Creating an impressive skill challenge [Wrath of the Righteous Spoilers]

[The Mystic]

So, just to reiterate the title, describing the context of this encounter will spoil events in the Wrath of the Righteous AP's early sections.

Thus the rest of the discussion will be in the spoiler below.


http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oM8rIj7Ibck/VLYBMi-QtoI/AAAAAAAAMyo/Ato6ibpVEPY/s1600/Kenabres+smash.jpg

The players (Five players at level 4 or 5) are moving through the ruins of Kenabres when they see an Ulkreth (http://www.archivesofnethys.com/MonsterDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Ulkreth), the siege demon, in their path.

No doubt the sensible option is to find a new path, and my players are sensible enough to do it. But I want to give them a reason to do something stupidly dangerous and damn heroic, or to make a hard choice that is going to influence their character's development.

I am envisioning the characters having to run in, dodging the largely uncaring titan as it demolishes the buildings around them,
breaks rifts in the streets as it steps, some of them trying to draw the monster away while the others move in to get civilians out of danger.

What I do not want is to kill my PCs.

I'm thinking of running this Theatre of the Mind style, as battle maps might give the players the wrong idea (and the terrain will probably be changing as the battle continues). Getting the PCs to roll skills, attacks, use spells, whatever they need in a very cinematic fashion.

What I'm hoping for is some suggestions on how I can build this encounter so that killing this thing is obviously out of the question to the players, and so that their goals are achievable without them getting utterly stomped (which would certainly happen if I so much as use the Ulkreths attack roll on one of them)

[Barstro]

"not killing the PCs"
Is there a reason for the Ulkreth to even notice them? If the party isn't Mythic yet, it's easy enough to say that the Ulkreth utterly ignores them. If they are Mythic, the Ulkreth could still be too busy doing "something" under orders to bother with the PCs.

"PCs not starting a fight"
Your issue seems to be a rather classic example of "players controlling PCs" (a lesser form of metagaming) instead of "PCs reacting to a situation" (what roleplaying is supposed to be). Is your party smart enough and trust you enough to accept it as true if you tell them "your characters know full well that they cannot, under any circumstances, stop the Ulkreth; it would be like the five of you actually jumping on the tracks to stop a train."? I've found one of the biggest problems with roleplaying is Players thinking that every problem is supposed to be solved with a fight.

Personally, I'd be fine with the change of mindset if the DM made it clear at the beginning that the Ulkreth cannot be killed. That in mind, any neutral PC of mine would find another route (any good PC would try to help where possible). As an encounter, I see many skill checks to notice weakened structures in time to avoid them, dodge falling debris, extricate from becoming burried, etc.

FWIW, I've never cared for the "long stream of skill checks" encounter. But all the ones I had in the past were linear. This one is sandbox enough that a single missed check doesn't ruin everything.

[The Mystic]

Fortunately, I'm fairly certain the temperament of all my characters will be to try to help, so we're not likely to get a huge argument or party split.

As for the Ulkreth not noticing them, that's pretty much the saving grace. This is very much an encounter against a force of nature. It'll probably only take note of anything that gets through it's DR.

Thinking more on my party, I think I can signpost "This thing will murder you if it thinks about it" pretty well.

Which largely leaves the question of set pieces. Though players will always find more things to do than the GM thinks of, I'd love to have some basic ideas in mind to build DCs off. I've never really built a challenge like this before, so I'd love input on the matter.

----------------------------------------------------

I suppose the basic starting point is...

Attacks are probably around +9 - +10
Maxed Skills are probably around +10 - +15

[Barstro]

1) As I said earlier, make sure that no particular failure leads to death.

2) If you choose to ignore 1, "remind" the Players that the PCs know the action is deadly and difficult. They are low level, so now's the time to teach the "stupidity is deadly" lesson.

3) Figure out now what you think the DCs are for hazards. I suggest they be realistic; 50% chance for average NPC to notice a building about to collapse (DC 12?) alter for Engineering, paying attention, etc., alter the other way for being distracted, etc.

4) NOTICING leads to an easy DC to avoid (or whatever), failure simply leads to a more difficult DC for the next step.

5) A second failure (hard to believe with five PCs making rolls) again just leads to another set of rolls to fix whatever issues those misses caused (trapped people, loss of unimportant items, delay)

6) YOU, the DM, make the initial perception rolls to avoid metagaming. Remarkable failures should result in misinformation.

7) Keep every decision on a time limit. There should be no chance for discussion on what to do if a PC notices that a building is about to collapse on them.

There in no reason this cannot be railroaded while appearing to be sandbox. The Players doing zones 3 to 5 to 4 to 1 and shipping 2 does not prevent you from going A, B, C, D.

Even if you decide to go pure sandbox (kudos to you) you can prepare about ten things and be done. If the Players go of script, then they wind up in an area where nothing is going on. They can learn the next day that the creature demolished the depository of free magic weapons.

Challenges;
Buildings falling (perception, then dodge, then (maybe) escape artist).
Blocked Passage (knowledge local to find a way around, some sort of "erring" to quickly move the rubble.
Creature potentially walking on and destroying an orphanage, church, or said magic item lending library (k.local (what's there) AND perception (creature is going that direction).
Some reason to only DISTRACT the creature. That's right, I do not remember what it is and I do not feel like scrolling up. Whatever checks you like.
Faux looting going on (perception/local to recognize that the shop owner is breaking into his own building and not just killing an innocent person).
An overall known time limit to get beyond the creature so the PCs have a reason to do all this without undue delay (the queen's horn blows and the PCs know this means all able warriors need to get to ____ within an hour.

If you want to be thanked for this, have the PCs help the shop keeper, be told by her that the magic item library's warded arch was broken in the attack. The PCs beat the creature to the library (or distract and reroute it), kill some baddies at the library, take all the items they can carry (k.local or spellcraft that all library items are marked and will curse anyone who takes them after 24 hours. Said items are taken to the queen's gathering and distributed so all the warriors and casters can kill the creature. PCs are rewarded with 20k of magic items each of their choosing (seems OP, but is nothing in this campaign).