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Planning Social Challenges like a Dungeon?
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<blockquote data-quote="KRussellB" data-source="post: 6990433" data-attributes="member: 6864429"><p>So many great ideas!!!</p><p></p><p>I <strong>love</strong> the structure of Wants, Fears, Believes.</p><p></p><p>One way I want to improve my social challenges is by adding the factor of <strong>time</strong>. I've noticed that my dungeons have many different scenes (usually broken up by different rooms), but my social challenges have only one or two scenes. In fact, thinking of scenes, I think I can plan out a social challenge using <strong>scenes like rooms</strong>.</p><p></p><p>Here's how I'd normally plan out a dungeon:</p><p></p><p><strong>Room 1: Antechamber</strong></p><p><em>Description: You see a big ol' room with columns, etc.</em></p><p><strong>Doors:</strong> There are two doors. One is a locked door (DC 11) that leads to Room 2. One is a door with a pit trap (DC 15, 2d10 dmg) that leads to Room 3.</p><p><strong>Enemies:</strong> Bugbear, orc x3, rust monster</p><p><strong>Other Features:</strong> Trap (tripwire, DC 13, 1d10 dmg), Hidden Treasure (100 gp, DC 10 to find)</p><p>And so on.</p><p></p><p>Instead of rooms, however, my social challenge could go scene by scene. This, by the way, is not really based on any upcoming adventures. It's just an exercise. I'm planning it out with the Dungeon World style assumption that this is what each NPC will do if the characters do not interfere. Just like in a dungeon, the characters will of course do what I least suspect.</p><p></p><p><strong>Scene 1: Argument in the Courtroom</strong></p><p><em>Description:</em> The king sits upon his throne. To each side of him is an influential figure: the army commander scowling to his left, the high priestess menacingly stroking her eyebrows to his right. You have his attention. (Characters make argument). The army commander and high priestess start arguing, until the king demands a recess from the court to deliberate.</p><p><strong>Exits:</strong> The army commander goes to consult his mentor, a retired adventurer, in the Map Room (Scene 2A). The High Priestess storms off to pull books in the Library to support her argument (Scene 2B). The King will go visit his toddler son (Scene 2C)</p><p><strong>NPC's:</strong> King Hesitatious (wants: to pass a secure kingdom onto his son, fears: dark forces from the dungeons, believes: inaction is a good defense), Commander Angrypants (wants: to end the stream of monsters coming from the dungeons, fears: his army is too weak to stop the invasion of monsters, believes: too much of the kingdom's wealth is going to magic research), Priestess Futura (wants: to harness the magic of the dungeons, fears: the demon lord Yulthang who rules the dungeons, believes: the next age of magic is upon us).</p><p></p><p><strong>Scene 2A: Maps!</strong></p><p><em>Description:</em> Commander Angrypants stands over a map with his mentor, Oldus Adventurous. They are pointing out the various dungeons that the characters are interested, and hemming and hawing.</p><p><strong>Exits:</strong> Commander Angrypants will go down to the prison cells to torture a local orc (Scene 3A), Oldus Adventurous will go plead with Priestess Futura in the Courtroom to hear out Angrypants' plan (Scene 3B).</p><p><strong>NPC's:</strong> Commander Angrypants, Oldus Adventurous (wants: to keep his bastard son (Angrypants!) safe, fears: Angrypants falling to the dark side and going to the dungeons himself, believes: everyone needs to chill out and work together).</p><p></p><p><strong>Scene 2B: The Library!</strong></p><p><em>Description:</em> Priestess Futura wildly pulls scrolls and old tomes from the walls, trying to find more information on the dark lord Yulthang to convince the King that the power of the dungeons must be harnessed by the forces of good (or at least <em>her </em>forces of good!).</p><p><strong>Exits:</strong> Once she finds the Book of Vile Yulthang, Futura will go to her Scrying Pool to try to spy on the dark lord (Scene 3C).</p><p><strong>NPC's:</strong> Priestess Futura, Librarian Bookus (wants: to retrieve lost books from the dungeons, fears: Futura is working for the dark lord Yulthang (incorrect), believes: the king is wise to spend his wealth on knowledge and magic).</p><p></p><p><strong>Scene 2C: The Nursery</strong></p><p><em>Description</em> The king plays ball with his toddler son. There's a portrait of the queen who passed away this last summer. The boy's nurse rocks in a chair, knitting something.</p><p><strong>Exits:</strong> The king will go to the Library to read up on history in order to better understand the current conflict (Scene 3D), the Nurse will take the prince out into the Courtroom to stretch his legs (Scene 3B).</p><p><strong>NPC's:</strong> King Hesitatious, Nurse Oldwisey (wants: the prince to grow up strong, unlike the old king, fears: Commander Angrypants will find a way for the prince to die and take command of the kingdom, believes: the god Believeus speaks to her in her sleep, though it's actually the dark lord Yulthang!), Prince Toddler (wants: to eat a cookie, fears: orcs under his bed, believes: naps are the worst!).</p><p></p><p>And so on! In each scene, the characters can split up to pursue multiple NPC's, or just follow one. Meanwhile, the other NPC's will be moving around, doing things. Each time the characters uncover a Want, Fear, or Belief, they can then use that knowledge to gain advantage on future rolls.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="KRussellB, post: 6990433, member: 6864429"] So many great ideas!!! I [B]love[/B] the structure of Wants, Fears, Believes. One way I want to improve my social challenges is by adding the factor of [B]time[/B]. I've noticed that my dungeons have many different scenes (usually broken up by different rooms), but my social challenges have only one or two scenes. In fact, thinking of scenes, I think I can plan out a social challenge using [B]scenes like rooms[/B]. Here's how I'd normally plan out a dungeon: [B]Room 1: Antechamber[/B] [I]Description: You see a big ol' room with columns, etc.[/I] [B]Doors:[/B] There are two doors. One is a locked door (DC 11) that leads to Room 2. One is a door with a pit trap (DC 15, 2d10 dmg) that leads to Room 3. [B]Enemies:[/B] Bugbear, orc x3, rust monster [B]Other Features:[/B] Trap (tripwire, DC 13, 1d10 dmg), Hidden Treasure (100 gp, DC 10 to find) And so on. Instead of rooms, however, my social challenge could go scene by scene. This, by the way, is not really based on any upcoming adventures. It's just an exercise. I'm planning it out with the Dungeon World style assumption that this is what each NPC will do if the characters do not interfere. Just like in a dungeon, the characters will of course do what I least suspect. [B]Scene 1: Argument in the Courtroom[/B] [I]Description:[/I] The king sits upon his throne. To each side of him is an influential figure: the army commander scowling to his left, the high priestess menacingly stroking her eyebrows to his right. You have his attention. (Characters make argument). The army commander and high priestess start arguing, until the king demands a recess from the court to deliberate. [B]Exits:[/B] The army commander goes to consult his mentor, a retired adventurer, in the Map Room (Scene 2A). The High Priestess storms off to pull books in the Library to support her argument (Scene 2B). The King will go visit his toddler son (Scene 2C) [B]NPC's:[/B] King Hesitatious (wants: to pass a secure kingdom onto his son, fears: dark forces from the dungeons, believes: inaction is a good defense), Commander Angrypants (wants: to end the stream of monsters coming from the dungeons, fears: his army is too weak to stop the invasion of monsters, believes: too much of the kingdom's wealth is going to magic research), Priestess Futura (wants: to harness the magic of the dungeons, fears: the demon lord Yulthang who rules the dungeons, believes: the next age of magic is upon us). [B]Scene 2A: Maps![/B] [I]Description:[/I] Commander Angrypants stands over a map with his mentor, Oldus Adventurous. They are pointing out the various dungeons that the characters are interested, and hemming and hawing. [B]Exits:[/B] Commander Angrypants will go down to the prison cells to torture a local orc (Scene 3A), Oldus Adventurous will go plead with Priestess Futura in the Courtroom to hear out Angrypants' plan (Scene 3B). [B]NPC's:[/B] Commander Angrypants, Oldus Adventurous (wants: to keep his bastard son (Angrypants!) safe, fears: Angrypants falling to the dark side and going to the dungeons himself, believes: everyone needs to chill out and work together). [B]Scene 2B: The Library![/B] [I]Description:[/I] Priestess Futura wildly pulls scrolls and old tomes from the walls, trying to find more information on the dark lord Yulthang to convince the King that the power of the dungeons must be harnessed by the forces of good (or at least [I]her [/I]forces of good!). [B]Exits:[/B] Once she finds the Book of Vile Yulthang, Futura will go to her Scrying Pool to try to spy on the dark lord (Scene 3C). [B]NPC's:[/B] Priestess Futura, Librarian Bookus (wants: to retrieve lost books from the dungeons, fears: Futura is working for the dark lord Yulthang (incorrect), believes: the king is wise to spend his wealth on knowledge and magic). [B]Scene 2C: The Nursery[/B] [I]Description[/I] The king plays ball with his toddler son. There's a portrait of the queen who passed away this last summer. The boy's nurse rocks in a chair, knitting something. [B]Exits:[/B] The king will go to the Library to read up on history in order to better understand the current conflict (Scene 3D), the Nurse will take the prince out into the Courtroom to stretch his legs (Scene 3B). [B]NPC's:[/B] King Hesitatious, Nurse Oldwisey (wants: the prince to grow up strong, unlike the old king, fears: Commander Angrypants will find a way for the prince to die and take command of the kingdom, believes: the god Believeus speaks to her in her sleep, though it's actually the dark lord Yulthang!), Prince Toddler (wants: to eat a cookie, fears: orcs under his bed, believes: naps are the worst!). And so on! In each scene, the characters can split up to pursue multiple NPC's, or just follow one. Meanwhile, the other NPC's will be moving around, doing things. Each time the characters uncover a Want, Fear, or Belief, they can then use that knowledge to gain advantage on future rolls. [/QUOTE]
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