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Message: <blockquote data-quote="AbdulAlhazred" data-source="post: 7332910" data-attributes="member: 82106">OK, this one is, at least to first look, a straight 'action sequence' where the choices would be overcoming various impediments and the plot a simple movement to an exit. Of course you could throw in a few twists... One immediate twist is the devil's bargain, dump the frozen body and gain 2 success instantly. I'm going to write that into my version, and in order to make it interesting I'll describe the 3 characters involved as being a Changeling Rogue, a Dragonborn Paladin, and an Eladrin Wizard. The rogue is a classic rogue. Highly self-reliant he's lately come to find his companions surprisingly useful and even likable, when the paladin isn't being utterly insufferable at least. His first instinct is to save himself, but he's not going to leave his companions behind to do so. To him the Ice Princess represents the rewards of a great 'heist' BUT death would put a crimp in his style and he can always find more loot. The thrilling part, beating the Ice Queen, has been accomplished. Furthermore if dumping the frozen body saved his pals (who won't do it themselves) then that's just DOUBLE motivation! He's certainly willing to go full out to bring the body, but when its down to 2 fails and the exit is right there, he might well just crack! Anyway, the GM figures it that way, and thus the devil's bargain feature of the challenge...The Dragonborn Paladin swore to recover the Ice Princess in payment for learning the location where his patron, Io, was slain. He's not about to fail, no way, no how. His word is just as weighty as his respect for the shifty rogue who's also saved his skin a few times. He'll just carry them both if he has to! Secondarily he thinks he may know the True Name of the white dragon. Such a thing is quite hazardous to attempt to employ, but if he could compel a service, that would probably go a long ways towards getting them out. Should he risk playing that card or is running for the exit a better bet?The Wizard has mixed feelings as well, but again there's party loyalty. If he does rescue this Princess there will quite a mess in the Summer Court. OTOH he's also got a beef with the dragon, so he's game to fight it out. Still, he might take that devil's bargain at a last resort, since it would fix one of his problems...Now, how are we supposed to make this a combat-focused kind of a challenge? I'm thinking the dragon has a bunch of minions, icy kobolds would be fun. These are obviously not your average normal kobolds, they're ones that have been imbued with elemental cold and become much stronger than normal (but they're still minions, after all they started out life as low-level creatures). That's a start. I might have to modify some of this to get it to work, and the details of the battle map still have to be worked out.</blockquote>

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