Non-Combat Challenges for the Unskilled

[Shadowdweller]

So - the rogue goes off scouting the enemy base, the bard tries to parlay with the twisted beast-men, the wizard waves her arms and floats over the chasm. During those lengthy, non-combat periods what does the Big Dumb Fighter (or nonskilled, combat-focused character) do?

Have any stories or ideas for challenges that are suitable for an unskilled (i.e. lacking much in the way of skills and skill points), non-spellcasting, primary combatant? Please share!

- The Multi-phase trap: The gears of a big, nasty trap are concealed behind a heavy stone panel. To get to them and disarm the contraption, someone needs to hold up the panel. This requires a grapple check made each round while the party trapsmith makes a couple successful Disable Device checks.

- One paizo adventure path features the opportunity to defend a village. Martial characters may train the populace in self defense by making rolls based upon base attack bonus.

- Sentry duty: Not terribly exciting for the char, but...the party becomes preoccupied in a small room. While doing so, stealthy enemies sneak up and ambush them unless someone stands guard at the entrance to a long, coverless hallway.

- Keystone: A peculiar construction or device is all that blocks or sustains passage. To get through or to block nastiness from passing through, an object must be destroyed. Examples: A complicated and/or enchanted lock securing a drawbridge or portcullis. An actual keystone in an archway. A weak section of wall blocking lava or a waterway. Best used when the keystone that needs to be destroyed is not completely obvious.

[Shadowdweller]

- Non-skill based Diplomacy issues: In my opinion, it's generally good to encourage use of the Diplomacy skill as much as possible by providing opportunities to use it. However, one can introduce cases where the roll isn't as important as the character's strategy. Maybe an NPC is reluctant to provide some service to the PCs unless one earns their respect. Frequently in fantasy culture dwarves, orcs, and hobgoblins in particular respect martial prowess. And occasionally disdain magic.

Examples: Krogar the dwarven bartender is reticent and will not give information to those who haven't earned his respect. PCs can gain a +10 to diplomacy checks with him after some display of pugilistic prowess, for example in a bar fight. You can prompt this by playing up hints of his bias. "We don't serve kids, here. Get lost." Or "Better ask elsewhere kid, the regulars here would chew you up and spit you out."

[Lamontius]

Drinking, brawling and finding the actual fun.

[Kthulhu]

Barmaids

[Fromper]

Shadowdweller wrote:

- Non-skill based Diplomacy issues: In my opinion, it's generally good to encourage use of the Diplomacy skill as much as possible by providing opportunities to use it. However, one can introduce cases where the roll isn't as important as the character's strategy. Maybe an NPC is reluctant to provide some service to the PCs unless one earns their respect. Frequently in fantasy culture dwarves, orcs, and hobgoblins in particular respect martial prowess. And occasionally disdain magic.

Examples: Krogar the dwarven bartender is reticent and will not give information to those who haven't earned his respect. PCs can gain a +10 to diplomacy checks with him after some display of pugilistic prowess, for example in a bar fight. You can prompt this by playing up hints of his bias. "We don't serve kids, here. Get lost." Or "Better ask elsewhere kid, the regulars here would chew you up and spit you out."

This is definitely something my barbarian would do. Having trouble talking the troll into letting us past its bridge? I challenge it to an arm wrestling match! I might not win, but even putting up a fight and not being scared of it could earn its respect.

[johnlocke90]

Kthulhu wrote:

Barmaids

Good luck with that when your charisma is at 7 and you have no ranks in charisma skills.

[Lamontius]

Man I am a charisma skill.

[Kthulhu]

Who needs a charisma skill when you rolled really well on your 7th attribue "score" ?

:P

[Shadowdweller]

Lamontius wrote:

Drinking, brawling and finding the actual fun.

So when you're off in the back of beyond exploring some ruin, you've already drained both your backup keg AND your backup backup keg, the party scout has gone off scouting for 20 minutes, and the only barmaids for miles around are green, smelly, and extremely lacking in nasal hygeine...what do you do for fun?

[johnlocke90]

Shadowdweller wrote:

Lamontius wrote:

Drinking, brawling and finding the actual fun.

So when you're off in the back of beyond exploring some ruin, you've already drained both your backup keg AND your backup backup keg, the party scout has gone off scouting for 20 minutes, and the only barmaids for miles around are green, smelly, and extremely lacking in nasal hygeine...what do you do for fun?

Play with your sword.

[Lamontius]

No no, I polish my sword.
Profession: Sword Polisher

[Fromper]

Why am I suddenly reminded of Bill Murray washing the golf balls in Caddyshack.

[Lamontius]

Goldenboy, tears in his eyes, 18th fairway at Augusta...

...AND IT'S IN DA HOLE!

Just utterly wrecking those flowers with each swing of my greatsword.

Oh wait, I mean Falchion, I have to optimize.

[Mark Hoover]

Wow. This degenerated faster than the greens after a bunch of c-4 vermin went off. HAY-OHHHHH!

Anyway, how about some ACTUAL skill challenges?

Hurling Bypass: a massive chasm crossed only by a bridge warded by a series of whirling blades. The only way through is by hurling a boulder into the center of the blades.

Stone Block Puzzle: a favorite of many fantasy RPGs on consoles, you enter a chamber with a bunch of innocuous block-shaped niches in the walls and several tumbled blocks of stone on the floor. Oh sure, you've matched up the symbols to the niches but who's going to move each 800# cube?

Got a finesse fighter? How about...

Whirling Dervish Trap: a pair of statues which, once begun continue to rotate and whirl blades through the center of the passage. The only way to get close enough to disarm the exposed gear-works in their bases is to crouch in the middle of the threatened area. The finesse fighter however can temporarily bypass them by rolling a series of Disarm checks representing him standing over the rogue, whirling back and forth and parrying the blades away from the trapsmith.

Carnie games are a big fave in my campaigns: hammer-toss, wrestling of either the thumb, arm, leg or whole body variety, climbing challenges and obstacle courses.

Out in the wilds there are potential animal handling obstacles in chases, knowledge: engineering that gives a +2 or better to smashing open a door, or perhaps a previously-triggered trap that needs a strong back to rope it back into place and smack the baddies pursuing you.

... and of course coiling the belaying pin, which I hear is a fun pastime when there's no barmaids and the rum's run out.

[Shadowdweller]

Mark Hoover wrote:

Wow. This degenerated faster than the greens after a bunch of c-4 vermin went off. HAY-OHHHHH!

Well, thank you at least sir for your own reasonably serious response.