Help With Skill Challenge - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

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#1 nimrand Aug 03, 2008 15:53:42	I'm working on an adventure for a party of 2 level 1 adventurers. Many of the details are sketchy, but the gist of the adventure is that the party is sent by a wizard to a dungeon where the wizard believes there are some lost tomes that the wizard needs for his research. The dungeon is an ancient workshop that belonged to another wizard who was famous for building constructs/golemns. No one is known to have entered this workshop since the ancient empire fell, but it is believes that within it is a library that contains much of the dead wizard's lore. In addition to the combat encounters, I wanted to throw in some skill challenges as well. When the party reaches the workshop (which is deep in the woods), they encounter two Clay Scouts (Homunculi) disguised as statues guarding the entrance. My idea is that after the scouts are taken care of, they enter the dungeon, but find it warded with a trap designed to keep out intruders. Here is what I have so far: Skill Challenge: Description: The PCs enter the dungeon and find themselves in a small dimly-lit room. On the floor, there are carvings of runes. These runes are part of an enchantment set up to protect the wizard's workshop. By stepping on the right runes, one can cross the room safely, which also disables the trap. The correct runes are based upon historical knowledge that would have been known to the wizard and those belonging to his civilization. If too many of the wrong runes are stepped on, the trap identifies the party members as intruders. Primary Skills: History, Arcana Secondary Skills: Perception, Dungeoneering, Insight Complexity (6 successes before 3 failures) Special: Each skill check that results in a failure that also counts as a failure for the challenge triggers a magical attack (+5 vs. Reflex) that deals 1d10 radiant damage. Other notes: Aid another is not allowed in this challenge unless otherwise noted. In this challenge, the party may choose who makes each check. • Perception (Easy)- This skill is used automatically at the beginning of the challenge. Use passive perception (whoever's is highest), unless a PC asks to look around the room before entering, in which case roll an active perception check and use that roll if it is higher. ○ Success: Counts as a success and the party notices the runes before stepping on any. ○ Failure: Counts as a failure, triggering an attack. After the attack, the party notices the runes. • Dungeoneering/Arcana (Moderate) - Recognize the nature of the runes. Each PC may attempt this knowledge check using one of these two skills. Does not count as success or failure for the challenge, but opens up the use of the history skill. • Arcana (Hard) - Attempt to disenchant the runes. One PC may aid this check. Failures do not trigger magical attacks. • History (Moderate) - Use one's knowledge of history of the fallen empire to correctly guess one of the runes. • Insight (Moderate)- Provide a +2 bonus to the next history check. Does not count as a success or failure for the challenge. • Perception (Moderate) - Notice that one of the runes appears more worn than the others. Counts as a success for the challenge, but does not count as a failure. Limited to one use. Success: The party disables the trap. Failure: ???
#2 danmarlok Aug 03, 2008 18:44:48	Depends on how harsh you want to be. Generally it's a good idea not to blow up the adventure though because they failed so we don't want to be that harsh. In general. Obviously the trap isn't going to destroy things unless there's a second copy. So that's an idea. Have the place blow up but a careful search reveals clues to a secondary location that's located in an even more remote location the ways in to which are guarded by various tribes or other dangers. The wizard could be counting on there not being enough people to bypass the runes, he used his constructs to stand on various runes while he walked the path, that keeps X players in the room. Then just nuke the room when the trap is triggered and then have it reset and they can try the challenge again at an easier path, perhaps give them their correct answers as successes on the second check. Or maybe it randomizes and they have to do it again from scratch. The wizard was a construct kind of person so perhaps even tougher guardians could unfold from the walls. Although why he'd have those there and not outside I'm not sure. Give the players the option to go back to town and do a research skill challenge to come up with more information that would grant them bonuses on figuring out the problem. Have the room blow up or lock down or whatever but in so doing the ancient mechanisms break and a breach is opened that provides a path further. Anything helping?
#3 nimrand Aug 03, 2008 21:22:11	Yes, thank you. Those are a lot of good ideas. I particularly like the idea of the trap locking things down, but then causing a collapse that creates a second pathway. Maybe the collapse destroys some of the books the party was after, and so the party will get less monetary reward. That fits with the flavor I had envisioned for the dungeon fairly well: an old workshop that's slowly falling apart. The other option I'm leaning towards is having it teleport the intruders to a jail cell in the workshop's basement. Because the workshop is abandoned, there is no one to guard the cell, so the party can thieve or bash their way out. But, the party now has to work their way up to the main floor, and fight some nasties along the way.

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nimrand

Aug 03, 2008 15:53:42

I'm working on an adventure for a party of 2 level 1 adventurers. Many of the details are sketchy, but the gist of the adventure is that the party is sent by a wizard to a dungeon where the wizard believes there are some lost tomes that the wizard needs for his research. The dungeon is an ancient workshop that belonged to another wizard who was famous for building constructs/golemns. No one is known to have entered this workshop since the ancient empire fell, but it is believes that within it is a library that contains much of the dead wizard's lore.

In addition to the combat encounters, I wanted to throw in some skill challenges as well. When the party reaches the workshop (which is deep in the woods), they encounter two Clay Scouts (Homunculi) disguised as statues guarding the entrance. My idea is that after the scouts are taken care of, they enter the dungeon, but find it warded with a trap designed to keep out intruders.

Here is what I have so far:

Skill Challenge:

Description: The PCs enter the dungeon and find themselves in a small dimly-lit room. On the floor, there are carvings of runes. These runes are part of an enchantment set up to protect the wizard's workshop. By stepping on the right runes, one can cross the room safely, which also disables the trap. The correct runes are based upon historical knowledge that would have been known to the wizard and those belonging to his civilization. If too many of the wrong runes are stepped on, the trap identifies the party members as intruders.

Primary Skills: History, Arcana
Secondary Skills: Perception, Dungeoneering, Insight

Complexity (6 successes before 3 failures)

Special: Each skill check that results in a failure that also counts as a failure for the challenge triggers a magical attack (+5 vs. Reflex) that deals 1d10 radiant damage.

Other notes: Aid another is not allowed in this challenge unless otherwise noted. In this challenge, the party may choose who makes each check.

• Perception (Easy)- This skill is used automatically at the beginning of the challenge. Use passive perception (whoever's is highest), unless a PC asks to look around the room before entering, in which case roll an active perception check and use that roll if it is higher.
○ Success: Counts as a success and the party notices the runes before stepping on any.
○ Failure: Counts as a failure, triggering an attack. After the attack, the party notices the runes.

• Dungeoneering/Arcana (Moderate) - Recognize the nature of the runes. Each PC may attempt this knowledge check using one of these two skills. Does not count as success or failure for the challenge, but opens up the use of the history skill.
• Arcana (Hard) - Attempt to disenchant the runes. One PC may aid this check. Failures do not trigger magical attacks.
• History (Moderate) - Use one's knowledge of history of the fallen empire to correctly guess one of the runes.
• Insight (Moderate)- Provide a +2 bonus to the next history check. Does not count as a success or failure for the challenge.
• Perception (Moderate) - Notice that one of the runes appears more worn than the others. Counts as a success for the challenge, but does not count as a failure. Limited to one use.

Success: The party disables the trap.
Failure: ???

danmarlok

Aug 03, 2008 18:44:48

Depends on how harsh you want to be. Generally it's a good idea not to blow up the adventure though because they failed so we don't want to be that harsh. In general.

Obviously the trap isn't going to destroy things unless there's a second copy. So that's an idea. Have the place blow up but a careful search reveals clues to a secondary location that's located in an even more remote location the ways in to which are guarded by various tribes or other dangers.

The wizard could be counting on there not being enough people to bypass the runes, he used his constructs to stand on various runes while he walked the path, that keeps X players in the room. Then just nuke the room when the trap is triggered and then have it reset and they can try the challenge again at an easier path, perhaps give them their correct answers as successes on the second check. Or maybe it randomizes and they have to do it again from scratch.

The wizard was a construct kind of person so perhaps even tougher guardians could unfold from the walls. Although why he'd have those there and not outside I'm not sure.

Give the players the option to go back to town and do a research skill challenge to come up with more information that would grant them bonuses on figuring out the problem.

Have the room blow up or lock down or whatever but in so doing the ancient mechanisms break and a breach is opened that provides a path further.

Anything helping?

nimrand

Aug 03, 2008 21:22:11

Yes, thank you. Those are a lot of good ideas. I particularly like the idea of the trap locking things down, but then causing a collapse that creates a second pathway. Maybe the collapse destroys some of the books the party was after, and so the party will get less monetary reward. That fits with the flavor I had envisioned for the dungeon fairly well: an old workshop that's slowly falling apart.

The other option I'm leaning towards is having it teleport the intruders to a jail cell in the workshop's basement. Because the workshop is abandoned, there is no one to guard the cell, so the party can thieve or bash their way out. But, the party now has to work their way up to the main floor, and fight some nasties along the way.