Looking for ideas on Nature type skill challenges

[surfarcher]

Be sure they are aware that there is something to be lost or gained based on the challenge. You don't have to break the immersion in the story and say "Ok, here's a skill challenge..."

Depending on what's at stake, have an NPC or some other plot device clearly indicate the need to push themselves or take risks.

Definatley!

I'm an advocate of playing SCs fast and loose and not telling the players an SC is in progress.

I could write pages on this. And it wouldn't be the first time.

 

[Dungeoneer]

Or just annoy them. It's pretty hard to find a reason to disallow extended rests without seeming like dm fiat at the best of times. During wilderness adventuring? Reaaaaaly stretching it.

YMMV. I do it all the time.

The way I see it, Extended Rest = A Good Night's Sleep. You're not likely to get that while camping in hostile territory and taking rotating watches every few hours. Regardless of the rationale, extended resting has always been at the discretion of the DM as far as I'm aware, going back at least to 3e.

The truth is, if the players get an automatic XR every night overland travel becomes pretty non-threatening. Should the party encounter any roving baddies, they'll simply go nova on them and unleash all their dailies or spells, confident that they'll get them all back before the next encounter. But nowhere is it written that the players get an automatic XR at night. And you are the DM...

 

[Horatio]

So the crypt is at the -bottom- of the valley. Well, let some of the heroes roll a nature check and anounce them a storm is coming in a few hours. And inocently ask if they want to explore a dry tomb or a tomb half filled with water That should make them want to reach the tomb as soon as possible.

A success means a clear advantage - dry tomb. A failure means the tomb is partially filled with water (depending on how soon/late they got there), resulting in a bigger challenge inside.

 

[Robtheman]

The tomb might be warded against entry. Runes on the walls would offer suggestions of how to gain entrance. The means to do so are scattered about the valley. They could even pass one of them as they venture in for the first time. A skill challenge would them ensue as they use Nature, History, Endurance, Athletics, etc., to find and navigate the valley's farthest reaches. Avoid making this a "fetch" quest by telling the story of the valley's haunting as they move from place to place.

 

[Shadowslayer]

Thanks gents for all the great ideas. I can't give too much away as I have reason to believe one or two of my players might be lurking here.

I decided to run with the "race against the sun" scenario, in that I found a way to make it appeal. And thanks to ffy for the idea of the PCs being hunted. It won't be a green dragon, but I did run with the idea and came up with something cool. Now I have 2 skill challenges instead of one!

One is pretty straightforward. There is a series of checks to find and work their way into the valley itself....mostly nature and perception, an endurance check that eats a healing surge on a fail, and one obstacle that also eats a healing surge on a fail. Each fail in the first part also eats 1 hour. There's also a chance to stumble across someone that might act as a guide (that opens up the use of social skills - to convince the NPCs to help)

No matter how the skill check goes, they get into the valley and face the second one. (Failure of the first check means now its dark and the second skill check just got harder.) The primaries here are mainly stealth and perception, as they need to avoid and work around...the things they need to avoid. (think the Big Red eye of Sauron, but on a smaller scale. And there's more of em' )

Bottom line is this: How softened up are they going to be by the time they get to the big baddie at the end.

I also came up with a pretty non-cheesy way to keep them from getting the extended rest if they blow the first one and decide to camp till morning before tackling the valley. (This isn't a regular wilderness) However I also beleive in laying as many cards on the table as I can. They will know ahead of time that camping will be a crummy option. (and if they still find a workaround, then I'll let em have it.)

Anyway, thanks again. I didn't use everyone's suggestions this time, however I did file them away for future use. I'll let ya's know how it turned out.

 

[Robtheman]

If they insist on camping in the mists you can simple have them suffer from awful nightmares. Could even have them fight an encounter in their dreams. If you don't want to make them fight in their dreams you could say they only gain back 1 healing surge because their rest was sub-par.