick up ... something small and valuable (spices, metal shards, gemstones, illegal intoxicants) from his pre-arranged drop. While off the beaten path, face equipment failure and try to fix it. Inhabitants of a small oasis have crafted an improved (they hope) piece of equipment and want the ship's captain to give it a try. This could be as simple as spoked wheels instead of solid ones. Mechanically, I'm not sure what your PCs want you to do - if skill challenges and fights are both out, I hope you all can role-play and ad lib well.
#9 RalofTyr Feb 14, 2011 20:19:52	Things that can happen on the Salt-flats. Encounter a strange hermit. Who is he? Cleric, druid, or Defiler? Discovers the remains of a wooden vehicle that's very odd and they've never laid eyes on something like that: it's an old water-ship. Bones of travelers that didn't make it. A Salt-Mine; perhaps with slaves and slavers, or just an independent group of miners. A metal-mine; all the metals in the mountains got washed into the former seas Salt-Flats were once. If you mine under the salt, you should find material. Though, it's in small quantites and it might take a day's worth of mining and smelting to yield anything visible; with the high-value of metal, this met be a lucrative option. The Abandoned Metal-Mine: this is an ethereal place. They mined straight-down and then horizontal just under the salt. Some light passes though and lights up the mine. The Mine seems to go off in every direction. The Rainy-Season; if the players travel during the "Rainy-Season", they might see a vast shallow very salty lake that's about a foot deep and very muddy. They run into a huge army from Gulg or Nibenay and are forced to work as slaves for them (no combat, they were just enslaved).
#10 mgbeach Feb 14, 2011 21:03:54	They come across a secret gathering of elves intent on proving who among them is the fastest (if only they had rocket cars!)
#11 phoenix_m Feb 15, 2011 13:51:53	They come across a secret gathering of elves intent on proving who among them is the fastest (if only they had rocket cars!) Oh I so need to remember this one!