Out running a temple

[Dragongrief]

I'm looking for help with a skill challenge.

In my next game the characters may find themselves fleeing down a mountain from a collapsing temple (depending how the preceding encounter goes).

Unfortunately I'm having difficulty thinking of a way to keep it exciting. The goal of the challenge is to navigate to a safe area without getting too beat up (there will be a "boss fight" shortly afterwards).

Dungeoneering and Nature seemed like the best options for success, with Acrobatics and Athletics to avoid injury.

How would you handle the situation?

 

[Taed]

You could use wooden blocks (Jenga) with the minis to show the temple collapsing. Each turn, they could either run faster which would get them out of the area faster, or run a bit slower which would give them +5 or so to their Acrobatics to dodge the blocks. Or maybe some sort of attack against Reflex. Each block would randomly strike an area (use two d10s for the coordinates or something) and do 1d10 or so damage. Or you could mold it after the Wizard Meteor Storm spell -- although that does 8d6, which is quite a bit of damage.

Just some off-the-cuff ideas...

 

[jcayer]

I recently ran a skill challenge that might give you some ideas. The characters were being chased across a large open area, with ghouls closing in from every side.

This diverges a bit from the typical skill challenge, but it played VERY well.
Everyone needs to get 6 endurance successes.

Round 1, every starts running
Round 2, everyone makes a DC x endurance check. If they succeed, they advance one. If they fail, it gets interesting. In my scenario, a miss meant a ghoul attacked them, so they could use any skill or power to try to avoid it. I left what they did completely open to their descriptions, and then we put a skill on it. In some cases, it was as simple as an acrobatics check, someone cast thunderwave(arcane check), bulled a ghoul over with a shield(athletics) etc. It was really neat to see how inventive the players became. Everytime they used a skill, the DC went up by 2, to try to discourage reuse. If they failed this check,a ghoul got to attack them and potentially deal damage.
Every subsequent round, the endurance DC increase...start it low, because by the end, it will be a minimum of 12 higher.
When they got to 6, they were across the plain and safe.

So in your case, the first half works well, if they can keep making the endurance checks, they keep advancing...Fey step, teleportation, flight, etc all allowed a free advance, but I didn't tell them that. When the Eladrin Fey stepped, everyone was amazed. 2 guys temporarily had flying and didn't think to use it.

Anyway, if they fail the endurance check, let them describe how they want to avoid some debris. A perception check to see if anything is coming their way, an acrobatics/athletics check to avoid something, nature to try to determine an easier trail, leave it up to them. If they fail this check, damage. Maybe on a natural 1, they fall prone and can't advance the next turn because they have to get up.

I hope this gave you some ideas. Good luck.

 

[Zaran]

While I do not like how the GM from Critical Hits does alot of things, I do like how he does Skill Challenges.

Let the players choose what skills they want to use for each round. Ask them how they would use that skill for that partiuclar challenge. If the idea is plausible then let them do it. This keeps them involved in the challenge and not on die rolls. Don't let them use the same skill twice in a roll. Also don't let them use a skill if it's already used by another character in the same round.

Since they have a fight at the end I would not do direct damage to them on failures. I would take healing surges from them.

 

[Markn]

Based on the title, I was expecting a lot of gazeebo jokes in this thread.

 

[Zaran]

Yeah I was going to say something like "It should be easy, temples don't run that fast!" but he literally meant outrunning an actual building"

 

[KarinsDad]

I wouldn't make it Endurance checks, I would make two Athletics and/or Acrobatics checks per round.

For each check made, the PC advances. If the check is failed, debris potentially hits the PC (Reflex to hit is probably best). If the PC is hit, the PC takes some damage and is also knocked prone, resulting in a move action having to be wasted standing back up. Otherwise, the check failure just means that the PC got caught in a dead end or couldn't advance for another reason.

PCs who make their checks can Aid Another other PCs who are moving next to them (the classic grab the arm of the person next to you and pull them along). The definition of "moves next to them" might be anyone who is within 1 success of the PC assisting. PCs who get ahead cannot assist PCs who fall behind, but they can waste move actions waiting for the failing PCs to catch up, etc.

The PCs have to advance x moves in y time. For example, you could make it that each PC has to advance 8 times in 6 rounds (or 12 move actions) to get to a totally safe area. If a PC gets knocked prone twice, that would mean that the PC wastes 2 of the 12 move actions standing back up, and wastes 2 of the 12 move actions failing the checks, and will still be make the check 8 times and succeed. If the PC is never hit and knocked prone, they could still fail 4 of the 12 checks and still succeed (they could fail 5 of 12 and succeed if they use an action point for a move action if they never get knocked prone).

Make the chance to hit with debris and the DCs for the checks low if you want them to have good chances to succeed, higher if you want to challenge them (and possibly force them to use other skills or powers to help out).

 

[Prestidigitalis]

It's a temple, right? Religion check!

 

[Dragongrief]

Thanks for the suggestions so far

Taed: Jenga would be fun, but we already have the Kitty of Doom that makes occasional appearances on the map. I do like the thought of somehow doing speed vs safety.

jcayer: What DC did you start with? My characters are L4, and the ones I expect are attending are generally the more physically oriented.

KarinsDad: Would you require both checks to be successful to avoid debris, or just one of them? Or would one failed = damage, 2 failed = also prone be more along your thoughts?

Markn/Zaran: I believe in Truth in Advertising (or Titling in this case)

I do like the idea of allowing creative options for the skill use as well. Probably as a "one time" replacement for a 'normal' skill.

 

[KarinsDad]

KarinsDad: Would you require both checks to be successful to avoid debris, or just one of them? Or would one failed = damage, 2 failed = also prone be more along your thoughts?

one failed roll = possible damage, if the Reflex roll by the debris raining down fails, the PC doesn't take damage and is not knocked down. If the Reflex roll hits, then it is damage plus knock down.

The two rolls were merely the normal two normal move actions per round.

Example:

Round one: Fred rolls Athletics. He makes it. Fred rolls a second Athletics on round one. He fails. The DM rolls a Reflex debris against Fred and fails. Round one over for Fred. Fred has one success.

Round two: Fred rolls Athletics. He makes it. Fred rolls a second Athletics on round two. He makes it again. Fred has three successes.

Round three: Fred rolls Athletics. He fails. The DM rolls a Reflex debris against Fred and succeeds. Fred takes damage and is knocked down. Since he is prone, he uses his second move action that round to stand up. Fred still has three successes.

He has to succeed 8 times in 6 rounds and he has so far only succeeded 3 times in 3 rounds. He's got to get luckier or have help.