Skill Challenge: Getting support from Town

[Baumi]

HiHo!

I will GM a 4E Playtest on Saturday and I want to include a Skill Challenge, but I'm not sure how I should handle it...

The Situation is that the players arrive in a small Town with a Dungeon near, that the Townsfolk need to be cleaned of Kobolds and other Creatures. They will get the quest from one of the elders and they can do a Skill Challenge for support (Items, Hints, etc.).

My Idea is that they can use Diplomacy, Steeling and Intimidation for getting Items, Nature for crafting Spears and trapping Animals, Knowledge for Hints, etc. The Problem is that I don't know what to do after they succeeded or failed the Challenge since the already received or failed to receive Help which each of the Skill-Rolls. Should I add another Bonus or Missfailure and if yes, what should it be?

 

[DeusExMachina]

Well, in this case since the skill challenge is a set-up for the next scene (facing the kobolds), whether they make it or not should impact that scene.
So you could say that if they fail the skill challenge some trator goes off and warns the kobolds that there are adventurers in town coming for them. The kobolds will have time to prepare, increase guard, set more traps and such...
If they succeed maybe somebody from the village actually comes along with the adventurers and helps them fight, or they could catch the kobolds totally offguard or sleeping because they have superior intel...

 

[smathis]

...the Townsfolk need to be cleaned of Kobolds...

Ouch! Man, that's a tough setting. The worst townspeople have in my campaigns is lice. But Kobolds!!!



Maybe if they succeed well enough a town elder can give them a handy magic item, map or scroll. There's also the possibility that the townsfolk could warn them about some traps the kobolds like to set or possible places where the kobolds are likely to ambush them.