Hello there!
Please take a look at the below skill challenge I've cooked up for my PCs who are trying to avoid patrols of warforged loyal to the Lord of Blades as they navigate through the blasted, abandoned city of Making inside the Mournland. I wanted something more dynamic than just a bunch of steath checks, so I thought up the idea of having branching paths through some different terrain.
The basic framework of this skill challene was inspired (read: shamelessly cribbed) from Daniel Marthaler's "Ghoul Country" skill challenge in his Dungeon Adventure "Lord of the White Fields", but I added quite a bit to it.
Advice about check DCs or ideas on how to spice up or add tension are very welcome.
Without further ado...
Evade the Blades
Level 8
Complexity: 5 (12 Successes before 3 failures)
Note: Changing environments reduces the party's chances of being caught, but requires different skills to navigate. The first time the party gains access to the Sewer or Rooftop environment, reduce any failures they have aquired, if any, by 1.
Primary Skills (Street-level):
Perception (Group check DC 16; maximum 3 successes. 2nd success required for Rooftop environment): The party keeps their ears to the ground an eye out for signs of an approaching patrol. Recognizing when rooftops become close enough to jump across opens further avenues for the party to escape detection.
Stealth (Group check DC 19; maximum 3 successes. Required for 12th success.): The party flits from shadow to shadow, hunkers down behind storefronts, or holds their breath as patrol stomp by. The last Stealth check is required to sneak into the back of a cargo cart and let it carry them past the final checkpoint of guards.
Streetwise (Individual check DC 16; maximum 3 successes. 2nd success required for Sewer environment.): The character is at home in the urban jungle, allowing them to navigate the party through the maze of streets and back alleys. Finding a storm-drain or sewer grate access to tunnels large enoug to accomodate the party could also be helpful.
Secondary Skills (Street-level):
Acrobatics (Individual DC 23; no maximum): Grants +2 bonus to next Perception or Stealth check. Failure imposes -2 penalty to the same.
Acrobatics (Group DC 19; requires 2 Perception successes): Grants party access to Rooftop environment. If check fails, each PC that contributed a failure to the group check loses 1 healing surge.
Athletics (Individual DC 23; no maximum): Grants +2 bonus to next Perception or Streatwise check. Failure imposes -2 penalty to the same.
Athletics (Individual DC 23; requires 2 Streetwise successes): Grants party access to Sewer environment. If check fails, an additional Streetwise success is necessary to try again with this check.
Athletics (Group DC 19; requires 2 Perception successes): Grants party access to Rooftop environment. If check fails, each PC that contributed a failure to the group check loses 1 healing surge.
Thievery (Individual DC 16; maximum 2 successes.): Grants +2 bonus to next Stealth or Streetwise check. Failure imposes -2 penalty to the same.
Thievery (Individual DC 16; requires 2 Streetwise successes): Grants party access to Sewer environment. If check fails, an additional Streetwise success is necessary to try again this check.
Thievery (Individual DC 16; requires 2 Perception successes): Grants party access to Sewer environment. If check fails, an additional Percetion success is necessary to try again this check.
Primary Skills (Rooftops):
Acrobatics & Athletics (Special Group Check; DC 19; maximum 4 successes): Every party member decides to use either Acrobatics or Athletics to contribute toward the group check. Teleports or flying/jumping powers at least 5 squares in length contribute automatic success toward the group check. If the check fails, every PC that failed their individual check loses 1 healing surge.
Secondary Skills (Rooftops):
Stealth (Indiviudal DC 23; no maximum): Spy on patrols to indicate when coast is clear, letting the party focus on getting across rooftop gaps with less pressure. Grants +2 to next Acrobatics & Athletics special group check. Failure reduces the total numer of maximum successes the special group check can contribute to the skill challenge.
Primary Skills (Sewer):
Endurance (Group DC 16; maximum 2 success)
Dungeoneering (Individual DC 16; maximum 2 sucesses)
Secondary Skills (Sewer):
Athletics (Individual DC 23; maximum 1 success): Success allows return to Street-level.
Thievery (Individual DC 15; maximum 1 success): Success allows return to Street-level.
Note: Once both secondary skills are used for the Sewer level, no further successes for using Primary Skills in the Sewer environment count toward total successes.
Failure
Every failure puts the fanatical Blades on higher alert. The first and second failure increase the encounter level of the first combat encounter inside the enclave by 1 level each. The third failure puts the guards at that last check point on red alert and they deny all access to the enclave, even to cargo deliveries, requiring a combat encounter of equal level to the skill challenge to gain entry.
