How often does a player at your table want to do something – in character – that is morally apprehensible and blatantly evil? It doesn’t happen often in my games, but it does seem to come up every once in a awhile. When it does and the action is questioned by the DM or the other players, the player whose character is taking the action usually says something like, “I would never do this, but my character has no issue with it.” I realize that fantasy RPGs provide an escape from reality and you can play any kind of character you want, but I think it’s important to know where to draw the line.

Over the years I’ve come to realize that there are some things that are deemed acceptable in the context of D&D even thought most players would never condone or support such actions in real life. For example, slavery in the context of D&D isn’t usually seen as a big issue. Killing is also given tremendous latitude if the creature or person on the other end of the sword is evil. Theft is perfectly acceptable and is essentially what the majority of adventurers do to earn their loot. I guess it really comes down to the context of the situation and the justification for these actions. If killing an entire tribe of Orcs will make the nearby city safer for “civilized people” then the act of genocide is seen as acceptable and even heroic.

Lately the despicable act that has reared its ugly head in my games is torture. In a lot of the encounters during public play the PCs had the opportunity to ask NPCs questions. In some cases the NPCs are friendly and will cooperate with nothing more than a polite request or a few gold pieces. But when it’s a villain or monstrous NPC, someone who clearly does not want to share information with the PCs, a lot of players have their character get violent and resort to torture to gain the information they seek.

I think the problem is that many players believe Intimidate is the torture skill. They think that if an Intimidate check is required they have to follow it up by inflicting bodily harm. If the check fails, if the person provides information the PCs don’t believe or if they simply don’t know the answer, the PC using Intimate will more often than not proceed to torture the respondent.

When I’ve had this happen at my table or I suspect it’s moving in that direction I often remind the PC asking the question that they should act according to their alignment. Good PCs are unlikely to resort to physical abuse to solicit information. If the interrogator is evil or unaligned I will then look to the rest of the party. After all, they’re a team and the action of one will reflect on the actions of all. I find it hard to believe that any good aligned PC would knowingly let the less scrupulous members of the party beat a prisoner senseless just to get information out of him. Yet I’ve seen this happen more and more in recent months.

Intimidate is a Charisma-based skill. It’s about imposing fear and often about subtlety. The threat of violence is an acceptable way to use the Intimidate skill, but the actual act of striking or stabbing someone to get information out of them is not. When a character begins crossing that line I will increase the DC. If the act clearly conflicts with their alignment or the party’s overall alignment I will again increase the DC. I don’t believe that Intimidate (or any skill) should be an automatic failure just for trying it, but I do think that sometimes the DC can be out of your reach.

In order for a subject to reveal informant following an Intimidate check there needs to be a plausible reason for them to give in (at least plausible in their own mind). This is where fear plays an important part in any Intimidate check and the Charisma part comes in. A threat to do something awful if they don’t talk is a way for them to avoid potential torture (which I hope few PCs would actually carry out anyway). If you’re already torturing them they have no incentive to reveal what they know since it’s safe to assume you’ll kill them anyway. A person under duress will often tell you anything to make the pain stop, usually incorrect information or what they think you want to hear. In fact using torture to solicit information may reveal bad intel which could lead to other problems down the road.

If a PC does resort to unnecessary acts of violence and torture to try and garner information from a suspect, there should be in game consequences for this PC and the party. Heroes gain a reputation and if your party is known for mistreating and torturing prisoners then others will start to treat you differently. People who might normally help you with an easy Diplomacy check may become tight-lipped. The more you torture your prisoners and the more brutal the acts, the less others will want to help you. All social skills will become harder. If one PC is the torturer he’ll likely face the worst of it, but everyone in the party will be painted with the same brush and find checks more difficult.

Fantasy games are supposed to be a fun way to escape reality and become a character unlike anything you could possibly be in real life. From the Wizard who hurls fireballs to the Knight who slays Dragons, your imagination is the only limitation. So if you want to play a character that is cruel and gains perverse pleasure from inflicting pain and torturing the helpless who am I to judge? I’m the DM – that’s who I am and I will judge. There needs to b a line at the gaming table and as the DM it’s up to you to make it clear where the line is. Treading it on occasion may be acceptable but crossing it at every opportunity is not. So the next time players decide that they want to use Intimidate and feel that cutting off fingers or stabbing out an eye is the way to accomplish this, strongly discourage such behaviour even if it’s deemed to be just in character, and remind them that Intimidate and torture are not the same thing.

Have you run into similar issues at your table when PCs want to use Intimidate? How have you handled it? Where have you drawn the line? How would you deal with a party who resorts to violence and torture (basically extreme brutality and violence) whenever they have to question prisoners?

Related reading:

• Skill Focus: Intimidate
• Does Alignment Matter in 4e D&D?
• Skill Challenge: Information Gamble

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Today is Valentine’s Day so we decided to take a light-hearted look at the day most associate with love. All the members of the Dungeons’ Master team are happily married or in a long-term relationship, so we felt that we should do our part to help those looking for love. However, we are by no means experts on the subject so please take the advice provided below with the good humour in which it is indented.

It’s unfortunate that many envision the gamer stereotype as a lonely guy who’s awkward around girls. Although there are certainly a few gamers out there that fall into this category, in my experience many gamers are not really that much different that the rest of the non-gaming masses. Everyone is looking for someone and hopes to avoid painful rejection along the way. With that in mind we’ve put together some tips in the form of a skill challenge. By framing this advice in a familiar wrapper we hope that it will make it easier for all those gamers looking for love on Valentine’s Day.

Skill Challenge – Looking for Love

Although love knows no bounds, this skill challenge is set up for young adults. That’s not to say that older folks won’t benefit from these tips, but those in their 20s are like to find this skill challenge a lot more familiar than those with more life experience.

Setup

You’re young in looking for love. Do you really need more of a setup than that?

Complexity

Level will vary depending on your standards and whether you’re looking for a long-term commitment of just one night of fun and excitement.

Skills

Bluff, Diplomacy, Endurance, Insight, Stealth, Streetwise

Note: The DCs for these skill checks will vary considerably depending on the environment and the potential lover. Best to assume it will always be a hard check.

Bluff

Many believe that lying is a tried and true way to impress girls. That’s not to say they believe the lies, but it’s a foot in the door and it gets conversation started. The bigger the lie the greater the chance of being shot down. However, even an outrageous and obvious lie can still have a positive outcome if you play it right.

Don’t forget to make that Bluff check when you’re getting dressed. The correct attire, or rather the appearance of the correct attire, can make all the difference.

Diplomacy

For those who prefer a more honest approach there’s always straight-up Diplomacy. This usually requires incredibly confidence or a complete lack of shame. In either case honesty is often a better way to go. It’s always easier to remember the truth than some outrageous lie.

Diplomacy can also bee seen as the measure of courage. What you lack in finesse, you more than make up for in ambition.

Endurance

Only the very fortunate few find a perfect match with their initial try. For the rest of us it’s a long and often tiring process which requires Endurance. Developing stamina can have additional benefits if you manage to find a receptive partner.

Insight

There are going to be times when she’s just not that into you. It doesn’t matter how good you are (or think you are). If she’s not interested then she’s not interested. It’s rare that you can change her mind once its made up. A strong Insight check will save you endless embarrassment, and let you know when it’s time to move on to a more receptive partner.

Perception

It’s easy to spot something beautiful; it’s difficult to see through the façade. In many social settings people go to great lengths to make themselves look more attractive than they really are (see Bluff above). Keep your eyes open and look for any tell-tale signs of significant manipulation.

Stealth

In an environment rich with potential partners (a bar or night club, for example) men will often continue to look for love until they’re successful. It’s important that unsuccessful courting attempts are not seen by other women. It’s not that you don’t want to be seen, you just don’t want to be seen making the attempt or worse yet, striking out.

Streetwise

Finding the right woman can be difficult. Some men are content to settle, but those with more discernable taste will often take the time to survey the field before making any attempts at an introduction.

The Wingman

Never underestimate the importance or value of a good Wingman. His job is to assist you. With him on the scene you get an automatic bonus to most skill checks.

The Wingman should be skilled in Bluff, Perception and Streetwise. He’s your advance-man and the guy who helps you look better by comparison. He’s willing to talk to the less attractive friend or make other suitors look silly by comparison. Treat him right and your chances of success increase greatly.

Success

Success is measured by the company you keep. If you’ve got someone then you win!

Failure

The consequence for failure in this challenge is another night alone. But the good news is that you can keep repeating this skill challenge as often as you want until you finally meet with success. Good luck!

Related reading:

• Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal: There’s no harm in talking to girls

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Today is Black Friday in the U.S. and while those of us in Canada and the other countries around the world suffer through another day of work, our American brethren get to experience this shopping extravaganza. To mark the occasion we decide to do something a little bit different. While looking through our extensive archive I came across this gem and thought it was a good time to run it again. Enjoy.

Originally published on December 11, 2009, Dungeon’s Master once again presents: The Holiday Shopping Skill Challenge.

‘Tis the season for giving and receiving gifts. Regardless of your personal or religious reasons for celebrating during the holiday season, everyone likes getting gifts. This is no secret to retail merchants. They know that you’ll be shopping for everyone on your list at this time of year and they want you to spend, spend, spend.

Shopping for Christmas presents can be a lot of hard, grueling work. It’s the part of the holidays that I like the least. So I decided to look at a challenging, real life situation through my D&D coloured glasses (as I so often do). A few months ago we put together a skill challenge called Battle for the Remote. It’s in that same vein that I present a holiday themed, real life skill challenge called Holiday Shopping.

Setup

There aren’t many shopping days left until Christmas. You’ve still got to pick up gifts for numerous people on your list. Priority should go to your wife’s gift if you know what’s good for you.

Complexity

5 (12 successes before 3 failures)

I’ve never had a shopping experience of less than complexity 5, although some claim such a skill challenge does exist.

Primary Skills

Acrobatics, Diplomacy, Dungeoneering, Endurance, Insight, Intimidate, Nature, Perception, Religion, Streetwise

• Each skill can only be used to accomplish 1 success towards the overall skill challenge unless noted otherwise.
• Skill checks denoted as assist do not count as a success or failure towards the overall skill challenge.

Sample Skills

These are just a few examples of skills that can be used towards achieving successes in this skill challenge. Be creative. With enough cash any merchant (DM) will happily say yes.

Receive a +2 bonus to any social interaction skill if you smile. This stacks with all other bonuses.

Acrobatics (moderate DC)

Weave your way through the busy stores as other shoppers plod along, window shopping.

Diplomacy (hard DC +2)

Convince an over-worked, underpaid retail clerk to check the back for an item they’ve already told you is sold out. Receive a +5 bonus if you’ve ever worked retail and sympathize with them.

Dungeoneering (moderate DC)

Discover the best, most efficient way through the mall. Receive +2 bonus if you consult a directory.

Endurance (moderate DC, maximum 3 successes)

The mall crawl is tough work. An Endurance check is required for every hour spent in the mall or after visiting every 5th store.

Insight (hard DC)

Pick the best line when checking out. The shortest line isn’t always the best choice. Your instinct gives you a good feeling about a particular cashier.

Intimidate (moderate DC)

Threaten physical harm to another shopper if they don’t get out of your way or give up a present you were about to grab. Receive a +1 bonus for each hour you’ve been shopping and for every 5 stores you’ve already visited. These bonuses stack.

Nature (moderate DC)

Find out if it’s snowing now or will be later in the day and plan your trip accordingly. Receive a +5 bonus for consulting the weather channel.

Perception (hard DC, maximum 3 successes)

Spot a great deal.

Religion (moderate DC)

Pray that the gift you want isn’t sold out by the time you get there.

Streetwise (moderate DC, maximum 2 successes)

Ask a sales clerk when or if an item is going on sale. Receive a +5 bonus if you’ve ever worked retail and sympathize with them.

Streetwise (moderate DC, maximum 2 successes)

Talk to other shoppers and find out where the best deals are.

Thievery (hard DC)

Use of Thievery to steal gifts results in automatic failure of the skill challenge. Even if the check is successful you’ve ruined the original purpose for the gift giving. You should feel deep shame.

Success

You did it. You got gifts for everyone on your list. You’re happy to be done and you know they’ll be happy to get these gifts. Another holiday shopping season is over.

Failure

You couldn’t find the gift you wanted and had to settle for something not on the list. It could go either way, but you’re pretty sure the outcome won’t be great. Worse yet, you got everything on the list but grossly misjudged someone’s desire to own that particular gift. Better luck next year.

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GenCon, is only two days away. This means that some time in the next 48 hours gamers all over Canada and the U.S.A. will pack up the car and head to Indianapolis. Last year Wimwick and I were among those driving (a trip that was 9 hours in each direction). This year I’m on my own so I opted to travel by plane. However, knowing that thousands of you will be on the highways I felt that rerunning this skill challenge was appropriate.

Remember that getting there is half the fun. In that sprit we put together a skill challenge before last year’s trip. We succeeded with flying colours, but Wimwick did accumulate a few automatic failures in the “He who smelt it…” part of the skill challenge. Print a copy of this sill challenge and bring it with you to help make things more exciting in anticipation of GenCon. Enjoy.

Originally published on August 3, 2010, Dungeon’s Master once again presents: Skill Challenge: Road Trip to GenCon

Skill Challenge: Road Trip to GenCon

Tomorrow Wimwick and I undertake the 9-hour drive from Toronto to Indianapolis for GenCon. Knowing that many of our readers will be in exactly the same predicament we decided to put together a GenCon Road Trip skill challenge to mark the occasion.

Setup

You pack up the car for the long, arduous road trip to GenCon. The question isn’t if you’re going to get there but when you’re going to get there. The more successes you accumulate in the skill challenge will determine how quick and painless the journey is. No matter what obstacles you might endure along the way, it’s all worth it to get to GenCon.

Skills

Bluff, Diplomacy, Endurance, History, Insight, Intimidate, Perception, Stealth, Streetwise

Mandatory group check

Everyone in the car, including the driver, must make an Endurance check every hour. If you fail this check, you suffer a -2 penalty to all checks until you spend 5 minutes outside of the car.

Endurance (various DC)

• Moderate DC for the driver and the passenger in the front seat. Moderate +2 DC for everyone else.
• For each hour the car remains on the road the DC increases by +2. If the car doesn’t have AC, the DC increases by +5 for each hour rather than just +2.
• The DC resets to moderate if you pull into a rest stop and everyone can get out of the car for at least 5 minutes. Going up to the drive through give everyone +5 on their next Endurance check, but does not reset the initial DC.

How about some tunes?

Perception (moderate DC)

Try to find a suitable radio station by cycling through channels randomly.

Diplomacy (moderate DC)

You make your case for changing the radio station. The driver automatically receives a +5 bonus. The car owner automatically receives a +2 bonus. These bonuses stack if the owner is driving. Children suffer a -2 penalty to this check.

History (moderate DC, assist)

If you’ve been to this radio market before, you get a +2 bonus. If you’ve lived in this city before the bonus increases to +5.

He who smelt it…

Bluff (hard DC)

Try to misdirect blame when you fart in the car. This is an automatic failure if there are only two people in the car. If there are three or more people in the car, you gain a +2 bonus. You gain an additional +2 bonus if there are kids in the car (because who believes a kid who said he didn’t do it?).

Perception (easy DC, assist)

You catch a whiff of something foul before anyone can claim credit or blame someone else. How you choose to use this information is totally up to you.

Stealth (hard DC, assist)

You try to pass gas without the tell-tale noise. Success means you get a +2 bonus to your bluff check to misdirect blame. Failure means that someone else in the car heard you fart. You suffer a -5 penalty to your Bluff check. You do gain a +5 bonus to Diplomacy if you clam immediate credit.

I’m bored, are we there yet?

Streetwise (moderate DC)

• You share your intimate knowledge of games suitable for play in a moving car.
• Tell amusing stories and anecdotes to pass the time.

Bluff (moderate DC, assist)

You embellish the stores to make them more interesting. For each hour in the car, you receive a +2 bonus to the bluff check.

Bluff or Intimidate (moderate DC)

When the passengers (usually, but not always the kids) misbehave, use threats and to get them to settle down. “I’m going to turn this car around and go home” is a tried and true threat.

Insight (moderate DC)

If someone in the car is using Bluff or Intimidate to get you to settle down, a successful check lets you determine just how serious they are. Kids automatically get a +5 bonus to this check.

Speed Trap

Perception (hard +2 DC)

Keep your eyes open for a speed trap. Everyone in the car can assist.

History (easy DC, assist)

You remember seeing speed traps in this area before. If you’ve received a ticket in this area yourself, you get a +5 bonus to the check.

Streetwise (moderate DC, assist)

You’ve heard a lot of rumours about where the speed traps are on this stretch of highway.

Bluff or Diplomacy (special DC)

Try and talk your way out of a ticket (good luck!). You only succeed if you roll a natural 20. Female drivers can succeed on an 18-20 if the police officer is male.

Success

You made it! You arrive in Indianapolis in one piece. You didn’t get a ticket and you didn’t get lost along the way. Enjoy the Best Four Days in Gaming.

Failure

You made it, but the trip was grueling. Whoever said getting there is half the fun never travelled in this car to get to GenCon. But the worst is behind you now. Enjoy the Best Four Days in Gaming.

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I was done with skill challenges.

I don’t know how I got to this point. Perhaps it was my approach to them, trying to account for multiple options or not having a clear objective. Maybe I wasn’t introducing the skill challenge correctly, confusing my players. It’s possible that what I perceived as a skill challenge was better off handled with a few skill checks. It might even have been that I enjoy the tactical nature of 4e combat that I was willing to sacrifice one aspect of the game for the other. Finally, maybe it wasn’t me. Maybe it was my players who either found my challenges boring, lacking in direction, or they themselves desired more combat, less talk.

I’m not going to pretend to know the answers to my skill challenge troubles. What I do know is that this past week everything clicked.

I think what I was doing in the past was over-thinking things. What I decided to do this past week was to allow skill challenges to be slightly more organic. I’ll paint the scene briefly.

The party needed to enter a ruined city undetected. After a few bluff checks where the party posed as a local scavengers work crew the party found themselves in the basement of a ruined barracks. The work crew was to extract any usable wood, iron and supplies. The party suspected that a secret tunnel might exist in this basement that would take them into the palace.

Upon investigating the party discovered that the basement was partially collapsed. It also appeared that the scavengers the party was impersonating had the same idea. The collapsed basement has equipment and supplies to excavate the rubble.

At this point the skill challenge began. Now, removing rubble from a room might not sound like a very exciting skill challenge. Actually, it sounds down right boring. However, the party is surrounded by enemies and up against a time deadline. These two elements add a level of drama that justify a skill challenge.

Now at low levels this would be a very easy skill challenge. A successful Dungeoneering, Perception, Athletics and Endurance check would be all that is required. However, our party is in the high paragon tier. As a result I decided to make it a very complex challenge, requiring 12 successes before 3 failures. The challenge had the following tasks incorporated into it.

Moving The Rubble

No shock here. The players need to move the rubble and debris out of the way to make their way to where they believe the secret tunnel is. Some skills are a standout for this task. Athletics to physically pick up and move the rocks. Endurance to avoid tiring and to avoid injury while moving the rocks. Dungeoneering to ensure the rocks are moved in a safe manor to avoid an untimely collapse.

Simple, easy tasks. The drama exists in the tensions surrounding the challenge. Not being discovered by the enemy, working quickly, yet quietly. All of this raised the difficulty level of the skill checks.

The only aspect of the challenge that I advised the players I didn’t want to hear was everyone going around the table saying, “I use Athletics to move the rocks.” Wrong answer, there is much, much more to do in the challenge than just move rocks. As a DM I simply expect more of my players when they are at the high paragon level.

Make Order From Chaos

Yes, some initial work and supplies were left behind, but the scene is far from organized. Given the factors surrounding the skill challenge, time and nearby enemies, moving the rocks isn’t good enough. The party needs to move the rocks quickly and efficiently.

A Diplomacy or Intimidate check to get the party working together as a team. A Perception check to organize what supplies have been found. It doesn’t sound like much, but there is more to do than just move rocks.

I’ve Got Your Back

The players are surrounded by foes and working quickly. It makes sense that a preemptive Heal check might be made to offset a failed Endurance check or to provide a bonus for a character in need. The party is also surrounded by enemies, so a Stealth check followed up by Perception to determine of the enemy has grown wise to the parties deception might be in order.

Hiding The Evidence

The party has deceived those around them and are looking for a secret passage that the locals aren’t aware of. It might make sense that the party find a way cover their tracks. This allows for some Perception and Thievery checks to be performed to cause the excavation to collapse behind the players.

Putting It Together

Suddenly, a simple skill challenge to move some rocks became a complex and intriguing challenge. There are more than enough things to do to keep the entire party engaged in the challenge with a variety of objectives. When skills are reused, they are done so for a different purpose than the original check.

However, the greatest part of the skill challenge this past week was that the party failed. With 10 successes in the bank the party realized their third failure. The tunnel collapsed prematurely and the party attempted to dive through the narrow opening they had created.

I’ll say it now and I’ll say it again, failure is fun. Failure is a lot of fun! Instantly the players were scrambling to find a way to keep a bad situation from getting worse. A few failed Acrobatics checks later and 75% of the party had taken damage and lost a healing surge due to being partially caught in the collapse.

The best part is the party is on the other side of the rubble. They have no active light source and they don’t know if there is even a secret passage.

What I learned, or reminded myself of, was to give the players as many options as possible while still keeping the task that needed accomplished very focused. Make the DCs hard when necessary, but not to the point where players are afraid to use untrained skills.

Skill challenges work best when they are organic and encourage role playing. I didn’t want to know what skill my players were using, I wanted to know what action they were taking. The session was refreshing and one of the most enjoyable I’ve had in weeks.

Related reading:

• Curses as Skill Challenges
• Skill Challenges
• The Skill Challenge Backdoor

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Has this ever happened to you? The DM sets the scene and you realize that the party is about to face a skill challenge. As the fifth or sixth player to act you only get to make one meaningful skill check before the party achieves overall success. It was a good encounter because during some of the low complexity skill challenge you don’t even get to act before the party achieves their goal.

What makes this situation an even bigger problem is that most players try to use their best skill even though in many cases it makes more sense (from a story perspective) for them not to. They know that they’re only going to get one or two shots at making a meaningful contribution to the skill challenge, and they don’t want to be the guy who flubs the check and wracks up a failure.

The Dungeon’s Master team has come up with a way to ensure that every player gets to contribute during a skill challenge and that every player feel comfortable using the skills that make the most sense to complete the objective and not just the one or two skills that they happen to be strongest in. Here’s what we’ve come up with.

To make things clearer, we’re going to use a really basic skill challenge as an example to help illustrate our methodology. Let’s say that your skill challenge is for a low heroic adventure and involves a chase through the busy city streets. Even at low levels this is going to be a pretty simple skill challenge. This should not be more than a complexity 1 or complexity 2 skill challenge (four or six successes before three failures respectively).

Normally, how you determine the order will have a big impact on who gets to participate. In some cases the first characters to act will complete the skill challenge’s objective before the final few players get to act. But this shouldn’t mean that they didn’t help achieve success in this skill challenge. As with combat, I assume that during a skill challenge everyone pulls their weight and tries to help out in some way.

In order to resolve any problems regarding some players acting and other not acting, we have to look at how the players will achieve success during this skill challenge. Although the PCs are all trying to accomplish the same objective they may choose to go about it differently.

Once order is determined each player, in turn, describes two or three actions that they feel will help towards achieving success. I leave it to the player to determine which skills corresponding to the actions they’ve described. Each check has to use a different skill and ideally they will rely on different attributes, as the scene dictates. This encourages more creativity and use of a broader cross-section of their skill set.

Combat heavy characters will likely go straight for the physical skills to accomplish one check. I would expect things like Acrobatics to dodge between bystanders, Athletics to jump over carts or other obstacles and Endurance to keep up the sprint.

Spellcasting characters would conversely go for actions that rely on their knowledge-based skill first. They could use History to remember the layout of the city, Streetwise to get a better lay of the land or even Perception to spot shortcuts or obstacles that may cause problems.

By asking the player to make skill checks from both avenues they’re likely to have a couple of skill checks that they can’t fail and a couple of skill checks that they’ll only accomplish with a really good roll.

Before anyone rolls any checks, everyone has to describe what they’re doing to contribute to this skill challenge. This ensures that everyone gets to participate. It also makes more sense to have each player describe the family of skills that their character is going to employ to accomplish the goal. Asking each player to pick one thing, roll the check, and then move on is often just a silly way to run this skill challenge. Doing things this way keeps things moving and adds excitement.

After everyone has described their actions go back around the table and have each player roll the corresponding skills. If all of their checks were successful then they earn one success towards the overall skill challenge, even though they made multiple successful rolls. If they fail one or more of their checks then the DM will roll randomly to determine which skill check is the one that counts towards the overall success or failure. If the PC failed all of his skill checks then of course he incurs one failure.

Once the players realize that every single check won’t be held against them they’re more likely to do things that make sense for the situation at hand rather than just look for their skill with the highest number. So in the example described above, the Fighter will likely make his Athletics and Endurance checks no problem, but his History check is going to require a really good roll to get a success. However, even if he fails it he’s still got a 2 out of 3 chance that his other successful checks will be the ones that contribute to the party’s overall success.

We tried this variation of the skill challenge mechanic over the past couple of weeks at our own game and it’s worked remarkably well. Almost every player at the table chose to use at least one skill that they were not exceptionally strong in, yet they did so anyway because it made perfect sense for the PCs to use that skill given the circumstances. Even the PCs that failed those checks didn’t worry too much because they were still able to rely on something they were super good at to achieve other successes.

I’ve learned that there isn’t just one way to run a successful skill challenge. Every skill challenge will be different depending on the people at the table. However, by encouraging everyone to participate you’re a lot more likely to have a positive experience. Using the method of storytelling described above has yielded good results at our gaming table. Each player gets to describe what their character is doing and then make multiple checks. It gives the role-players a chance to excel and the dice rollers a chance to make more checks during skill challenges.

I encourage you to try this new approach to running skill challenges and share your experiences with us. Tell us what worked and what didn’t? How would you make this variation better? Do you think this approach will work with all skill challenges or just those of smaller complexity (1 or 2)?

Related articles:

• Skill Challenge: Ditch the Tail
• Always Train Your Worst Skill
• Creating and Running Engaging Skill Challenges

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As the PCs become more powerful and earn a reputation they’re going to become better known across the land. However, there are going to be times when this fame and notoriety will actually be a hindrance. So when one of those situations arises why not throw a skill challenge into the background of the story in order to remind the PCs that if they want to keep their identities a secret it’s going to require a little bit of work.

I want to stress that this kind of skill challenge should be going on in the background and not be a full-on skill challenge in the traditional sense. By the time the PCs have earned enough experience to be recognized, a skill challenge to hide their true identities will seem beneath their level. When I say recognized, I mean to the extent that they can no longer walk among the common folk without drawing crowds and onlookers.

However, by making this a skill challenge with real consequences and XP, the players will realize that it needs to be taken seriously. It also gives the players additional motivation to really get into the role-playing.

The description below follows the Inside Out Skill Challenge format we described a few months ago. Rather than just listing all of the possible skills with DCs and possible outcomes we’re going to focus on the most like tasks the PCs will undertake to succeed with their objective. Some sample skills will be provided, but the exact choices are left to the PCs.

Setup

The goal of the skill challenge is to remain anonymous. Assume that the PCs have made enough of a name for themselves that if they take no effort to conceal their identities people will almost immediately recognize them. As soon as their true identities become public knowledge they’ve failed the skill challenge. This in and of itself may not seem like a very negative consequence, but it’s assumed that whatever they’re trying to accomplish will be a lot more difficult if every move they make is witnessed and shared among the locals.

There are many ways the PCs can keep their identities secret. They can work together and attempt similar methods for success or they can each take an approach that plays to their own strengths. Let the role-playing determine the best course of action.

Method 1 – Disguises

• The most obvious solution is to use disguises. This could be something as simple as using different names or as elaborate as using make-up to alter your appearance. Any attempt to become someone else should incorporate more than just physical changes. People have unique mannerisms, posture, vocabulary and habits. Hiding these kinds of things successfully should really be judged based on the role-playing. Coming up with a change isn’t hard, but keeping it up convincingly for weeks is exceptionally difficult. Slipping in and out of a foreign accent is more likely to arouse suspicion than just wearing a mask.
• Suggested Skills: Bluff, Diplomacy, Endurance, Insight.

Method 2 – Mind Games

• The PCs can use their wit and guile to simply deny that they are who people think they are. This is a very risky tactic since it’s a bold-face and blatant lie. However, once a few people are convinced (of the lie) it will become easier to convince others. Successfully implementing this tactic will require careful planning and selective interactions with the locals. If PCs can convince someone well-liked and possibly even in high standing within the community of the lie, then their support of your lie will make others more open to believing it.
• Suggested Skills: Bluff, Diplomacy, History, Streetwise.

Method 3 – Stay Out of Sight

• One approach is to simply stay out of sight all together. This could come with all sorts of other problems, especially if the PCs are planning to be in town for any extended periods of time. They can’t stay in the shadows forever. At least they can’t all stay in the shadows. DMs should make it clear that no more than half of the party can take this approach and still hope for overall success. Even the guy in the dark corner eventually draws suspicion.
• Suggested Skills: Stealth, Perception, Thievery.

Method 4 – Hide Your Stuff

• Another more subtle way to use Stealth is to hide the unique things that people will likely recognize and connect to the party’s true identity. This includes things like magic weapons, implements and armor as well as jewels and clothing. A peasant wielding Excalibur is going to be recognized as King Arthur in a poor man’s clothes, but if he hides the sword and arms himself with a club or a dagger he’s going to blend in a lot more easily.
• Suggested Skills: Stealth, Streetwise.

These are just a few of the methods that PCs can use to try and keep their identities secret. The skills I’ve listed are the most likely ones the players will attempt to use to gain success, but any skill can be used if it makes sense. Reward creativity.

This kind of skill challenge isn’t intended to be exceptionally difficult. It will end up being as complicated as the players choose to make it. The DM is encouraged to reward good role-playing and even give bonuses to important checks if the role-playing warrants such a reward.

With this skill challenge happening as a sort of sub-plot to the larger story arc, the players will need to decide just how much time and focus to put toward keeping their identities secret versus just completing whatever their actual objective is. Some groups will relish the opportunity for this added opportunity to role-play while others will be content to just make a few quick checks and be done with it. It’s up to the DM to decide how much freedom to give to the players and how significant he’s willing to let skill challenge become to the overall story. Just remember to have fun with it.

Visit our Skill Challenge archive for more skill aides and skill challenges.

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While the Dungeon’s Master team enjoys some well-deserved vacation time, we’re breaking out the greatest hits and shining a spotlight on a few of our favourite articles from 2010. We’ve searched for hidden gems that our newer readers might have missed and our long-time readers will enjoy reading again. Enjoy a second look at these greatest hits from Dungeon’s Master.

Between my home games, LFR and D&D Encounters I’ve easily DMed over 100 hours of D&D during the past year. Of all the ideas I had as the DM during 2010, this was one of the ideas that stands out in my mind as a solid bull’s-eye.

Turning a 5-minute rest into a skill challenge seemed like such a simple concept. I wasn’t sure how well it would be executed in a real game scenario, but it turned out better than I’d hoped. It was one of those times when I didn’t feel bound or restricted by the rules. I used the existing materials as a guideline and adapted them to the situation at my gaming table. The result was an extremely memorable encounter.

Everything clicked. The players realized the importance and necessity of taking the rest at that point in the adventure and they were willing to role-play the scenario. Even though they’d typically just say they were taking the rest, this time they wanted to play it out. They understood the objective (to rest without being attacked) and knew the limitations they faced as “resting” character.

As one of the players commented in the original article, he felt the skill challenge part of the 5-minute rest was worked into the encounter so gracefully that he didn’t even realize a skill challenge was going on. When running a skill challenge, this is the highest compliment I think any DM can get from his players.

On the surface, I encourage you to use this idea in your next game and have the 5-minute rest become a skill challenge in itself. However, the more important lesson I hope you take away from this article is that the rules are there to provide direction. Ultimately it’s you – the DM – that drives the game. Feel free to bend and even break the rules from time-to-time if doing so will make the game better.

From July 6, 2010, Dungeon’s Master once again presents: The 5-Minute Rest as a Skill Challenge

Normally when combat is finished the PCs take a short, 5-minute rest. They get to rest up, heal, catch their breath, and regain the use of encounter powers. But what many players forget is that all of the benefits that come from taking a 5-minute rest come at then end of those five minutes. If the party is attacked or decides to venture onwards before the short rest is finished, they are still hurt and resource depleted.

In a recent game the PCs found themselves in a situation where they really needed a short rest, but couldn’t just drop their guard for five minutes. I decided to turn the 5-minute rest into a skill challenge. If they succeeded, then after five minutes they got all the benefits of taking the short rest (and some XP for completing the skill challenge). If they failed then at least some of the PCs would have to engage in combat to guard the others still resting. Here’s how it played out.

The PCs are on a quest for five lost magic items. One of these items was used as part of the binding ritual that keeps an air elemental bound to a House Lyrander airship. As luck would have it that very ship just arrived in the same city as the PCs. The party decided to board the ship and take the item.

Rather than use force and blast their way onto the ship (which is what I’d prepared for) they decided to play to their strengths and use bluff and stealth to gain access to the ship. This turned out to be easier than they thought. They easily secured the lower decks and started to dismantle the elemental binding in order to recover the magic item. This didn’t go unnoticed for long. The crew above deck started pouring down below to engage the party. The PCs held their position, defeating the sailors who rushed down to fight.

The party’s Wizards, an engineer bearing the Mark of Making, told the PCs that in order to remove the item they sought without blowing up the ship (and everyone inside it) he needed between five and ten minutes to work his magic and safely remove the item. So began the short rest.

Although the few remaining crewmen on deck weren’t dumb enough to follow their fallen brethren into combat with the saboteurs, they were smart enough to call for aid. The PCs clearly heard the cries and the footfalls of people running on and off the ship. The PCs may not have five minutes before they had to face reinforcements.

I asked each PCs to describe what they were doing during for each minute of the rest. After each minute they could make one check towards the skill challenge. Some worked to barricade themselves in the bowels of the ship by pushing crates around or securing hatchways. Others worked with the Wizard to suppress the magic and get the item.

One player who was absent the week before didn’t need the benefit of a short rest since he missed the last combat. He decided to act as scout and point-man. He also declared that he’d do what he could to hold off any advancement himself if need be.

The PCs were creative and completed the skill challenge with flying colours. The situation brought about some great role-playing and the players didn’t try to do anything that would exert the PCs and blow the benefits of resting.

Failing the skill challenge did pose significant risk to the party. I wasn’t going to be a complete jerk and rob them of their 5-minute rest, but for each extra minute they needed to complete their rest, more reinforcements would have arrived above deck making their escape all the more difficult.

Just because the mechanics of 4e D&D allow the PCs to recharge after each fight doesn’t mean that it should always be an automatic happenstance. By taking an already time-sensitive situation I managed to turn what is normally just a boring “You take a short rest” statement and create some tension. In a situation that was likely to be a combat-heavy night, we managed to inject some quality role-playing into our game.

So the next time you get a short rest, think about what the PCs are actually doing during those five minutes. Most of the time they’re in no immediate danger and can do as they please, but every once and a while you’ll need to catch your breath while danger looms in the nearby shadows.

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While the Dungeon’s Master team enjoys some well-deserved vacation time, we’re breaking out the greatest hits and shining a spotlight on a few of our favourite articles from 2010. We’ve searched for hidden gems that our newer readers might have missed and our long-time readers will enjoy reading again. Enjoy a second look at these greatest hits from Dungeon’s Master.

There is one really obvious way to make any boring skill challenge more exciting that I didn’t mention in the original article – getting everyone to participate. I’ve noticed when I’m playing in public games at my FLGS (especially D&D Encounters) that some players aren’t participating in skill challenges. Any encounter you don’t participate in is going to seem boring to you.

Many players assume that it’s the DM’s responsibility to ensure everyone is included. I agree with this, but I also believe that experienced players must shoulder some of this burden. If you’re playing at a table where others aren’t participating try to encourage them to join in.

One reason I’ve heard that some players find skill challenges boring is because their character isn’t that good in very many skills. Too many players – especially newer players – think that they must use their best skills during a skill challenge. You have no idea how much I disagree with this thinking.

Let the narrative and the role-playing guide you during a skill challenge. Don’t look at the skills and then decide on your action, decide on your action and then look at your skills. If you’ve done a good job in-character of explaining what your character is doing and more importantly why they are doing it, the roll should be a lot less significant. Most DMs I’ve played with will usually ignore the roll and just award a success in this situation.

The next time players are complaining that a skill challenge is boring; make sure that it isn’t because they aren’t participating. Once you’re sure everyone is involved in the skill challenge then use the guidelines I’ve described below to work on other ways to spice things up.

From October 25, 2010, Dungeon’s Master once again presents: Making Boring Skill Challenges More Exciting

Any skill challenge that isn’t a challenge is boring. Here at Dungeon’s Master we’ve written a lot of articles about skill challenges. We’ve created a lot of skill challenge templates intentionally made generic enough that you can drop them right into an existing campaign. However, some skill challenges just aren’t that challenging to some parties. This is especially true as PCs get to higher levels. So what do you do if you find a skill challenge you want to use in your campaign but it’s not going to challenge your players? Simple, you make it more challenging – and we’ll tell you how.

Some DMs feel that skill challenges aren’t that malleable. They believe that skill challenges are designed with a certain level in mind and if you try to adjust the numbers for a party more than a couple of levels up or down it’s not going to work. I wholeheartedly disagree. With a little bit of creative thinking most skill challenge can be adapted to suit your party, regardless of the PCs’ current level.

Defining what’s challenging will change significantly as the PCs advance. A dangerous encounter with serious repercussion to a level 1 party may not even seem like a scenario worth playing out for a more advance party. Let’s look at a really basic skill challenge as an example and we’ll make it more suitable (and a lot more exciting) for a higher level party.

In this example skill challenge the PCs are on their way from point A to point B. Along the way they need to cross a swift-flowing river atop a waterfall. Anything going over the edge of the waterfalls faces a 50-foot drop and will be slammed against the rocks below.

At level 1 this is a perilous task that makes for an interesting (albeit simple) skill challenge. Some immediate and obvious means to overcome this challenge include creating a raft, finding a bridge or simply fighting the current and swimming across. Failure means that some or all of the PCs are swept up by the current and falling over a waterfall. For low level PCs with 25-35 hit points, a fall of 50 feet represents a life-threatening situation.

At lower heroic tier (say, levels 1-5) this is a pretty reasonable challenge. There’s real danger if the PCs don’t achieve success. Some parties may even decide that crossing the river this close to the waterfall is just not worth the risk. They may decide to move further upstream before attempting the crossing – which is a valid way to limit the immediate danger. It’s up to the DM to decide if the PCs have to cross here or not. If they do then it needs to make sense within the bigger story.

Now let’s assume that a level 11 party is facing this same scenario. As the skill challenge is set up I wouldn’t even play this out for a level 11 party. I’d simply say in the narrative that the party had to cross a rushing river and they succeeded. However, if I wanted to use this skill challenge I’d need to make it more exciting. In order to do that there needs to be danger. If the party doesn’t have any fear of failure then it’s a boring encounter. So let’s make it more exciting.

There are three methods I use (on their own or in conjunction with one another) to make skill challenges more challenging:

1. Higher DCs
2. The threat of combat
3. A time limit

These three devices are the easiest ways to make any mundane skill challenge more exciting and more suitable for a higher level party. They may seem like really obvious solutions, but working them into an existing skill challenge needs to make sense. Making a check go from DC 15 to DC 30 needs to be based on some reasonably explained detail in the encounter. Let’s go back to our river crossing and see how these three methods can make the simple skill challenge exciting for a much higher level party.

1. Higher DC

In order to adjust the DC in this encounter I’d modify the geography. In the initial description the river was 30 feet across and the waterfall was 50 feet high. By level 11 any PC with a 20 Strength and training in Athletics makes a jump check to cross the river with a 15 or better – still tough but not impossible. Many classes also provide PCs utility powers that allow them to teleport or fly their speed. This will easily let them cross without difficulty. So in order to make the DCs more difficult, just widen the river. Even an adjustment of 10 feet makes the jump check all but impossible for practically every PC (although I’ll bet some will still try). The 50 foot high waterfall that becomes 75 or 100 feet high now represents real danger and the possibility of death for PCs at this level. It’s unlikely that they’d take maximum damage from the fall, but most players are unlikely to risk that eventuality. By modifying the physical descriptions of the hazard the DCs go up and this skill challenge becomes challenging again.

2. The Threat of Combat

I find any skill challenge where a fight can break out more exciting, especially if the PCs don’t want to have this particular fight. If the PCs succeed at the skill challenge they avoid combat, but if they flub a few checks they suddenly find themselves fighting while crossing a hazardous river. What if there are creatures in the woods (on one or both sides of the river) that will attack the PCs if they hear them? What about savage water creatures in the river itself. Suddenly falling into the water means combat – underwater combat at that. A skill challenge that initially required only Athletics, Endurance and Nature checks now has an element of Stealth and Perception involved. The more tasks required to overcome a skill challenge usually means that a wider variety of skills are needed. This forces more PCs to work together if they want to succeed without any failures. Every check becomes vital. Crossing a river hasn’t been this exciting in a long time.

3. A Time Limit

This is the method I find more versatile at any level. I’ve found that skill challenge with time limits are always more exciting. It forces the PCs to use the skills, powers, abilities, and items in their possession right now. Perhaps they need to complete their journey from point A to point B before nightfall, or maybe they’re being pursued by a greater power or superior numbers. Anything that’s reasonable and makes sense is fair game. A time factor is one of the best ways to keep a skill challenge exciting and relevant. PCs at the top of the waterfall no longer have the option of heading upstream and looking for a safer place to cross, they have to cross here and now. Some options, like making a raft, may be too time-consuming to complete given the circumstances. An attempt to hastily make a raft requires a much higher DC for success then a raft made without the clock ticking. Suddenly risking a very difficult jump check may seem like a good idea if that will get someone across fast.

The setup for this sample skill challenge was pretty straight forward to begin with so ramping it up and making it more exciting was a relatively simple task. Other, more complicated skill challenges will obviously require more creative solutions. However, I find most skill challenges are easily adjusted using these three methods to make them more exciting, and thereby suitable for characters at higher levels.

One last thought when it comes to making skill challenges more exciting is to remember the “challenge breaker” concept. The challenge breaker is an action, task or circumstance that if undertaken successfully will end the skill challenge regardless of how many successes are normally required. Depending on the purpose of the original skill challenge, once PCs gain access to certain powers or items, these may become challenge breakers themselves. A party that can fly or teleport isn’t challenged by a rushing river atop a waterfall, no matter how wide the river. When the party has a resource that is a “challenge breaker” then it’s not necessary to even run this kind of skill challenge. In these circumstances just add the crossing to the narrative and focus on making the next skill challenge more exciting.

The Skill Challenges tab at the top of the page provides easy access to all of our skill aides and skill challenges.

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Have you ever needed to roll over 20 to succeed at a skill check? If you’re a combat-heavy PC then the answer is probably yes, but what if you’re a well rounded PC with decent attributes? Does your DM ever make a DC so difficult that it’s practically impossible to succeed? With very few exceptions most DMs won’t present DCs that are out of the reach of the average PC. My question is why not? I know I do when I’m the DM.

There’s been a lot of discussion about the actual numbers when it comes to skill checks and DC. We already covered this issue last week in Bauxtehude’s articles Exploring Skill Checks and the New DCs part 1 and part 2. The point I want to discuss today is whether or not DCs should ever be out of reach to all but the very best and most highly trained characters?

Too many players focus too much on combat and forget just how important the skills are to the game and to their character. Players need to realize that feats and powers that provide bonuses to skills are just as vital to victory as the feat that gives bonuses to attacks and damage or powers that deal multiple weapon damage.

By presenting circumstances where incredibly high DCs rear their ugly head, the DM reminds players that they shouldn’t expect an easy victory all the time. These reminders need to be nailed home for out of combat encounters even more than for combat encounters.

Think about it, many DMs will do this for combat encounters without flinching. The PCs find themselves up against a monster or monsters that are a few levels higher then what’s considered appropriate. Some players will realized that they’re in over their heads and back off; usually after someone has fallen unconscious or the party is out of healing. But more often than not the party will still try to fight the monster despite the long odds of success. Rarely will the players object to the challenge and complain to the DM. They’ll assess their own capabilities, work together and strive for victory.

This is exactly what should be happening with skill challenges and even just one-off skill checks. It doesn’t make sense that every party should have someone capable of overcoming any skill check with flying colours. Every now and then the DM should make it clear that the required check is out of reach for most PC. Even the guy with the best skill modifier still needs a 20 or higher to succeed. This skill check, by definition is an impossible task. But this is also a task that if accomplished will have serious ramifications to the adventure and the characters themselves.

One of the cardinal rules of skill challenges is that success or failure should never hang on a single check. Throwing a really hard check at the players shouldn’t break this rule. If the check is successful then the PCs will have access to some avenue of pursuit that wouldn’t otherwise be available. If they fail, then they have to go about accomplishing their task by more traditional and normally methods. The more mundane solutions are usually rife with danger and take a lot longer. The really hard check should almost act as a short cut, bypassing a combat encounter or providing a clue that will aid the PCs later on their quest.

Now that the DM has put this really hard DC in front of the players and they realize the immense difficulty of it, the ball is suddenly in the player’s court. It’s up to them to be creative and try to achieve success. The absolute worst thing they can do is to simply let the player with the best skill roll and hope he gets that 20. In order to avoid this eventuality (because we all know that some players will try it), I often place the DC just out of reach. The player with the highest skill modifier still needs a 21 or 22.

The players should realize that the only way they’re going to have a shot at this is to work together and assist the best guy. Normally I limit the number of assists to two or three for most checks, but if the DC is going to be through the roof then perhaps this is a good time to say yes and allow everyone to chip in. You know that at least one guy will likely flub the roll incurring a -1 rather than the +2 so if there are five PCs assisting you’re likely looking at +7 from the assists. This really hard check just got considerably easier.

This is where a good DM should reward strong role-playing and creativity. I believe that this should be the case during all skill challenges, but this is especially true when you’ve intentionally set the DC really high.

One of my pet peeves with assisting is that most players simply say “I’m assisting” and roll the check. At my table I need to know what you’re doing to assist the guy making the primary check. Where I allow considerable latitude is regarding which skill you use to assist. Just because the main skill being used is Intimidate doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to use the same skill to assist.

The movie the Untouchables has a great example of this exact scenario. Sean Connery’s character uses Bluff to “interrogate” a man that was already dead and then shoots him for not answering. Kevin Costner’s character gets a bonus to his Intimidate check when questioning the other prisoners who believe they just saw Sean Connery kill a man for not cooperating.

I can already hear a lot of DMs asking why both even putting really hard skill checks into the game. If the PCs are never going to make the check (short of a miracle) won’t this just frustrate and anger the players? My feeling is that you make the game better by putting some really hard skill checks into your adventures.

Consider what would happen if you never put really hard skill checks into your game. Once the players realize they’ll never have to face really hard skill checks because you refuse to make any check impossible, then they’ll never take feats and powers that provide skill bonuses. However, if they know that from time to time they’ll need to roll a 19 or 20 to succeed then they might just take that utility power that provides a +4 bonuses or a feat that gives them an additional +2, +3 or +5. Suddenly the check that most PCs need a 20 to make on their own only requires a 12 from the PC with the proper versatility.

Look at a similar combat situation by comparison. What if a PC had a magic sword that was average most of the time, but super awesome when he fought dragons? During most games he’s content to have his regular magic sword. But on those very rare occasions when he actually gets to fight a dragon he is suddenly the star of the show. He had the right tool for that job. It wasn’t that special any other time, but when it was special the advantage was considerable.

This is exactly how players feel when they choose feats or powers that boost their skills. If you never put really hard skill checks into your game then they just walk around making every check without ever rolling. I’ve seen character with over +20 modifiers to some skills as early as level 11. Even with the newly modified DC they’re going to automatically make moderately difficult checks without even rolling. Meanwhile other PC might only have a +5 modifier simply for reaching level 11.

Using really hard skill checks emphasizes the greatness of that one player who chose to improve his skills rather than try to keep up with the best combatants. It also acts as a great advertisement for players who never, ever make any effort to shore up their poorest skills that there is a good reason to think about taking more than just fighting feats. You give the PCs with incredibly high skills a forum to demonstrate just how good they really are. The player will thank you and it will likely be a very memorable part of your camping, regardless of the outcome.

Now that I’ve said my piece and explained why I believe that more DMs should use really hard skill checks in their adventures do you agree with me or do you think I’m way off base? Should the DCs always be within reach for most players? Without a few really hard skill checks why would any player ever decide to pump up their skills to ridiculous levels? More importantly, for those players that do, how else do you provide them with opportunities to put those skills to use in an exciting and meaningful way? Let the debate begin.

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