Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
The
VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX
is coming! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
Help me Tweak a Chase Skill Challenge (my players stay out!)
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="FireLance" data-source="post: 5120232" data-attributes="member: 3424"><p>Some initial questions and thoughts:</p><p>[SBLOCK]First off, how do the basic numbers add up? How much is the BBEG adding to his score and how much are the players expected to add to their score each "round"? If the BBEG only gets to add the result of a single skill check while the PCs get to add the results of each skill check they make, they are likely to quickly catch up to him. For example, if there are 5 PCs, you will get an average of +52 from the die rolls alone (5d20). Even the waves of minions may not be enough to slow down the PCs if they are focused on pursuing. </p><p></p><p>If I might suggest an alternate approach, consider the following six-stage challenge:</p><p></p><p>Startup: Each PC starts with a Delay of 0. The Delay affects when the PC arrives at the final encounter.</p><p></p><p>Stage One: Generic chase - each PC must make a Moderate Athletics, Acrobatics or Endurance check (player's choice). </p><p>Any PC who fails the check may spend an action point to negate the failure. Otherwise, increase his Delay by 1. </p><p>If any characters are delayed, the other characters must choose to wait or press on. If they wait, every PC's Delay is increased by 1. </p><p></p><p>Stage Two: A maze of twisty streets, all alike - Prompt each player for an idea on how they will get through the maze instead of calling for specific skill checks. Depending on the solutions proposed, you may call for a Hard skill check (the specific skill will depend on what the player proposes, e.g. Perception if he is looking for a way out, Streetwise if he is using his knowledge of the city, or Diplomacy or Intimidate if he is asking a passer-by) or award an automatic success (say, if one of the PCs has a map).</p><p>If none of the PCs achieve a success, increase all the PCs' Delay by 1. Optionally, if all the PCs with lower Delay scores failed the check, but a PC with a higher Delay score passed the check, you may increase the lower Delay scores to that of the PC who passed the check to simulate the other PCs needing to wait until he caught up to them.</p><p></p><p>Stage Three: Generic chase - a repeat of Stage One.</p><p></p><p>Stage Four: Crowded Square - Again, prompt each player for an idea on how they will get through the crowd instead of calling for specific skill checks. </p><p>Categorize proposed solutions into ideas that can help the entire party (e.g. clearing a path through the crowd with Intimidate, Diplomacy or Athletics, spotting a path through the crowd with Perception) or will only help the PC (e.g. dodging through the crowd with Acrobatics or running fast with Endurance) and ask the PCs to make their skill checks. </p><p>A PC who does not succeed on an individual skill check and cannot benefit from a skill check that helps the entire party by a PC with equal or lower Delay has his Delay increased by 1.</p><p></p><p>Stage Five: Generic chase - a repeat of Stage One.</p><p></p><p>Stage Six: Guards - The PCs encounter the BBEG's minions outside his lair. From this point, the PCs arrive in batches, starting with those with the lowest Delay scores, followed 1 round later by those with Delay scores 1 point higher, and so on. The PCs may fight the guards, run past them (provoking opportunity attacks and pursuit by the guards) or try to get by them with another Hard skill check (depending on their ideas, Stealth, Bluff, Intimidate, etc. may be appropriate). </p><p>Each round that the PCs spend dealing with the guards increases their respective Delay scores by 1.</p><p></p><p>Consequences: While it is tempting to make it all or nothing, how about making the consequences more graduated? If one or more PCs manage to make it to the BBEG with a Delay of 3 or less, the ritual is completely disrupted, and the BBEG gains no benefit. If the first PCs make it there with a Delay of 4 or 5, the BBEG has got some power from the ritual, but it is still incomplete. The lady is still alive, although perhaps badly and permanently hurt. If the first PCs only make it there with a Delay of 6 or more, the lady is dead and the BBEG is at full power. The PCs have failed and will have to pick up the pieces.[/SBLOCK]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="FireLance, post: 5120232, member: 3424"] Some initial questions and thoughts: [SBLOCK]First off, how do the basic numbers add up? How much is the BBEG adding to his score and how much are the players expected to add to their score each "round"? If the BBEG only gets to add the result of a single skill check while the PCs get to add the results of each skill check they make, they are likely to quickly catch up to him. For example, if there are 5 PCs, you will get an average of +52 from the die rolls alone (5d20). Even the waves of minions may not be enough to slow down the PCs if they are focused on pursuing. If I might suggest an alternate approach, consider the following six-stage challenge: Startup: Each PC starts with a Delay of 0. The Delay affects when the PC arrives at the final encounter. Stage One: Generic chase - each PC must make a Moderate Athletics, Acrobatics or Endurance check (player's choice). Any PC who fails the check may spend an action point to negate the failure. Otherwise, increase his Delay by 1. If any characters are delayed, the other characters must choose to wait or press on. If they wait, every PC's Delay is increased by 1. Stage Two: A maze of twisty streets, all alike - Prompt each player for an idea on how they will get through the maze instead of calling for specific skill checks. Depending on the solutions proposed, you may call for a Hard skill check (the specific skill will depend on what the player proposes, e.g. Perception if he is looking for a way out, Streetwise if he is using his knowledge of the city, or Diplomacy or Intimidate if he is asking a passer-by) or award an automatic success (say, if one of the PCs has a map). If none of the PCs achieve a success, increase all the PCs' Delay by 1. Optionally, if all the PCs with lower Delay scores failed the check, but a PC with a higher Delay score passed the check, you may increase the lower Delay scores to that of the PC who passed the check to simulate the other PCs needing to wait until he caught up to them. Stage Three: Generic chase - a repeat of Stage One. Stage Four: Crowded Square - Again, prompt each player for an idea on how they will get through the crowd instead of calling for specific skill checks. Categorize proposed solutions into ideas that can help the entire party (e.g. clearing a path through the crowd with Intimidate, Diplomacy or Athletics, spotting a path through the crowd with Perception) or will only help the PC (e.g. dodging through the crowd with Acrobatics or running fast with Endurance) and ask the PCs to make their skill checks. A PC who does not succeed on an individual skill check and cannot benefit from a skill check that helps the entire party by a PC with equal or lower Delay has his Delay increased by 1. Stage Five: Generic chase - a repeat of Stage One. Stage Six: Guards - The PCs encounter the BBEG's minions outside his lair. From this point, the PCs arrive in batches, starting with those with the lowest Delay scores, followed 1 round later by those with Delay scores 1 point higher, and so on. The PCs may fight the guards, run past them (provoking opportunity attacks and pursuit by the guards) or try to get by them with another Hard skill check (depending on their ideas, Stealth, Bluff, Intimidate, etc. may be appropriate). Each round that the PCs spend dealing with the guards increases their respective Delay scores by 1. Consequences: While it is tempting to make it all or nothing, how about making the consequences more graduated? If one or more PCs manage to make it to the BBEG with a Delay of 3 or less, the ritual is completely disrupted, and the BBEG gains no benefit. If the first PCs make it there with a Delay of 4 or 5, the BBEG has got some power from the ritual, but it is still incomplete. The lady is still alive, although perhaps badly and permanently hurt. If the first PCs only make it there with a Delay of 6 or more, the lady is dead and the BBEG is at full power. The PCs have failed and will have to pick up the pieces.[/SBLOCK] [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
Help me Tweak a Chase Skill Challenge (my players stay out!)
Top