Optional Skill Challenge Sheets

[AFCErik]

Over in this thread I suggested ways to improve the skill challenges preview WotC posted here. WotC might already have something planned like this, but I really got into working on this.

My first example, at the end of the challenge (negotiating with the Duke):



My second example (haggling with a merchant):

[Piratecat]

This is great. Well done, sir.

[thc1967]

Love the thoughts; hate the layout. This alone would increase my session prep time well beyond that presently required by 3.5e.

But I still love the thoughts... so maybe I'll take a look at "Flattening" it into a more text-based model.

[AFCErik]

thc1967 said: Love the thoughts; hate the layout. This alone would increase my session prep time well beyond that presently required by 3.5e.

No worries. Use what you will and discard the rest.

These are just my first prototypes. I'm a Visio fan, so it only takes a few minutes for me to whip one of these up.

After I've done several examples, I want to create a blank template that you can just print out and fill in. Would you like that better?

[malcolm_n]

It would help greatly for some who cannot or do not use Visio. I could also put these together, so thank you for the idea ) If you get your blank finished, let me know and I'll create a link in the compilations thread.

[SteveC]

Bravo!
If I were working on a 4E module, I'd recommend using just this sort of a setup in a published product. Social Challenges offer as much experience as a combat encounter, so I consider this a sort of "delve format" them. I think you've really created something good here. Third party companies (heck, WotC!) should take note.

--Steve

[Primitive Screwhead]

I think this is a great format for a published adventure, easy to read and shows the possible plot branches.

I would like to see a 'blank' version for my homebrew..and I am not that much of a visio fan yet {work wants me to be one }

[thc1967]

Actually I love every idea in there, especially how different things happen after a number of successes or failures at a particular skill. I just want to find a simpler way to do it with Word or Excel. Though a Visio template would be good too.

[Heselbine]

This is absolutely splendid. Top marks!

[Primitive Screwhead]

After digging through the orginal thread, I thought I would post here instead of committing necro-posting..

I really liked the idea of having the 'auto-fail', as shown with Intimidate in the Duke challenge above, changed to 'check + fail'.

That way you can successfully intimidate the Duke into doing what you want, but you also garner failures and may mess up the adventure. Much better, IMHO, than the outright 'your jedi mind tricks dont work on me' syndrome.

[keterys]

This looks really great - I'd be leery of making my own, except maybe for a serious published product, but I'd love to have a book full of 'em.

[AFCErik]

Thanks, folks!

I will try to whip up several more examples and a template this weekend.

PS:
I'm copying this from the original thread for reference:

Primary Social skills: Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate
To detect the target's reactions: Insight
To impress someone with physical ability: Acrobatics, Athletics, Endurance
To raise a pertinent fact: Arcana, Dungeoneering, Heal, History, Nature, Religion, Streetwise

So, 14 skills that could conceivably be used by someone in a social situation. More than enough to support robust skill challenges.

However, it looks like the system might fall down for other situations.

THIEVERY Skill Challenges

The TRAPS preview example gives a skill challenge using only Thievery. Roll 4 successes before you roll two failures? Where's the fun in that? What other skills could you include in a trap skill challenge? Acrobatics for some larger traps, I guess. Endurance for underwater traps? Perception, maybe? But, it's not nearly as robust as the social situation.

CHASE Skill Challenges
This one seems doable. Seems like the following skills would be usable:
Acrobatics, Athletics, Endurance, Stealth - for obvious reasons
Bluff - to trick the opponent into going the wrong direction
Dungeoneering, Streetwise, Nature - to use the surroundings to aid in your escape
Perception - to notice a shortcut, etc.

WILDERNESS TRAVEL Skill Challenges
Seems like skill challenges would be good for finding your way in the wilderness. Each success gets you x miles closer, while every failure gets you y miles further away. Skills you could use:
Athletics, Acrobatics, Endurance - to use a shortcut across some difficult ravine, river, etc.
History - to recall a legendary path through the mountains
Nature - to find the best route through the forest
Perception - to notice the deer trail

SEARCH A ROOM Skill Challenge
Are there enough skills to enable this? For every X successes you get before you get Y failures, find one hidden item. This could simulate the inability of the PCs to think of any more places to search for things.
Arcana - to remember that wizards often put important things out of reach of familiars
Athletics/Acrobatics - to wriggle your way through some rubble to find the stash
Dungeoneeing - to realize that crack in the wall could easily expand into a large, hidden cache
History - to remember that the ancient Knights of Kelliark often placed valuables in their helmet visors.
Insight - to survey a room, extrapolate the personality of the inhabitant, and then deduce where they might like to hide things
Nature - to realize that mold shouldn't be there, maybe something is damp behind that wall
Perception - obviously
Religion - to know there are always 4 miniature holy censers, not just 3 like you have found
Thievery - obviously

[Nail]

Good stuff, AFCErik!

Yoink!

[djdaidouji]

I think that I might add more rules to the intimidation auto-fail for my own means. Basically, if a PC tries to intimidate and rolls a 1, he sucks so badly that the Duke laughs. Not a success, but not a failure, though the duke would tire quickly if it happened again.

[AFCErik]

I haven't gotten the template done yet, but here's an update to the skill challenge Bill Slaviczek put up - H1 Keep on the Shadowfell Skill Challenge.

There's nothing wrong with his skill challenge. It's very neatly designed to provide a few PCs with something else to do besides attack the bad guys while not impacting their ability to be involved in the combat (since each skill challenge action is a free action).

I just added a lot of complication to his skill challenge. Made each attempt a move action (although you still might want to allow each PC only one attempt per turn), added Thievery, Insight, etc.

Let me know what you think.

Oh, and this contains spoiler information for the Keep on the Shadowfell adventure. Players should not read this: