Need DM help: Skill Challenges, encounters and story transitioning

[Jestersama]

Right. The key is to narrate it so that PCs who fail a check fall behind or are moving slower or otherwise express to them that they're still in the chase (at least until 3 failures) but they just lost some ground.


My advice is to manipulate their expectations. Heck, drop names from a completely different Lovecraftian story that are either just red herrings or you've reskinned as what you need. Concealing the specifics works quite well this well - players fall for it until they start to catch on to the trick - but I don't recommend trying to conceal the genre this way. They know you're a Cthulu fan, roll with it, don't hide that, but obfuscate what really is going on, giving them metagame clues that make them think "Oh NO! It's Cthulu!"


Awarding magic items in 4e is a bit of a a PITA for the DM. I recommend you adopt the "inherent bonuses" rule from DMG2 (if you use the DDi character program, there's a box players can check to give themselves those bonuses equivalent to a magic item of their corresponding level). It's a numbers fix. This lets you introduce whatever magic items you feel are wondrous and appropriate to the adventuring setting, in this case, perhaps something like villain planted bombs that if the PCs can disarm they can reuse elsewhere? Maybe a few healing potions or scrolls stashed in the Baggage Car? A magic shovel or lamp or horn in the gnomish-run Engine Room?


Your use of minions in your encounters is smart then. Just beware if the party lacks a controllers, minion fights can become harder than they appear (likewise with a strong controller and all minions on the field at once they can become trivially easy). I recommend having 1 or 2 minions enter on the second round from an unexpected direction.


I think to answer these I need to know more about the Hood NPC. Who is he? Class and level? When mention making him incorporeal or a magic hologram, I immediately think you're trying to turn him into a recurring villain, is that right? In other words, you have them chasing someone you ultimately plan to let escape anyhow?

All I meant by non-combatant is that he wouldn't pose any real threat to them, just use whatever stats for a level 1 monster that you might need (probably defenses), and have him surrender instead of fight.

I was going to make him a psionic villain. Perhaps they could encounter him multiple times in the "heroic" adventure with a final encounter before they hit level 11.


I do like the idea of a high level minion, so when they actually hit him he just pops and escapes for the time being

 

[Quickleaf]

I was going to make him a psionic villain. Perhaps they could encounter him multiple times in the "heroic" adventure with a final encounter before they hit level 11.


I do like the idea of a high level minion, so when they actually hit him he just pops and escapes for the time being

If his psionic illusion (or whatever) is just going to vanish, what's the reward for success at the chase skill challenge then?

 

[Jestersama]

If his psionic illusion (or whatever) is just going to vanish, what's the reward for success at the chase skill challenge then?

Darn, I hadn't thought of that ...

I figured the runaway train stop challenge could be:

Win: Safely stop train nearby area with some sort of useful stuff.

Failure: Train crashes into center of the village.



Nooooo clue how to end the chase SC...

 

[Quickleaf]

Darn, I hadn't thought of that ...

I figured the runaway train stop challenge could be:

Win: Safely stop train nearby area with some sort of useful stuff.

Failure: Train crashes into center of the village.

Nooooo clue how to end the chase SC...

I think you are all set for the stop the crash challenge.

Here's my suggestion for the chase challenge:

Win or Fail: During the course of the chase notice that the Hooded Man flickers at certain moments, doesn't cast a shadow, or other clues that he's an illusion.

Win: Realize that the Hooded Man is an illusion leading them away from something else in time to get back to that something else in time to make a difference. Alternately, if they decide to catch the illusion anyhow, a spellcaster PC can sense something between the actual villain and his programmed illusion, like a glimpse of his actual secret hideout, a sense of what his goals are, or identifying the spell/components used (which should be designed as a meaningful clue in the adventure).

Fail: The illusory Hooded Man leaps off the traincars at some point and vanishes into thin air, possibly leaving the PCs with the impression that he teleported or otherwise escaped.

 

[Jestersama]

I think you are all set for the stop the crash challenge.

Here's my suggestion for the chase challenge:

Win or Fail: During the course of the chase notice that the Hooded Man flickers at certain moments, doesn't cast a shadow, or other clues that he's an illusion.

Win: Realize that the Hooded Man is an illusion leading them away from something else in time to get back to that something else in time to make a difference. Alternately, if they decide to catch the illusion anyhow, a spellcaster PC can sense something between the actual villain and his programmed illusion, like a glimpse of his actual secret hideout, a sense of what his goals are, or identifying the spell/components used (which should be designed as a meaningful clue in the adventure).

Fail: The illusory Hooded Man leaps off the traincars at some point and vanishes into thin air, possibly leaving the PCs with the impression that he teleported or otherwise escaped.

Ahhh! That's amazing. I will definitely use that or something like it. Thanks so much! They're going to love this.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

I'm very tempted to say that the fundamental result of each successful SC should be a clue. The first one could work this way also, the PCs are ALWAYS going to escape from the car (or else its game over). You can of course ding them resources for failure (HS naturally works) but that still leaves the carrot side of it. Give them some sort of nice clue that something weird is going on. Maybe they find some sort of object in the baggage or they catch a cultist of some sort, maybe there's a substantial clue that can be used in a later adventure?

The advantage of success in the final challenge could just be the gratitude of the townspeople. Maybe if you stop the train their a bit more willing to help out the PCs. I'm not sure of the details of the power structure in your town or how much it is under the thumb of occult influences, but I think the reward for passing this SC could be acquisition of some sort of useful ally.

In general 4e is a romping type of game. Keep it fast and loose. Design each encounter with some sort of shtick involved. The first couple maybe just basic "its on a train!" is enough as they will be short and sweet. Maybe in the second one some of the bad guys use the windows to climb around outside and outflank the defender or something. After that you will need a hook for each of encounters 3-6. 3 could be a hostage standoff with the bad guys. Winning and saving the hostage(s) could generate a reward of its own. You could just make it a minor quest even. The PCs encounter the kid who gives out the "find my mom" quest. Mom of course has a dagger at her throat. Later ones could include items like traps, ambush from above (Villain that can come through the ceiling), teleporting monster, another secondary goal (getting a map or book, not just beating the bad guys to a pulp).

I always think "How would it be if this was an Indiana Jones movie?" and extrapolate from there.