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Challenging my high-lvl group (NPCs and monsters; my players shouldn't read this!)
- Thread starter Piratecat
- Start date
Knight Otu
First Post
Look here: http://www.opengamingfoundation.org/srd/srdmonsterstemplates.html
Being from an outer plane does not neccessarily mean you are an outsider, it just means you are extraplanar.
Being from an outer plane does not neccessarily mean you are an outsider, it just means you are extraplanar.
Piratecat
Sesquipedalian
Xarlen, I decided the spells would have split along with the creature. It turns out that it never mattered, because the spells were dispelled before it split, but I figured that this made for a much more interesting encounter.
As for the blindsight, that never even occurred to me! But in retrospect, I'd figure that it doesn't have ears OR eyes, so it must hunt by scent. Thus, the silence doesn't matter. Seem reasonable?
As for the blindsight, that never even occurred to me! But in retrospect, I'd figure that it doesn't have ears OR eyes, so it must hunt by scent. Thus, the silence doesn't matter. Seem reasonable?
Knight Otu
First Post
Not only reasonable, but also rules compliant:
from the SRD:
Ok, Ok, I'll shut up now
from the SRD:
Ok, Ok, I'll shut up now
Piratecat
Sesquipedalian
In an email the other day, I was asked how long my prep time was for games. I thought I'd answer here.
In general, I do very little prep time. We play once every two weeks, and I probably noodle over ideas for 2-3 hours before each game. I do my best thinking in the shower or while driving, and that usually relates to general plot arcs or cool scenes. Things are seldom written down other than cryptic notes scribbled on notepads. As a result, I've lost some really good ideas, but I remember most of the good ones, thank goodness.
Lately, with the high-combat nature of the underdark, I've become a little more dilligent. I've always used Jamis Buck's NPC generator (best utility ever) to make on-the-fly combat stats, but recently I've put a lot of time into learning how to correctly advance monsters. As a result, it's been a bit time consuming, but I've gotten better at it. I have a word file full of bad guy notes, and I just print out the correct page or two before each game. Writing something like Sluuth took me maybe an hour, and creating the Excel map of the CCC took me about 2 hours total. Well worth it, IMO.
I've always designed by the "cool scene" method. I think of a neat visual - giant pulsing creature, fight on huge bridge, clambering up under a waterfall - and then build an adventure that will probably lead the PCs to that scene. If I'm lucky, I've imagined the scene in a modular enough fashion that I can move it from plot thread to plot thread, depending on what the PCs decide to pursue.
When I'm trying to come up with a cool scene, I often sit there and run through possibilities. When I hit the right one, there is often a palpable "clicking" as the pieces fall into place. It's really weird! That's how I know I've hit it, though; it's like finding a puzzle's corner piece that makes assembling the rest of the puzzle much easier. Anyone else have this happen?
Anyways, I'm babbling. Hope this helped!
In general, I do very little prep time. We play once every two weeks, and I probably noodle over ideas for 2-3 hours before each game. I do my best thinking in the shower or while driving, and that usually relates to general plot arcs or cool scenes. Things are seldom written down other than cryptic notes scribbled on notepads. As a result, I've lost some really good ideas, but I remember most of the good ones, thank goodness.
Lately, with the high-combat nature of the underdark, I've become a little more dilligent. I've always used Jamis Buck's NPC generator (best utility ever) to make on-the-fly combat stats, but recently I've put a lot of time into learning how to correctly advance monsters. As a result, it's been a bit time consuming, but I've gotten better at it. I have a word file full of bad guy notes, and I just print out the correct page or two before each game. Writing something like Sluuth took me maybe an hour, and creating the Excel map of the CCC took me about 2 hours total. Well worth it, IMO.
I've always designed by the "cool scene" method. I think of a neat visual - giant pulsing creature, fight on huge bridge, clambering up under a waterfall - and then build an adventure that will probably lead the PCs to that scene. If I'm lucky, I've imagined the scene in a modular enough fashion that I can move it from plot thread to plot thread, depending on what the PCs decide to pursue.
When I'm trying to come up with a cool scene, I often sit there and run through possibilities. When I hit the right one, there is often a palpable "clicking" as the pieces fall into place. It's really weird! That's how I know I've hit it, though; it's like finding a puzzle's corner piece that makes assembling the rest of the puzzle much easier. Anyone else have this happen?
Anyways, I'm babbling. Hope this helped!
Interesting that you don't use many notes.
I also do most of my thinking when I am doing other things: walking, driving, sitting in the airport. The difference is that I MUST have my idea notebook with me or closeby or I will lose 3/4 of my ideas.
I need to use the "cool scene" method more since the few times I have, it has come out great.
I would also like to be a lot better at advancing monsters, but I need more basic help. My tactical combat abilities are not the best, and I am not sure how to get better.
Do you study the bad guys' special abilites before a session or do you just know them well enough to wing it. Do you have combat actions planned out ahead of time?
I also do most of my thinking when I am doing other things: walking, driving, sitting in the airport. The difference is that I MUST have my idea notebook with me or closeby or I will lose 3/4 of my ideas.
I need to use the "cool scene" method more since the few times I have, it has come out great.
I would also like to be a lot better at advancing monsters, but I need more basic help. My tactical combat abilities are not the best, and I am not sure how to get better.
Do you study the bad guys' special abilites before a session or do you just know them well enough to wing it. Do you have combat actions planned out ahead of time?
Piratecat
Sesquipedalian
DoctorB, I was just thinking about you and Joy. I'm sitting on the back porch in the fall sunlight, drinking coffee and procrastinating. Miss you guys! (FYI: DrB and I have been good friends for... what, 6 or 7 years? Distance is no obstacle! ) Anyways....
> I MUST have my idea notebook with me or closeby or I will lose 3/4 of my ideas.
This really is a good idea, I think. My sneakiness has gotten worse since my Palm Pilot broke.
> My tactical combat abilities are not the best, and I am not sure how to get better.
Trick number one: use the environment. The DMG mentions that if a normal fight is exciting, a fight on a narrow bridge over lava is REALLY cool. Use this to your advantage. Add movement penalties for mud, or balance checks for rough ground. This is especially crucial for high level PCs, who are used to commanding the battlefield. Then occasionally use this to the monsters' advantage. Hard to hurt something if you can't reach it.
I have this image of a red dragon swimming in lava, just surfacing long enough to breath on the PCs before re-submerging, using the lava as partial cover.
Trick number two: don't let your players metagame. Take a monster's normal stats and completely change its appearance. Add abilities they won't expect - long tongues, pouncing attacks, that sort of thing. Keep 'em guessing, and you keep them excited.
Trick number three: Learn from the players. Have your enemies flank, use buffing spells, retreat, heal each other. Have retreating enemies lead PCs into ambushes or traps. Separate the PCs with spells or traps and attack partial parties. When appropriate, use disposable potions and scrolls ("Hey! Stop drinking that; when we kill you, it would have been ours!") to give enemies fun abilities that don't introduce permanent game-inbalancing magic items.
> Do you study the bad guys' special abilites before a session or do you just know them well enough to wing it. Do you have combat actions planned out ahead of time?
When they're complicated, I'll study them to look for synergies. I try to only plan out specific combat techniques when the bad guys are expecting a battle. Otherwise, I'm more likely to wing it.
) Anyways....> I MUST have my idea notebook with me or closeby or I will lose 3/4 of my ideas.
This really is a good idea, I think. My sneakiness has gotten worse since my Palm Pilot broke.
> My tactical combat abilities are not the best, and I am not sure how to get better.
Trick number one: use the environment. The DMG mentions that if a normal fight is exciting, a fight on a narrow bridge over lava is REALLY cool. Use this to your advantage. Add movement penalties for mud, or balance checks for rough ground. This is especially crucial for high level PCs, who are used to commanding the battlefield. Then occasionally use this to the monsters' advantage. Hard to hurt something if you can't reach it.
I have this image of a red dragon swimming in lava, just surfacing long enough to breath on the PCs before re-submerging, using the lava as partial cover.
Trick number two: don't let your players metagame. Take a monster's normal stats and completely change its appearance. Add abilities they won't expect - long tongues, pouncing attacks, that sort of thing. Keep 'em guessing, and you keep them excited.
Trick number three: Learn from the players. Have your enemies flank, use buffing spells, retreat, heal each other. Have retreating enemies lead PCs into ambushes or traps. Separate the PCs with spells or traps and attack partial parties. When appropriate, use disposable potions and scrolls ("Hey! Stop drinking that; when we kill you, it would have been ours!") to give enemies fun abilities that don't introduce permanent game-inbalancing magic items.
> Do you study the bad guys' special abilites before a session or do you just know them well enough to wing it. Do you have combat actions planned out ahead of time?
When they're complicated, I'll study them to look for synergies. I try to only plan out specific combat techniques when the bad guys are expecting a battle. Otherwise, I'm more likely to wing it.
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