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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Pvt. Winslow" data-source="post: 6551073" data-attributes="member: 6779864">I'm actually coming up with blanks on how I would do this for a "skill challenge" I made. Usually, I make it a point to think of multiple outcomes to any skill challenge I propose, so that no matter the number of successes or failures the PC's get, I have some ideas of what might happen. I still leave it up to the moment, with the option to throw out my other ideas depending on player input, but I find having some prep down before hand really helps.Here's an example of a skill challenge I just did last Monday.The party arrived after their two day trek in Old Brehm, a sleepy little logging village far to the south. Their companion Wendy (the scholar they rescued earlier) needed to do research in the town, deciphering some old journals in order to put together an ancient "treasure map" that would lead them to the last known resting place of a legendary sky ship. I laid out the goal to the PC's, to help Wendy find the signs that would complete her map, and I had Wendy show them the journals, which were written in a bizzare, archaic Common that might have been some kind of cipher.I then went around the table, asking each player how their character would help make progress towards the party's goal. Because some of them are new, I made some suggestions, such as helping Wendy decipher the notes (a History check), asking around the town about some of signs Wendy already deciphered (a Persuasion check), or just trying to find the odd clues themselves through searching (a Perception check). Little did the PC's know, they were being shadowed by more members of a rival group, trying to reach the sky ship before they did. I designed the challenge to have 3 possible conclusions. If the PC's failed, not earning at least 7 successes in 2 passes (sort of rounds, but much longer than 6 seconds), then they would spend hours searching to no avail, giving up in frustration for the day. However, as soon as they let Wendy out of their sight, she would have been kidnapped just as she made a startling revelation that deciphered the map. The PC's had a ring that allowed them to telepathically communicate with Wendy, so unknown to her kidnappers, she would be relaying to the PC's where the enemies were taking her (which was towards the mountains).If the PC's tied or achieved at least 8 successes, they would decipher the journals at dusk, and during their celebrating, would be accosted by the rival group, demanding they hand over the journals. It would be a combat with both sides aware of each other.If the PC's had succeeded with 9 or more successes, they would stumble onto the trail miraculously quick, saving themselves half a day in the race to the sky ship, and during their search they would become aware of their pursuers. This would allow them to set an ambush if they so chose, or perhaps confront them and use dialogue to get them to stand down. Whatever the PC's wished.In the end, the Party got 7 successes, so there was a battle (in which they fought in the village's market square and ruined quite a few wagons and stalls, angering the village), and deciphered their map. Wendy was nearly killed by an errant fireball, and they were forced to leave her in the village to recover from her wounds. She's advising them telepathically from her sick bed, acting as their Oracle (oho, Batman reference). Okay, that explanation kind of got away from me. Basically, iserith, do you have some examples of times you let the party determine what failure would look like? If in my example I hadn't thought of a few end results, I'm not sure I could have done as satisfying a job if I'd just winged it. I made sure to have a town square map ready to go, along with the enemy tokens and stat blocks, should combat break out. I also designed the magic silver ring the PC's now have, including a picture and a hand out, which they think is quite cool.</blockquote>

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