Out Now on the DMs Guild
Wintry Blast |
I've become a fan of skill checks, but only when they are well done. Ghosts of Saltmarsh has a nice system for determining outcomes based on group checks, resulting in varying degrees of success and failure. The DMs Guild Supplement, Challenge Accepted, has a similar system. I was inspired tremendously by both these sources when constructing my own skill challenges for Wintry Blast. Whereas the challenges in Saltmarsh and Challenge Accepted can serve as full-fledged encounters, certain situations call for something a bit more nimble and streamlined. Below is one such example from Wintry Blast. Throughout that adventure there are five such tables to help DMs bring otherwise mundane skill checks to life. For a bit of setup, early on in the adventure the characters are challenged with retrieving a farmer's hogs whose enclosure was destroyed in a recent attack. Rescuing these hogs from the wild is a springboard into a grander series of events. In this scene, each character who is searching for the hogs make a Wisdom (Survival) check. Alternatively, only one character makes the check, at advantage, since they are receiving help from the rest of the party. Consult the table for outcomes. Regardless of the outcome of the check, the characters immediately find the missing hogs after Outcomes are resolved. This type of table allows for characters who roll really well to find an extra bonus, and it allows characters who roll poorly to fail forward. That concept of failing forward is an important one. I've kicked myself a number of times after a game session when a character's low roll resulted in a flat fail, not allowing the story line to easily proceed. Mike Shea of Sly Flourish has a great article about Failing Forward that I highly recommend. I've learned from those previous mistakes, and always build in a failing forward option where ever critical story elements are involved.
Looking for more great resources to enhance your game? Checkout the Toolkit page where I've listed some of my favorites. The Sly Flourish Blog is among them! Visit the Wintry Blast page to learn more about the adventure. It's available now on the DMs Guild.
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AuthorD&D 5e enthusiast. Creator on DMsguild. Supporter of creators, content and good times. Follow me on Twitter @rjquestgiver Archives
July 2021
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