Manbearcat
Legend
Figured I'd start a thread on one of the pivotal principles for running engaging, functional Skill Challenges:
Change the Situation.
Something goes wrong. A new threat emerges. Danger escalates or a related twist surfaces. A difficult choice or a branching course with consequences is faced. An unwelcome truth is revealed. Etc.
I'll post examples now and again (starting with the one below) and folks can discuss and add examples as they'd like.
The situation:
The PCs are desperately trying to escape a burning, collapsing manor with sprawling, winding corridors and massive state rooms. Its a Complexity 1, Level +3 SC (4 successes all at L + 3 Med DC before 3 failures) and they're at 1 successes and 1 failure.
The triggering move:
The Fighter, quick on his feet, decides to smash through a heavy timber wall to lead his group free of a corridor that is burning at both ends and choked with smoke! Medium Athletics DC. He somehow fails to achieve the required number.
The result:
The Fighter Unstoppable Juggernauts through to the other side but loses a Healing Surge. The load-bearing wall completely fails, triggering a partial collapse of the ceiling. The Fighter emerges in a familiar room, smoke-free, right near the grand foyer. However...:
1) The Fighter is separated from his allies who are on the other side of the heap of timbers.
2) The other PCs are stuck in a smoke-choked hallway, with a ceiling that is collapsing...and now they're facing down a level +2 encounter with Fire Elementals, Collapsing Floor Hazards, and some Challenging Terrain that is on fire and Difficult Terrain. To complicate matters, at the end of their turns, each PC's Fort is attacked by a Choking Smoke Hazard with a Saved Ends effect that gives them a Disease if they fail that save.
This will be a nested combat for 1 success in the SC if they defeat the encounter before round 4 ends and 1 failure in the SC, 1 Healing Surge lost for each PC in the corridor, and with the floor collapsing completely for a whole new situation.
Change the Situation.
Something goes wrong. A new threat emerges. Danger escalates or a related twist surfaces. A difficult choice or a branching course with consequences is faced. An unwelcome truth is revealed. Etc.
I'll post examples now and again (starting with the one below) and folks can discuss and add examples as they'd like.
The situation:
The PCs are desperately trying to escape a burning, collapsing manor with sprawling, winding corridors and massive state rooms. Its a Complexity 1, Level +3 SC (4 successes all at L + 3 Med DC before 3 failures) and they're at 1 successes and 1 failure.
The triggering move:
The Fighter, quick on his feet, decides to smash through a heavy timber wall to lead his group free of a corridor that is burning at both ends and choked with smoke! Medium Athletics DC. He somehow fails to achieve the required number.
The result:
The Fighter Unstoppable Juggernauts through to the other side but loses a Healing Surge. The load-bearing wall completely fails, triggering a partial collapse of the ceiling. The Fighter emerges in a familiar room, smoke-free, right near the grand foyer. However...:
1) The Fighter is separated from his allies who are on the other side of the heap of timbers.
2) The other PCs are stuck in a smoke-choked hallway, with a ceiling that is collapsing...and now they're facing down a level +2 encounter with Fire Elementals, Collapsing Floor Hazards, and some Challenging Terrain that is on fire and Difficult Terrain. To complicate matters, at the end of their turns, each PC's Fort is attacked by a Choking Smoke Hazard with a Saved Ends effect that gives them a Disease if they fail that save.
This will be a nested combat for 1 success in the SC if they defeat the encounter before round 4 ends and 1 failure in the SC, 1 Healing Surge lost for each PC in the corridor, and with the floor collapsing completely for a whole new situation.