Good day all. I have been working out an adventure with 4e for my players, and am curious to know what you think about the skill challenges below, which will comprise the first 2 of the 4 parts of the adventure. The other two encounters are not given in detail, and the DCs are not set yet until I'd be ready to run the encounters. I'm mostly curious to know your opinions on the skills, and what you expect your PCs to want to to instead in those situations in case other skills might be more appropriate. Also, what do you think of the clue/mislead system used in the second encounter?
[DM Note]: Skill challenges in this adventure use the skill challenge system proposed by Stalker0 found here: http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?t=230567
Be sure to use proper DCs and be sure that the players are informed to the changes to the rules.
Conflagration: A fire has been set in the Rothchild residence. Can the PCs rescue the victim trapped inside before it is too late?
Confabulation: The house is in ashes. Can the PCs discover who set the fire and why before whatever clues remain are scatted into the winds?
Confirmation: With clues in hand, the PCs go to meet Doctor Craig, or will he come to them first?
Confrontation: With Doctor Craig out of the way, the PCs prepare to face the real threat, but are they ready for what they find?
Principle actors (First two parts):
Professor Rothchild: His current location is unknown, but he has been working on something in secret. Perhaps his files will reveal more.
Amanda Rothchild: Niece of the professor and frequent target of peril. She can be very helpful in the second mission, Confabulation. If she is still alive that is . . .
Doctor Craig: An antagonist. He is responsible for the arson of the Rothchild residence, and is planning a sinister plot for the town. Introduced at the end of the Confabulation mission, and fought during Confirmation.
Conflagration (Skill challenge)
Complexity 2: Conclusion at 5 successes or 4 failures
Easy DC: __ Moderate DC: __ Hard DC: __
While most of the night passes peacefully, screams of panic erupt near the inn you are staying in before you are fully awake at dawn. Looking outside the window, you see that a residence several buildings over has erupted in flames that are quickly beginning to consume the whole structure. Several people have fled and are beginning to roust the authorities, but it will take some time for them to arrive, and it will likely be too late for anyone unfortunate enough to be trapped inside.
[DM note]: Since it is early dawn, the adventurers are not yet ready to face the day fully equipped. Unless characters are sleeping in their armor (Which is entirely possible as sleeping in armor carries no penalty), make sure that they are aware to adjust their skill checks, AC, and Reflex defenses to account for the lack of armor and shield for this and the following skill challenge, and possibly combat which follows. Characters leaving the inn room in a rush may be permitted to grab two items, likely a weapon or implement, and a shield or another useful object.
Arriving at the scene, a small crowd of gawkers has gathered nearby, some of which might be convinced to help. One can’t blame them for their reluctance however as the smoke bellowing out of the residence seems especially black and putrid, and flames threaten to singe anyone who dares enter to help whomever is trapped inside. A woman’s panicked scream from inside though beckons heroes into action.
Primary Skills: Endurance, Athletics, Diplomacy, Dungeoneering
Endurance (Moderate DCs): Anyone entering the house directly will need to make Endurance checks to withstand the stifling heat and smoke. Successes will unlock the use of the Athletics secondary skill, failure will result in the loss of a healing surge in addition to counting as a failure toward the challenge as the character struggles, choking on the fumes. Fire resistance or some other form of protection from this sort of hostile environment does grant a +2 bonus to this check.
Athletics (Moderate DCs) [Secondary, Bold]: Any hero that passes and Endurance check can now see an individual pinned underneath rubble. An Athletics check will permit them to extricate her. A standard check assumes that the character does take some care for their own health and safety, but risking life and limb (And using a Heroic Surge), grants an additional +1 to the roll. Failure in this check indicates that rubble is not effectively moved out of the way, and peril for the victim continues. Successes after the first indicate efforts to put out the flames.
Diplomacy (Moderate DCs): You try to convince the crowd to help in the recovery by appealing to their sense of decency. Success convinces townspersons nearby to risk injury in order to help anyone inside or put out the flames before they consume the whole house. Failure indicates that onlookers are reluctant to be pressed into service, and leave the scene in order to be cowardly in private as opposed to being cowardly in public. There are still enough people nearby however that checks can continue to be made.
Dungeoneering (Hard DCs) [Helpful]: Your recognition of dungeon hazards is especially useful when directing the actions of other party members. If you use the skill while you are a Guiding Light, you provide a +3 to a skill (instead of +2).
Conclusion:
Success: A success indicates that the woman was saved in some fashion. Either a player passed an athletics check, enough players entered the building successfully (Passing endurance checks) that no athletics check would be necessary, or townspeople were convinced to be daring enough to get her out. Proceed to the next skill challenge, Confabulation, without penalty and gain Experience (appropriate to level).
Failure: A failure indicates that the woman was not saved from the building, unless an athletics check was passed to rescue her. Even if she was rescued but the mission was otherwise failed, she is in bad shape and all Healing skill checks are make at a –5 penalty in the Confabulation skill challenge which follows.
Confabulation (Skill challenge)
Complexity 3: Conclusion at 7 successes or 5 failures
Easy DC: __ Moderate DC: __ Hard DC: __
Shortly after concluding the Conflagration challenge, several authorities arrive with buckets and gathered townspeople work together to put out the flames. After some time they manage to put out the blaze, and leave the structure a smoldering heap which looks likely to collapse soon. Speaking with the townspeople, the house was owned by an elderly scientist, Professor Rothchild, and his niece Amanda whom the PCs rescued (or not). Amanda, if she is alive, is coming to, though somewhat dazed and confused. If any evidence is to be gathered, it should be done quickly.
[DM Note]: The seven clues to be gained in this investigation are listed below, and every success will give the next clue in the list. Not all skills can be used to find all 7 clues, and once no more clues are available through that skill, the use of that skill cannot incur more successes. Failures give false information (Failures 1-5), but any false information is cleared up upon discovery of the lockbox in Clue 7. Failure in this challenge though means that the PCs might continue to work with bad information, in addition to the consequences for failure outlined at the bottom of this section.
Clue 1: The fire was arson
Clue 2: There’s a lab in the basement
Clue 3: The uncle is out of town, but was working on something alchemical
Clue 4: The uncle was trying to hinder an evil scheme
Clue 5: The niece is still in danger
Clue 6: We’re dealing with lycanthropes
Clue 7: The lockbox. The lockbox cannot be discovered unless the other 6 clues are found first.
Failure 1: No false information
Failure 2: No false information
Failure 3: Vampires are somehow involved
Failure 4: The town guards are almost certainly responsible for the arson
Failure 5: Professor Rothchild was working on something sinister. If the players have both Clue 4 and Failure 5, they're not sure what to believe.
Primary skills: Streetwise, Diplomacy, Perception, Arcana, Heal
Streetwise (Moderate DCs): You interview people in the gathered crowd to determine what they know about the fire and the family who lives there. A success which would beat a hard DC also introduces you to the neighborhood snoop, Simon Lent. Successes will only grant clues 1, 2, and 3, after which this becomes a dead end.
Diplomacy (Easy DCs) [Secondary]: Simon is the neighborhood snoop and knows what is happening quite well, and is secretly quite eager to tell. However, he refuses to seek out the PCs, and they must find him through Streetwise. Successful diplomacy checks will each grant one clue, but only clues 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, after which this becomes a dead end.
Perception (Moderate DCs [Except Clue 7]): Investigating the house looking for clues in this manner can grant all clues except number 7. That can only be discovered through a Hard perception check. If a perception check would beat a hard DC before the other 6 clues are discovered, the final check is only a moderate DC.
Arcana (Moderate DCs): The many alchemical substances and implements in the basement are effectively destroyed, but their purpose can be pieced together with the proper Arcana checks. Successes can grant access to clues 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, but never 7.
Heal (Moderate DCs [Only if the Amanda survived]): While dazed and somewhat confused, the girl is willing to say what she knows, and competent medical care can help her piece together her memories quickly. She can grant access to clues 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, and any success which would beat a hard DC brings to her mind the lockbox. She isn’t sure of the location, but finding Clue 7 becomes an Easy DC as opposed to Hard with Perception with her help.
Conclusion:
Success: A success indicates the discovery of the lockbox, which survived the flames hidden deep in the rubble of the lab. If Amanda is alive, she has a necklace on her person which unlocks the box. If she is deceased, the adventurers will have to find some other way to access the contents. The metal box is Arcane Locked {DM Adjunct to apply to an item instead of a door} and will require a DC 27 Thievery or Strength check to open. If attacked with weapons or powers, the box has 30 hit points and is immune to fire, but the fragile contents inside will be destroyed by such an aggressive action.
Inside the lockbox are the most sensitive notes of Professor Rothchild along with a silvered dagger and 20 silvered tips which can easily be applied to arrow shafts or crossbow bolts.
The notes are quite chilling, and solidly confirm clues all previous clues while contradicting any failures. Furthermore, they indicate that there is a plot afoot to inflict some sort of illness on the town, and that a local townsperson, Dr. Craig, is involved in the plot. While Professor Rothchild suspects that there is something more sinister behind even Dr. Craig, he has no idea who, what, or how, and has left to investigate. With this evidence, Amanda can be placed into a safehouse and the town guard will leave the PCs free to investigate this case without interference. Gain experience.
While nearby, Doctor Craig overhears that he is a suspect, and flees before anyone catches onto his presence to plot his next move. The PCs however have all the information they need to proceed to the next encounter, Confirmation where they will meet Dr. Craig on their own terms.
Failure: The building collapses before any investigation could be completed, trapping the lockbox in the rubble of the basement forever (As far as the PCs are concerned) and cutting off access to any more clues. If Amanda is still alive, Doctor Craig comes through the crowd demanding to know what they are doing with her and insisting that she be taken into his medical care after the incident. An opposed Insight check versus Bluff (Doctor Craig has a +11 bonus) tips the PCs off to the fact that he is up to no good. This is fairly meaningless at the moment however, because the town guards nearby know and trust Craig. If the PCs don’t let him take her, the guards intervene in his favor, resorting to combat if necessary. This is a very difficult combat, and the PCs are not meant to succeed. The guards will not kill the PCs, but instead knock them unconscious and take them to a jail cell to cool off, releasing them only when they agree to be no more trouble. In the meantime, Amanda is sure to be quietly killed without fail this time, and the PCs are facing an unknown enemy without the appropriate weapons to do so. If they stay in town for the night investigating, the enemies in the encounter Confirmation come to them wherever they are, possibly with additional reinforcements, and they are forced to perform the encounter on their enemies’ terms rather than their own.
[DM Note]: Skill challenges in this adventure use the skill challenge system proposed by Stalker0 found here: http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?t=230567
Be sure to use proper DCs and be sure that the players are informed to the changes to the rules.
Conflagration: A fire has been set in the Rothchild residence. Can the PCs rescue the victim trapped inside before it is too late?
Confabulation: The house is in ashes. Can the PCs discover who set the fire and why before whatever clues remain are scatted into the winds?
Confirmation: With clues in hand, the PCs go to meet Doctor Craig, or will he come to them first?
Confrontation: With Doctor Craig out of the way, the PCs prepare to face the real threat, but are they ready for what they find?
Principle actors (First two parts):
Professor Rothchild: His current location is unknown, but he has been working on something in secret. Perhaps his files will reveal more.
Amanda Rothchild: Niece of the professor and frequent target of peril. She can be very helpful in the second mission, Confabulation. If she is still alive that is . . .
Doctor Craig: An antagonist. He is responsible for the arson of the Rothchild residence, and is planning a sinister plot for the town. Introduced at the end of the Confabulation mission, and fought during Confirmation.
Conflagration (Skill challenge)
Complexity 2: Conclusion at 5 successes or 4 failures
Easy DC: __ Moderate DC: __ Hard DC: __
While most of the night passes peacefully, screams of panic erupt near the inn you are staying in before you are fully awake at dawn. Looking outside the window, you see that a residence several buildings over has erupted in flames that are quickly beginning to consume the whole structure. Several people have fled and are beginning to roust the authorities, but it will take some time for them to arrive, and it will likely be too late for anyone unfortunate enough to be trapped inside.
[DM note]: Since it is early dawn, the adventurers are not yet ready to face the day fully equipped. Unless characters are sleeping in their armor (Which is entirely possible as sleeping in armor carries no penalty), make sure that they are aware to adjust their skill checks, AC, and Reflex defenses to account for the lack of armor and shield for this and the following skill challenge, and possibly combat which follows. Characters leaving the inn room in a rush may be permitted to grab two items, likely a weapon or implement, and a shield or another useful object.
Arriving at the scene, a small crowd of gawkers has gathered nearby, some of which might be convinced to help. One can’t blame them for their reluctance however as the smoke bellowing out of the residence seems especially black and putrid, and flames threaten to singe anyone who dares enter to help whomever is trapped inside. A woman’s panicked scream from inside though beckons heroes into action.
Primary Skills: Endurance, Athletics, Diplomacy, Dungeoneering
Endurance (Moderate DCs): Anyone entering the house directly will need to make Endurance checks to withstand the stifling heat and smoke. Successes will unlock the use of the Athletics secondary skill, failure will result in the loss of a healing surge in addition to counting as a failure toward the challenge as the character struggles, choking on the fumes. Fire resistance or some other form of protection from this sort of hostile environment does grant a +2 bonus to this check.
Athletics (Moderate DCs) [Secondary, Bold]: Any hero that passes and Endurance check can now see an individual pinned underneath rubble. An Athletics check will permit them to extricate her. A standard check assumes that the character does take some care for their own health and safety, but risking life and limb (And using a Heroic Surge), grants an additional +1 to the roll. Failure in this check indicates that rubble is not effectively moved out of the way, and peril for the victim continues. Successes after the first indicate efforts to put out the flames.
Diplomacy (Moderate DCs): You try to convince the crowd to help in the recovery by appealing to their sense of decency. Success convinces townspersons nearby to risk injury in order to help anyone inside or put out the flames before they consume the whole house. Failure indicates that onlookers are reluctant to be pressed into service, and leave the scene in order to be cowardly in private as opposed to being cowardly in public. There are still enough people nearby however that checks can continue to be made.
Dungeoneering (Hard DCs) [Helpful]: Your recognition of dungeon hazards is especially useful when directing the actions of other party members. If you use the skill while you are a Guiding Light, you provide a +3 to a skill (instead of +2).
Conclusion:
Success: A success indicates that the woman was saved in some fashion. Either a player passed an athletics check, enough players entered the building successfully (Passing endurance checks) that no athletics check would be necessary, or townspeople were convinced to be daring enough to get her out. Proceed to the next skill challenge, Confabulation, without penalty and gain Experience (appropriate to level).
Failure: A failure indicates that the woman was not saved from the building, unless an athletics check was passed to rescue her. Even if she was rescued but the mission was otherwise failed, she is in bad shape and all Healing skill checks are make at a –5 penalty in the Confabulation skill challenge which follows.
Confabulation (Skill challenge)
Complexity 3: Conclusion at 7 successes or 5 failures
Easy DC: __ Moderate DC: __ Hard DC: __
Shortly after concluding the Conflagration challenge, several authorities arrive with buckets and gathered townspeople work together to put out the flames. After some time they manage to put out the blaze, and leave the structure a smoldering heap which looks likely to collapse soon. Speaking with the townspeople, the house was owned by an elderly scientist, Professor Rothchild, and his niece Amanda whom the PCs rescued (or not). Amanda, if she is alive, is coming to, though somewhat dazed and confused. If any evidence is to be gathered, it should be done quickly.
[DM Note]: The seven clues to be gained in this investigation are listed below, and every success will give the next clue in the list. Not all skills can be used to find all 7 clues, and once no more clues are available through that skill, the use of that skill cannot incur more successes. Failures give false information (Failures 1-5), but any false information is cleared up upon discovery of the lockbox in Clue 7. Failure in this challenge though means that the PCs might continue to work with bad information, in addition to the consequences for failure outlined at the bottom of this section.
Clue 1: The fire was arson
Clue 2: There’s a lab in the basement
Clue 3: The uncle is out of town, but was working on something alchemical
Clue 4: The uncle was trying to hinder an evil scheme
Clue 5: The niece is still in danger
Clue 6: We’re dealing with lycanthropes
Clue 7: The lockbox. The lockbox cannot be discovered unless the other 6 clues are found first.
Failure 1: No false information
Failure 2: No false information
Failure 3: Vampires are somehow involved
Failure 4: The town guards are almost certainly responsible for the arson
Failure 5: Professor Rothchild was working on something sinister. If the players have both Clue 4 and Failure 5, they're not sure what to believe.
Primary skills: Streetwise, Diplomacy, Perception, Arcana, Heal
Streetwise (Moderate DCs): You interview people in the gathered crowd to determine what they know about the fire and the family who lives there. A success which would beat a hard DC also introduces you to the neighborhood snoop, Simon Lent. Successes will only grant clues 1, 2, and 3, after which this becomes a dead end.
Diplomacy (Easy DCs) [Secondary]: Simon is the neighborhood snoop and knows what is happening quite well, and is secretly quite eager to tell. However, he refuses to seek out the PCs, and they must find him through Streetwise. Successful diplomacy checks will each grant one clue, but only clues 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, after which this becomes a dead end.
Perception (Moderate DCs [Except Clue 7]): Investigating the house looking for clues in this manner can grant all clues except number 7. That can only be discovered through a Hard perception check. If a perception check would beat a hard DC before the other 6 clues are discovered, the final check is only a moderate DC.
Arcana (Moderate DCs): The many alchemical substances and implements in the basement are effectively destroyed, but their purpose can be pieced together with the proper Arcana checks. Successes can grant access to clues 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, but never 7.
Heal (Moderate DCs [Only if the Amanda survived]): While dazed and somewhat confused, the girl is willing to say what she knows, and competent medical care can help her piece together her memories quickly. She can grant access to clues 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, and any success which would beat a hard DC brings to her mind the lockbox. She isn’t sure of the location, but finding Clue 7 becomes an Easy DC as opposed to Hard with Perception with her help.
Conclusion:
Success: A success indicates the discovery of the lockbox, which survived the flames hidden deep in the rubble of the lab. If Amanda is alive, she has a necklace on her person which unlocks the box. If she is deceased, the adventurers will have to find some other way to access the contents. The metal box is Arcane Locked {DM Adjunct to apply to an item instead of a door} and will require a DC 27 Thievery or Strength check to open. If attacked with weapons or powers, the box has 30 hit points and is immune to fire, but the fragile contents inside will be destroyed by such an aggressive action.
Inside the lockbox are the most sensitive notes of Professor Rothchild along with a silvered dagger and 20 silvered tips which can easily be applied to arrow shafts or crossbow bolts.
The notes are quite chilling, and solidly confirm clues all previous clues while contradicting any failures. Furthermore, they indicate that there is a plot afoot to inflict some sort of illness on the town, and that a local townsperson, Dr. Craig, is involved in the plot. While Professor Rothchild suspects that there is something more sinister behind even Dr. Craig, he has no idea who, what, or how, and has left to investigate. With this evidence, Amanda can be placed into a safehouse and the town guard will leave the PCs free to investigate this case without interference. Gain experience.
While nearby, Doctor Craig overhears that he is a suspect, and flees before anyone catches onto his presence to plot his next move. The PCs however have all the information they need to proceed to the next encounter, Confirmation where they will meet Dr. Craig on their own terms.
Failure: The building collapses before any investigation could be completed, trapping the lockbox in the rubble of the basement forever (As far as the PCs are concerned) and cutting off access to any more clues. If Amanda is still alive, Doctor Craig comes through the crowd demanding to know what they are doing with her and insisting that she be taken into his medical care after the incident. An opposed Insight check versus Bluff (Doctor Craig has a +11 bonus) tips the PCs off to the fact that he is up to no good. This is fairly meaningless at the moment however, because the town guards nearby know and trust Craig. If the PCs don’t let him take her, the guards intervene in his favor, resorting to combat if necessary. This is a very difficult combat, and the PCs are not meant to succeed. The guards will not kill the PCs, but instead knock them unconscious and take them to a jail cell to cool off, releasing them only when they agree to be no more trouble. In the meantime, Amanda is sure to be quietly killed without fail this time, and the PCs are facing an unknown enemy without the appropriate weapons to do so. If they stay in town for the night investigating, the enemies in the encounter Confirmation come to them wherever they are, possibly with additional reinforcements, and they are forced to perform the encounter on their enemies’ terms rather than their own.
