D&D 5E River rapids!

[Mercurius]

The PCs in my campaign are going down a river. We ended the session after a night on an island (defeating a shambling mound that came out of the water). In the next session they're going down some rapids called the White Death. It is a 2-3 mile stretch of very rough waters. They are on a halfling river barge and so aren't actually directly the boat, but I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions as to how I can make it a challenging situation. I won't make any rolls for the craft itself, or maybe make fake rolls as if I'm checking to see if it crashes, but I want there to be a sense of danger for the players, even the possibility of a character going overboard and smashed against the rocks (although I don't want any character deaths on account of river rapids!).

Any ideas? If they aren't tied down, maybe a Dexterity check every hundred yards or so until they wisely tie themselves down? Or maybe I should throw a minor water elemental into the mix? (They're only 3rd level).

 

[tannersharp]

Well I would go with the dexterity check and throw and elemental in there, I think that sounds like a good idea but if there not a high enough evidence level to beat it then don't because it's str is 18 dex is 14 con is 18 int is 5 wis is 10 chat is 8 and it's hp is 114 so if they are to low a level I recommend something around the gnoall level but if they are a higher level I recommend the elemental,

I hope this helps I am newer to D&D so if I'm totally out of wacky sorry [emoji13] but I hope you and your group have fun [emoji3]

 

[MonkeezOnFire]

If one of your players happens to have proficiency with water vehicles I'd say you should allow them to try to control the raft to a degree. Perhaps they give the group advantage to their checks or reduce the frequency of checks by using their skills to avoid obstacles. However, I don't think water vehicle proficiency is very common so this is probably not the case.

I'd call for either a dexterity check to maintain balance or a strength check if the character is focused on holding onto the raft. If a character fails this check they're shaken up and can't take actions or take a bit of damage or whatever penalty is fitting. If they fail a second time immediately following a fail (so two fails in a row) they fall off the raft. They take some damage, but are quickly washed ashore and are in no danger of drowning (since you said you didn't want to kill them). Perhaps a nearby companion could make a dexterity check to react and grab anyone about to go over.

Combat with a water elemental would certainly spice up the encounter. It could focus more on knocking PCs off the raft instead of directly damaging them.

 

[iserith]

The PCs in my campaign are going down a river. We ended the session after a night on an island (defeating a shambling mound that came out of the water). In the next session they're going down some rapids called the White Death. It is a 2-3 mile stretch of very rough waters. They are on a halfling river barge and so aren't actually directly the boat, but I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions as to how I can make it a challenging situation. I won't make any rolls for the craft itself, or maybe make fake rolls as if I'm checking to see if it crashes, but I want there to be a sense of danger for the players, even the possibility of a character going overboard and smashed against the rocks (although I don't want any character deaths on account of river rapids!).

Any ideas? If they aren't tied down, maybe a Dexterity check every hundred yards or so until they wisely tie themselves down? Or maybe I should throw a minor water elemental into the mix? (They're only 3rd level).

Taking a page from Apocalypse Now, the captain of the boat (or perhaps several of the most capable hands on the boat) is taken out by a spear or arrow loosed from somewhere on the riverbank. The assailants are well-hidden by the terrain, but the PCs get some glimpses of the enemy here and there - enough to intrigue them and build tension.

Now you start presenting complications for the PCs to overcome, perhaps one per character. Make a short list of complications, keywords or short phrases that will allow you to frame a scene. The first one might be Slings & Arrows: The boat is under attack from hidden assailants, the barge being pelted with arrows and slings which threaten to hit the PCs and additional members of the crew. What do the PCs do to deal with this threat? Adjudicate accordingly. If they succeed, they avoid damage and protect the crew as the barge moves by the threat. If they fail, they take damage or the crew does, their choice. If they choose the latter, the boat becomes harder to control as they approach the rapids. (For example.)

If you've got four PCs, add another three complications. Raging Rapids. Treacherous Rocks. Hole in the Hull. Or maybe Lost Cargo or Man Overboard. Present each of these complications in a pithy and engaging way that makes clear the stakes for winning and losing. Then ask, "What do you do?" Again, adjudicate accordingly.

Assess how they did at the end of the challenge and narrate the aftermath. Award XP for overcoming a non-combat challenge.

 

[DEFCON 1]

If I'm not mistaken... there was a river rapids chase skill challenge in one of the 4E Dungeon modules. Don't remember off-hand which module/issue it was in... but if you happen to have downloaded all of the Dungeon Magazines from D&D Insider, you might be able to find it. If I'm remembering correctly, it went into great detail all the stuff that would/could happen during challenge, and might be a good source of inspiration (if not outright adaptation) for your scene.

 

[Melhaic]

Rapids should be enough of a challenge w/o adding an elemental too the mix. We have a tendency to add the fantastic to make things more dangerous, when navigating white water can be plenty dangerous enough (especially if you don't have someone who is trained/familiar with that stretch of river.)

Iserith is going down the right path for this: a series of keyword based complications that the party has to deal with. To add another: Stuck Against a Rock (craft becomes lodged by force of current against a large rock in the river, and must get it loose before continuing/if they don't act quickly enough the craft can get swamped)

*Raft/kayak guide on the Nantahala River 2007-2010*

 

[AriochQ]

Taking a river barge through rapids could be quite a challenge. If I were to do it...

Characters would have to take a set of positions to help navigate the rapids: forward lookout, someone on the rudder, and a couple with poles/paddles. I would map out a set of hazards for a section of rapids and have a set of skill checks in order to navigate a safe path. The lookouts degree of success would determine how far ahead the river terrain was revealed. Throw in some complications like attacks from the shore or a water based creature, low hanging logs across the river, etc. to keep in interesting. Try to have the whole thing done in about 15 to 20 minutes.

 

[77IM]

I think, to prevent this from becoming just a series of skill checks, introduce constant risk vs. reward choices or risk vs. cost choices. For example:

• You can lean in to the rock (everybody Dex Save DC 10 or lose balance, and the boat takes damage) OR you can push off (Str check DC 15 or you lose balance) OR you can push off with your oar (Str DC 10 or you lose balance; you automatically drop your oar unless you hit DC 20).
• You can tie yourself to the raft (advantage on checks to keep balance but disadvantage to actually do anything else).
• If you lost your balance and lose it again you fall off the raft unless you can make a DC 20 Dex saving throw. You can grab an ally to reduce the DC to 15, but then the ally also needs to make a DC 10 Str save or lose balance. If they grab YOU then your DC is only 10 but theirs is 15.

The idea is to present constant trade-offs with no clear "best answer." Prompt players to make sacrifices and risk danger to help the team pull through. It's kind of a given that they will make it downstream, it's just a question of how battered, broken and drowned they will be. Give them a healthy XP award no matter how it turns out.

 

[Mercurius]

Some great ideas - not surprising, of course!

I tend to agree with [MENTION=57361]Melhaic[/MENTION] that the challenge should just be the rapids, that as cool as a water elemental is, there's something about keeping some challenges as natural and not supernatural.

I'll think on it...I've got two and a half weeks until the next session.

 

[Nebulous]

If you've got four PCs, add another three complications. Raging Rapids. Treacherous Rocks. Hole in the Hull. Or maybe Lost Cargo or Man Overboard. Present each of these complications in a pithy and engaging way that makes clear the stakes for winning and losing. Then ask, "What do you do?" Again, adjudicate accordingly.

Assess how they did at the end of the challenge and narrate the aftermath. Award XP for overcoming a non-combat challenge.

This is pretty good. I don't think a water elemental is necessary unless it pertains to the plot somehow. Basically, just jot down 4 or 5 obstacles you want the PCs to encounter and abjudcate skill checks on the fly as they deal with them. Don't let them die, just create complications as they are swept aside or submerged or bounce off the rocks and stagger to shore. Use the Exhaustion Rules too, that's often an overlooked aspect of 5e.

I don't use XP in my games anymore. Their *reward* for quick thinking is surviving the encounter. If their character can continue the story alive, the players are quite happy enough. They'll still level up in due time.