Adventure not combat focused

[tim01300]

So I feel I'm getting a pretty good grasp on making fun and interesting combat encounters for the group I am DMing, but I lack creativity when it comes to challenging them with non combat aspects. Yeah, I've had them climb some walls, use some diplomacy, and make some nature checks to identify plants and creatures but none of it has been too exciting or tbh fun.

So I'm hoping you guys may have some examples of published adventures or modules that have alot of none combat challenges for players. I don't really mean puzzles or riddles (which I enjoy tossing at them) but more skill ideas. I've read the thread with 1001 and one skill challenges but I'm hoping more for something set into an adventure so it doesn't feel like I'm just forcing them to use those skills. I have so many PDFs downloaded that its too much to shift through them looking for fun challenges. I'm just bad at putting my own together.

[GilesTheCleric]

Well, if you're decent at rp, then it seems like it would be easy to put the PCs into a situation where they need to rp/use abilities out-of-combat to advance their goals. Perhaps they're in a place where combat would be unwise (a city, the company of a friend or someone they admire), or are dealing with a situation where it would be foolhardy (stronger opponents, a sacred area, inability to physically engage in combat).

If you're looking for things that might be more skill-check focused, perhaps it would be easiest to think of it in terms of landscaping. What sorts of environments or situations are challenging to deal with? Many skill checks can be used with rp as well, eg. forgery, perform, disguise, craft/profession.

Keep in mind that magic usually obviates the need for skill checks, but it can still be a fun and creative experience. Encourage the unorthodox use of spells to solve problems. Illusion and transformation spells are particularly easy to adapt to non-combat situations.

I personally find that playing in the city instead of the dungeon leads to more opportunities to avoid combat - even if you don't have anything planned out, by just making the option available it might happen naturally.

[eggynack]

I dunno if it's exactly what you're looking for, but when I think about nifty non-combat type encounters, I think about encounter traps from Dungeonscape. It's exactly what it sounds like, in that it sets up traps like encounters, allowing everyone to participate, and involving actual tactics use. It's all the fun of trap having, without all of the terrible problems that the actual trap system has.

[Unbalanced]

Gambling and designing your own simple card games and such can be entertaining. Giving characters an opportunity to try and cheat using their skills and stuff like that.

[Beleron]

I think this can sometimes come down to what your players are interested in and also capable of. If you feel uncreative at this kind of thing, it might be possible to put the burden of interest onto the players by setting up some fairly generic situation that needs solving out of combat. For example, they might have the task of exposing or humiliating a corrupt merchant or official. Creative players could come up with some kind of tricky scam and have a lot of fun with it.

[tim01300]

I thought after over 2 weeks this thread was dead for sure. So far some of the most interesting moments are when I put them in a spot of having to choose between too sides, like a group of druids vs hunters. but I hadn't heard of DungeonScape before, I'm gong to def check it out. I enjoy puzzles that get my players thinking. Being new players many of them don't think outside of the box without a little prodding, they don't quite get yet that they can try ANYTHING they can think of, doesn't mean it will work but they can try anything. They still just try to stab everything.

[danzibr]

Murder mystery!

Sneak into the enemy camp to rescue captives!