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Message: <blockquote data-quote="CapnZapp" data-source="post: 4760243" data-attributes="member: 12731">The original suggestion in this thread, my Skill Challenge, is this:It's kind of a skill challenge, but not quite - I wanted the players to be in control of how many hours they press on, and not reduce it to a narrative conclusion. Comments welcome!Pressing on - a Forced March Skill ChallengeSetup: You're trying to keep moving beyond your normal limits.Level: Equal to the level of the terrain (or party, if you don't run a sandbox game where easy terrain remain easy regardless of party level).Complexity: 4 but Special - essentially, the SC ends when the players want it to (by them stopping for the day).Primary Skills: Endurance, Nature, Perception. If the party is traveling through the Underdark, replace Nature checks with Dungeoneering checks.Experience Points: You do not get XP for simply pressing on or making a forced march.Hours Passed Penalty: Roll every hour you keep up your pace. - For walking, this means hour #11, #12... Each hour, you get a special cumulative -1 to your checks (so hour #13 you have a -3 penalty). - For running, it means hour #1, #2, etc. Each hour, you get a special cumulative -2 to your checks (so hour #3 you have a -6 penalty).Endurance (moderate DCs): At least two characters in the party must make Endurance checks each turn (each hour) to resist the debilitating effects of wandering in the wilderness and dealing with exposure to the elements. Any failed Endurance checks indicates that all members of the party lose one healing surge each, in addition to counting as a failure for the challenge.Nature (moderate DCs): At least one character in the party must make a Nature check each turn (each hour) to help the group find its way through the wilderness, avoid natural hazards, and forage sufficient food and water for the period in question. A failed check indicates that all members of the party lose one healing surge, in addition to counting as a failure for the challenge.Perception (easy DCs): You notice something that helps you better survive the trek. Using this skill doesn’t count as a success or failure for the challenge, but instead provides a +2 bonus or –2 penalty to the character’s next Endurance or Nature check.A Moderate DC is 9 + two thirds the level of the Skill Challenge (rounded down). An Easy DC is five lower, a Hard DC is five higher. Don't forget the penalty for hours passed! Procedure: Each turn, each character chooses a skill and makes the indicated check. In addition to any other consequences, the result counts as a success or failure for the skill challenge unless noted otherwise. Any given character cannot choose the same skill twice in a row. Some skills can't be avoided and must be selected by at least some party members each turn as indicated.Consequence: When you reach five failures or ten successes, reset the score for the skill challenge and apply the following consequence. The skill challenge itself only ends when the players decide to stop their forced march.Failure: The PCs stumble into a monster’s lair. This leads to a combat encounter at the terrain's level or higher.Success: The PCs find a secluded place ideal for a rest (given the circumstances). If they only take a short rest before pressing on, reduce the penalty for hours passed by two. If they take an extended rest, in addition to providing at least minimal shelter from the elements, this spot might also bring a reduced risk of being discovered by any pursuers, a reduced risk for wandering monsters, and/or access to potable water as determined by the Dungeon Master.Special: An Extended Rest resets the penalty for hours passed to zero. However, if the penalty for hours passed went above -10 before taking that Extended Rest, it provides no other benefit (much like the effects of too little sleep, see the PHB page 263). Effectively, you then need to take two Extended Tests in a row; subject to the normal restrictions on consecutive Extended Rests as noted in the PHB, page 263.Ideas for Secondary Skills (the ones you can only select once):Acrobatics/Athletics (Moderate): You help a fellow party member keep up, granting him or her a +2 bonus on his or her next check. Diplomacy (Hard): You keep the party in good spirits, allowing you to reduce the penalty for hours passed by 2.Nature/Dungeoneering (the one that isn't primary; Moderate): Like Perception, only with a higher DC.Heal (Moderate): You patch up sores and blisters, allowing you to reduce the penalty for hours passed by 2.History (Hard): You rack your memory for details on the region you are passing through. This counts as a success for the challenge, but History can only be used in this way once per five hours.I can add that I'm using the errataed DCs as written. Yes, they're easy - but I have added a time-based penalty that means the checks become less easy as the hours go by. And if the heroes keep up their forced march more than ten hours (five if running), they lose the normal benefits of their Extended Rest (which can be deadly in itself)...</blockquote>

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