Welcome, my friends, to Skill Challenge Theater. I'm starting this thread because Runnetib suggested that I post a narrative of a skill challenge as an example of how to run one. Instead, I upped the ante a bit. I'm going to run a skill challenge in this thread, and other forumites will play the roles of the characters, just as if we were actually playing a game of D&D. This will hopefully be a learning experience for all of us.
The skill challenge presented in this theater is going to be as follows. Our heroes, a bold human fighter, a swarthy human rogue, a plucky eladrin wizard, and a doughty dwarven cleric, are investigating a series of murders in their home city. In each case, the corpse has been mutilated after death - the eyes have been gouged out. Without any leads, the party has decided to head to Mack's Inn. Mack, the proprieter, is a sometimes informant and the party believes he might have some information that could help them. However, upon crossing the city to Mack's, the party arrives to find the building in flames!
I'll post more description in a bit. For now, I'm looking for volunteers to play the parts of our heroes. I think Runnetib and jcarleski would like to play, so that leaves two open slots. Post here if you're interested in playing, and which hero you'd like to play as. I'll write up a 5th hero if there is enough interest.
Yep! Totally in! I've got a 5th level Warlock mult. Bard that I'll contribute to the effort.
Actually, all the guys I wrote were 1st level. If you want to make be 1st level warlock/bard, that would be interesting.
The other characters are as follows:
Human Fighter
TRAINED SKILLS
Endurance +7, Intimidate +4, Athletics +10, Streetwise +4
UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics +0, Arcana +0, Bluff -1, Diplomacy -1, Dungeoneering +0, Heal +0, History +0, Insight +0, Nature +0, Perception +0, Religion +0, Stealth +0, Thievery +0
Human Rogue
TRAINED SKILLS
Streetwise +7, Stealth +10, Thievery +10, Dungeoneering +4, Insight +4, Bluff +7, Athletics +5
UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics +5, Arcana +0, Diplomacy +2, Endurance +0, Heal -1, History +0, Intimidate +2, Nature -1, Perception -1, Religion +0
Eladrin Wizard
TRAINED SKILLS
Endurance +5, Arcana +12, Nature +7, Insight +7, History +12
UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics +1, Bluff -1, Diplomacy -1, Dungeoneering +2, Heal +2, Intimidate -1, Perception +2, Religion +5, Stealth +1, Streetwise -1, Thievery +1, Athletics +0
Dwarf Cleric
TRAINED SKILLS
Religion +4, Arcana +4, History +4, Heal +10
UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics -1, Bluff +2, Diplomacy +2, Dungeoneering +7, Endurance +2, Insight +5, Intimidate +2, Nature +5, Perception +5, Stealth -1, Streetwise +2, Thievery -1, Athletics -1
I'll help! I can be the doughty cleric!
Can I be the Wizard?
I would play the dwarf to test my theory that all skill challenges can be solved using Endurance skill, only I find he has no such skill!
I'd be interested but it seems you have enough!
Wow, lots of volunteers!
OK, so our cast of characters is:
jcarleski - warlock/bard (race?)
matthew koelbl - human rogue "Jimmy the Knife"
amelia - dwarf cleric
meanDM - eladrin wizard
that leaves the human fighter to runnetib, although he hasn't posted to me in this thread yet. If he isn't able to play, FabesMinis gets the Fighter.
OK, jcarleski, can you post up the skill list for your character? And, if I don't hear from Runnetib by then, FabesMinis gets the Fighter.
Give me just a minute here - this is my RPGA character that I have to de-level from 6 back down to 1... and voila!
Mircolis, Half-Elven Starlock/Bard
An astute astrologer with a eye towards landing a cushy job in some noble's court somewhere, Mircolis first needs to make a name for himself as an adventurer and wandering prophet. He knows his craft well and plies it when necessary, but knows it's often easier to simply bamboozle the unwashed masses.
TRAINED SKILLS
Bluff +9, Arcana +7, Insight +8, Streetwise +9
UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics +0, Athletics +0, Diplomacy +6, Dungeoneering +1, Endurance +3, Heal +1, History +2, Intimidate +4, Nature +1, Perception +1, Stealth +0, Religion +2, Thievery +0,
OK, cool! I'll post up the start of the scenario after work tonight.
Keeping an eye out...
Sorry this took so long, work's been kicking my butt lately. Here we go:
The party makes its way through the crowded, filthy streets of Portstown, headed to Mack's bar in the waterfront district. Memories of the previous week's investigations weigh heavily on your minds. Though each of the murdered men were killed in different fashions, they were each found with their eyes ripped horribly from their skulls. The disinterest of the offical investigators from the Watch is also quite troubling.
As you near Mack's establishment, you can hear shouts of alarm and panic. The smell of smoke hangs in the air, and as you dash around the last corner, you can see that the inn is aflame! Smoke pours from the windows, and you can see wisps of flame beginning to dance on some of the timber sections in the rear of the building, near the kitchen. As you approach, a few people struggle out the front door, choking and gagging from the smoke. One drops to his knees, then collapses to the ground. At the same time, you hear cries for help from above - looking up, you can see two young girls looking down from a third floor window, tears stream down their faces and their eyes are wide with fright. People in the street are staring at the building in shock or running away - it's clear that noone knows exactly how to respond to this problem.
Feel free to ask questions, roleplay, or make skill checks! Please let me know which character you are playing in your post. Spectators can also feel free to give advice or make comments as we go along.
Concerned about the safety of these poor folk, I rush to the aid of the fallen man who staggered out of the in and fell using my heal skill to try to treat him. Meanwhile I call out "Someone help those girls!"
(Do you want us to roll skills, or since this is simply a sort of simulation, are you going to roll for us? Either is cool with me.)
Mircolis quickly ascertains that it will take the girls too long to climb out the window and furthermore, the smoke is getting dangerously close to choking them. He chooses a spot several meters away from the window (to avoid catching the girls in any possible backdraft) and uses his Eldritch Blast to blow a large hole in the wall from which both smoke and people can quickly escape. He then attempts to coax the girls near the hole.
(OOC: this might be two checks over consecutive "rounds", and if so I'm ok with that.)
"We have to help them." the cleric says. "But we also need to get the fire out. Quick, you people there, form a bucket line."
Didn't have internet at home this weekend. I'll let you guys know about what rolls to make during my lunch break.