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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Garthanos" data-source="post: 7060269" data-attributes="member: 82504"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130531212315/http://community.wizards.com/wrecan/blog/2010/02/26/social_challenges_5:_sample_challenges" target="_blank">SOCIAL CHALLENGES 5: SAMPLE CHALLENGES</a>This is the fifth of six blogs I will be presenting on how to design and execute Social Challenges for your party, blending role-play and dice.In this fifth blog, I will present a few sample Social Challenges. Note that these Social Challenges will be fairly generic. You should tailor your Challenges to the desires and abilities of your party, including benefits tied to your player characters’ back stories and desires. The Social Challenges I include are the four that I included as samples in the first Social Challenges blog [h=1]Social Challenges Template[/h]Here is a template I use when writing out Social Challenges:Title: The name of the Social ChallengeLevel: The level of the challenge and experience points to be awarded. Complexity: __ (__ successes before 3 failures)DC: Bluff (Emotional) – __; Diplomacy (Logical) – __; Intimidate (Ethical) – __Premise: A brief description of the scenarioSuccess: A description of what each success represents.Failure: A description of what each failure represents.Intimidate: A description of whether and how PCs might Intimidate people in the encounter.Obstacles: A general description of each of the obstacles to the PCs’ success. Example 1Title: The Horde is Coming!Level: 3 (750 XP)Complexity: 2 (6 successes before 3 failures)DC: Bluff (Emotional) – 16; Diplomacy (Logical) – 18; Intimidate (Ethical) – 18Premise: The party has ridden ahead of a horde of marauding gnolls who are heading directly for a small farming village. The villagers are generally good, but skeptical of outsiders, and only recently were hoodwinked by a band of unscrupulous adventurers who had sold many villagers some fake elixirs that they said would increase the yield of their crops.Success: Each success represents the heroes overcoming one of several hurdles. (The players need one initial success just to get the townspeople to gather and hear their tale.) A representative village elder should be chosen to represent each of these hurdles. For each success, a hurdle is overcome and some of the villagers will help the PCs. The more hurdles overcome, the easier the ultimate battle against the horde.Failure: When all hurdles are overcome, or three failures are reached, the party has convinced all the villagers they can and time is running out – the PCs have to begin directing the contruction of defenses.Intimidate: This can be used to convince one elder to stop voicing an opinion. If the elder is the only one left voicing dissent, this can be counted as a success for that elder. If there are multiple elders still with objections, the PCs gain a failure for each other elder still objecting.Obstacles: Gathering: The first success is needed just to get the elders to agree to come out and listen to the PCs.  An argument by reputation gets a +2 circumstance bonus for this success only.  Doubt. The villagers think they are incapable of doing anything. The PCs need to explain to the town what defensive strategies they might employ. Fear. Some may want to send a messenger to the local lord for reinforcements, or to simply delay while they spend more time considering. The party needs to impress upon them that time is of the essence. Pacifism. The villagers are not warriors; they instinctively look for the best in people and some think they can deal with the gnolls. Explaining the origin of gnolls and showing trophies or scars from prior fights with gnolls can help.Starvation. The village worries that they will have to abandon the harvest and starve come winter. The PCs can promise to help them get food if they survive.Trust. The village worries the heroes are trying to trick them. The players can tell stories of their past achievements, or refer to other good people they have served. This Obstacle can only be overcome with an ethical appeal.[h=1]Example 2[/h]Title: We Never Smuggle Any MoreLevel: 11 (1,200 XP)Complexity: 4 (10 successes before 3 failures)DC: Bluff (Emotional) – 24; Diplomacy (Logical) – 22; Intimidate (Ethical) – 21Premise: The party has been framed for a crime they did not commit. The only person who can prove their innocence has fled to a town downriver. No reputable riverboat captain will allow them passage. That only leaves the unscrupulous halfling riverboat captain, Snivelas Felltree. They have been unable to sell any of their equipment because reputable dealers will not deal with them and disreputable dealers simply do not have enough cash on hand to make it worth the players’ while. The PCs have 5,000 gp in cash on hand.Success: The base price for the entire party is 5,000 gp. Each success reduces the price of the journey by 500 gp (so the party might even get the ride for free). Each success represents discovering one of the things that motivates Snivelas as much as or more than money. His officers are on hand to watch and see if any magic is being used to influence him.Failure: 3 failures means Snivelas will not reduce his price any further. The party has only one hour before he hoists sail, so the encounter can end before the requisite successes or failures are reached.Intimidate: Intimidate will not work on Snivelas, unless the PC is on the ship. Snivelas may be intimidated into retreating into the bowels of his ship (which should be treated as tunnels dug by Small creatures, for purposes of movement). This will also result in combat on the ship (and the PCs will have to commandeer the riverboat or find a different way to the downriver town).Obstacles: Faith. Snivelas is a devout follower of Avandra. A demonstrated knowledge of Avandra worship can soften his stance.Flattery. Flattery can get you everywhere (but only so far). A comely halfling PC may also flirt with him to reduce the fare a bit.Food. Snivelas is concerned about the cost of feeding his passengers. If he believes the PCs can provide their own food, it reduces his expenses.Gaming. Snivelas is a dedicated gambler, and may be intrigued by any offer of a game he has not previously seen. Greed. If the PCs have connections in cities other than the one they are leaving and the one to which they are traveling, Snivelas may be interested in hearing more.Light-footed. His ship is built for halflings, and he is concerned these big folk will get in the way, even if they are trained sailors. Acrobatics can help here.Seamanship. If the PCs convince Snivelas that they know their way around the boat, and won’t be tripping over the ropes and oars, he’d be more comfortable letting them aboard. Security. Snivelas would be interested in knowing how the PCs found him, and wants to heighten his security measures.Spite. Snivelas hates the law, and is sometimes willing to take less of a profit if it means humiliating the authorities.Vanity. The PCs can appeal to Snivelas’ vanity by promising that he’ll be known as a friend of the heroes.Special: Because Snivelas and his crew are well-versed in deception, the Duplicity Penalty is increased by -1 for each PC who is aware of the duplicity. This additional penalty does not apply to any character who is ignorant of the duplicity, has a Charisma of 18 or greater, or has a bonus to Bluff from a Background, item, or Feat.Stay tuned for the next blog when I present a few final words of caution and my final two sample Social Challenges!</blockquote>

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