Session Discussion: Skill Challenge - Success?

So, I'm going to lay out all of my notes from the negotiation skill challenge with the dragon Jadonkos. I hope this will show you where I'm coming from and how I hope to see skill challenges work in the future.

Skill challenge vs. Jadonkos (Difficulty: Hard – DC 15)

Before resorting to fighting, the dragon Jadonkos offers to parley with the PCs. Should they accept the offer and succeed in a difficult skill challenge they may achieve victory without combat. They may also acquire a gift from Jadonkos and a quest.

Success (minimal): 6 successes – 525 xp
Jadonkos agrees to leave the heroes alone either because they managed to convince him that the Black Tablet is not of use to him or that they are more than he can handle.

Success (medium): 9 successes – 700 xp
As above and Jadonkos asks the heroes to help him with his problem with the Bloodreaver clan of hobgoblins. He offers a quest to them to track the Bloodreaver Clan of hobgoblins who recently attacked his lair and took many hostages.

Success (maximum): 12 successes – 875 xp
As above and Jadonkos gives a Holy Symbol of Bahamut +1 to the party if they accept the quest to root out the Bloodreavers.

Failure: 3 failures before 6 (or more) successes
Jadonkos attacks the party and calls his kobold allies to aid him in the fight.

Key skills (DC: 15)

Examples of usage of key skills in this encounter:

• Arcana: convince Jadonkos of your arcane knowledge and power and then explain that the Black Tablet is of no use to the dragon.
• Bluff: convince Jadonkos that you do not have the Black Tablet
• Diplomacy: sway Jadonkos to not fight and instead discuss the matter for mutual benefit
• Insight: realize Jadonkos’s true desire: to protect his kobold followers and himself from the Bloodreaver hobgoblins; required to achieve 9+ successes
• Intimidate: convince Jadonkos that he does not have the power to face down the party

Secondary Skills (DC: 20)

• History: weave a tale about the Black Tablet and how it cannot be used to protect the dragon or his allies
• Nature: this item is wholly unnatural, evil and dangerous. Its use will endanger the dragon and his minions.
• Religion: the nature of the Black Tablet is wholly evil and your knowledge of religion is such that you can prove it is of no use to the dragon.
• Any other skill the PCs can convingly employ.

If the PCs can convince the dragon not to fight (6 successes) then they may further convince him to offer a quest and possibly prepayment for the quest.