Category: Skill Challenge Sundays

I post skill challenges every Sunday! You can use them in your own campaign, or as inspiration to create your own!

Skill Challenge: The Riddle of the River Stones

This is a skill challenge designed to be used with my Skill Challenge rules!

The Riddle of the River Stones

Easy skill challenge
Theme. Fog-bound superstition and faded blessings mask the theft of sacred relics beneath Longspear’s docks.

Goal. Discover the purpose of the stolen River Stones and restore them to the Shrine of the Riverfather.

Structure. 3 successes before 2 failures. Each attempt uses a different skill. Repeat uses incur disadvantage unless strongly justified.

Setting. Beneath a tangle of piers and ropes at the Longspear waterfront stands the Shrine of the Riverfather—a moss-covered statue of Obad-Hai, hunched over a weathered basin once enchanted to glow at night and part the river mists. Now, it is dark and forgotten, its magic faded. Rumors of strange lights and ghostly voices from the nearby sewer mouths have begun to spread.

Complication. After the first failure, the goblins who found the stones in the sewers become aware they’re being pursued. They may ambush the party, attempt to escape with the stones, or bargain for a safe passage.

NARRATIVE COMPONENTS

The Eyes of the Riverfather. Two white agates shaped like smooth, glimmering eyes. When set into the statue’s face, they once allowed Obad-Hai’s gaze to pierce fog, illusions, and malice across the docks. Stolen long ago by a halfling smuggler, they were recently uncovered by goblins rooting through sewer rubble.

The Shrine of the Riverfather. Set beneath the wharf, the shrine was a source of safety for sailors and riverfolk. In times past, it glowed faintly at night, offering a beacon of calm. Now it sits inert, its blessing stolen and its worshippers dwindling.

A Hidden Way. Behind warped planks and collapsed crates lies a disused sewer grate. Within, amid rotted ropes and the bones of a halfling clutching a pouch of river-polished stones, the path to the truth winds downward.

SUGGESTED SKILLS

Arcana (DC 15) Success: You sense threads of illusion and divination magic lingering in the statue. The stones were once enchanted to reveal truth through river fog. Failure: A fading magical ward pulses, disorienting you. You suffer disadvantage on your next check.

History (DC 13) Success: Town records confirm that the Eyes were stolen decades ago. Fog and river accidents have increased ever since. Failure: A misfiled ledger sends you searching the wrong shrine, costing time and attention.

Religion (DC 14) Success: You discern that the shrine is aligned with spring rites. Restoring the Eyes must be done at dawn with flowing water and reverent silence. Failure: A mistaken ritual offends local wildlife. Birds scatter in panic, and suspicious eyes turn toward the party.

Investigation (DC 15) Success: Faint scrapes and socket markings confirm that two stones were pried loose recently. Failure: You chip part of the statue while examining it—subsequent checks related to the shrine suffer a –2 penalty.

Insight (DC 13) Success: Locals mention a halfling sculptor from Dawnvale who vanished years ago—right after the shrine first darkened. Failure: You wrongly implicate the dwarves of Stoneglen. Word spreads, and Brother Thorek is not pleased.

Persuasion (DC 14) Success: An aging dock elder recalls the theft—how a grieving halfling blamed Longspear for turning away from Obad-Hai. Failure: A question lands poorly. A priest of Obad-Hai bars you from further inquiry unless atonement or proof is offered.

OUTCOME

Success (3 successes before 2 failures):
The party recovers the Eyes or fashions suitable replicas and restores them to the shrine through dawn ritual and reverent water. Fog lifts, river traffic calms, and a soft green glow returns to the statue’s gaze. As the shrine awakens, one party member—who completes the final check—receives the Charm of the Rolling Fields.

Failure (2 failures before 3 successes):
The shrine remains dark. Word of arcane meddling spreads among the faithful. River spirits stir, and the Watch begins asking pointed questions. The party may need to placate angry clergy or seek a powerful cleric to undo the spiritual damage done.

You can also find this on the homebrewery!

Skill Challenge: The Canary’s Song

This is a skill challenge designed to be used with my Skill Challenge rules!

The Canary’s Song

Moderate skill challenge
Theme. A murder cloaked in song and shadow hides a deeper truth beneath velvet and stone.

Goal. Decipher Laska the Canary’s cryptic performance to reveal the location of a hidden chamber tied to the Violet Grange murder.

Structure. 3 successes before 2 failures. Each attempt uses a different skill. Repeat uses incur disadvantage unless strongly justified.

Setting. The Violet Grange is a luxurious manor turned performance hall in Longspears Crescent Ward district. The murder of a noble courier has rattled the salon. Whispers drift through the garden paths, and veiled accusations hang in the air. Laska the Canary, half-oracle, half-balladeer, sings a strange poem during the aftermath. Decoding its meaning may uncover evidence before it vanishes.

Complication. After the first failure, a magical custodian animates within the walls of the Grange—a discreet arcane presence tasked with protecting its patrons. It begins observing the party’s actions and may interfere, warn staff, or subtly alter the environment if it senses misconduct.

NARRATIVE COMPONENTS

Laska’s Song
“At moon’s third hour, no bell shall ring,
A cup turned sweet will silence sing.
Where copper lines and bricks mislay,
A whisper waits, where dead men stay.”

Her voice cuts through the hush of the aftermath, smooth and pointed. The crowd listens—but few understand. Each line of the verse references elements of the Grange’s architecture and forgotten past. The final stanza is thought to refer to the Silenced Room—an ancient courier chamber long sealed and erased from public memory.

The Violet Grange
A former diplomatic manor now home to curated performances and salons of culture and discretion. It is as much a stage as a sanctuary. Beneath its refinished corridors lie older stones, sealed rooms, and copper lines tracing long-forgotten messages.

SUGGESTED SKILLS

Insight (DC 13) Success: You sense the intent behind Laska’s tone and body language. The song is a warning, not a threat—directed at those who know the Grange’s secret layout. Failure: You misjudge the performance, interpreting it as an accusation against Madame Velistra. Your access to guests and servants is restricted until you clear the confusion.

Investigation (DC 15) Success: The clues lead you to a small, overlooked corner where mismatched copper pipe meets older brickwork. A hollow space lies just beyond. Failure: You dislodge a decorative panel, triggering a security response. The garden hall is briefly sealed. Your next check suffers disadvantage.

History (DC 14) Success: You recall that the Grange once incorporated a courier station during the Eddric conflicts. Its lower chamber was condemned and hidden, explaining the song’s final line. Failure: You conflate two locations in Longspear, pursuing a false trail and losing precious time.

Arcana (DC 15)
Success: Traces of warding and masking magic cling to a portion of the Grange’s southern wing. The spellwork matches concealment enchantments used by spies of the Sea Princes.
Failure: You mistake fading traces of illusion for active threat. A security glyph flares and alerts a magical custodian to your presence.

Performance (DC 13)
Success: By mimicking Laska’s cadence and gesture, you identify emphasis on specific syllables tied to the layout of the Grange. A lyrical map emerges. Failure: Onlookers misread your reenactment as gallows humor. You are barred from the salon’s inner corridor for impropriety.

OUTCOME

Success (3 successes before 2 failures):
The party follows the song’s trail to a sealed panel in a forgotten corner of the Grange. Behind it lies a hidden cache: a burnt Sea Princes contract, a glyph-scorched cipher key, and a marked map of Longspear sewer junctions. These lead to the Silenced Room. Madame Velistra thanks the party discreetly, and their standing with the Thieves Guild quietly improves.

Failure (2 failures before 3 successes):
By the time the song is unraveled, the cache is gone—cleared by another agent. The trail ends in cold brick and suspicion. The staff mark the party as potential disruptors. Future efforts in Longspear elite circles suffer social and magical scrutiny, and access to the Violet Grange is formally curtailed.

You can also find this on homebrewery!