Help me run a skill challenge (seeker's of the Ashen Crown)

[Delgar]

Okay I'm going to be running Seeker's of the Ashen crown for my group, shortly and this skill challenge will come up. I'm just very confused on how to run it well, well basically run it period.

Its a 6/3 challenge but it takes place over 6 days and each round is a day. Which is fine. But each day everyone has to make a Endurance check (group check) if half fail you get a fail if half succeed you get a success. That alone makes up 6 of the possible 9 checks. Also, one person is required to make a nature check every day (basically the guide/navigator). So that's 12 checks before anyone has to do anything.

Basically the skill challenge just doesn't make sense to me. Can someone help me make sense of it? Or help me modify it to make it make more sense. Thanks!


The trip from Ardev to Six Kings covers about 125 miles over
a trade road, taking four or five days on foot, followed by at
least a day's hike along the shoulder of the Graywalls. This
journey to the frontier of civilized Breland is a dangerous one.
A ROAD WELL TRAVELED
The following skill challenge tests the PCs as they make
their way along the road to the foot of the mountains, then
on the ancient track leading to Six Kings.
During their travel, the PCs face three set encounters-the
rescue of a captive Kech Volaar goblin, a confrontation with
Turakbar raiders, and an ambush by the Emerald Claw. The
less sharp the PCs are on the road, the more their resources
are taxed and the harder these encounters become.
The journey from Ardev to Six Kin8s takes you throu8h some
of the most dan8erous territory in Breland. You mi8ht have a
trade road to follow, but that path doesn't ensure easy passa8e to
Droaam's frontier.
Setup: The party travels from Ardev to Six Kings on
an unsafe road. Each round of the challenge represents
one day of travel. Encounters occur after the PCs have
attempted all their skill checks for that day of activity.
Level: 2 (XP 250).
Complexity: 2 (requires 6 successes before 3 failures).
Primary Skills: Endurance, Nature.
Endurance (DC 10): Traveling in the open is hard work,
but the road can make it a little easier. As the rigors of
travel drain the party, those who succumb to the strain
can become a burden to their friends. Each PC must make
this check, which doesn't count as an action, every round.
Those who fail lose a healing surge. If more PCs fail this
check than succeed on it in any round, all the PCs lose an
additional healing surge, and the characters earn 1 failure
in the skill challenge. Otherwise, the PCs gain 1 success in
the skill challenge.
Nature (DC 10): The PC keeps an eye out for natural
hazards that have crept into the poorly maintained road.
Foraging for supplies or water and looking for good rest
spots are also important. This check can be made once per
round by any Single character. Failure costs everyone in
the party one healing surge because of having to leave the
road due to overgrowth, lack of water, or some other minor
hazard. Success counts as 1 success in the skill challenge.
Secondary Skills: History, Perception.
History (DC 10): The character's knowledge of the route
to Six Kings-and its reputation and lore in the past and
present-aids in the party's efforts to avoid trouble on the
road. Each character can attempt this check once during
the skill challenge. Success grants a +2 bonus to one PC's
subsequent Nature check or one PC's subsequent Endur·
ance check.
Perception (DC 10): By carefully watching details along
the way, the PC spies trouble long before it appears, or a
beneficial landscape feature before the party passes it by.
Each character can attempt this check once during the
skill challenge. Success grants a +2 bonus to one PC's subsequent
Nature check or one PC's subsequent Endurance
check.
Success: The PCs go into encounter 12. Emerald Claw
Ambush with more healing surges and the benefit from
Progress and Encounters (see below).
Failure: The PCs go into encounter 12. Emerald Claw
Ambush with fewer healing surges and the penalty from
Progress and Encounters (see below).
PROGRESS AND ENCOUNTERS
If the PCs have earned no failures on the skill chaIJenge
before they reach an encounter, they gain a +2 bonus to
skill checks related to gaining information prior to that
encounter. If they have more failures than successes at that
point, they take a -2 penalty to such checks.
The encounters should occur on the following days, fit
into the narrative ofthe overland journey as desired.
Day 2: Emerald Claw Scouts (see below).
Day 4: Turakbar Toll (see page 22).
Day 6: Emerald Claw Ambush (see page 24).

 

[delericho]

Yeah, it doesn't seem to be a terribly well-written Skill Challenge to me. It's especially bad in that costing the characters a healing surge is largely meaningless as they'll probably be taking an Extended Rest at the end of each day's travel, and so get back any expended surges anyway.

I recommend upping the complexity - say to 12 successes before 6 failures, with each day consisting of up to 3 rolls (the PCs can stop after 2 if they wish, or they can 'press on' to try to get a 3rd success for the day - obviously, this may be necessary on some days).

Each day, have a group check for Endurance, as stated. Each day, if the majority of the group succeed then you count a success for the challenge; if the majority fail then you count a failure for the challenge (as stated). However, on days 2, 4 and 6, any character who fails their check goes into the encounter for the day having expended their second wind for the encounter.

(On day 6, I'd probably be tempted to either replace the Endurance check with a Climb check (or whatever the 4e equivalent is), or even add a Climb check to the requirements for the Challenge for the day - with the same consequences for failure and success. This would reflect the changed conditions in the mountains vs the road.)

Each day, a single character can make a History, Perception or Nature check (for knowing the history of the region, spotting short-cuts, or foraging for food as described). However, success or failure on these rolls just counts as a success or failure for the Challenge - don't bother with the additional effects mentioned. (Also, if the players come up with a good explanation, allow other skills to apply, of course.)

On days 2 and 4, instead of the "no failures thus far" mechanic that the adventure suggests, can I present an alternative: if the PCs get three successes for that day, they "steal a march" on their opponents in the appropriate encounter, and so automatically gain surprise.

On day 6, I would allow for the same. However, by day 6 you also know whether the PCs have succeeded on the overall Challenge or not. If they succeed, then all is well. However, if the PCs have failed, then I would recommend increasing the XP budget for the "Emerald Claw Ambush" encounter by 250, to reflect the XP they're not getting for the Challenge - this makes the encounter noticably harder, but also ensures that the PCs go on into the latter parts of the adventure with the "right" amount of XP gained.

Hope this helps!

 

[Delgar]

Very helpful indeed.

I wonder if imposing a penalty on characters that act on successive days would be okay.

basically if someone is using nature/history/perception to guide the rest of tha party through the more days he does it in a row the more tired he would be.

That way, other characters can take the helm and bear some of the burden.

 

[delericho]

I wonder if imposing a penalty on characters that act on successive days would be okay.

That way, other characters can take the helm and bear some of the burden.

That's a very good idea, for exactly the reason you give.

In my opinion, Skill Challenges are at their very best when everyone has to contribute, and there is a semi-obvious way for each character to contribute. That way, you don't just get the Ranger doing everything while the rest of the party sit back. (Indeed, I usually rule that any PC who literally "does nothing" just contributes an automatic failure by getting in the way - at the very least they should be using Aid Another.)

But I can't immediately see a way to build that into the Challenge presented.

 

[Delgar]

Yah I definately agree that the intent of skill challenges is to encourage particpation from everyone.