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D&D 4e Dungeon Crawl as a skill Challenge
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<blockquote data-quote="Randomthoughts" data-source="post: 8419152" data-attributes="member: 6681248"><p>I've used a "hand-drawn" map, not in scale, to show some key areas, like entrance, a few rooms and the main room with the BBEG. I made battlemaps for each of those areas and used Skill Challenges to "connect" the rooms or help in navigation. I really liked this approach since I avoided mapping out the entire dungeon square-by-square.</p><p></p><p></p><p>This is how I ran mine, with slight modifications. The RC version of SC is key b/c of Advantages (tho the DM Kit may have them too). I sometimes used a large SC for the entire dungeon (which I describe more below) or a lower complexity SC if players go one way and a separate SC if they go the other way.</p><p></p><p>I used a single SC for the entire dungeon a lot. When designing the SC, one of the things you have to decide (either in prep or during the game) is what happens with a complete failure (3 failures). In the spirit of "fall forward", do the PCs confront the BBEG but at significant disadvantage? Or do they get hopelessly lost and end up outside of the dungeon? </p><p></p><p>Say you decide that you want the final result to end with a confrontation with the big bad. With that in mind, I often arranged levels of success like this:</p><p>Complete Failure: 3 failures, no successes</p><p>Partial Failure: 3 failures, some successes </p><p>Partial Success: some failures, success (rolled successfully the # of times you needed to. Like above, sometimes I separated out # of failures) </p><p>Complete Success: no failures, success</p><p></p><p>I would note what a Complete Failure could look like e.g., PCs confront BBEG at a significant disadvantage (say they fell in some trap and the BBEG ambushed them). Note that Complete Failures are usually VERY rare, as are Complete Successes (depending on Complexity).</p><p></p><p>I winged a lot of it but I often wrote down triggers for reminders:</p><p><strong>Result on a Success: </strong>I often wrote triggers like after 3 successes they went to the Trap Room but with some benefit and treasure, at 7 successes they went to the Treasure Room, etc.. Successes can also give you a bonus to a roll or open up a new avenue of exploring (mechanically, opens up a new skill that can be used).</p><p><strong>Result on a Failure:</strong> Sometimes, it triggered an encounter, but I usually didn't do that for the first failure. I usually used a penalty for next roll or lose a HS. Second failure is usually an encounter. The third either is a really bad encounter or the BBEG but at significant disadvantage.</p><p></p><p>I started using this model after getting Dungeon Delves. A typical delve has 3 encounters. I extended that by "connecting" each room with a skill challenge.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Randomthoughts, post: 8419152, member: 6681248"] I've used a "hand-drawn" map, not in scale, to show some key areas, like entrance, a few rooms and the main room with the BBEG. I made battlemaps for each of those areas and used Skill Challenges to "connect" the rooms or help in navigation. I really liked this approach since I avoided mapping out the entire dungeon square-by-square. This is how I ran mine, with slight modifications. The RC version of SC is key b/c of Advantages (tho the DM Kit may have them too). I sometimes used a large SC for the entire dungeon (which I describe more below) or a lower complexity SC if players go one way and a separate SC if they go the other way. I used a single SC for the entire dungeon a lot. When designing the SC, one of the things you have to decide (either in prep or during the game) is what happens with a complete failure (3 failures). In the spirit of "fall forward", do the PCs confront the BBEG but at significant disadvantage? Or do they get hopelessly lost and end up outside of the dungeon? Say you decide that you want the final result to end with a confrontation with the big bad. With that in mind, I often arranged levels of success like this: Complete Failure: 3 failures, no successes Partial Failure: 3 failures, some successes Partial Success: some failures, success (rolled successfully the # of times you needed to. Like above, sometimes I separated out # of failures) Complete Success: no failures, success I would note what a Complete Failure could look like e.g., PCs confront BBEG at a significant disadvantage (say they fell in some trap and the BBEG ambushed them). Note that Complete Failures are usually VERY rare, as are Complete Successes (depending on Complexity). I winged a lot of it but I often wrote down triggers for reminders: [B]Result on a Success: [/B]I often wrote triggers like after 3 successes they went to the Trap Room but with some benefit and treasure, at 7 successes they went to the Treasure Room, etc.. Successes can also give you a bonus to a roll or open up a new avenue of exploring (mechanically, opens up a new skill that can be used). [B]Result on a Failure:[/B] Sometimes, it triggered an encounter, but I usually didn't do that for the first failure. I usually used a penalty for next roll or lose a HS. Second failure is usually an encounter. The third either is a really bad encounter or the BBEG but at significant disadvantage. I started using this model after getting Dungeon Delves. A typical delve has 3 encounters. I extended that by "connecting" each room with a skill challenge. [/QUOTE]
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