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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Manbearcat" data-source="post: 7321997" data-attributes="member: 6696971">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.[HR][/HR]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) EliteLevel 1 Brute Standard * 3Level 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.BarbarianEngaged 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 blastAttack: L+3 vs. ReflexHit: 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).PaladinThe 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.WarlordThe 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.WizardUses 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.[HR][/HR]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.</blockquote>

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