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<blockquote data-quote="grickherder" data-source="post: 4391788" data-attributes="member: 68043">Well, I ran a session that included the skill challenge system presented in this thread.I ran one of the hardest things to do well mechanically-- an investigation!The players had returned to town after discovering a piece of evidence that the Abominations of Khyber (underworld in the Eberron setting) had a spy in the fraternal order they were part of.&nbsp; Not all members of the order are necessarily adventurers or whatever.&nbsp; Lots of regular people from all walks of life.There were 12 main possible suspects to which they initially could narrow it down.Here's how I handled it:Each roll, success or failure, would get them a piece of information.&nbsp; If they succeeded, the information was air tight.&nbsp; If they failed, it was probably accurate, but they'd have to assess it's merits on their own.&nbsp; Also, they didn't just &quot;get the information&quot; but learned it from NPCs through dialogue.&nbsp; So they could assess the information based on who it was coming from and all that.I did not start out with any one of the 12 as the traitor.&nbsp; It could have been any of them.&nbsp; It didn't matter to me as a GM.&nbsp; For each of the 12 I figured out a piece of information that would prove their guilt beyond a shadow of a doubt and another piece of information that exonerated them.&nbsp; They two or three pieces of information that might implicate them but not necessarily conclusively.&nbsp; A few particularly devious ones who also suspected a spy had planted false information to implicate their rivals in the order.I generally kept the information that completely implicated someone for near the end of the 2nd segment and into the 3rd.I allowed mental and social skills.&nbsp; For the first segment, I assigned insight and diplomacy as the main skills (the ones that get you a +2).&nbsp; A few physical skills were rolled during the challenge as they were appropriate.It really works for an investigation.&nbsp; The key I think, as the DM, might be to not have the answer set in advance.&nbsp; Whomever the players go after is likely the guilty party.&nbsp; Go with the flow of the story and give information even when they fail their skill roll.&nbsp; Yes, this means lots of prep work to prepare information for each and every roll.Just want to send a shout out to N, who lurks here and has also ran an investigation with this system with his group out west.&nbsp; Sign up and post about it!&nbsp; Failing that, email me and I'll post your AP from your email last nigh.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="grickherder, post: 4391788, member: 68043"] Well, I ran a session that included the skill challenge system presented in this thread. I ran one of the hardest things to do well mechanically-- an investigation! The players had returned to town after discovering a piece of evidence that the Abominations of Khyber (underworld in the Eberron setting) had a spy in the fraternal order they were part of. Not all members of the order are necessarily adventurers or whatever. Lots of regular people from all walks of life. There were 12 main possible suspects to which they initially could narrow it down. Here's how I handled it: Each roll, success or failure, would get them a piece of information. If they succeeded, the information was air tight. If they failed, it was probably accurate, but they'd have to assess it's merits on their own. Also, they didn't just "get the information" but learned it from NPCs through dialogue. So they could assess the information based on who it was coming from and all that. I did not start out with any one of the 12 as the traitor. It could have been any of them. It didn't matter to me as a GM. For each of the 12 I figured out a piece of information that would prove their guilt beyond a shadow of a doubt and another piece of information that exonerated them. They two or three pieces of information that might implicate them but not necessarily conclusively. A few particularly devious ones who also suspected a spy had planted false information to implicate their rivals in the order. I generally kept the information that completely implicated someone for near the end of the 2nd segment and into the 3rd. I allowed mental and social skills. For the first segment, I assigned insight and diplomacy as the main skills (the ones that get you a +2). A few physical skills were rolled during the challenge as they were appropriate. It really works for an investigation. The key I think, as the DM, might be to not have the answer set in advance. Whomever the players go after is likely the guilty party. Go with the flow of the story and give information even when they fail their skill roll. Yes, this means lots of prep work to prepare information for each and every roll. Just want to send a shout out to N, who lurks here and has also ran an investigation with this system with his group out west. Sign up and post about it! Failing that, email me and I'll post your AP from your email last nigh. [/QUOTE]

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