Fredrik Svanberg
First Post
Thanks to Stalker0 for inspiration, I'm sure you'll notice that I've picked up quite a few ideas from his Obsidian system. Without further ado...
Skill Challenges
Skill challenges are quite similar to regular combat. The party must reduce the hit points of a target to 0 before they themselves are defeated. However, instead of using weapons and spells the party is primarily using their skills to overcome some sort of challenge. Sometimes their powers can help them but in the end it all boils down to how skilled they are.
Challenge Types
There are three main types of challenges: mental, social and physical. The type of challenge is a shorthand for what skills the characters are expected to use to overcome it. Variations and exceptions may exist.
Mental challenges primarily use skills based on Intelligence and Wisdom. Mental challenges include solving puzzles, forming strategies, discovering clues, etc.
Social challenges primarily use skills based on Wisdom and Charisma. Social challenges include negotiating with potential allies or enemies, interrogating prisoners, entertaining guests, etc.
Physical challenges primarily use skills based on Strength, Constitution and Dexterity. Physical challenges include climbing tall mountains, crossing vast deserts or oceans, chasing or outrunning something, etc.
Player Options
Using Skills: A skill challenge usually has one or two primary skills, sometimes none, sometimes more. These skills are the most suitable for the problem at hand. When a character makes a succesful check with a primary skill it causes the most damage on the challenge (use the High value on the Normal Damage Expressions table on page 42). When a character uses a skill of the correct type (physical, mental or social) a successful check causes Medium damage. When a character uses a skill of a different type it causes Low damage on a succesful check. A natural 20 on a check causes maximum damage. Failing a skill check causes damage to the character according to the table below.
Using Powers: The exact effect of a power must be adjudicated by the DM. Most of the time the effect is obvious. Powers that grants bonuses to skill checks can be used together with the check and does not count as a separate action. A power like Spider Climb could count as an automatic critical success in lieu of an Athletics check to climb something. For these purposes Rituals also count as powers. Some skill challenges last long enough for a ritual to be performed. Sometimes a ritual or magic item can bypass a skill challenge completely if there is time to cast it. Attack powers use the DC of the challenge as defense for attack rolls when necessary.
Aid Another: The DC for aiding another character is the same as the challenge's original DC but failing on such a check does not cause the character to take damage. On a succesful check the character being aided gets a +2 bonus to its next check.
Do Nothing: A character can avoid taking damage from failed checks by simply not making any more checks. Not making checks will of course increase the chance of failing the challenge which might have greater consequences - the least of which is more damage.
Creating A Skill Challenge
To create a skill challenge, select a level and a complexity. These two variables set the difficulty of the challenge, the XP reward and the penalty for failure. On a succesful check the challenge takes damage. If the check fails the character takes damage instead. More complex challenges have more hit points and cause more damage.
Failing a check means that the character takes damage representing fatigue, loss of morale, embarrasment or actual injuries, depending on the circumstances of the challenge. To find out how much damage a failed check will cause, consult the Normal Damage Expressions in the table on page 42 in the DMG.
An Action challenge involving combat uses the value for low damage, other action challenges and dramatic challenges use medium damage values, and montage challenges use high damage values. Challenges outside of combat must cause more damage to make up for the fact that the combat situation by itself is likely to cause some damage.
Finally select a few primary skills. The primary skills will generally belong to the same type as the challenge itself but now and then a skill from a different skill category is more suitable.
Challenge Complexity
There are three levels of complexity for skill challenges. The complexity determines how long the period is - or vice versa, the length of the period can determine its complexity. The complexity also determines how tough a challenge is by setting the hit points of the challenge. The three complexities are summarized below:
Action Challenge
Period: 1 combat round
XP Reward: Same as a monster of the challenge's level
Hit points: 20 + (level x 10)
Damage: Low
DC: 14 + level
Drama Challenge
Period: 5-60 minutes
XP Reward: Same as an elite monster of the challenge's level
Hit points: 40 + (level x 20)
Damage: Medium
DC: 16 + level
Montage Challenge
Period: 1-24 hours (or more)
XP Reward: Same as a solo monster of the challenge's level
Hit points: 80 + (level x 40)
Damage: High
DC: 16 + level
Sometimes a challenge has a time limit (which is why it's necessary to know how long a period is in "real" time) but usually a challenge will go on until the challenge is overcome or the party is forced to give up. All challenges end if no skill checks are made during the period. Drama challenges ends if the party takes a short or extended rest. A montage challenge only ends when the party takes an extended rest, a short rest is allowed between each period. If a challenge has any hit points left when it ends, the party has failed. See Consequences below.
In an Action Challenge characters may be able to attempt several actions in the same period. For example, if a skill check is a move or minor action, a character can make two or three of them in a round. This is acceptable because the character must forfeit other possible combat actions or spend action points to do so.
During Dramatic and Montage challenges each character is limited to only one skill check per period, for simplicity's sake.
Balancing
For the most part there won't be a need to balance the challenges to account for party size. A small team will have a harder time facing a challenge than a large team will, and this makes perfect sense. A quick solution is to increase or decrease the challenge's hit points by 20% for each character above or below five, but remember to adjust the xp reward accordingly.
Consequences
If a character drops below 0 hit points due to a failed check during a dramatic challenge or a montage challenge, he or she stabilizes automatically but may no longer participate in the challenge. In an action challenge the fallen character follows the normal rules for damage and can rejoin the effort if he or she regains consciousness.
If the challenge fails all characters involved will take some damage. Consult the table on page 42 again but this time use the Limited Damage Expressions. Any character that has made a check, used a power or aided another character during the challenge is considered to be involved. In an action challenge all characters involved in the combat are also involved in the challenge, whether they have made any checks or not.
When a skill challenge is reduced to 0 hit points or less it ends immediately. A challenge that ends with less than 1 hit point left has been completed. In addition to the XP reward for succesfully completing the challenge the party may gain other rewards including treasure, temporary bonuses, the opportunity to retrain skills, feats or powers, useful information or pretty much anything the DM can imagine.
Examples
Level 14 Physical Action Challenge
Objective: Control your flying ship while it's under attack by screeching rocs
Period: 1 combat round
Hit points: 160; DC: 28; Check Failed: 1d10 + 6; Challenge Lost: 3d10 + 6
Skills: Primary (Acrobatics, Nature) 3d6+6; Physical 2d8+6; Other 1d10+6
Reward: 1000 xp
Level 10 Mental Action Challenge
Objective: Decipher the hieroglyphs to stop the sinking ceiling while fighting mummy guardians.
Period: 1 combat round.
Hit points: 120; DC 24; Check Failed: 1d8 + 5; Challenge Lost: 3d8 + 5
Skills: Primary (History, Perception) 3d6 + 5; Mental 2d6 + 5; Other 1d8 + 5.
Reward: 500 xp
Level 6 Social Action Challenge
Period: 1 combat round.
Hit points: 80; DC 20; Check Failed: 1d6 + 4; Challenge Lost: 3d6 + 4
Social Action: Impress the queen with your wit and charm before the noose draws too tight.
Skills: Primary (Bluff, Endurance) 2d8 + 4; Social 1d10 + 4; Other 1d6 + 4
Reward: 250 xp
Level 3 Physical Drama Challenge
Objective: Defeat the village champions in a game of medieval rugby.
Period: 5 minutes
Hit points: 100; DC 19; Check Failed: 1d10 + 3; Challenge Lost: 2d10 + 3
Skills: Primary (Athletics, Endurance) 2d6 + 3; Physical 1d10 + 3; Other 1d6 + 3
Reward: 300 xp
Level 20 Mental Drama Challenge
Objective: Defeat the grim reaper in a game of chess to save your soul.
Period: 15 minutes
Hit points: 440; DC 36; Check Failed: 3d6+8; Challenge Lost: 4d10 + 7
Skills: Primary (History, Insight) 3d8 + 8; Mental 3d6 + 8; Other 2d6 +
Reward: 2800 xp
Level 8 Social Drama Challenge
Objective: Declare your love to the princess without her parents noticing.
Period: 30 minutes
Hit points: 200; DC 24: Check Failed 2d6 + 5; Challenge Lost: 3d10 + 5
Skills: Primary (Diplomacy, Stealth) 2d8 + 5; Social 2d6 + 5; Other 1d8 + 5
Reward: 700 xp
Level 4 Physical Montage
Objective: Learn to counter your opponent's signature move before your duel at dawn.
Period: 1 hour; Limit: 18 hours.
Hit Points: 240; DC 20; Check Failed 2d8 + 4; Challenge Lost 3d10 + 4
Skills: Primary (Endurance, Insight) 2d8 + 4; Physical 1d10 + 4; Other: 1d6 + 4
Reward: 875 xp, and you can force your opponent to reroll once during the duel.
Level 12 Mental Montage
Objective: Create a makeshift war chariot from scratch before the zombie army arrives.
Period: 2 hours; Limit 48 hours.
Hit points: 560; DC 28; Check Failed 3d6 + 5; Challenge Lost 4d10 + 5
Skills: Primary (Thievery) 3d6 + 5; Mental 2d6 + 5; Other 1d8 + 5
Reward: 3500 xp, and you gain access to the war chariot for the zombie army encounter!
Level 1 Social Montage
Objective: Find a desperate buyer for your level 1 magic item.
Period: 4 hours
Hit points: 120; DC 15; Check Failed 2d6 + 3; Challenge Lost 3d8 + 3
Skills: Primary (Streetwise, Arcana) 2d6 + 3; Social 1d10 + 3; Other 1d6 + 3
Reward: 500 xp, and you get to sell your magic item for 40%!
Skill Challenges
Skill challenges are quite similar to regular combat. The party must reduce the hit points of a target to 0 before they themselves are defeated. However, instead of using weapons and spells the party is primarily using their skills to overcome some sort of challenge. Sometimes their powers can help them but in the end it all boils down to how skilled they are.
Challenge Types
There are three main types of challenges: mental, social and physical. The type of challenge is a shorthand for what skills the characters are expected to use to overcome it. Variations and exceptions may exist.
Mental challenges primarily use skills based on Intelligence and Wisdom. Mental challenges include solving puzzles, forming strategies, discovering clues, etc.
Social challenges primarily use skills based on Wisdom and Charisma. Social challenges include negotiating with potential allies or enemies, interrogating prisoners, entertaining guests, etc.
Physical challenges primarily use skills based on Strength, Constitution and Dexterity. Physical challenges include climbing tall mountains, crossing vast deserts or oceans, chasing or outrunning something, etc.
Player Options
Using Skills: A skill challenge usually has one or two primary skills, sometimes none, sometimes more. These skills are the most suitable for the problem at hand. When a character makes a succesful check with a primary skill it causes the most damage on the challenge (use the High value on the Normal Damage Expressions table on page 42). When a character uses a skill of the correct type (physical, mental or social) a successful check causes Medium damage. When a character uses a skill of a different type it causes Low damage on a succesful check. A natural 20 on a check causes maximum damage. Failing a skill check causes damage to the character according to the table below.
Using Powers: The exact effect of a power must be adjudicated by the DM. Most of the time the effect is obvious. Powers that grants bonuses to skill checks can be used together with the check and does not count as a separate action. A power like Spider Climb could count as an automatic critical success in lieu of an Athletics check to climb something. For these purposes Rituals also count as powers. Some skill challenges last long enough for a ritual to be performed. Sometimes a ritual or magic item can bypass a skill challenge completely if there is time to cast it. Attack powers use the DC of the challenge as defense for attack rolls when necessary.
Aid Another: The DC for aiding another character is the same as the challenge's original DC but failing on such a check does not cause the character to take damage. On a succesful check the character being aided gets a +2 bonus to its next check.
Do Nothing: A character can avoid taking damage from failed checks by simply not making any more checks. Not making checks will of course increase the chance of failing the challenge which might have greater consequences - the least of which is more damage.
Creating A Skill Challenge
To create a skill challenge, select a level and a complexity. These two variables set the difficulty of the challenge, the XP reward and the penalty for failure. On a succesful check the challenge takes damage. If the check fails the character takes damage instead. More complex challenges have more hit points and cause more damage.
Failing a check means that the character takes damage representing fatigue, loss of morale, embarrasment or actual injuries, depending on the circumstances of the challenge. To find out how much damage a failed check will cause, consult the Normal Damage Expressions in the table on page 42 in the DMG.
An Action challenge involving combat uses the value for low damage, other action challenges and dramatic challenges use medium damage values, and montage challenges use high damage values. Challenges outside of combat must cause more damage to make up for the fact that the combat situation by itself is likely to cause some damage.
Finally select a few primary skills. The primary skills will generally belong to the same type as the challenge itself but now and then a skill from a different skill category is more suitable.
Challenge Complexity
There are three levels of complexity for skill challenges. The complexity determines how long the period is - or vice versa, the length of the period can determine its complexity. The complexity also determines how tough a challenge is by setting the hit points of the challenge. The three complexities are summarized below:
Action Challenge
Period: 1 combat round
XP Reward: Same as a monster of the challenge's level
Hit points: 20 + (level x 10)
Damage: Low
DC: 14 + level
Drama Challenge
Period: 5-60 minutes
XP Reward: Same as an elite monster of the challenge's level
Hit points: 40 + (level x 20)
Damage: Medium
DC: 16 + level
Montage Challenge
Period: 1-24 hours (or more)
XP Reward: Same as a solo monster of the challenge's level
Hit points: 80 + (level x 40)
Damage: High
DC: 16 + level
Sometimes a challenge has a time limit (which is why it's necessary to know how long a period is in "real" time) but usually a challenge will go on until the challenge is overcome or the party is forced to give up. All challenges end if no skill checks are made during the period. Drama challenges ends if the party takes a short or extended rest. A montage challenge only ends when the party takes an extended rest, a short rest is allowed between each period. If a challenge has any hit points left when it ends, the party has failed. See Consequences below.
In an Action Challenge characters may be able to attempt several actions in the same period. For example, if a skill check is a move or minor action, a character can make two or three of them in a round. This is acceptable because the character must forfeit other possible combat actions or spend action points to do so.
During Dramatic and Montage challenges each character is limited to only one skill check per period, for simplicity's sake.
Balancing
For the most part there won't be a need to balance the challenges to account for party size. A small team will have a harder time facing a challenge than a large team will, and this makes perfect sense. A quick solution is to increase or decrease the challenge's hit points by 20% for each character above or below five, but remember to adjust the xp reward accordingly.
Consequences
If a character drops below 0 hit points due to a failed check during a dramatic challenge or a montage challenge, he or she stabilizes automatically but may no longer participate in the challenge. In an action challenge the fallen character follows the normal rules for damage and can rejoin the effort if he or she regains consciousness.
If the challenge fails all characters involved will take some damage. Consult the table on page 42 again but this time use the Limited Damage Expressions. Any character that has made a check, used a power or aided another character during the challenge is considered to be involved. In an action challenge all characters involved in the combat are also involved in the challenge, whether they have made any checks or not.
When a skill challenge is reduced to 0 hit points or less it ends immediately. A challenge that ends with less than 1 hit point left has been completed. In addition to the XP reward for succesfully completing the challenge the party may gain other rewards including treasure, temporary bonuses, the opportunity to retrain skills, feats or powers, useful information or pretty much anything the DM can imagine.
Examples
Level 14 Physical Action Challenge
Objective: Control your flying ship while it's under attack by screeching rocs
Period: 1 combat round
Hit points: 160; DC: 28; Check Failed: 1d10 + 6; Challenge Lost: 3d10 + 6
Skills: Primary (Acrobatics, Nature) 3d6+6; Physical 2d8+6; Other 1d10+6
Reward: 1000 xp
Level 10 Mental Action Challenge
Objective: Decipher the hieroglyphs to stop the sinking ceiling while fighting mummy guardians.
Period: 1 combat round.
Hit points: 120; DC 24; Check Failed: 1d8 + 5; Challenge Lost: 3d8 + 5
Skills: Primary (History, Perception) 3d6 + 5; Mental 2d6 + 5; Other 1d8 + 5.
Reward: 500 xp
Level 6 Social Action Challenge
Period: 1 combat round.
Hit points: 80; DC 20; Check Failed: 1d6 + 4; Challenge Lost: 3d6 + 4
Social Action: Impress the queen with your wit and charm before the noose draws too tight.
Skills: Primary (Bluff, Endurance) 2d8 + 4; Social 1d10 + 4; Other 1d6 + 4
Reward: 250 xp
Level 3 Physical Drama Challenge
Objective: Defeat the village champions in a game of medieval rugby.
Period: 5 minutes
Hit points: 100; DC 19; Check Failed: 1d10 + 3; Challenge Lost: 2d10 + 3
Skills: Primary (Athletics, Endurance) 2d6 + 3; Physical 1d10 + 3; Other 1d6 + 3
Reward: 300 xp
Level 20 Mental Drama Challenge
Objective: Defeat the grim reaper in a game of chess to save your soul.
Period: 15 minutes
Hit points: 440; DC 36; Check Failed: 3d6+8; Challenge Lost: 4d10 + 7
Skills: Primary (History, Insight) 3d8 + 8; Mental 3d6 + 8; Other 2d6 +
Reward: 2800 xp
Level 8 Social Drama Challenge
Objective: Declare your love to the princess without her parents noticing.
Period: 30 minutes
Hit points: 200; DC 24: Check Failed 2d6 + 5; Challenge Lost: 3d10 + 5
Skills: Primary (Diplomacy, Stealth) 2d8 + 5; Social 2d6 + 5; Other 1d8 + 5
Reward: 700 xp
Level 4 Physical Montage
Objective: Learn to counter your opponent's signature move before your duel at dawn.
Period: 1 hour; Limit: 18 hours.
Hit Points: 240; DC 20; Check Failed 2d8 + 4; Challenge Lost 3d10 + 4
Skills: Primary (Endurance, Insight) 2d8 + 4; Physical 1d10 + 4; Other: 1d6 + 4
Reward: 875 xp, and you can force your opponent to reroll once during the duel.
Level 12 Mental Montage
Objective: Create a makeshift war chariot from scratch before the zombie army arrives.
Period: 2 hours; Limit 48 hours.
Hit points: 560; DC 28; Check Failed 3d6 + 5; Challenge Lost 4d10 + 5
Skills: Primary (Thievery) 3d6 + 5; Mental 2d6 + 5; Other 1d8 + 5
Reward: 3500 xp, and you gain access to the war chariot for the zombie army encounter!
Level 1 Social Montage
Objective: Find a desperate buyer for your level 1 magic item.
Period: 4 hours
Hit points: 120; DC 15; Check Failed 2d6 + 3; Challenge Lost 3d8 + 3
Skills: Primary (Streetwise, Arcana) 2d6 + 3; Social 1d10 + 3; Other 1d6 + 3
Reward: 500 xp, and you get to sell your magic item for 40%!
