I'm currently documenting and playtesting a campaign of my own design with my group and I wanted to know if I should be writing upgraded checks directly into the adventure? ie, replacing a purple with a red die because 'the book says so'?

Generally, I try not upgrade checks unless there is a Talent or Ability on an Adversary allowing me to do so, or by flipping over a Destiny point for the more arbitrary challenges I throw their way (the latter also encouraging Destiny point usage more in my groups - we don't use it often enough).

I think these methods are fine normally, but because I'm writing a campaign, can I get away with making certain checks during the story naturally more challenging by defaulting to Challenge die? I saw something like this in an official module (Long Arm of the Hutt) where certain noises were being played over a ships audio system and that caused all skill check difficulties to be upgraded once without the use of Destiny/skills/talents. I'm curious if aspiring campaign writers use the same kind of mechanic? Or should difficulties be baseline, with the writers letting the individual GM's decide when to upgrade checks?

I sometimes auto-upgrade the difficulty of the checks if the outcome could be inherently disastrous, but I always do so with the intention for the despair to make something specific happen. Most importantly, I don't do this often. I do not want to make my players feel cheated.

Or should difficulties be baseline, with the writers letting the individual GM's decide when to upgrade checks?

I'd say that's the default, but there's nothing wrong with inserting a few cases that are automatically upgraded if there's a good reason (like the audio example). If you had the players navigating across a mine field or doing parkour over razor wire, an automatic upgrade would seem appropriate. Note that Despair or lots of Threat doesn't mean "death", it really just means "oops, now it's more complicated". That complication can slow the party down, or make them solve a tricky issue ("you stepped down and heard a click, and you just know there's a mine underneath waiting to go off if you step away...time for the bomb squad!"), or even simply a few wounds, some strain, a condition (disoriented, etc), or a low level critical.

Note that Despair or lots of Threat doesn't mean "death", it really just means "oops, now it's more complicated".

This is basically my intepretation. For clarity, my intended use of upgrading to a Challenge die in the current adventure I'm writing constitutes the PCs attempting to purchase illegal goods from an unknown/ unscrupulous dealer in Hutt space. A Despair would imply being cheated or sold an imitation/cheap knock-off instead of what they wanted.

Note that Despair or lots of Threat doesn't mean "death", it really just means "oops, now it's more complicated".

This is basically my intepretation. For clarity, my intended use of upgrading to a Challenge die in the current adventure I'm writing constitutes the PCs attempting to purchase illegal goods from an unknown/ unscrupulous dealer in Hutt space. A Despair would imply being cheated or sold an imitation/cheap knock-off instead of what they wanted.

I wouldn't count that as the type you referred to in the OP. It's more a function of the dealer's Negotiation skill, which probably has one or more skill upgrades. This is completely fair, because that's how contested rolls are always handled. So you just give your dealer a good Negotiation skill and that will naturally come with 1 or more red dice.

It's the same for any contested skill. If the players are hacking into a network, with security set by a skilled computer user, the player's roll will be contested by the NPC's skill (say YYG, which contested becomes RRP). You're not being unfair having the players roll against that, it's what happens when they go up against trained adversaries.

Yeah, the most common place you'll see reds are in opposed checks where yellows on the NPC translates directly into reds. That being said....you pretty much have the right idea in that you can throw a red if there's a potential for a task to go horrifically wrong. Again, not instant death....think of a despair as the chance for a failure with MASSIVE disadvantage if the PC's are being reckless, kind of in the same way that a triumph can translate directly to the activation of any advantage effect.

Utilise as you see fit, and as would be reasonable and appropriate. Competitive checks are an excellent place to do this, as are usages of Adversary on important/boss NPCs

I wouldn't count that as the type you referred to in the OP. It's more a function of the dealer's Negotiation skill, which probably has one or more skill upgrades.

That's a good point. I had it in mind that finding said dealer would typically require a Streetwise check first though - I think there is more likely to go wrong here than a negotiation check (which is a second check and almost arbitrary, in my opinion - I don't want to have to make my players roll more often then they have to).

Perhaps the answer I'm looking for is to throw in more opposed checks?

I think the key to the Challenge die is in its name. It should be utilized under especially "challenging" circumstances.

But barring that; yes, opposed checks are the easiest way to introduce the propensity for Despair.

I do it when I've got something specific in mind for the Despair that could result. Sometimes that happens on the fly in a game, but if I'm writing up my notes and I have ideas I'll put them in writing as well.

So maybe the PCs are negotiating with a finicky alien. I might make a note to flip a Destiny Point and upgrade the difficulty of the check. If they roll a Despair, they say something that particularly offends this guy and he does something weird as a result.

Or if I know that a combat scene will take place in a crowded room. I might make a note to upgrade the difficulty and say that Despairs mean one of the bystanders was hurt.

For me, it breaks down a little like this...

• I don't put a Challenge die automatically in the mix when I think "ooh, Despair would be excellent here!"
• Instead, I take a moment and think about what factors might be upgrading the difficulty here.
  • Could it be that someone, or something, is conspiring against the heroes, and the machinations of this scheming outside force result in an upgraded difficulty?
  • Could there be some passive skill usage in play? For example, a Clone Wars-era minefield is still dangerous this day because of the highly skilled engineer who laid the mines. He knew exactly what he was doing, and was very skulduggerish in his ways as a demolitionist, and so attempts to traverse this minefield have a Hard Difficulty, upgraded thrice.
  • Otherwise, I ask myself, "Is this a very challenging task/situation?" Violently stormy conditions, a greasy tightrope, or an asteroid field during a chase could well justify that Red d12. Likewise, attempting to slice the HoloNet while under immediate threat of that 2-Million-Credit Imperial Bounty, partaking in a Sabacc tournament to satiate your gambling addiction (/slash/ rescue the princess) while hiding your guise under the effects of a (finicky) prototype skin camouflage technology, or making a last-ditch-effort astrogation check into parts unknown to avoid getting blown to bits by an overzealous customs frigate could also fit the bill.
• If none of the above situations really apply, then I find that these are the best times to spend a Destiny Point. But, if you're writing your own module, it's pretty easy just to insert one of these kinds of justifications right into the adventure notes