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Message: <blockquote data-quote="iserith" data-source="post: 6667277" data-attributes="member: 97077">Taking a page from Apocalypse Now, the captain of the boat (or perhaps several of the most capable hands on the boat) is taken out by a spear or arrow loosed from somewhere on the riverbank. The assailants are well-hidden by the terrain, but the PCs get some glimpses of the enemy here and there - enough to intrigue them and build tension.Now you start presenting complications for the PCs to overcome, perhaps one per character. Make a short list of complications, keywords or short phrases that will allow you to frame a scene. The first one might be Slings & Arrows: The boat is under attack from hidden assailants, the barge being pelted with arrows and slings which threaten to hit the PCs and additional members of the crew. What do the PCs do to deal with this threat? <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?453707-How-to-Adjudicate-Actions-in-D-amp-D-5e" target="_blank">Adjudicate accordingly</a>. If they succeed, they avoid damage and protect the crew as the barge moves by the threat. If they fail, they take damage or the crew does, their choice. If they choose the latter, the boat becomes harder to control as they approach the rapids. (For example.)If you've got four PCs, add another three complications. Raging Rapids. Treacherous Rocks. Hole in the Hull. Or maybe Lost Cargo or Man Overboard. Present each of these complications in a pithy and engaging way that makes clear the stakes for winning and losing. Then ask, "What do you do?" Again, adjudicate accordingly.Assess how they did at the end of the challenge and narrate the aftermath. Award XP for overcoming a non-combat challenge.</blockquote>

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