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<blockquote data-quote="GameDoc" data-source="post: 5435374" data-attributes="member: 53915">I'm struggling with this right now.&nbsp; The mechanics and execution of skill challenges I get.&nbsp; It's the narrative aspect that is eluding me.&nbsp; It's harder to figure out how to make the results of the skill challenge meaningful to the outcome of the adventure in a way that it's apparent to the players the story would have unfolded differenly had the skill challenge gone the other way without failure grinding the plot to a halt.&nbsp;Here is the one I am working up now.&nbsp; Maybe you guys can help me through it.&nbsp;The players are presented with this scenario:&nbsp; The general under whom the PCs serve has been poisoned, leaving him comatose.&nbsp; The healers deterime that without an antidote, the general will never wake and succum to starvation and dehydration.&nbsp; This particular poison is based on a type the local lizard folk use for hunting and an antidote might be derived if the healers can get their hands on a sample.
Here is the options I want the players to have, but am not sure how much to tell them and how much to let thim figure out:<ol>
<li data-xf-list-type="ol">A skill challenge to venture into the swamp and collect ingredients for the poison </li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ol">A skill challenge to negotiate with the lizard folk for a sample.</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ol">Minor violence - go track down a lizard folk hunter and mug it for its poison</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ol">Major violence - look for a lizard folk settlement and raid it.</li>
</ol>In the first scenario, I am not sure what consequence is appropriate for failure, given that I don't want to kill of their commanding officer, as I have more plans for him as an NPC.&nbsp; But to me it's the most engaging of the skill challenge options.&nbsp;For the second scenario, what would a failed negotiation look like?&nbsp; If it just then forces them to take what they want through violence, how is that any different than if they had just gone for the fourth scenario?&nbsp; &nbsp;The thir scenario is just plain boring.&nbsp; Six adventurers trapsing through the swamp to gang up on the first lizard folk they run across.&nbsp; I could have them encounter an entire squad and make it a decent battle, but again, how is that really different from the fourth scenario?&nbsp;Any thoughts?</blockquote>

[QUOTE="GameDoc, post: 5435374, member: 53915"] I'm struggling with this right now. The mechanics and execution of skill challenges I get. It's the narrative aspect that is eluding me. It's harder to figure out how to make the results of the skill challenge meaningful to the outcome of the adventure in a way that it's apparent to the players the story would have unfolded differenly had the skill challenge gone the other way without failure grinding the plot to a halt. Here is the one I am working up now. Maybe you guys can help me through it. The players are presented with this scenario: [INDENT]The general under whom the PCs serve has been poisoned, leaving him comatose. The healers deterime that without an antidote, the general will never wake and succum to starvation and dehydration. This particular poison is based on a type the local lizard folk use for hunting and an antidote might be derived if the healers can get their hands on a sample. [/INDENT]Here is the options I want the players to have, but am not sure how much to tell them and how much to let thim figure out: [LIST=1] [*]A skill challenge to venture into the swamp and collect ingredients for the poison [*]A skill challenge to negotiate with the lizard folk for a sample. [*]Minor violence - go track down a lizard folk hunter and mug it for its poison [*]Major violence - look for a lizard folk settlement and raid it. [/LIST]In the first scenario, I am not sure what consequence is appropriate for failure, given that I don't want to kill of their commanding officer, as I have more plans for him as an NPC. But to me it's the most engaging of the skill challenge options. For the second scenario, what would a failed negotiation look like? If it just then forces them to take what they want through violence, how is that any different than if they had just gone for the fourth scenario? The thir scenario is just plain boring. Six adventurers trapsing through the swamp to gang up on the first lizard folk they run across. I could have them encounter an entire squad and make it a decent battle, but again, how is that really different from the fourth scenario? Any thoughts? [/QUOTE]

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