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Message: <blockquote data-quote="FireLance" data-source="post: 5121061" data-attributes="member: 3424">My first question would be: does this really need to be a skill challenge? What you have described sounds to me like it would make a fine roleplaying encounter as it is, without the need to force it into the skill challenge format. Either way, I think it would be useful to establish the motivations of the parties involved.The PCsDo the PCs want to establish a truce between the dwarves and the elves in the first place? Would the PCs actively seek out information about falium? Is there a specific reason why it would be valuable or important to them? Has its existence even been hinted at in the campaign so far? The DwarvesWhat do the dwarves want? Do they just want to bring the charcoal back to their city? Would they initiate hostilities with the elves travelling with the PCs? How eager are they to obtain the PCs' help to fight the stone drake? What would prompt them to raise the issue in conversation with the PCs? What rewards or promises can they offer?How secretive are the dwarves about falium? Under what circumstances would it be in their interest to tell the PCs about it?What are some things that the PCs can do to get on the dwarves' good side?The ElvesWould the elves initiate hostilities against the dwarves? How much do the elves trust and/or respect the PCs, given that they have just killed a beholder gauth?If you do want to run this as a skill challenge, I think it would be best if you add some kind of constraint so that the PC with the highest Diplomacy score can't just keep making skill checks until the challenge is over. I would suggest playing up the hostility between the dwarves and the elves, so that unless the PCs can collectively succeed at 10 Moderate DC skill checks (average two per PC) within three rounds (each PC may make one skill check each round, or two if they spend an action point), both sides will attack each other. Applicable skills might be: Diplomacy and Intimidate to make the dwarves and elves back down from a fightAthletics (maximum two successes, one for each elf) to physically restrain the elves from fightingInsight (maximum two successes); the first successful check reveals that the dwarves are thirsty, the second reveals that despite their heated remarks against the elves, the dwarves are eyeing the PCs appraisingly, as if they want to ask them somethingStreetwise (maximum one success) to be aware of rumors that the dwarves are having trouble with a stone drakeOffering the dwarves a drink gets the party one automatic success (if they had not succeeded on the first Insight check, you might increase it to two)Offering to fight the stone drake gets the party one automatic success (if they had not succeeded on the second Insight check or the Streetwise check, you could increase the award by one for each check not made)</blockquote>

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