The Fighter-Cricket
Explorer
Hello all you nice people of Enworld,
I know, there have been some discussions about how to change different parameters of combat in 4E to accomplish different things (like having more smaller fights withot braking the balance). But here is a question that I somehow didn't really find an answer for. Maybe there is some thread I missed - feel free to post a link!
I wanted to run Orcs of Stonefang pass for my 5th level party of 5 (Fighter, Paladin, Cleric, Ranger, Wizard). The module has about 10 full-fledged combat encounters which I find mostly interessting and engaging. Now my party likes combat and smashing their foes in team effort - but on the other side they (and myself too) like it if the combats are meaningful and if they don't appear too often. I wanted therefore to compress the adventure to about 5 combat encounters. We usually play 3 hours every two weeks which gives us enough time for a fight, some exploration, roleplaying, and group banter. With our playstyle the whole adventure would last for 10 sessions, which is too much for what the party wants and what I want.
How can I reduce the amount of encounters to about 5 without destroying the ressource balance? I wouldn't want to make it too easy by simply cutting half of the encounters - the group will have too many HS left at the end of an adventuring day. Should I restrict long rests? Or should I houserule that they only heal a lower number of HS?
Tl;dr: I want to press more adventuring into fewer combats without making it too easy for my party too survive. How does one do this?
I know, there have been some discussions about how to change different parameters of combat in 4E to accomplish different things (like having more smaller fights withot braking the balance). But here is a question that I somehow didn't really find an answer for. Maybe there is some thread I missed - feel free to post a link!
I wanted to run Orcs of Stonefang pass for my 5th level party of 5 (Fighter, Paladin, Cleric, Ranger, Wizard). The module has about 10 full-fledged combat encounters which I find mostly interessting and engaging. Now my party likes combat and smashing their foes in team effort - but on the other side they (and myself too) like it if the combats are meaningful and if they don't appear too often. I wanted therefore to compress the adventure to about 5 combat encounters. We usually play 3 hours every two weeks which gives us enough time for a fight, some exploration, roleplaying, and group banter. With our playstyle the whole adventure would last for 10 sessions, which is too much for what the party wants and what I want.
How can I reduce the amount of encounters to about 5 without destroying the ressource balance? I wouldn't want to make it too easy by simply cutting half of the encounters - the group will have too many HS left at the end of an adventuring day. Should I restrict long rests? Or should I houserule that they only heal a lower number of HS?
Tl;dr: I want to press more adventuring into fewer combats without making it too easy for my party too survive. How does one do this?