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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Goonalan" data-source="post: 5408635" data-attributes="member: 16069">I'm left wondering what the bit of business will be?Here's the Skill Challenge for 'Close the Portal'-Stem the Muddy Tide Skill Challenge.In the very bottom of the magical redoubt below the Kiris Library you are faced with a sea of mud being spewed from a malfunctioning magical staff- straight from the planes of Elemental Chaos. You must stem the flow of the staff or else you will be swept away on the muddy tide, also who knows what creatures could be summoned through the portal should you fail.This is a Level 2 Complexity 2 Skill Challenge, requiring 6 successes before 3 failures.All Primary Skill Checks are Standard Actions.Arcana DC15- with practised gestures and muttered arcane phrases, you seek to exert your will over the malfunctioning magic item and close the portal to the elemental chaos.Nature DC15- your knowledge and control over the natural world extends into the primordial realm of the elemental chaos. You exert your will over the malfunctioning magic item in an attempt to seal off the portal it has opened.Aid another DC10- you can chose to aid an ally in their attempt to close the portal. Success grants a +2 bonus to the ally's next Primary Skill check.All Secondary Skill Checks are Minor Actions, although some can be used as part of the Movement Phase, see below for details.Acrobatics DC12- your natural agility helps you to keep your footing in the treacherous conditions, making the task at hand easier to accomplish. You gain a +2 bonus to your next Primary Skill check. This check can be used as part of the Movement Phase.Athletics DC12- You use the strength of your body to brace your companion against the slick tide of elemental mud. You grant a +2 bonus to the ally's next Primary Skill check. This check can be used as part of the Movement Phase.Religion DC12- You call upon your deity to fortify your will and bolster you against the elemental chaos. You grant a +2 bonus to your next Primary Skill check.OutcomesSuccess- the tide is halted and the portal closed- the staff may also now be safely recovered.Individual Failures- a sudden wave of elemental mud spews forth, you each take [2d6] points of damage and must make an immediate Athletics or Acrobatics check DC12 or else be pushed 2 squares and must further save or fall prone. A creature then emerges from the elemental chaos...Overall Failure- the tide of elemental chaos is too much, it explodes with a deafening fury, you each take [4d6] points of damage and must make an immediate Athletics or Acrobatics check DC15 or else be pushed 5 squares and must further save or fall prone. There is no hope, you are forced to retreat- the library will slowly become submerged in elemental chaos, escape while you can.Note Skill Challenges are dynamic, I need you to tell me just exactly what your PC is doing, I don't want- 'I'll make an Arcana check', this is a narrative after all it's your job as well as mine to carry the story.The players complained (lol- only a little bit) that I was being too overt, I explained that I had in fact stolen the Pirate Cat method and used the PC explanation- I wanted the SC to be important, for the PCs to know that success is good, failure- very bad. Previously I have used invisible Skill Challenges, and they've seemed to work but often the while the pay off seems apparent the full extent of failure has not been made obvious.The fact that the PCs completed the SC with no failures, not even a hiccup on the way, however...If anyone has any comments I'd be very grateful, I'm at a crossroads, the invisible method sometimes lacked tension, the overt method makes it a lot less suspenseful (that's not a word- but you know what I mean).I really would appreciate any thoughts you have.I'll post the other Skill Challenge I sent to the PCs in a bit- this one is for them manouevering around the ruined town without being spotted by the Goblins/Kobolds et al.Cheers Goonalan</blockquote>

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