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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Quickleaf" data-source="post: 7549206" data-attributes="member: 20323">Here's what I have so far, attempting to blend forced march & skill challenge. I need to flesh out the shortcuts a bit, any suggestions?Skill Challenge: Forced March from Nangalore to Kir SabalParty sees 21 gargoyles flying a half mile up (2,640 feet) toward Kir Sabal @5mph. The inexhaustible gargoyles will reach the settlement in ~12 hours, but will wait to attack when night falls (taking advantage of their unilateral darkvision). It would take the PCs 2.5 days to reach Kir Sabal at a Fast Pace, but they can force themselves to cover 5 hexes (50 miles) to Kir Sabal in 20 hours, or less time relying on secret shortcuts through this stretch of jungle.Each character pushing him or herself to such an extreme automatically suffers 1 level of exhaustion, with the exception of E’KAMA (ranger with jungle favored terrain), KOKO (druid with Land’s Stride), and whoever rides warhorse skeleton.This skill challenge involves 3 shortcuts which require group "checks"* to be accessed/overcome. If the PCs successfully use all 3 shortcuts, they get outcome (A). If they succeed at two, they get outcome (B). If they succeed at just one, they get outcome (C), and if they succeed at none, outcome (D). However, the entire party may choose to push through with brute endurance, each PC sustaining one level of exhaustion per increase in outcome “tier” (e.g. from C to A would require each PC to suffer 2 levels of exhaustion). Exhaustion takes effect only at the end of the challenge.Potions of healing can be used to mitigate a PC’s exhaustion level by one step per potion consumed, provided the exhaustion was caused by wear-and-tear (e.g. forced march or weather exposure), but not by dehydration, starvation, or sleeplessness.1st Shortcut: Garden EarthmotesSmall lush floating isles rise from the mangrove and cypress marsh north of Nangalore, providing a 12-mile shortcut to the river above the rough jungle terrain, with lookout points, connecting vine "bridges", and possibly ways to gain limited control over earthmotes with magic. Includes the option to search for an exhaustion-reducing stimulant herb here.??2nd Shortcut: River OlungA 22-mile stretch of river with numerous bends and low cataracts. Traversing it may involve acquiring boats, navigating tributaries, piloting rapids, and avoiding catastrophic waterfalls pouring down toward the Raptor’s Roost. Seems best handled as a sequence of checks/obstacles, perhaps interpreting as a group check at the end.??3rd Shortcut: Ancient RoadAn elevated ruined overgrown stone road with intermittent guardhouses runs 16-miles toward Kir Sabal. It was established by the villain Ras Nsi to demarcate his “territory.” I’m not sure how to DM this part as a road runs straight usually, which seems to limit the option for checks… Maybe there's some form of enchantment lingering on the road? Maybe it is hidden by magic, requiring steps to make it visible? Maybe there’s a guardian that PCs need to bypass???Outcomes(A) Keeping Pace: They keep up with the gargoyles and arrive at the same time as the attack on Kir Sabal begins. The party can hastily help the aarakocra establish defenses.(B) Close Behind: The gargoyles arrive at Kir Sabal first and the attack is already under way, with the aarakocra pulling together a desperate defense. Two aarakocra lie dead at the base of the stone ramp, with 5 shattered gargoyles nearby. As the PCs approach, the air elemental holding the line is destroyed, and another gargoyle plummets, landing at base of ramp with 10 hp.(C) Lagging Behind: The gargoyles beat them to the chase. Kir Sabal has fallen, and the surviving aarakocra are retreating to the Elemental Plane of Air with the aarakocra golden egg bag (a sacred relic). They need the party to cover their retreat and protect their human wards Mwaxanaré and Na.(D) Too late: The attack is over, all the aarakocra are dead, the aarakocra golden egg bag was taken by to Omu, and the only survivors are the human wards Mwaxanaré and Na. The party can't do anything but exact revenge.*I put "checks" in parentheses because I don't interpret them strictly as checks in a roll a d20 sense, but rather as holistic challenges which creative thinking and/or resource expenditure might resolve.</blockquote>

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