dandersonjr32
Initiate Douchebag
Playing Savage Worlds, DnD 5e and Fantasy AGE in Tampa, Florida.
Posts: 19
Preferred Game Systems: I'll try just about anything but I prefer Savage Worlds.
Currently Playing: DnD 5e
Currently Running: Savage Worlds, Fantasy AGE
Favorite Species of Monkey: Orangutan
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Post by dandersonjr32 on Sept 2, 2016 5:43:00 GMT -8
Hey everyone,
First post here, even though I've been listening to the podcast for a while. (I even had a Gaming Nightmare read on a show, and it was a thrill for me.)
I'm running Necessary Evil - Breakout for a group twice a month and I wanted to get some feedback on a skill challenge that I just put together.
One of the only things I liked about 4th ed DnD was the skill challenges. I might be in the minority but I always thought they were fun and added an element of tension to the game outside of combat. A simple check for success / failure seems mundane and inadequate.
The scenario is they are fighting an adversary with sonic powers. I need him to get away so I'm figuring he can use his Explosion power (sonic boom) to collapse a building onto himself and drive him into the basement, and thus away. This creates a problem for anyone in the building with them, so I built a Collapsing Building challenge as follows:
Collapsing Building Skill Challenge - Anyone caught up in the building collapse will have to make it through a skill challenge. As the debris falls the PCs must find a way not to get crushed. Easier said than done.
Threshold - 4 success to 2 failures. A raise adds a onetime +2 to the next role.
Thoughts / ideas / comments?
Progression - Agility / Acrobatics (avoid the small stuff). Failure adds a level of fatigue. Fighting / Shooting (knock a big piece out of way). Failure adds shaken. Agility / Acrobatics (avoid a very big piece). Failure adds an automatic wound. Strength (push aside a big piece) Failure adds shaken. Repeat Agility / Strength until done.
Anyone buried must make another skill check based on Strength only, 3 success are required. Every failure adds a level of fatigue. Anyone unconscious under the rubble must be found with a successful Tracking test. They may be recovered with 3 Strength tests. Any failures will cause a wound to the person they are trying to recover.
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Post by gandalftheplaid on Sept 4, 2016 7:59:58 GMT -8
I only used them a couple of times as they felt too much like an separate mini game but they were well received when I did. When I ran them party death was extremely unlikely, but I had it matter in other ways. One was a chase through a busy city where individual success counts determined what rounds they showed up to join a combat. Another was a magical trap where the party is getting shot until a puzzle is sorted out. The fighty guys had to run and jump around playing shields to the eggheads trying to solve the puzzle. That one made for some nice banter at the table while softening them up for a battle they expected to be happening soon.
Some thoughts I have about your scenario: Are you open to Death/TPK by building? If you're not comfy with player death by building, any chance for an NPC or desired item to be in play also needing to be hauled out? Thus failure can still have loss and big success could have extra reward. Are you going for a tense "oh crap someone could die" feel or a "hurry up the bastard's getting away" feel? What's up with the shaken? Is combat also happening at the same time? I could see value in it if the party is in a rush.
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tomes
Supporter
Hello madness
Posts: 1,438
Currently Running: Dungeon World, hippie games, Fallout Shelter RPG hack
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Post by tomes on Sept 5, 2016 12:35:59 GMT -8
Threshold - 4 success to 2 failures. A raise adds a onetime +2 to the next role. That certainly sounds fun to me. As a player, I'd love to hear: The building starts to fall... what do you do? This allows me to try all sorts of different things. Progression - Agility / Acrobatics (avoid the small stuff). Failure adds a level of fatigue. Fighting / Shooting (knock a big piece out of way). Failure adds shaken. Agility / Acrobatics (avoid a very big piece). Failure adds an automatic wound. Strength (push aside a big piece) Failure adds shaken. Repeat Agility / Strength until done. With my above comment, as the GM I'd totally be open to people getting creative with skills or stats that are relevant. Like a perception-type roll (or some sort of related knowledge roll) to see what places are structurally sound. A success means you found something, and therefore may reduce the number of successful checks (now you only need 3), however getting to that location would still be some sort of Agility roll (or Acrobatics, whatever), so you can't only think your way out of a physical building collapsing with 4 mental checks. Anyone buried must make another skill check based on Strength only, 3 success are required. Every failure adds a level of fatigue. Anyone unconscious under the rubble must be found with a successful Tracking test. They may be recovered with 3 Strength tests. Any failures will cause a wound to the person they are trying to recover. This works because if I was trying to "think" my way out (e.g. first roll being perception or intelligence or something), but fail, well, that certainly implies that as I was looking around I got pinned or otherwise stuck, and now it's on to a Strength or other roll. In all, I love the idea.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2016 13:16:44 GMT -8
I only used them a couple of times as they felt too much like an separate mini game but they were well received when I did. When I ran them party death was extremely unlikely, but I had it matter in other ways. One was a chase through a busy city where individual success counts determined what rounds they showed up to join a combat. Another was a magical trap where the party is getting shot until a puzzle is sorted out. The fighty guys had to run and jump around playing shields to the eggheads trying to solve the puzzle. That one made for some nice banter at the table while softening them up for a battle they expected to be happening soon. Some thoughts I have about your scenario: Are you open to Death/TPK by building? If you're not comfy with player death by building, any chance for an NPC or desired item to be in play also needing to be hauled out? Thus failure can still have loss and big success could have extra reward. Are you going for a tense "oh crap someone could die" feel or a "hurry up the bastard's getting away" feel?What's up with the shaken? Is combat also happening at the same time? I could see value in it if the party is in a rush. The feel is going to be the most important aspect for this scene. What is the end goal for this dramatic task? There should be something on the line vs just rolling to roll. I would describe the scene ("The entire room begins to shake and the office furniture is shifting about.") but give your players a chance to play towards their strengths/powers. A flyer may just bust out a window and a regular Joe would never waste time trying to move something too heavy when death is on the line. You can keep it a dramatic task but every character may have a different set of skills they decide to use.
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joegun
Journeyman Douchebag
Posts: 249
Preferred Game Systems: Savage Worlds
Currently Playing: Just GM'ing right now.
Currently Running: Rippers Resurrected, and Savage RIFTS!
Favorite Species of Monkey: Baboon
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Post by joegun on Sept 6, 2016 13:32:08 GMT -8
Building up tension is great and I would Echo what others have said here as well. 1) don't decide beforehand what skills work/don't...let the players show off creativity 2) you can use your own mechanic if you like, but you could also just use the Dramatic Tasks Situational rules out of the box. ( i'd say let them use any skill if they can give you a good reason that sounds good, and run every player a separate Dramatic task ). This lets every "round" have the tension of a club coming up and that one player ( or multiple ) having the whole building come out from under them at that moment! Narrate the card draws and rolls and go from there.
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dandersonjr32
Initiate Douchebag
Playing Savage Worlds, DnD 5e and Fantasy AGE in Tampa, Florida.
Posts: 19
Preferred Game Systems: I'll try just about anything but I prefer Savage Worlds.
Currently Playing: DnD 5e
Currently Running: Savage Worlds, Fantasy AGE
Favorite Species of Monkey: Orangutan
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Post by dandersonjr32 on Sept 13, 2016 5:01:29 GMT -8
Thanks for all the feedback guys, truly appreciated. Tension and tone were the call of the day, and I like what you guys said.
Okay, so I ran the SC, but not the way that I thought I would.
The idea was that they were chasing a gang leader named THUNDER into an old building, and THUNDER would use his Explode power to bring the building down on everyone, but propelling him into the sewers thereby getting away. The problem was my super villains didn't care one bit about THUNDER getting away and they let him crush the building on themselves. I put on my best poker face to hide my disappointment.
Not 2 rounds after that all of the PCs were being pursued by BUZZARDS who were dropping grenades on them. A couple of my villains sought refuge in an old wrecked building. Here was my chance so I struck. BUZZARDS dropped grenades and collapsed the building. I ran my skill challenge
Next time, however, I'll make it open ended like Joegun said. One PC was very well equipped to get out, the Werewolf style PC who had the agility and strength to make his way out, but THE ILLUMINARY, a super-science light-based villain who is all brain and no brawn was quickly piled under.
It all worked out, though. As the BUZZARDS swarmed the pile THE ILLUMINARY used his On The Fly ability to switch his light rifle to explode and took out a whole host of foes, at the same time freeing himself of the rubble.
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Post by jazzisblues on Sept 14, 2016 4:00:42 GMT -8
I had a case where the pc's where in a pyramid and they set off a trap. The trap caused the room to flood but because the room wasn't sealed they didn't face drowning at least not right away, however the water would try to wash them away into the very dangerous pits they'd just crossed. I used a dramatic task with an escalating scale of difficulty as the level of the water mounted, and then as it receded dialed it back down. This made for some truly heroic role playing as they tried to save one another from getting washed away.
Cheers, JiB
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