BSF
Explorer
We don't use the experience system as based on the challenge ratings of creatures you fight. But that doesn't mean I set aside CRs completely. I do use them to eyeball challenges and difficulty of encounters.
The CR system has really been broken down and analyzed mathematically by a few folks. I'm glad for that since I don't much joy in those types of exercises. But I am happy to use their work.
I don't check each and every encounter against you guys, but I do check on occasion. In particular, I have checked a lot of the encounters in the current module.
I have been questioning exactly how difficult of challenges I can expect the group to survive. There really isn't a right or wrong answer, but as the DM I need to know where the baseline. Particularly because I have some big events planned out. Assuming you live through the current adventure, there are a lot of events occurring in the game world. Several of them are things you have had an influence on. We are reaching a culmination point where some things are about to happen that the PCs might be interested in. When that occurs, you very well might choose to do something about them.
This module is meant as a preparatory step to help you guys prepare for some of these possibilities. The Seekers of Legend do not yet operate with the efficiency and lethality of Greerson's Glory. You have a completely different range of abilities and a different mix of players. Your strengths and weaknesses are different and you guys need to be aware of them as much as I am aware of them.
My goal is to give you guys believable, fun challenges where the threat of failure is very real. That way, the taste of success is something you guys know you earned and deserved. You should know that your actions have a lasting impact on the game world, There isn't a right or wrong resolution. There are actions and consequences. Sometimes you will deal with something that is a cakewalk. Sometimes you might get in over your head. But there will be several times when you are dealing with a challenge that is within your capacity to handle.
Mostly this is just commentary and my thoughts. But I thought you might find them interesting on some level. I suspect that the group as a whole considers the current adventure to be a bit difficult. It can be! But most of you should also think of this as the warm up. Much like the Impassable forest with all those damned ogres was a warm up. On a purely number crunching basis, let me point out the last two encounters and what the mathematical analysis says.
Wolverines - Should require 12% of party resources to defeat with a 94% chance of survival for the party.
Naga - Should require 23% of party resources to defeat with an 88% chance of survival for the party.
By the numbers, you should have expended around 35% of your total resources and have 65% left to deal with Nockmort. Remember that includes spells, HP, expendables, etc.
If you feel like you aren't at that point, stop and ask why. But more importantly stop and ask if you are having fun. The math is nice, but having fun is the important thing. I am watching this set of encounters to try to figure out what your baseline is so I can work on maintaining my goals of running a fun game.
The CR system has really been broken down and analyzed mathematically by a few folks. I'm glad for that since I don't much joy in those types of exercises. But I am happy to use their work.
I don't check each and every encounter against you guys, but I do check on occasion. In particular, I have checked a lot of the encounters in the current module. I have been questioning exactly how difficult of challenges I can expect the group to survive. There really isn't a right or wrong answer, but as the DM I need to know where the baseline. Particularly because I have some big events planned out. Assuming you live through the current adventure, there are a lot of events occurring in the game world. Several of them are things you have had an influence on. We are reaching a culmination point where some things are about to happen that the PCs might be interested in. When that occurs, you very well might choose to do something about them.
This module is meant as a preparatory step to help you guys prepare for some of these possibilities. The Seekers of Legend do not yet operate with the efficiency and lethality of Greerson's Glory. You have a completely different range of abilities and a different mix of players. Your strengths and weaknesses are different and you guys need to be aware of them as much as I am aware of them.
My goal is to give you guys believable, fun challenges where the threat of failure is very real. That way, the taste of success is something you guys know you earned and deserved. You should know that your actions have a lasting impact on the game world, There isn't a right or wrong resolution. There are actions and consequences. Sometimes you will deal with something that is a cakewalk. Sometimes you might get in over your head. But there will be several times when you are dealing with a challenge that is within your capacity to handle.
Mostly this is just commentary and my thoughts. But I thought you might find them interesting on some level. I suspect that the group as a whole considers the current adventure to be a bit difficult. It can be! But most of you should also think of this as the warm up. Much like the Impassable forest with all those damned ogres was a warm up. On a purely number crunching basis, let me point out the last two encounters and what the mathematical analysis says.
Wolverines - Should require 12% of party resources to defeat with a 94% chance of survival for the party.
Naga - Should require 23% of party resources to defeat with an 88% chance of survival for the party.
By the numbers, you should have expended around 35% of your total resources and have 65% left to deal with Nockmort. Remember that includes spells, HP, expendables, etc.
If you feel like you aren't at that point, stop and ask why. But more importantly stop and ask if you are having fun. The math is nice, but having fun is the important thing. I am watching this set of encounters to try to figure out what your baseline is so I can work on maintaining my goals of running a fun game.
