Wik
First Post
When I initially started 4e, I didn't really "Grok" the skill challenge system, and the few times I ran it, it seemed too forced for me to be that much fun - it always devolved into die-rolling. After a very short while, we stopped using skill challenges, instead using skills as the situation warranted (ie, like earlier editions).
We liked it that way, and that was the way it stayed. Until I discovered Stalker's "Obsidian" skill challenge system.
http://www.enworld.org/forum/4e-fan...skill-challenge-system-new-version-1-2-a.html
We ran it for the first time today, with one minor change - PCs in a skill challenge can, at any time, spend an action point for a re-roll. I went over the rules a few times, explaining the particulars (there are three set rounds in the check, you get a bonus for creative use of the skill, and you can always try to aid another... but don't rely on it!).
So, the characters:
Shedin. An 8th level Dragonborn Paladin of a War Goddess (like Athena).
Kirra. An 8th level Drow Artful Dodger Rogue.
Zahar. An 8th Level Shadar-Kai (in my campaign, half-eladrin/half-drow) Bard of Valor.
Hammer. An 8th Level Minotaur Two Weapon Fighter.
Seahorse. An 8th Level Halfling Brutal Scoundrel Rogue.
So, the PCs are in the Feywild, and are asked by Cinei, a drow scout (drow are more like Unseelie Fey in my campaign world) to help rescue the princess Guineadh and Guineadh's retinue from Spriggan raiders who are taking the bodies into the Morrowmorn Hills. It's perpetual night in this part of the feywild, surrounded by abandoned Eladrin buildings.
The PCs have to hunt down the Spriggans, hoping to rescue the Drow Retinue.
In the first round, the group is moving through the forest. I inform them that the primary skills for this round are Nature and Athletics. I go around the table, asking everyone what they're doing to contribute to success this round. My numbers tell me the DC for success is 23, and the group needs to accumulate seven successes after three rounds. Naturally, I tell them they won't know their number of successes until the end of the challenge.
Shedin decides he'll use Endurance to run ahead of the group, pushing over bushes and generally helping clear the path. He gets a success on the roll. Seahorse is next, and she uses Perception to check out the tracks. She fails, but she does well enough to learn that there are some large tracks - the Spriggans have a mount of some sort, and it has big tracks! Zahar decides to try and intimidate the rest of the group into moving faster... and fails miserably (natural 1). Kirra makes an Athletics check, and gets a success. Hammer rolls a Nature check (I think), and gets a success.
The group makes way through the forest quickly in the first round, and I describe their quick flight through the forest, hearing the sounds of angry Cyclopses in the distance and Cinei's urging their forward.
Round two of the Skill Challenge involved a chasm, with a fast-flowing river at the bottom. It was a hundred feet wide, and the spriggans have obviously cut their rope bridge, cutting it at the PCs' end of the bridge by using shearing arrows.
The Players can't think of skills to use, though Shedin does make an Insight check to ascertain the usefulness of the fallen bridge, which counts as a success. Zahar also scores a success, as ghostly flies (like fireflies, but with blue light) swarm around their light sources. Zahar uses Arcana - I think, I forget the details - wondering if they might leave a trail the PCs can follow (a success). After this, though, they try to use a grappling hook to bring up the far end of the rope bridge. While they're doing this (I'm ad-hoccing at the time, figuring if they score a big roll, I'll give them a success, or if they get a good plan, but if they take too long, I'll hit them with a failure). While doing this, a few crossbow bolts ping around them - the Spriggans are on the other side of the Chasm, shooting at them!
The PCs dive for cover, with Zahar using his hand crossbow and Alchemical Items to try to spray them with acid or frost. He isn't really doing much. Hammer tries to hit the villains with his Grappling hook, and when he misses, Shedin and Kirra (who both lack suitable ranged weapons) help pull in the rope as fast as possible. Seahorse ducks behind cover.
"You guys should get some ranged weapons" I say, smirking. THey're at the mercy of two Spriggans with Repeater Crossbows.
After the third round, things get interesting. Hammer hits one of the spriggans with a critical, and the rope wraps around the creature's waist. Getting a flash of insight, I ask for Hammer to make a saving throw - he succeeds. I figure this is a flash of luck for the minotaur.
Instead of pulling the Spriggan over the edge of the Chasm, the Spriggan gets caught between two stumps, becoming an anchor! Shedin and Hammer quickly tie the rope around a boulder, and Kirra and Seahorse decide to use Athletics to climb across the rope - the water rushing down below them.
They both get about halfway through when the "Anchor" makes his save and rolls away, causing the grappling hook to slip... luckily, Kirra makes her save (though she has to spend an action point for the re-roll), so we decide the Grappling Hook catches in one of the stumps. Kirra makes it across, with Seahorse close behind, when the other archer decides to flee.
Meanwhile, Hammer climbs down the cliffside and jumps into the water, trying to get to the other side. Shedin and Zahar watch helplessly from the cliffside. (Poor Shedin didnt' get to do much this session, I'm afraid)
The remaining archer (a Spriggan Powrie) uses his hamsting attack on Kirra, knocking her prone. He then kicks her, which would knock her over the edge... and into the stumps holding the grappling hook! This is, of course, certain death. I tell her - "You can make two saves, one to see if you fall, and one to see if the grappling hook doesn't slip out... and you can choose which save applies to which". Kirra makes both saves... and she and Seahorse team up to deal unholy damage to the Powrie.
The rest of the PCs bring up the rope bridge, and make it across.
During round three, the PCs are moving through more underbrush, hoping to catch up with the captors. There is a strange humming in the air, and they can see more and more of these blue flies heading towards a central point.
I tell the players they can, at any point, take a +5 penalty to the DC, and if they succeed, they get two successes... but they get no successes if they fail.
Shedin tries to encourage his allies with Diplomacy, but fails. Kirra tries to use Stealth to figure out if she can "think like the enemy" and find quick ways to move through the brush - and fails. Zahar uses a skill and fail (I forget which). Ditto for Seahorse. Hammer's turn comes up (actually, he was next to last, but I can't remember who came last, but oh well). He decided to take the +5 penalty, and made an Athletics check to power through the brush, pushing allies if necessary, lifting them over hindrances... and just barely made it.
To summarize it all, this system was MUCH more useful for both myself and my players - we visualized the encounter very well, and I really like the idea of a combat in the middle of the skill challenge. WHile the next part of my campaign involves a long distance trek (which I very well may turn into an extended skill challenge)/dungeon crawl, I'm going to definitely use this system again for the social/political part of the Feywild mini-campaign.
The Players understood it immediately, and it was nice to see players try out innovative ways to use their best skills, and stay in character. The numbers seem to suggest that the characters will usually at least get a partial victory, which fits in with how I like to run games.
I want to try it again next week, possibly running an "invisible" skill challenge (ie, one the PCs don't even realize they're in!). It was a lot of fun, and I feel tonight was one of my better sessions in the last three or four months.
Thanks, Stalker0! And to those who haven't tried out the system yet, DO SO! It's much better than the challenge system provided in the core system.
We liked it that way, and that was the way it stayed. Until I discovered Stalker's "Obsidian" skill challenge system.
http://www.enworld.org/forum/4e-fan...skill-challenge-system-new-version-1-2-a.html
We ran it for the first time today, with one minor change - PCs in a skill challenge can, at any time, spend an action point for a re-roll. I went over the rules a few times, explaining the particulars (there are three set rounds in the check, you get a bonus for creative use of the skill, and you can always try to aid another... but don't rely on it!).
So, the characters:
Shedin. An 8th level Dragonborn Paladin of a War Goddess (like Athena).
Kirra. An 8th level Drow Artful Dodger Rogue.
Zahar. An 8th Level Shadar-Kai (in my campaign, half-eladrin/half-drow) Bard of Valor.
Hammer. An 8th Level Minotaur Two Weapon Fighter.
Seahorse. An 8th Level Halfling Brutal Scoundrel Rogue.
So, the PCs are in the Feywild, and are asked by Cinei, a drow scout (drow are more like Unseelie Fey in my campaign world) to help rescue the princess Guineadh and Guineadh's retinue from Spriggan raiders who are taking the bodies into the Morrowmorn Hills. It's perpetual night in this part of the feywild, surrounded by abandoned Eladrin buildings.
The PCs have to hunt down the Spriggans, hoping to rescue the Drow Retinue.
In the first round, the group is moving through the forest. I inform them that the primary skills for this round are Nature and Athletics. I go around the table, asking everyone what they're doing to contribute to success this round. My numbers tell me the DC for success is 23, and the group needs to accumulate seven successes after three rounds. Naturally, I tell them they won't know their number of successes until the end of the challenge.
Shedin decides he'll use Endurance to run ahead of the group, pushing over bushes and generally helping clear the path. He gets a success on the roll. Seahorse is next, and she uses Perception to check out the tracks. She fails, but she does well enough to learn that there are some large tracks - the Spriggans have a mount of some sort, and it has big tracks! Zahar decides to try and intimidate the rest of the group into moving faster... and fails miserably (natural 1). Kirra makes an Athletics check, and gets a success. Hammer rolls a Nature check (I think), and gets a success.
The group makes way through the forest quickly in the first round, and I describe their quick flight through the forest, hearing the sounds of angry Cyclopses in the distance and Cinei's urging their forward.
After the first round of the Skill Challenge, the PCs score a total of three successes.
Round two of the Skill Challenge involved a chasm, with a fast-flowing river at the bottom. It was a hundred feet wide, and the spriggans have obviously cut their rope bridge, cutting it at the PCs' end of the bridge by using shearing arrows.
The Players can't think of skills to use, though Shedin does make an Insight check to ascertain the usefulness of the fallen bridge, which counts as a success. Zahar also scores a success, as ghostly flies (like fireflies, but with blue light) swarm around their light sources. Zahar uses Arcana - I think, I forget the details - wondering if they might leave a trail the PCs can follow (a success). After this, though, they try to use a grappling hook to bring up the far end of the rope bridge. While they're doing this (I'm ad-hoccing at the time, figuring if they score a big roll, I'll give them a success, or if they get a good plan, but if they take too long, I'll hit them with a failure). While doing this, a few crossbow bolts ping around them - the Spriggans are on the other side of the Chasm, shooting at them!
The PCs dive for cover, with Zahar using his hand crossbow and Alchemical Items to try to spray them with acid or frost. He isn't really doing much. Hammer tries to hit the villains with his Grappling hook, and when he misses, Shedin and Kirra (who both lack suitable ranged weapons) help pull in the rope as fast as possible. Seahorse ducks behind cover.
"You guys should get some ranged weapons" I say, smirking. THey're at the mercy of two Spriggans with Repeater Crossbows.
After the third round, things get interesting. Hammer hits one of the spriggans with a critical, and the rope wraps around the creature's waist. Getting a flash of insight, I ask for Hammer to make a saving throw - he succeeds. I figure this is a flash of luck for the minotaur.
Instead of pulling the Spriggan over the edge of the Chasm, the Spriggan gets caught between two stumps, becoming an anchor! Shedin and Hammer quickly tie the rope around a boulder, and Kirra and Seahorse decide to use Athletics to climb across the rope - the water rushing down below them.
They both get about halfway through when the "Anchor" makes his save and rolls away, causing the grappling hook to slip... luckily, Kirra makes her save (though she has to spend an action point for the re-roll), so we decide the Grappling Hook catches in one of the stumps. Kirra makes it across, with Seahorse close behind, when the other archer decides to flee.
Meanwhile, Hammer climbs down the cliffside and jumps into the water, trying to get to the other side. Shedin and Zahar watch helplessly from the cliffside. (Poor Shedin didnt' get to do much this session, I'm afraid)
The remaining archer (a Spriggan Powrie) uses his hamsting attack on Kirra, knocking her prone. He then kicks her, which would knock her over the edge... and into the stumps holding the grappling hook! This is, of course, certain death. I tell her - "You can make two saves, one to see if you fall, and one to see if the grappling hook doesn't slip out... and you can choose which save applies to which". Kirra makes both saves... and she and Seahorse team up to deal unholy damage to the Powrie.
The rest of the PCs bring up the rope bridge, and make it across.
The PCs earned two successes in this encounter, and one from the encounter itself, but I decided they were slowed down enough to lose one of those successes. They have a net of five successes so far... they need two more in the final round... though of course the players don't know this!
During round three, the PCs are moving through more underbrush, hoping to catch up with the captors. There is a strange humming in the air, and they can see more and more of these blue flies heading towards a central point.
I tell the players they can, at any point, take a +5 penalty to the DC, and if they succeed, they get two successes... but they get no successes if they fail.
Shedin tries to encourage his allies with Diplomacy, but fails. Kirra tries to use Stealth to figure out if she can "think like the enemy" and find quick ways to move through the brush - and fails. Zahar uses a skill and fail (I forget which). Ditto for Seahorse. Hammer's turn comes up (actually, he was next to last, but I can't remember who came last, but oh well). He decided to take the +5 penalty, and made an Athletics check to power through the brush, pushing allies if necessary, lifting them over hindrances... and just barely made it.
The group made all the successes, so they arrive on the Powries just as they start opening their fey gate (if they had a partial success, the gate would have been half open... if they had failed, the NPCs would be unrescuable, and the campaign would have had some repercussions).
To summarize it all, this system was MUCH more useful for both myself and my players - we visualized the encounter very well, and I really like the idea of a combat in the middle of the skill challenge. WHile the next part of my campaign involves a long distance trek (which I very well may turn into an extended skill challenge)/dungeon crawl, I'm going to definitely use this system again for the social/political part of the Feywild mini-campaign.
The Players understood it immediately, and it was nice to see players try out innovative ways to use their best skills, and stay in character. The numbers seem to suggest that the characters will usually at least get a partial victory, which fits in with how I like to run games.
I want to try it again next week, possibly running an "invisible" skill challenge (ie, one the PCs don't even realize they're in!). It was a lot of fun, and I feel tonight was one of my better sessions in the last three or four months.
Thanks, Stalker0! And to those who haven't tried out the system yet, DO SO! It's much better than the challenge system provided in the core system.
