Help with unique Character specific tests

[Cyri'kazzen]

Hey all,

I am developing a campaign based on an epic quest. At the end of each adventure, an individual character must pass a test to receive the specific item/treasure. The test will utilize the specific character's strengths and also potentially focus on their weaknesses. Also I want to require them to use their intelligence in the tests. Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas? Has anyone else done this with individual characters before? Any suggestions or experiences?

From what I know right now, the group will consist of a cleric, paladin, fighter, fighter, rogue, and wizard.

Thanks

 

[Gilladian]

I think that we would need more info about each character to help you. My best offering at this point is to produce a challenge that ties into the background of the PC involved.

For example, a PC in my campaign is a bodyguard to another PC. She's an ex-slave, devoted to her mistress, but also very concerned about her family, who remain slaves. She hopes someday to be able to buy their freedom. A challenge that forced her to choose between her mistress and her family would be gut-wrenching.

Gilladian

 

[Cyri'kazzen]

Gilladian

Point well taken. At this point the campaign is a few months away and I do not have any backgrounds on PCs. I do want to use their history in the unique challenges. I guess I was hoping for feedback on concepts for creating a unique challenge for each of the classes. Any previous examples or ideas that people have used to give a PC a unique test or challenge. Your example of a character having to choose between her family and her mistress was exactly what I had in mind. Thanks. Anybody else?

 

[Argent Silvermage]

Perfect for a Paladin of Priest. Give them the choice between saving the life of a child that may be the reincarnation of a great evil. Try to imagine what it would be like if Sauron was reborn and you held him as a child. what would you do? Kill an inocent baby and try to explain that it would have grown to kill millions or try to see that the chilkd was raised by loving people who could watch for signs of the evil returning and nip it in the bud before it grew to powerful.

(this was used to stump me. I eventualy adopted the child and raised it as my own.)

 

[Cyri'kazzen]

Thanks Argent! I think I will be using some moral dilemmas specifically for the cleric and paladin of the party. The other party members might be more difficult to throw dilemmas their way depending on their alignments. If I can, I will certainly use their histories to create the dilemmas.

Here is how I see the single character challenge working. The party gets to the end of an adventure/dungeon and only one of the party can enter past a threshold (depending on what adventure it is). The single character then must fulfill the test/challenge that has been created by the dungeonmaker to prove their worth.

So has anyone out there had experience in creating character specific tests/challenges, scenarios, etc. Combat examples would be beneficial as well. Thanks.