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3 years ago ::
Feb 11, 2010 - 5:20PM
#1
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Date Joined:
Aug 18, 2007
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I'm trying to brainstorm more skill challenges that take place over longer periods of time into my campaign. Days, months, whatever. Things that won't be resolved in one encounter, but maybe over a night or two of play, or the course of a few levels/an entire tier of play.
Nested skill challenges? Maybe off topic, but now that I'm thinking about it, it seems interesting. Maybe the door to the BBEG is controlled by four orbs/altars/devices in separate spires of the dungeon complex. Each altar being a SC in its own right, but ultimately boiling down to successes in a larger SC. (Maybe the door needs a few more Arcana/Religion checks or a certain ritual to open it now that the multi-part barrier guarding it is down.)
Or maybe going back to long-term, having a SC at certain points throughout the campaign, where a success culminates in a long-term SC success. Maybe trying to convince the ghosts of an ancient organization to lend them their aid/wisdom, traveling to the tomb of each member, fighting through various undead encounters, and then trying to calm the restless soul of the member through a SC. That member being on the party's side might give them an artifact or an item of some kind and then contribute to the arc-wide SC of getting this organization to aid you. A final conclusion could be with all of the ghosts assembled in a tomb, giving the PCs their mighty weapons to fight the encroaching horde of BBEGs or whatever.
Some of this is mixing SCs with Quests, so I don't know how to really do XP, exactly.
Just some thoughts. Crit/comments?
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3 years ago ::
Feb 12, 2010 - 7:18AM
#2
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Date Joined:
Sep 18, 2009
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I like it. You think you don't know how to do the SC's and that your thinking is scattered between quest's and SC's but really you've got the first glimmers of a plot and now you need to sit down and do the outline. I recommomend starting with a broad overarching goal. Destroy the ___. Design mini-quests to fit into the broad plot ex: find all the pieces of anciet relic/weapon/etc that will destroy the ___. Once you have the mini-quests add in the skill challenges by sitting down with the DMG2 open to skill challenges tables on pages 80 and the skills on page 85 and your players skills in mind. Ask yourself, how can I use A's Streetwise skill in this? How can I use B's Acrobatic's skill in this? How can I use C's Nature skill in this and have D's History skill add a bonus? How can I add 1 more skill check and 1 more group check to up the complexity? Trust me once you have your overarching plot the mini-quests will fall into place as you design ways to give the players what they want. The skill challenges will take nudging your players into (a party will instinctively rush to kill the gazebo you're describing). Make the DC's med. and the compexities 1&2 at first and make it an obvious and immediate award of XP. As your story continues up the complexityof your skill challenges, this will get easier as YOU start thinking in terms of monsters, traps, terrain, skill challenges with every mini-quest. (Remember the advice to award the XP of a monster of the same difficulty and level as the SC). Your smart/power gamers will start looking for ways to make skills count and that will spark even more creativity in your game.
smiles
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