Building a multi-goal encounter

[AbdulAlhazred]

The more thought I give this, the more I wonder, building on the ideas above, if this might not be handled with some variation of the p42 stunting subsystem. That is, each PC's turn consists of a minor, move, and standard action, but the standard action has built into it 2 actions: a skill check in the SC and some other, most likely attack, action.

What are folks' thoughts on this? Would you have the non-skill portion of the attack mimic the actual stunting mechanics, or would you just stick to the PCs' normal attacks and tack on a skill check?

Also, what possible "change the scenario" obstacles might one envision for such a relatively static SC as interacting with a fixed object? That is, PC A successfully uses Arcana for a success, dampening the necrotic energies being emitted from the portal. Yay, success! Then what does one present to PC B? And then PC C?

I would simply cast skill checks results in the same terms as attacks, so if you make a successful check against the wizard, he suffers some sort of appropriate 'damage' (which can be deemed loss of morale, concentration, etc). There can also be affects, like conditions etc which a player can impose (perhaps these work kinda like the advantages in SCs where the players can invoke some fixed number of them per SC, so you can slow the wizard or daze him or whatever is appropriate and fits the narrative). Likewise the portal could simply be allocated some hit points, maybe you can even just physically attack it! That simply integrates the whole SC aspect of the encounter with the combat mechanics. This is in keeping with 4e's 'everything does damage' approach to keeping it all on the same page.

 

[MoutonRustique]

The more thought I give this, the more I wonder, building on the ideas above, if this might not be handled with some variation of the p42 stunting subsystem. That is, each PC's turn consists of a minor, move, and standard action, but the standard action has built into it 2 actions: a skill check in the SC and some other, most likely attack, action.

What are folks' thoughts on this? Would you have the non-skill portion of the attack mimic the actual stunting mechanics, or would you just stick to the PCs' normal attacks and tack on a skill check?

The way I parse this situation, you have 3 avenues:

1 - set actions/goals that PCs can chose to engage with using their regular allotment of actions : i.e. SC, or single checks setup in the encounter.

2 - incorporate or design the "stuff you want done" into things that players could deal with by using their regular attacks/actions as a bit of an extra. An example of this could be like some terrain effects that trigger when you use a [fire] power on a creature within a zone.

3 - incorporate an extra effect into the "stuff you want done actions" that would equate to a player's usual power use as a "bonus" to using an appropriate skill on the "stuff you want done".

(1) Certainly the most mechanically supported option - and thus the most straightforward. But perhaps not the most elegant, or resulting in the most satisfying product. If you can't seem to settle on something else, I would encourage you to fall back on this : it might not be exactly what you want, but they are known tools that you wield with expertise and will, most probably, give a good enough result (important note: I use "good enough" in it's true meaning - i.e. good enough for an enjoyable result, not a "meh" result.)

(2) This is the approach that is probably the easiest to get your players to use. They'll figure out quickly that doing their thing "over here" and "over there" will yield better results. They probably won't feel "cheated" out of their actions. From the player-side, it has a lot going for it.

From the DM-side, it kind of feels "cheap" in a sense. But I've learned that the DM-side is a stupid side to be stubborn about: nobody but the DM sees it, and even then it always falls flat when players don't think of the "oh so clever/obvious clue" you left and they bypass the whole thing... But I get it : it's a stupid thing, but it's damned hard not to do it (I still catch myself doing it waaay too often...)

(3) This is the one I find the coolest. However, I've learned that, when you "take away" attack powers, some players will feel let down. Some will love it! But some will find it chaffing... You know your group best : no else can make this call.

Also, what possible "change the scenario" obstacles might one envision for such a relatively static SC as interacting with a fixed object? That is, PC A successfully uses Arcana for a success, dampening the necrotic energies being emitted from the portal. Yay, success! Then what does one present to PC B? And then PC C?

The best solutions to this are to make successes into partial successes :
- you don't negate the necrotic damage, you bring it down by 5 (or appropriate value - I've also found that having the player roll "damage" seems to really increase enjoyment in these kinds of skill checks. In a "reduce damage skill", you could have the PC roll 1d6+relevant modifier, or 1d8 + 1/4 skill mod, or something.) This way the following PC can keep at it if she wants.
- always use "shields" for effects : the first (or the first few) successes allow for the "core effect" to be engaged. Once "damaged", it either dissolves or puts the shields back up (depending on much effort should go into removing the effect.) Don't have the shields reset after a single round - or better yet, have the "shields" reset with a roll (such as a recharge). This gives players a certain form of agency in risk management. Plus, as soon as you make something a roll, you get a whole new avenue of design to tinker with said roll - who doesn't love to tinker?

So, in the case of necrotic portal :
PC A - reduce the damage it deals. This prompts the summons of an undead attempting to claw it's way into reality.
PC B - attempt to keep the undead into the portal (Arcana again) or punch it back in (Athletics i.e. Bull Rush).
PC C - either destabilize the core of the portal (Arcana), or put a giant "boulder" as a block against further undead (Athletics)

But this is only if you want there to be 3 things to be done within a single round with regards to the portal. You could easily have the undead require a few rounds to get through. Or, if you use the escalation die, you could roll against it to have the undead get through - a success on an Arcana check to "shrink" the portal could increase the die you use (or add a die, or give you "disadvantage" on the roll, or... you get it.)

 

[Manbearcat]

The scenario: The Evil Wizard has just completed a ritual to open a planar rift, and Important Generic NPC has been sucked therein. Now, Things of Evil emerge from the rift, so the PCs need to close it before, quite literally, All Hell Breaks Loose. The Evil Wizard, meanwhile, seeks to escape the PCs' clutches via a teleportation circle, while his lackeys attempt to finish off the PCs.

How would you go about building such an encounter, one that contains combat elements and, potentially, two skill challenges: closing the portal, and preventing Evil Wizard's escape? How would you handle action economy for the various challenges that pull the PCs' attention in various directions at once?

I would probably mechanize this in the following ways:

1) Closing the Planar Rift (assuming the PCs have the means to do so) Skill Challenge - Level +3, Complexity 1.

Every round where a Move Action isn't spent by a PC to close the rift (via whatever thematically appropriate means at their disposal) counts toward an automatic failure in the Skill Challenge. A failure carries the following consequences:

* The Planar Rift moves toward permanency. The consequences of this are left to the GM (an of-level Standard creature infiltrates the world every hour?)
* An of-level, thematically fitting Standard creature emerges adjacent to the portal and acts on that initiative (which should be end of the round).

Success obviously means the Planar Rift is closed.

2) Disrupt the Teleportation Circle Skill Challenge - Level +3, Complexity 1.

Every round where a Standard Action isn't spent by a PC to disrupt the Wizard's ritual accrues a failure in the challenge. A failure carries the following consequences:

* The Teleportation Circle moves closer to becoming enacted (upon which the scene is over and the Wizard has escaped).
* The PC nearest the Circle (roll if a tie) loses a Healing Surge worth of HPs as the arcane engine of creation siphons its life to fuel the ritual.

If a PC successfully hits the Wizard with an attack, until the end of your next turn, the next failed attempt to Disrupt the Circle can be rerolled.

3) The Circle should be stationary, but the Wizard should not be. I would make the Wizard an Elite but one of its actions must be spent enacting the circle so it only gets a Standard creatures worth of actions (with the Arcane Feedback on a failed SC effort, or lacktherof, effectively serving as its Elite offense potency).

I would probably give it a Trait Windwall (-2 Ranged Attacks) and an Aura 3 that Slides enemies 3 squares who end their turn in it.

Give it a Standard Action Daily Spell with a Zone, a Blast 3 At Will w/ a small Slide rider and a Ranged 20 w/ a Slide 3 rider.

Finally, I'd give the Wizard an Encounter Interrupt to move a Minion w/in 5 adjacent to take a hit for it.

I would also give the Wizard a bunch of Minions that can intercept attacks, thus taking a hit for the Wizard.

Finally, there needs to be some (2 or 3 depending on the encounter budget you're going for) Arcane Traps as part of the Encounter budget that the Wizard can move PCs into.

---

The mechanics of 1 and 2 above need to be made clear to the player(s) so (a) they can properly interact with the encounter's dynamics and (b) so they understand the implication (so their tactical decision-tree is appropriately informed and so they understand the potential fallout in the fiction).

 

[darkbard]

Fantastic ideas! But I have a few questions:

First, I assume you're proposing that these 2 SCs be run concurrently, with Move actions (or their equivalent) intended to interact with the first and Standard actions with the second. That correct?

I would probably mechanize this in the following ways:

1) Closing the Planar Rift (assuming the PCs have the means to do so) Skill Challenge - Level +3, Complexity 1.

Why the high EL but low Complexity? Is this to account for the likelihood that PCs will acquire failures more quickly because not all PCs will be able to dedicate Move actions towards one SC and Standard actions toward the other? As per:

Every round where a Move Action isn't spent by a PC to close the rift (via whatever thematically appropriate means at their disposal) counts toward an automatic failure in the Skill Challenge.

Wrt the following:

If a PC successfully hits the Wizard with an attack, until the end of your next turn, the next failed attempt to Disrupt the Circle can be rerolled.

Such a consequence would be in addition to any damage or status inflicted on the Wizard via combat Powers?

Your thoughts re the Wizard's build and threat level (and Minion use) are similar to mine! That said, I've just started giving thought to Terrain features which the PCs might think to use for Stunting. I hadn't thought about

Finally, there needs to be some (2 or 3 depending on the encounter budget you're going for) Arcane Traps as part of the Encounter budget that the Wizard can move PCs into.

except in terms of the same Terrain possibly used against the PCs. Any specific ideas?

Thanks, friend!

 

[Manbearcat]

Fantastic ideas! But I have a few questions:

First, I assume you're proposing that these 2 SCs be run concurrently, with Move actions (or their equivalent) intended to interact with the first and Standard actions with the second. That correct?

That is correct. Each SC being a Complexity 1 would allow a singular Secondary Skill deployment (I typically go to Easy DC for these) as a Minor Action.

One thing of note is that I'm not sure precisely how many PCs are going to be involved. I know its 1st level (ish). I know its at least 2 (PCs rather than PC). If its only 2 PCs then they're going to have to pull out Action Points and Dailies because they're going to be Action Economy inhibited (assume nearly a full suite of Actions expended on Skill Challenge interaction a turn). If there are 3 characters, the situation becomes much more tenable (and was what I had in mind as that is what my 4e games featured...3 PCs and 1 Companion Character included for the big battles).

Further, there is likely to be situations where a player must spend a Move Action to get their PC adjacent, so that is another problem. If it is just two PCs then you should probably consider Move Action for each SC (rather than Move Action and Standard Action).

Why the high EL but low Complexity? Is this to account for the likelihood that PCs will acquire failures more quickly because not all PCs will be able to dedicate Move actions towards one SC and Standard actions toward the other? As per:

I rarely run anything beyond C1 or C2 SCs. Part of that is due to 3 PCs but the primary reason is because that number of stages of resolution syncs very well with a proper dramatic arc. More and the pace of Rising Action > Climax > Falling Action can become labored (therefore negatively impacted) and the premise of the conflict can become less focused. Less and the momentum doesn't emerge with the right level of potency.

I like raising the EL for those two because they're a majority (in C1's case, exclusively) Medium DCs. Ramping up the DC escalates the tension appropriately. An EL+3 C1 at level for requires DC 14 for all Primaries and 10 for the lone Secondary. Micro-failures enhance the dramatic arc and escalate the conflict (and tension/excitement in proportion). The odds that you'll see 2-3 in is pretty solid (PC builds and action declaration-dependent of course)!

[/quote]Such a consequence would be in addition to any damage or status inflicted on the Wizard via combat Powers?[/quote]

Yup. A free rider on top of any PC build rider.

Your thoughts re the Wizard's build and threat level (and Minion use) are similar to mine! That said, I've just started giving thought to Terrain features which the PCs might think to use for Stunting. I hadn't thought about except in terms of the same Terrain possibly used against the PCs. Any specific ideas?

Cool!

I don't know where the encounter is to take place (tower, ruins, bog, etc), so all I can do is offer mechanical endoskeleton and you can hang the set dressing fluff upon it.

1) Something magical hanging from the ceiling that the PCs can use to contract the rift by dropping its arcane/primal/divine energies upon it which destabilize it (just an RBA against base level AC or whatever is equivalent for that PC).

2) Stuff hanging from the ceiling or an obstacle that can be collapsed/knocked over/interacted with that can immobilize or Daze the Wizard UEoNT or AoE that can Minion Sweep.

3) Magic hot spots that amplify powers (+2 to attack or increase SC or other DC by +2 UEoNT) with Arcane/Divine/Primal keywords and Magic dampening spots that do the opposite.

4) If the floor can be

Thanks, friend!

You bet mate. Hope you guys have fun and if you need more clarification just let me know.

 

[Manbearcat]

[MENTION=1282]darkbard[/MENTION]

Tonight when I get a moment, I'll write up a round of play to encapsulate how I would envision this manifesting. To help me on that end, how many PCs and what kind of an encounter budget are you expecting (eg Level + 3 or more contingent upon how many creatures manifest through the Rift?)

 

[darkbard]

This is the experiment I mentioned by PM, wherein we converted old favorites from 3X days to 4E. There are four characters at L1. L + 3 is precisely the target I had in mind.

Addendum: I imagine the EL could escalate beyond L + 3 if the PCs fail significantly along the way in the SC, introducing new threats via the portal. Potentially, in fact, escalating the scene beyond their control, which would be the result of failing the overall SCs.

My desideratum is to demonstrate how player-driven "story now" play can work well in 4E, while also highlighting how the SC system and combat stunting contribute to this style of play.

I plan to use the map from the final encounter of H1 (Keep on the Shadowfell), which lends itself nicely to the vision of the campaign kick off by conveniently including a portal, a ritual circle that can be refluffed as the teleportation circle, etc.

Here's a link to the map: http://dmdavid.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/H1_Keep_on_the_Shadowfell11.jpg

 

[Manbearcat]

This is the experiment I mentioned by PM, wherein we converted old favorites from 3X days to 4E. There are four characters at L1. L + 3 is precisely the target I had in mind.

Addendum: I imagine the EL could escalate beyond L + 3 if the PCs fail significantly along the way in the SC, introducing new threats via the portal. Potentially, in fact, escalating the scene beyond their control, which would be the result of failing the overall SCs.

My desideratum is to demonstrate how player-driven "story now" play can work well in 4E, while also highlighting how the SC system and combat stunting contribute to this style of play.

I plan to use the map from the final encounter of H1 (Keep on the Shadowfell), which lends itself nicely to the vision of the campaign kick off by conveniently including a portal, a ritual circle that can be refluffed as the teleportation circle, etc.

Here's a link to the map: http://dmdavid.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/H1_Keep_on_the_Shadowfell11.jpg

Alright, so a few words first:

1) I see glittering runes in a circle at the bottom. Perhaps that is the portal?

2) I see the blood converging in the center of the chamber creating a swirl. Maybe that is the ritual circle that is being reskinned as a teleportation circle?

3) Personally, I'd go with (1) and then used the dais area with the stone balor looking thing for (2). Keeping them spread apart encourages movement, which you always want in 4e. The blood can be used as an empowering reagent that is now a terrain effect. Lets say that it is the blood of some magical creature and any square with the blood is difficult terrain but also empowers any magical power w/ Arcane/Divine/Primal keyword (+2 to hit/roll).

4) I'd make the stairs extremely steep and smeared with footfalls covered in blood (due to the ritual) rendering them Challenging Terrain; Low DC (8) Acrobatics check to actively traverse and to reactively deal with Forced Movement. Failure = Prone in that square.

5) I'd make the ceiling of the central area have three hanging corpses on chains which are hooked to the ceiling; bloodletting for the ritual. I'd have the creature's be from where the portal opens to; abberations for the Far Realm for example. These corpses/chains can be stunted with by breaking the chains/unhooking the corpse from them.

6) I'd make the red rectangles (flanking the dais and west of the main area of the chamber) large braziers that provide light and can be stunted with for 3*3 area of effect fire damage and Zones.

7) Personally, I'd probably make the Close the Rift micro-failures entail a roll of 1d6 done by the players; 1-3 and a wash of disorienting magic explodes from the rift and all the PCs are subject to +3 vs Will or Dazed (Save Ends) w/ Slowed UEoYNT on a miss, 4-5 Standard creature, 6 and just 2 Minions.

---

With that out of the way, here is a quick example of what a round w/ 4 PCs (l'm going to go with Barbarian, Paladin, Warlord, Wizard) and a base L+3 Encounter might look like.

Level 1 Controller (Leader) Elite
Level 1 Brute Standard * 3
Level 1 Minion Skirmisher * 8

All 8 Minions have an Encounter Utility to intercept an attack meant for the Wizard Leader (killing the Minion) when the Minion is w/in 3 squares. I'd give them an Skirmishing attack that lets them move > attack > move so they can get back w/in 3 squares of the Wizard.

Barbarian

Engaged by a Brute on the steps to the West and a few squares away from a pair of Minion and another Brute who are all near that brazier. The Brute is already softened up as the Warlord using Powerful Warning to give the Barbarian an MBA against that Brute (and a bonus to Defense) when the Brute hit the Barbarian.

Barbarian finishes the Brute then uses Whirling Step (FA) to move adjacent to the other Brute and do some damage. He is now adjacent to the brazier and wants to Action Point to stunt to knock it over in a 3 * 3 which will get a pair of Minions and that same Brute:

Brazier (Single Use Terrain)
Check: Athletics check (Med DC 12) to overturn the brazier.
Success: The brazier is overturned, making an attack in a close blast 3.
Target: Each creature in blast
Attack: L+3 vs. Reflex
Hit: Ongoing 3 fire damage (save ends).
Effect: Difficult Terrain.
Zone: Any creature that starts its turn in the Zone takes 3 fire damage.

Both Minions will die at the start of their turns from the Zone, the Brute takes the OG Fire and will take 3 more at start of turn.

Barbarian has a Move Action left. Asks if he spend a Healing Surge to pick up a handful of burning embers from the spilled brazier and heave them at the planar rift to damage the Wizard's inscribed runes which initiated it.

Absolutely! Athletics or Endurance should be fine for this. Barbarian is untrained in Athletics (but has a solid base check due to Str and Background) and is trained in Endurance for the same check. Level + 3 Medium DC so needs a 9 or better to get a 14. Fails. 0 Successes/1 Failure/Secondary Skill still available.

The player rolls a 5 on the d6. At the end of the round a Standard Creature will appear adjacent to the Rift and take its actions (encounter budget just jumped up 1).

Paladin

The Paladin struggles to get up the steps with his Acrobatics check, fails on a Move Action and falls Prone. Uses a Standard Action Ranged 5 attack to sweep a Minion with Divine retribution.

A Minor Action and a Divine Challenge later and a Brute is Marked.

Warlord

The Warlord rushes up the steps (Move Action passes Acro) and engages the 3rd Brute.

Standard for Provocative Order Encounter Power to have the Barbarian Charge the Wizard. The Barbarian Charges the Wizard only to have a nearby Minion intercept the attack (and die).

Minor Action: Shouts to his companions to stop the teleportation circle like Bob Circle-Stopper did in the Battle of Circle-Stoppies (The lone Secondary Skill for this C1 SC; History check easily passes the Low DC 10 easily); +2 to next Primary check against the Teleportation Circle SC.

Wizard

Uses an AoE to spend a Daily to Minion Sweep and create a Zone that will make life very difficult for the Skirmisher Minions.

Action Points a Standard to disrupt the Wizards Teleportation CIrcle efforts with a thematically straight-forward counterspell effort (Arcana check). This Wizard's power is not to be taken lightly. Yet, the counterspell, bulwarked by the invocation of an instance in history, momentarily dispels the magic (with a + 11 Arcana check buffed by the +2 SS from the Warlord, it can't fail DC 14). 1 Success/0 Failures/Secondary Skill used.

---

There you have it. I envision something like that. Later, maybe the Warlord stunts by throwing an axe at the chained corpse above, dropping it onto a few enemies. The Wizard probably gets into the blood to use it to buff an Arcana check against the portal and further attacks. Meanwhile the Wizard tries to prevent it all while the Minions try to prevent his death and the Brutes and belched forth planar creature lay siege to the PCs...and another enemy or two is vomited from the rift!

Things will get more dicey as the Action Economy squeeze of the Skill Challenges (and their consequences for failure/inaction) pressures the PCs.

 

[darkbard]

As I have come to expect by now, this is great stuff! Some more specific thoughts:

Alright, so a few words first:

1) I see glittering runes in a circle at the bottom. Perhaps that is the portal?

2) I see the blood converging in the center of the chamber creating a swirl. Maybe that is the ritual circle that is being reskinned as a teleportation circle?

3) Personally, I'd go with (1) and then used the dais area with the stone balor looking thing for (2). Keeping them spread apart encourages movement, which you always want in 4e. The blood can be used as an empowering reagent that is now a terrain effect. Lets say that it is the blood of some magical creature and any square with the blood is difficult terrain but also empowers any magical power w/ Arcane/Divine/Primal keyword (+2 to hit/roll).

I wanted to use this map because in the original adventure as published it is extremely evocative but criminally underutilized.

As intended, that arch in the southern wall is the Planar Rift and the glowing rune circle is a "power up" effect, similar to what you suggest here. My first thought was to retain the arch as the Rift and repurpose the rune circle as the Evil Wizard's teleportation circle-cum-escape route, but the problem with that, as you note, is the lack of space between the two.

To encourage more interaction with the Difficult Terrain steps, I might relocate the teleportation circle to the altar/dais at the east of the chamber and retain the arch as the Planar Rift. This would make the glowing rune circle ... the ritual circle used to fuel the magic for the Planar Rift?

4) I'd make the stairs extremely steep and smeared with footfalls covered in blood (due to the ritual) rendering them Challenging Terrain; Low DC (8) Acrobatics check to actively traverse and to reactively deal with Forced Movement. Failure = Prone in that square.

Awesome. Particularly with regard to "reactively deal[ing] with Forced Movement."

5) I'd make the ceiling of the central area have three hanging corpses on chains which are hooked to the ceiling; bloodletting for the ritual. I'd have the creature's be from where the portal opens to; abberations for the Far Realm for example. These corpses/chains can be stunted with by breaking the chains/unhooking the corpse from them.

6) I'd make the red rectangles (flanking the dais and west of the main area of the chamber) large braziers that provide light and can be stunted with for 3*3 area of effect fire damage and Zones.

There definitely needs to be some source of all that blood!

I think the glowing points of light are meant to be braziers and the red rectangles rugs. Certainly the lights can function exactly as you describe, and I can figure out some other Terrain feature to associate with the rugs (used to, literally, pull the rug out from underneath an opponent?)

Perhaps the demonic statue can serve as an additional Terrain feature, modeled off one that appears in one of the rulebooks somewhere--unstable monument or something like that!

7) Personally, I'd probably make the Close the Rift micro-failures entail a roll of 1d6 done by the players; 1-3 and a wash of disorienting magic explodes from the rift and all the PCs are subject to +3 vs Will or Dazed (Save Ends) w/ Slowed UEoYNT on a miss, 4-5 Standard creature, 6 and just 2 Minions.

Pure awesomesauce. Much better than just a HS or something similar, especially putting it into the hands of the players via a roll.

---

With that out of the way, here is a quick example of what a round w/ 4 PCs (l'm going to go with Barbarian, Paladin, Warlord, Wizard) and a base L+3 Encounter might look like.

Level 1 Controller (Leader) Elite
Level 1 Brute Standard * 3
Level 1 Minion Skirmisher * 8

All 8 Minions have an Encounter Utility to intercept an attack meant for the Wizard Leader (killing the Minion) when the Minion is w/in 3 squares. I'd give them an Skirmishing attack that lets them move > attack > move so they can get back w/in 3 squares of the Wizard.

Barbarian

Engaged by a Brute on the steps to the West and a few squares away from a pair of Minion and another Brute who are all near that brazier. The Brute is already softened up as the Warlord using Powerful Warning to give the Barbarian an MBA against that Brute (and a bonus to Defense) when the Brute hit the Barbarian.

Barbarian finishes the Brute then uses Whirling Step (FA) to move adjacent to the other Brute and do some damage. He is now adjacent to the brazier and wants to Action Point to stunt to knock it over in a 3 * 3 which will get a pair of Minions and that same Brute:

Brazier (Single Use Terrain)
Check: Athletics check (Med DC 12) to overturn the brazier.
Success: The brazier is overturned, making an attack in a close blast 3.
Target: Each creature in blast
Attack: L+3 vs. Reflex
Hit: Ongoing 3 fire damage (save ends).
Effect: Difficult Terrain.
Zone: Any creature that starts its turn in the Zone takes 3 fire damage.

Both Minions will die at the start of their turns from the Zone, the Brute takes the OG Fire and will take 3 more at start of turn.

Barbarian has a Move Action left. Asks if he spend a Healing Surge to pick up a handful of burning embers from the spilled brazier and heave them at the planar rift to damage the Wizard's inscribed runes which initiated it.

I might just say yes to this without the HS cost (unless failing, of course) or, taking the lead from Blades in the Dark, offer a Devil's Bargain of sorts: succeed vs. Hard DC for 2 successes and burn a surge or fail and pay the suge cost anyway.

Absolutely! Athletics or Endurance should be fine for this. Barbarian is untrained in Athletics (but has a solid base check due to Str and Background) and is trained in Endurance for the same check. Level + 3 Medium DC so needs a 9 or better to get a 14. Fails. 0 Successes/1 Failure/Secondary Skill still available.

The player rolls a 5 on the d6. At the end of the round a Standard Creature will appear adjacent to the Rift and take its actions (encounter budget just jumped up 1).

Paladin

The Paladin struggles to get up the steps with his Acrobatics check, fails on a Move Action and falls Prone. Uses a Standard Action Ranged 5 attack to sweep a Minion with Divine retribution.

A Minor Action and a Divine Challenge later and a Brute is Marked.

Warlord

The Warlord rushes up the steps (Move Action passes Acro) and engages the 3rd Brute.

Standard for Provocative Order Encounter Power to have the Barbarian Charge the Wizard. The Barbarian Charges the Wizard only to have a nearby Minion intercept the attack (and die).

Minor Action: Shouts to his companions to stop the teleportation circle like Bob Circle-Stopper did in the Battle of Circle-Stoppies (The lone Secondary Skill for this C1 SC; History check easily passes the Low DC 10 easily); +2 to next Primary check against the Teleportation Circle SC.

Wizard

Uses an AoE to spend a Daily to Minion Sweep and create a Zone that will make life very difficult for the Skirmisher Minions.

Action Points a Standard to disrupt the Wizards Teleportation CIrcle efforts with a thematically straight-forward counterspell effort (Arcana check). This Wizard's power is not to be taken lightly. Yet, the counterspell, bulwarked by the invocation of an instance in history, momentarily dispels the magic (with a + 11 Arcana check buffed by the +2 SS from the Warlord, it can't fail DC 14). 1 Success/0 Failures/Secondary Skill used.

---

There you have it. I envision something like that. Later, maybe the Warlord stunts by throwing an axe at the chained corpse above, dropping it onto a few enemies. The Wizard probably gets into the blood to use it to buff an Arcana check against the portal and further attacks. Meanwhile the Wizard tries to prevent it all while the Minions try to prevent his death and the Brutes and belched forth planar creature lay siege to the PCs...and another enemy or two is vomited from the rift!

Things will get more dicey as the Action Economy squeeze of the Skill Challenges (and their consequences for failure/inaction) pressures the PCs.

This is an excellent illustration of how the PCs might choose to engage the 2 SCs concurrently, while also dealing with the combat.

I really hope our discussion here proves useful not only for my own game but others who may be reading along and considering how to build out such "multi-goal encounters."

 

[Manbearcat]

[MENTION=1282]darkbard[/MENTION]

It sounds like you've got your ducks in a row on this one. You guys should have a very fun time. I suspect anyone involved in this thread (and lurkers likely) would appreciate a play recap when the deed is done!