Our journey through the world of skill challenges continues this month with a look at creating challenges relating to travel and exploration. Venturing into the wilderness with half an idea of a destination and faith that, with enough effort, the party can find its way is D&D tradition dating back to the earliest days of the game. Finding the dungeon, or stumbling across a tribe of lizardmen or a nest of giant spiders, was part of the fun of old modules such as Keep on the Borderlands. In the wilds of a dark, haunted forest or a troll-infested swamp, danger lurks just behind the next tree.
Creating a travel skill challenge is a little more involved than simply picking a number of skills and putting them together in an interesting structure. Before you can start on that work, you need to think about the wilderness, its role in the campaign, and the tone of your world.
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About the Author
Mike Mearls is the Lead Developer for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. His recent credits include H1: Keep on the Shadowfell and Player's Handbook II (v.3.5).