Defend the castle - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

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#1 russlarkin Mar 29, 2012 17:36:44	Hi all, I'm doing something a little different for a skill challenge coming up for my group and could use some feedback, suggestions and guidance from anyone willing. I've used ideas from different places to come up with the skill-based challenge below. I think it has promise, but currently have no idea if it would be balanced. There are areas where it needs considerable work, such as what happens on a failure and expanding on defending, which I'm a bit stuck on. The skills are suggestions only. I'm hoping to have it a lot more freeform with the three functions (success, bonus and delay) as the foundation of the skills used and everything else open to improv. However, I'm thinking of giving a handout of these suggestions as an aid, so would love any suggestions anyone could lend on skill uses. I'll plan to update this as it develops, so anyone can use or adapt it for their game. Premise After stealing into the castle and defeating the enemies therein, the party must now defend the castle against a second, larger host of hobgoblins, goblins and ogres. The party has a small group of men and women to help protect the castle, mostly made up of the young and the old. The rest is up to them. The wall The outer wall is split into 6 areas, which must be defended from attack. Each round roll a number of d6 to determine the areas attacked. If an attacked area is not successfully defended the enemy gains the wall in the area and must be defeated. One of the areas holds the main gate. In this area an attack is made against the gate itself. Enemies who gain the areas directly adjacent to the main gate will first attempt to enter the winch rooms and lower the drawbridge and raise the portcullis, both of which take a full round each. Movement It takes one full round to travel into an adjacent area of the wall. There are some exceptions. It takes one whole round to move on and off the wall, when in the two areas marked. Defenders The castle can muster 12 men-at-arms to help defend the wall, these can be placed in the areas as the party requires. The party can attempt to muster a further 6 men-at-arms with a successful diplomacy or intimidate skill check when the defenders are six. The DC is moderate at 6 defenders and hard at 3 defenders. Each defender can make a single skill check or attack per round to attempt to gain one success against an attack. If a defender is not making a primary skill check or attack to repel an attack, they can use aid another to give the primary defender a +2 bonus to their roll. The Enemy The enemy consists of up to 6 groups at any one time. The starting groups are: 3 hobgoblins, 2 goblins, and 1 ogre. The groups can be reinforced up to 6. Roll a d6 and on a roll of 5 or 6 the enemy is reinforced. Roll another d6 to determine the type of group: 1-3 for hobgoblins, 4-5 for goblins and 6 for ogres. The enemy has 6 actions per round. They can either choose to use an action to attack the castle or to attack a defender. A successful attack against a man-at-arms kills that defender and an attack against a PC causes the PC to lose a healing surge. If the PC has no healing surges they drop to 1 hit point. Hobgoblins Hobgoblins are skilled archers and spearmen. Movement: Two full rounds to climb the wall. Full round to move between areas. Attack: Can fire arrows and throw javelins from the ground. Can attack with spears at range. Goblins Goblins are quick and numerous. Movement: One full round to climb ladders. Full round to move up to two areas. Can climb without the aid of ladders in the two weakened areas. Attack: No ground attack. Can attack with melee weapons in close quarters. Ogres Strong and slow. Movement: Cannot climb ladders. Two full rounds to move between areas. Attack: Can throw large rocks (or goblins) from the ground (area attack). Can attack with clubs at range and fists in close quarters. Attacking If more than one enemy group attacks a single area (same result on the d6), the DC to successfully repel the attack increases by 5. The gate The hobgoblins attempt to gain entry to the castle by throwing grapples and pulling down the drawbridge. It takes 3 full rounds of pulling to lower the drawbridge. Once beyond the drawbridge, it takes 2 full rounds to break the portcullis and 1 full round to break open the gates. An ogre pulling on a grappling rope decreases the time to lower the drawbridge to 2 full rounds and the time to break the portcullis to 1 full round. The wall The hobgoblins attempt to gain the wall by raising ladders and throwing grapples. See enemy movement for the time it takes to reach the battlements. Two areas of the wall are weakened and can be climbed in half the normal time. Goblins are able to climb weakened walls without the aid of ladders or ropes. Defending The gate The gate can be defended by attacking the grappling ropes or the attackers pulling those ropes. The wall The walls can be defended by attacking or pushing the ladders, attacking the grappling ropes or attacking the enemy. When an area is under attack, the defenders require 3 successes (of a combination of skill checks or attacks) to successfully defend the wall. The skill checks consist of three different types: Success, bonus and delay. Success: This is one success made against the attack. It is a hard DC check. Bonus: This gives some form of bonus to another defender or action. It can be an easy, moderate or hard DC check. Delay: This delays the enemy attack for one full round. It can be an easy or moderate DC check. Skill suggestions Primary skills Athletics: Hard DC: The defender uses brawn to push away the ladders or cut the grappling ropes (one success). Moderate DC: The defender brings supplies to the defenders (+2 to next skill check). Moderate DC: The defender fortifies the wall (delay enemy attack). Diplomacy/Intimidate: Moderate DC: The defender boosts morale giving everyone in the area a better chance to succeed (+2 to next skill check). Moderate DC: The defender charms or intimidates the enemy (delay attack). Thievery: Hard DC: The defender sets traps (success). Secondary skills Endurance: Special Easy DC: The defender can move up to 2 areas in one round. This can be given to another defender, such as a man-at-arms. Insight: Moderate DC: The defender finds a weakness in the attackers ranks (+2 to attack). Special Moderate DC: The defender predicts the enemy’s next move (know the location of one attack). Heal: Special Hard DC: The defender brings an ally back from death’s door (raise a recently killed NPC ally).
#2 DeathByDonut Mar 30, 2012 3:18:58	Wow that is all very specific with the skills and such. I know WotC posted the skill challenges each having a specific list of skills that did certain things in skill challenges and certain skills had to be used for successes and failures and other skills gave bonuses and what not. Which may work for some people but doesn't work for me. Here's how I run skill challenges. My Skill challenges So this is how I run skill challenges, which actually gives a lot of freedom to my players and takes a lot of prep away from me. Introduction: This is where I explain to the party what they are doing. Whether it's defending a castle, chasing a bad guy, asking around town for information, or playing hide-and-go-seek. Each player must announce what type of roll they are trying to make before they roll the d20. Choose between either Primary roll, Secondary roll or Luck roll. Primary Roll DC: #. This is where I put whatever the primary DC for the skill challenge is, usually either medium or hard for their level. Succeeding on a Primary DC roll adds 1 to the success total. Failing a Primary DC roll adds 1 to the failure total. Secondary Roll DC: #. A secondary roll's DC for the skill challenge is usually one step easier than the primary DC. Success on a Secondary roll grants a bonus (I like to do +2) to the next ally who attempts to make a Primary Roll DC, all bonuses stack to the next Primary Roll as rolled by an ally. Failure on a Secondary roll grants a penalty (I like to do -2) to the next ally who attempts to make a Primary Roll DC, all penalties stack to the next Primary Roll as rolled by an ally. Luck roll: If a luck roll is called the player must succeed a Primary DC roll +5, no bonuses or penalties add to this roll. If the player does succeed the roll they gain a success for the challenge and a bonus to the next Primary Roll. If the player fails the roll they gain a failure and penalty to the next Primary Roll. Goal: #/3. I go by three strikes you are out. So how complicated I want the skill challenge will determine how many successes they need to succeed. Skills: Ah the skills, here is where my method usually deviates from others. The above mechanics add some interesting strategy and chance to a skill challenge, but it is a skill challenge. I do not limit my players to specific skills grant successes and failures, and other grant bonuses and penalties. The players can use any skill during the skill challenge for any roll they choose. The only requirement is that the player explains how the skill they are choosing is used towards the goal and have it reflect the outcome of the roll. It takes a little more creativity from the players and takes some prep off the DM. (Example: Say the players are chasing down a criminal. A player wants to use Knowledge (Dungeoneering) to make a Secondary Roll, let's say he succeeds. The player explains that while he is running he uses his Knowledge (Dungeoneering) to examine the stonework in buildings and finds a few cracks that allows him to take the lead ahead of the rest of his party. Which shows his allies a quick way to close some distance. (giving the next Primary roll a +2 bonus.)
#3 russlarkin Mar 30, 2012 11:04:27	Our methods actually sound very similar. Though I am definitely developing it towards my group by including a more tactical structure. I am also looking to encourage ideas for skill checks by first giving a starting point. I think you can go either way depending on your type of group, and I find giving a starting point helps their ideas to come forth more easily. The structure for skill checks is very similar to yours; There are three types, like your primary, secondary and luck. I will definitely be encouraging improvisation of skill checks above picking one from a list. For example, like your method, the player can pick any skill and pick any roll type and roleplay those choices. It will be something I need to make clear at the start. Really, I'm just using the idea of areas of attack to enable several skill challenges to be going on at any one time. It's transposing those 3 out of 8 successes (or however many) into how many areas are you successfully defending (success) and how many have you lost (failure). Though success doesn't mean success. That comes from holding the wall until either: The enemy gives up, the enemy is wiped out or the cavalry comes. I certainly appreciate your warning regarding spending too much time on something that may only take up a single session and be quickly forgotten. Hopefully it won't be, but if it does I'll have still learnt a few things and my time would only be wasted on some other notion. The campaign will be dealing with warfare on a grand scale and I'm using this as a taste tester for possible ways to go with playing out encounters between large forces.

My Skill challenges

So this is how I run skill challenges, which actually gives a lot of freedom to my players and takes a lot of prep away from me.

Introduction: This is where I explain to the party what they are doing. Whether it's defending a castle, chasing a bad guy, asking around town for information, or playing hide-and-go-seek. Each player must announce what type of roll they are trying to make before they roll the d20. Choose between either Primary roll, Secondary roll or Luck roll.

Primary Roll DC: #. This is where I put whatever the primary DC for the skill challenge is, usually either medium or hard for their level. Succeeding on a Primary DC roll adds 1 to the success total. Failing a Primary DC roll adds 1 to the failure total.

Secondary Roll DC: #. A secondary roll's DC for the skill challenge is usually one step easier than the primary DC. Success on a Secondary roll grants a bonus (I like to do +2) to the next ally who attempts to make a Primary Roll DC, all bonuses stack to the next Primary Roll as rolled by an ally. Failure on a Secondary roll grants a penalty (I like to do -2) to the next ally who attempts to make a Primary Roll DC, all penalties stack to the next Primary Roll as rolled by an ally.

Luck roll: If a luck roll is called the player must succeed a Primary DC roll +5, no bonuses or penalties add to this roll. If the player does succeed the roll they gain a success for the challenge and a bonus to the next Primary Roll. If the player fails the roll they gain a failure and penalty to the next Primary Roll.

Goal: #/3. I go by three strikes you are out. So how complicated I want the skill challenge will determine how many successes they need to succeed.

Skills: Ah the skills, here is where my method usually deviates from others. The above mechanics add some interesting strategy and chance to a skill challenge, but it is a skill challenge. I do not limit my players to specific skills grant successes and failures, and other grant bonuses and penalties. The players can use any skill during the skill challenge for any roll they choose. The only requirement is that the player explains how the skill they are choosing is used towards the goal and have it reflect the outcome of the roll. It takes a little more creativity from the players and takes some prep off the DM.

(Example: Say the players are chasing down a criminal. A player wants to use Knowledge (Dungeoneering) to make a Secondary Roll, let's say he succeeds. The player explains that while he is running he uses his Knowledge (Dungeoneering) to examine the stonework in buildings and finds a few cracks that allows him to take the lead ahead of the rest of his party. Which shows his allies a quick way to close some distance. (giving the next Primary roll a +2 bonus.)

Premise

The wall

Movement

Defenders

The Enemy

Hobgoblins

Goblins

Ogres

Attacking

The gate

The wall

Defending

The gate

The wall

Skill suggestions

Primary skills

Athletics:

Diplomacy/Intimidate:

Thievery:

Secondary skills

Endurance:

Insight:

Heal: