Skill challenge

[ajanders]

I've written the following skill challenge to simulate locating a group of monsters, then either fighting them or negotiating with them.

I'd be very appreciative of any feedback people have.

Security
The PC's must identify and locate monstrous threats near the settlement, then either reach a diplomatic agreement with them or kill them.

Locating Monsters
The party searches the environment for monsters, hunting them with keen senses, quiet steps, and dogged determination.

This is a complexity 2 challenge using easy DC's for the party's level.
The party must make 6 successes before rolling three failures using any of the following skills:
Perception (The party searches for tracks and trails.)
One character can make a moderate difficulty History check to give a +2 bonus to a Perception check: this may only be done once (The party consults old records to learn where monsters were seen in the past.)
One character can make a check using one of the following skills: Streetwise, Nature, or Dungeoneering to give a +2 bonus to a Perception check. (The party consults its knowledge of the environment to figure out where to look.)
Endurance (The party calls on their inner reserves to keep hunting.)
One character can make a moderate difficulty Athletics check to give a +2 bonus to an Endurance check. (The party climbs or leaps over obstacles more effectively, allowing them to cover more ground in less time.)
Stealth (The party moves through the area quietly, surprising monsters before they have a chance to flee.)
One character can make a moderate difficulty Athletics check to give a +2 bonus to a Stealth check. (The party takes a more strenuous route through better cover.)
Success in this challenge means the party has identified the monsters and knows where they lair. The party may make monster knowledge checks if they have the appropriate skills. In addition, the party is familiar with the general layout of the monsters lair. This orientation gives them a +4 initiative if they choose to attack the monsters in a combat encounter.
Failure in this challenge means the monsters found the party first, and have made preparations. If the party chooses to fight the monsters in a combat encounter, add 1 to the level of the encounter.

Dealing with the monsters
The monsters can be fought: build a single combat encounter of a level equal to the party.
In some cases (unintelligent or irrationally hostile monsters) this may be the only option. Otherwise, the party may attempt to negotiate with the monsters.

The party attempts to make a treaty through diplomatic promises and intimidating threats.
This is a complexity 5 skill challenge using moderate DC's for the party's level. The party must achieve 12 successes before 6 failures using the following skills.

Diplomacy (The party attempts to win the monsters over through friendly persuasion)
A single character may make a moderate Insight check to grant a +2 bonus to a Diplomacy check (the character has an insight into the monster's motivations)
A single character may make a monster knowledge check about the monsters to grant a +2 bonus to a Diplomacy check , using the appropriate skill. (the character has an insight into the monster's motivations)
Intimidate (The party threatens the monsters with talk or displays of power.)
A single character may make a monster knowledge check about the monsters to grant a +2 bonus to an Intimidate check , using the appropriate skill. (the character has an insight into the monster's weaknesses)
A single character may make a moderate Athletics or Endurance check to grant a +2 to an Intimidate check. (A display of physical prowess demonstrates the party would be a dangerous opponent.)
If the party succeeded in the Locating Monsters skill check, they begin with a free success.
If the party failed in the Locating Monsters skill check, they begin with a free failure.
A party member may make a moderate Bluff check to erase a failure. This may be done multiple times by different party members, but the DC of the Bluff Check goes up by 2 every time it is tried. Failing the bluff check adds another failure.
If the party has succeeded on more Diplomacy checks than Intimidate checks, they may offer a present to the monsters in the form of goods or coin equal to one treasure parcel of their level. This adds another Diplomacy success, and cannot fail.
If the party has succeeded on more Intimidate checks than diplomacy checks, they can demonstrate their power by making an attack roll against one of the monsters. A hit adds another Intimidate success. A miss adds two failures.
If the party succeeds on this skill challenge, the monsters have been persuaded or coerced into leaving the settlement alone. They will no longer be a threat unless some external force acts upon them.
If the party fails in this skill challenge, they must fight. The party must face a combat encounter equal to their level.

 

[FireLance]

I think this could work out to be quite an interesting encounter, but I also see the potential for a couple of problems.

The first, and more minor one, is that the skills that can be used seem rather restricted. I would allow more skills to be used to earn successes, but I would limit the number of successes that can be earned with those skills to compensate.

The second, and perhaps more major one, is that the final negotiation skill challenge can wind up simply being a dice rolling exercise by the player whose character has the highest Diplomacy or Intimidate score due to the sheer number of successes (12) that is required.

I would actually structure this as a multi-stage non-combat encounter comprising several Complexity 1 skill challenges, as follows (unless stated otherwise, all checks are at Moderate difficulty):

Stage One: Information Gathering
The PCs may attempt to find out as much as they can before they even leave their base of operations. I have a theory that there are only four basic types of non-combat challenges, and I would consider this a basic Learn challenge.

Potentially Useful Skills:
History (maximum 1 success): As you mentioned, searching through historical records to discover where the monsters were seen in the past.
Monster Knowledge Check (specific skill depends on monster type, maximum 1 success): Using knowledge of the monster to narrow down the likely locations.
Streetwise (no maximum, but increase difficulty to Hard after 2 successes): Attempting to track down eyewitness accounts of the monsters' current location.

Failure Conditions:
The standard three failures model applies. A failure represents inaccurate information which creates problems for the PCs.

Automatic Successes?
Don't forget to consider the impact of rituals such as commune with nature. To simplify matters, you may rule that each question asked through the use of this ritual may be used to gain one success or negate one failure.

Constraints:
In order to prevent a small number of PCs with high skill modifiers in the relevant skills from monopolizing the challenge, impose a small cost for each subsequent action by the same character: perhaps the PCs have to pay for lodging while they are in town, or the townsfolk get impatient that the PCs are wasting time instead of working on the problem.

Moving On:
Once the PCs have succeeded or failed the challenge, subsequent checks reveal no additional information. Succeeding at the skill challenge grants one automatic success for the next stage, while failing the skill challenge imposes one automatic failure. The PCs may skip this stage and move on directly to Stage Two by starting a physical search for the monsters immediately. If so, make Stage Two a Complexity 2 skill challenge instead. If the PCs partially complete this stage before moving on to Stage Two, make Stage Two a Complexity 2 skill challenge and if the PCs have earned more successes than failures, give them a number of automatic successes equal to the difference. If the PCs have more failures than success, add the difference to the successes required.​

Stage Two: Physical Search
The PCs start physically searching for the monsters without attracting their attention. I would consider this another Learn challenge with a Move sub-challenge.

Potentially Useful Skills:
Monster Knowledge Check (specific skill depends on monster type, maximum 1 success per "turn"): Using knowledge of the monsters to find physical evidence of their presence.
Perception (no maximum): Searching for tracks and trails and other clues to the monsters' location.
Stealth: See Failure Conditions, below.

Failure Conditions:
Instead of the standard three failures model, the PCs do not accumulate failures for failing Monster Knowledge or Perception checks. Instead, each PC must make a Stealth check at the end of each "turn". The PCs gain one failure each time more than half of the PCs fail Stealth checks.

Automatic Successes?
Rituals such as commune with nature may be used to gain successes.

Constraints:
The group Stealth check and lack of consequences for failed monster knowledge and Perception checks should be sufficient to encourage participation from all the PCs.

Moving On:
If the PCs fail the challenge, the monsters surprise them and have a low opinion of them. The PCs must earn an additional success to overcome each of the subsequent challenges. If the PCs succeed, they impress the monsters and gain an automatic success in each of the subsequent challenges.​

Stage Three: The Hostile Faction
A faction within the monsters hostile to the PCs urges their comrades to attack them. I would consider this a Persuade challenge.

Potentially Useful Skills:
Insight (maximum 1 success): Attempting to sense what would make the agressors back down.
Monster Knowledge Check (specific skill depends on monster type, maximum 1 success): Using knowledge of the monsters to play on their fears.
Intimidate (no maximum): Making threats to cow the monsters.
Bluff (Hard check, no maximum): Making the party out to be more dangerous than they are.

Failure Conditions:
The standard three failures model applies. In addition, at the end of each turn in which the PCs do not earn a success, they earn an automatic failure as the hostile faction turns the monsters against the PCs.

Automatic Successes?
A sufficiently impressive daily power may be used to earn an automatic success.

Constraints:
The PCs who have not yet acted should be made aware that the mood of the monsters is turning against them if all the other PCs have failed their checks in the current turn.

Moving On:
If the PCs fail the challenge, the hostile faction persuades the rest of the monsters to attack. If the PCs succeed, they shout down the hostile faction for now and may continue to negotiate with the monsters.​

Stage Four: The Pragmatic Faction
The more pragmatic monsters demand to know how they would benefit from any deal. I would also consider this a Persuade challenge.

Potentially Useful Skills:
Diplomacy (no maximum): The difficulty of the Diplomacy check depends on the proposed benefits to the monsters. Essentially no benefits could require a Hard check or result in an automatic failure. Excellent benefits could require an Easy check or result in an automatic success.
Insight (maximum 1 success): Attempting to sense what would would be the most persuasive arguments.
Monster Knowledge Check (specific skill depends on monster type, maximum 1 success): Using knowledge of the monsters to discover what they would want.
Intimidate (Hard, no maximum): Making threats to get the monsters to agree.

Failure Conditions:
The standard three failures model applies. In addition, at the end of each turn in which the PCs do not earn a success, they earn an automatic failure as the hostile faction turns the monsters against the PCs.

Automatic Successes?
As mentioned, a good deal for the monsters may result in an automatic success.

Constraints:
The PCs who have not yet acted should be made aware that the mood of the monsters is turning against them if all the other PCs have failed their checks in the current turn.

Moving On:
If the PCs fail the challenge, the pragmatic faction sees no benefit in a deal and the monsters attack.​

Note that if you are meticulous about counting XP, this series of challenges only grants XP equivalent to about four standard monsters. If you want the PCs to earn more XP, at this stage you could have the hostile faction attack anyway (most of the monsters would not attack, so this would be an easy battle) or the pragmatic faction asks the PCs to seal the deal by doing them a favor: slaying another monster that has been harassing them, or performing another task which could require the PCs to engage in another skill challenge.