Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 likao Aug 27, 2009 22:43:22	I'm trying to design a non-combat encounter where the PCs are caught up in a haunting as they travel through an area, but while I'm confident with combat encounter design, I'm very much not confident with design of hazards and skill challenges. That basic back story goes like this: The ghosts ( a family of three ) were poisoned by a villain as they left a village on a cross-country trek.  The villain poisoned their water supply, and once they drank the water, they were made thirstier and thirstier, causing them to drink more of the water, until they died.  The PCs, making their own cross-country trek, come across the ghosts of the family, and begin to experience the same symptoms/effects that plagued the family.  The only way to escape the same doom is for the PCs to locate the final resting place of the doomed family, and lay the restless spirits to rest. My thought was that I could model this as a single hazard, and multiple skill challenges.  I'm trying to work this out so it will be complex enough to be more than rolling a few dice and being done with it (how most skill challenges I've participated in have worked out), and other than a particular tie-in to later elements of this adventure that spans levels 1-3, I'm open whatever ideas and advice anyone is kind enough to offer. The hazard would perhaps make attacks against each PC's will in order to make them drink their own water. If the attack succeeds, then the PC would perhaps lose a number of healing surges. The PCs would perhaps need to complete a skill challenge using Perception or Nature to locate the final resting place  (perhaps using Nature to head in the likeliest direction of water, or perception to notice the a spot where the vegetation has withered and will not regrow form the poison). I don't see any need to set a failure condition as the ongoing hazard seems to do that well enough. Once the spot is located, another skill challenge involving Religion to put the spirits to rest might be needed, where the use of a Antivenom ritual or Clearwater alchemical process would contribute a certain number of automatic successes (applying these rituals to the remains of the victims - the PC's water supply is poisoned more by the haunting, and in true hautning fashion the ritual wouldn't save them directly). I'm definitely trying to work in more for the rituals in the game, as I miss this sort of utility magic. I'm leaving out the story exposition for the various stages of this as I'm not really tied to most of it. My concern is putting together something that is interesting enough (and makes enough sense) from a mechanics perspective. Any thoughts are greatly appreciated!
#2 Grimbus Aug 29, 2009 18:41:36	Maybe the players could communicate with the spirits - they would have to convince the spirits that they are not the murderers (one skill check) and then convince the spirits that they are there to help (another check). The spirits might give half clues. They would also have to use perception/nature to find the grave. There might also be clues left behind so that the players might discover who the murderer is. You could add ones for them to identify the poison and make an antidote as well. It might be worthwhile breaking it down into 5 sections - each section might require 1 to four successful checks which would add up to one encounter in total.    1/ Players have to work out how much trouble their in. 2/ Players have to communicate with spirits somehow to locate grave. 3/ Players have to perform ritual to put dead to rest. 4/ Players have to find clues to identify murderers. (Maybe they left a trap behind)  5/ Players have to find antidote to poison.
#3 survivormanss Aug 31, 2009 17:55:16	Not to be negative, but what is stopping the PCs from just running out of the haunted area?
#4 likao Aug 31, 2009 19:52:00	Not to be negative, but what is stopping the PCs from just running out of the haunted area? The hazard effect, once activated, is not localized. If they leave, they will continue to be damaged. Think of ghost stories in book and horror movies; the simple, rational things like locking the doors and checking under the bed never does any good. And I don't think this sort of comment is negative at all. Poking holes in ideas helps me come up with things that seem more realistic and engaging to the players!
#5 likao Aug 31, 2009 19:55:44	I used some of you input in putting this together, and ran it with a small group yesterday as part of the beginning of a campaign. I posted this an a different forum as well because I thought I had made the wrong choice in putting it here (Sometimes the sub-forums don't seem to be what I expect them to be at all).  Here's what I put together.   Maybe the players could communicate with the spirits - they would have to convince the spirits that they are not the murderers (one skill check) and then convince the spirits that they are there to help (another check). The spirits might give half clues. They would also have to use perception/nature to find the grave. There might also be clues left behind so that the players might discover who the murderer is. You could add ones for them to identify the poison and make an antidote as well. It might be worthwhile breaking it down into 5 sections - each section might require 1 to four successful checks which would add up to one encounter in total.    1/ Players have to work out how much trouble their in. 2/ Players have to communicate with spirits somehow to locate grave. 3/ Players have to perform ritual to put dead to rest. 4/ Players have to find clues to identify murderers. (Maybe they left a trap behind)  5/ Players have to find antidote to poison.
#6 Grimbus Sep 01, 2009 17:54:44	Thank you for letting me know. It's nice to know when stuff put on the forums helps. I liked the encounter you wrote.
#7 likao Sep 02, 2009 15:38:39	I always feel better about asking questions if I can help contribute afterwards once I've gotten some answers/guidance.  Thanks! Thank you for letting me know. It's nice to know when stuff put on the forums helps. I liked the encounter you wrote.
#8 drewswizard Sep 02, 2009 22:03:02	i think the whole concept and the thing itself is quite new and good and i've helped myself to copy it and use it in my campaign. the only problem i have with it is in the last play the ghosts put on they act out as if they're dead, and they're ghosts. they're already dead, and i think that it would be better if in the third scene is if  all the ghosts were still 'sentient' or at the end of the act, they jump out at the pcs! or something of the like. or maybe in the third scene the pcs just see the ghosts drinking at the river violently almost and as they do their ghostly bodies start to wither into an almost anorexic appearance and they just dont stop drinking.
#9 likao Sep 02, 2009 22:21:34	i think the whole concept and the thing itself is quite new and good and i've helped myself to copy it and use it in my campaign. the only problem i have with it is in the last play the ghosts put on they act out as if they're dead, and they're ghosts. they're already dead, and i think that it would be better if in the third scene is if  all the ghosts were still 'sentient' or at the end of the act, they jump out at the pcs! or something of the like. or maybe in the third scene the pcs just see the ghosts drinking at the river violently almost and as they do their ghostly bodies start to wither into an almost anorexic appearance and they just dont stop drinking. You make an interesting point about the ghosts being already dead. It didn't occur to me how that might seem odd (another bonus of having other people look over these ideas).  In this particular case, the only ghost that needs to be put to rest is the father (the haunting being caused by his emotional trauma of realizing that he hastened his family's death), but I think I didn't do a good job of conveying that.  I knew that the players would later learn the specifics of the situation, and because I knew it, it didn't seem odd to me, even thought the player's won't know it. Time to make some more adjustments - thanks!