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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Asmor" data-source="post: 4214893" data-attributes="member: 1154">So this is an idea I was kicking around, and I just stumbled upon a list of all the skills (on the pregens for Keep on the Shadowfell), so I figured I'd go ahead and implement it.Step 1: Take 17 cards, and label them with the 17 skills*.Step 2: Shuffle.Step 3: Deal 4 cards out. These are the "appropriate skills."Step 4: Deal 2 cards out. These are the "unlockable skills."Step 5 (Optional): Deal 1 card out. This is the "forbidden skill."Step 6: Figure out how all the pieces fit together.Appropriate skills: These 4 skills are all require moderate difficulty checks and immediately applicable to the situtation. In addition to normal successes, succeeding on any of the appropriate skills should give some ancially benefit, such as bonuses on other checks.Unlockable skills: These 2 skills all require easy difficulty checks. The easy checks are not available at first (but see other skills, below). They don't give any additional benefits other than successes.Forbidden skill: The forbidden skill is one which will always fail, no matter what. If a player attempts to use this skill, it fails.Other skills: The remaining 11 skills may be used if the player can come up with an appropriate justification (DM's discretion), and will require hard difficulty checks. Each of the unlockable skills is treated as an "other skill" until it's unlocked.*Skills: Acrobatics, Arcana, Athletics, Bluff, Diplomacy, Dungeoneering, Endurance, Heal, History,Insight, Intimidate, Nature, Perception, Religion, Stealth, Streetwise, Thievery-------------------Okay, so time to put my money where my mouth is. After making my cards, these are literally the first ones I drew, following the method above.Appropriate skills: Arcana, Diplomacy, Stealth, HistoryUnlockable skills: Heal, ReligionForbidden skill: PerceptionAlright, let's see. Arcana, diplomacy, stealth, history. I'm thinking the PCs have to sneak into something. Perhaps a tomb.The tomb is guarded by an intelligent, but simple, undead. It's not much of a threat, but it could alert others to the PCs' presence if it's provoked.A diplomacy check will coax the undead into revealing that last week, it lost the use of its left arm. This unlocks the heal check, which a player can use to diagnose the arm (one success), discovering it's dislocated. They may then fix it (a second success) by pushing it back into its socket.A successful history check reveals that this is one of the Dark Dragon tombs, created by a cult many centuries ago. This unlocks the Religion skill, which can be used to remember one of the Dark Dragon Cult's prayers, which will help convince the undead guarding the tomb that it's okay to let them in.A stealth check can be used to distract the undead guard, allowing the PCs closer inspection of the runes covering the tomb door and granting a +2 bonus to arcana checks.An arcana check can be used to scrutinize the runes on the door and recognize the symbol of the Dark Dragon. This grants a +2 bonus on History and Religion checks.Finally, if a player attempts a perception check, the undead grows impatient with them and tells them to go away.To succeed, the players need 6 successes before they get 3 failures. If they succeed, the undead allows them passage, or they manage to otherwise sneak in without trouble. Otherwise, the undead determines that the PCs are a threat and screams, alerting others nearby.------------------Actually, I think that came out pretty good. I thought I was screwed when I got perception as my forbidden skill, but I'm happy with the whole encounter.Might be interesting to play around with the number of different cards you deal out for each category. If you're particularly adventurous, deal out one of your appropriate skills onto each of your unlockable skills, and you have to use the one to unlock the other.</blockquote>

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