Bidding War
The PCs convince a potential patron to employ their services instead of a rival's services. The PCs can bad mouth their rivals and their work, dredge up a rival's past failures, cite their own successes, and even try to intimidate their rivals.
Level: PC Level +0 (or as needed)
Complexity: 5 (requires 12 successes before 3 failures).
Primary Skills: Bluff, Diplomacy, History, Insight, Intimidate, Thievery.
Bluff (Moderate DC): The PC slanders the reputation of their rival with half-truths, any may even resort to personal attacks.
Bluff (Moderate DC): The PC is able to fast-talk their way out of one failure. This use may only remove one failure during the challenge.
Bluff (Difficult DC): The PC tells outright lies about the party's rival, or his services. This use is good for only one success.
Diplomacy (Moderate DC): With tact and grace the PC paints the party, and their services, in the best way possible; pointing out their successes and the quality of their work.
Diplomacy (Moderate DC): The PC is able to react to failure with grace and dignity, allowing them to escape the consequences of an earlier failure. This use may only remove one failure during the challenge.
History (Moderate DC): The PC manages to recall a fact about the party's rival, or his past services, that is unflattering or embarrassing. This skill is good for one success.
Insight (Moderate DC): The PC gets an idea of what the patron wants to hear, granting a +2 bonus to the next Bluff or Diplomacy check.
Intimidate (Moderate DC): The PC menaces the rival into thinking that backing off would be better for his personal or financial health than continuing to bid against the PCs. This skill is good for one success.
Knowledge Skill (Moderate DC): The PCs, in an effort to influence the patron, attempt to show off their vast knowledge related to the employment they're bidding for. This is good for one success per PC, regardless of whether or not there is more than one relevant skill.
Nature for hunting or exploring. Dungeoneering for exploring caves or ruins (& for hunting creatures who are native to caves or the Underdark). Arcana is good for retrieving a magic item. Religion is likewise good if the task is recovering a religious relic.
Low Bid: The party agrees to take a 10% cut in the fee for their services or, if the profits are being shared with the patron, the party agrees to give the patron an additional 10% of the treasure as his cut. Either way, this should result in a 10% loss of the party's treasure from the quest being undertaken. Each 10% cut is an automatic success. This is good for up to 10 successes, which means the PCs are working for free.
Thievery (Moderate DC): A PC distracts the party's rival at a critical moment with a feat of legerdemain, perhaps by cutting his belt, or slyly tapping him on the shoulder. This skill is good for one success. Further uses can grant a +2 bonus to the next skill check used in the challenge.
