First off I just want to say that this system is more in line of what I think they were originally trying to accomplish with skill challenges, and I applaude you for your efforts.
So here is an example challenge that I'm putting together for a mod I'm making.
T2 The Line
Skill Challenge (Using Stalker0’s Obsidian rules)
Social Challenge (complexity 1, DC 18, Total Success: 7 Successes, Partial Success: 5-6 Successes, Failure: 4 or less successes)
XP: Total Success: 300xp; Partial Success 150xp
Primary Skills: Diplomacy, Streetwise (use of these skills grants a +2 bonus)
Goal: Find information about the kobold attacks, and try to determine the general location of the lair.
Total Success: Grant a +2 bonus to all skill checks to take place in part 2 of the skill challenge (see
T4)
Partial Success: Grant a +1 bonus to all skill checks to take place in part 2 of the skill challenge (see
T4)
Failure: No bonuses granted to skill checks in part 2 of the skill challenge (see
T4)
Roll initiative just to determine an order the PC’s will act in for simplicity or allow the players to decide what order they would like to act in. The challenge will last for three rounds and each player gets to act once each round, no aiding.
GM Notes: Let the players talk to whoever they want and just try to make each NPC interesting. Below is some information to help roleplay the encounter as well as some information that they will hopefully uncover:
Streetwise: - The names of the merchants caravans that have been attacked
- Dorrin Battlehammer (deals mostly arms and armor)
- Dax Jorsen (deals in all sorts of things)
- Marisa Monteclair(deals in clothing and textiles)
- Emeraldagent (deals in all sorts of things)
- Could also find guard or wagon driver of the most recent attack that could give them information on where the last attack took place
Diplomacy: - Mostly used to talk to the merchants, captain of the guard and other contacts revealed through the use of Streetwise.
- Dorrin Battlehammer: Gruff middle aged dwarf, tanned skin, salt-n-peppered hair, and a big bulbous nose. He is both a merchant and a smith; he takes orders, crafts the weapons and armor and then delivers them. In the past three years he’s had three shipments of his stolen. All three were heading north out of town and were hit not more than 5 miles away from town.
- Dax Jorsen: Human male, mid 30’s, slightly balding brown hair, brown eyes, light skin. Well dressed in fine clothing and lots of jewelry. His shop is filled with all sorts of odds and ends, lamps, pottery, jewelry, rope, bags and boxes filled with who knows what (think car salesmen when roleplaying Dax, try to sell the PC’s anything). Getting information from Dax isn’t easy but they can find out that in the past three years 6 of his shipments have been hit no more than 5 miles to the north and east of town.
- Marisa Monteclair: Human female, mid 30’s, slightly overweight, and bleached blonde hair, blue eyes, fair skin. Very well dressed, and well put together. Her shop acts as both a clothing store as well as it has an attached tailoring shop. Her shop is bustling with activity and while the players are talking to her she’ll order her sweatshop workers around and in the same breath try to sell them a Montelcair original. In the past 3 years 4 of her shipments were hit by the kobolds, 2 were heading north and 2 were heading east.
- Emeraldagent: Human male, mid 20’s, dark hair, brown eyes, tanned skin, and a handlebar mustache. He’s in very good shape and wears a suit of green leather armor and has a rapier hanging off his belt. His shop is filled with many boxes, bags and chests, as well as lots of tools, mining equipment, and other odds and ends. The most interesting thing in his shop is a metallic bird, which he calls, metalbird. Have metalbird squawk out all sorts of inappropriate things during any discussions with Emeraldagent. He is very friendly and forthcoming with information, all lies of course as he is a very skilled bluffer (DC 25 versus players passive insight). He will tell the players that his first caravan was attacked about 3 years ago and that he’s lost about 6 in total over the past 3 years. He doesn’t seem to recall where the wagons were heading or coming from.
- Merrin Lynch (captain of the guard): Human Male, early 30’s, blonde hair, green eyes, worn skin, with a crescent moon scar on his right cheek. Wears scale mail armor and a tabard with the Breeland standard on it. Gruff and to the point. He will tell the players, that the kobolds have been an issue for some time, and that they had attempted to send out a couple of decoy caravans, but the kobolds never attacked any of their decoys. Also, it seems the kobolds seem to know which caravans are heavily guarded and which are not and they only attack the weakly guarded ones. He doesn’t have enough manpower to scour the woods looking for them to put an end to their raiding. He could be negotiated with to provide an award of up to 100 gp for putting an end to the kobold problem.
At the end of the skill challenge pass or fail they should have a rough idea of where to go about searching for the kobolds.
T4 On the Trail
Skill Challenge (Using Stalker0’s Obsidian rules)
Mental Challenge (complexity 2, DC 19, Total Success: 7 Successes, Partial Success: 5-6 Successes, Failure: 4 or less successes)
XP: Total Success: 400xp; Partial Success 200xp
Primary Skills: Nature, Perception (use of these skills grants a +2 bonus)
All Skills: Total Success from T2: +2; Partial Success from T2: +1
Goal: Find the kobold lair
Total Success: The PC’s find the kobold lair without being noticed and can ambush the guards in
C1 (give the players a surprise round)
Partial Success: The PC’s find the kobold lair but are spotted by the guards in C1 (roll initiative as normal)
Failure: The PC’s find the kobold lair, but they were spotted by a patrol, the guards in
C1 have a couple of their members ambush the PC’s from the trees (give the kobolds a surprise round)
Roll initiative just to determine an order the PC’s will act in for simplicity or allow the players to decide what order they would like to act in. The challenge will last for three rounds and each player gets to act once each round, no aiding
P.S. Don't mind the name Emeraldagent, I just hadn't come up with a name yet.