Throat Leech (4e Skill Challenge)

Throat Leech Level 2
Skill Challenge 125 XP
Any time a character drinks from a natural source of fresh water without filtering it risks taking in a throat leech. Throat leeches are one inch long and fasten themselves to the soft flesh at the back of the victim's throat, sucking blood until it is completely distended. Once so bloated, it detaches.
Goal: The party must find a way to remove the throat leech quickly. Failure means that the victim suffers damage from blood loss and choking.
Complexity: 1 (4 successes before 3 failures)
Primary Skills
These skills can be used any number of times, each time scoring one success. Endurance (DC 13 standard action, victim only) The victim resists panicking or choking as the leech sucks her blood. Heal (DC 13 standard action) The character attempts to prize out or kill the leech by inserting something down the victim's throat. If a successful secondary nature check was made, and thin heated metal object has been prepared, the administrating character gains a +2 bonus to the heal check; however, if the check is failed by 5 or more the victim immediately loses a healing surge.
Secondary Skills
Nature (DC 13 minor action, non-victim only) The character knows that the best way to remove a throat leech is to insert a thin, heated metal object such as wire into the bloated leech.
Success
The throat leech is removed, or bursted, without further damage to the victim.
Failure
The penalty for failure depends on how many successes were also scored. Two or three successes: Some blood loss; the victim loses 1 healing surge. One success: Blood loss and choking; the victim loses 2 healing surges. No successes: The victim has choked to death.

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