Help for a new DM

[Garrett843]

I have just begun finding people to play in my first campaign and writing up the encounters to get them from 1st to 2nd lvl. I just have a few questions that I would like to ask.

If I change the initial stats of the npc's to a 25 point buy for the weaker of the monsters and run a 32 point buy for the leading member of the npc group will that change the initial CR on the creatures?

Could someone also give me some ideas for CR1 and CR2 traps other than those that are already in the DMG. I just would like to get some ideas for traps that could help the party get to around 3rd of 4th lvl faster. Other DM's I know say that it is a lot easier to run a campaign when characters are around this lvl.

Thanks.

 

[moritheil]

I have just begun finding people to play in my first campaign and writing up the encounters to get them from 1st to 2nd lvl. I just have a few questions that I would like to ask.

Hmm, it's pretty hard to answer them without knowing what they are!

Broadly speaking, I have just one piece of advice for DMs and players alike: remember that if you throw trash at the DM, the DM can always come back with better trash.

 

[Garrett843]

Sorry about not posting the questions accidently tried to click tab and then enter when it dissappeared. Stupid error. My fault.

 

[moritheil]

Sorry about not posting the questions accidently tried to click tab and then enter when it dissappeared. Stupid error. My fault.

I'm just teasing you.

Regarding traps, I flat-out wouldn't bother with them at such low levels. (Have you seen what traps cost? The cost of traps is so high that the party would make a grand haul just taking the broken trap back to town, having it fixed, and selling it.)

I'm not really sure what you're doing point buy on NPCs for - did you mean to ask about PCs?

 

[Garrett843]

Ok thanks.

But for encounter ways I am not yet sure how many people intend to play. A friend told me to have about 4 major encounters per lvl so I have made the basics of the encounters and I am not sure if they are too overpowered.

The First Encounter - I will show the first on the off chance someone sees it I don't mind

I intend to have these if there is a 6 man party

4 Drow 1st lvl Warriors each wearing chain shirts and light steel shields
wielding rapiers
two of the drows rapiers have drow poison on them

HP: 5

Feats: Weapon Focus (Rapier)

Spell Like Abilities: Typical for Drow

Abilities: Darkvision 120
Spell Resistance 12
Light Blindness
Immune Sleep Spells
+2 against Enchantment spells
+2 Will save against spells and spell like abilities

AC: 17 Normal 12 Touch 15 Flat-Footed

Stats: 14 Str 14 Dex 12 Con 12 Int 11 Wis 12 Cha

Saves: +3 Fort +2 Ref +0 Will

Then there is the leader of the group stats are below

1st lvl Drow Fighter

Wearing Half-Plate and Light Steel Shield
Wielding Mst. Longsword
This longsword has drow poison on it

HP: 11

Feats: Weapon Focus (Longsword), Iron Will

Spell Like Abilities: Typical of Drow

Abilities: Same as above

AC 18 Touch 10 Flatfooted 18

Stats: 16 Str 16 Dex 12 Con 14 Int 12 Wis 12 Cha

Saves: Fort +3 Ref +3 Will +3

 

[Pickle843]

" Never Fear.................................................................Mr. Elf is Here!!!!!!!!!!!"


Mr Elf says " Remember to abide by the oh yes..... oh no rules of DMing, as an example one week you could let your PC's comfortably beat their opponents and the next week have an extreme encounter. Take overnight watches seriously and have their enemies fight to their full potential. A death a week keeps the party focused and always on their toes. They will treat any encounter seriously because they don't know if the hooded figure is a worthless comoner or a 20th level wizard. By doing the week by week pushover/oh crap technique it will require your PC's to be confident in their own fighting styles but also to realize that they are not running wild during your DMing experience. This makes for a more fun and also extremely suspensefull way of playing D & D for your PC's.

This is only my personal opinion and if you do not agree with it I am sorry I wasted your time.

 

[BlackSeed_Vash]

If your looking to use traps, check out the DMG 2, the ones listed there are far more reasonalble for low levels to encounter. I don't know how many times i've seen first lvl rogues who were dropped simply because they failed a save vs the "CR1" traps in the DMG.

 

[Bad Paper]

If I change the initial stats of the npc's to a 25 point buy for the weaker of the monsters and run a 32 point buy for the leading member of the npc group will that change the initial CR on the creatures?

Ability score arrays will tell you about how monsters are "usually" populated. This table suggests how to handle the CR change. All this stuff is in the back of the Monster Manual.

As for traps, I am a big fan of the pit-trap and its variants: the deeper pit, the spiked pit, the repeater (obvious 5' wide pit, but that opposite ledge you're jumping to? That's a 20' deep concealed pit filled with spikes, water, and undead, ha ha ). So, you know, keep it as a simple built-in dungeon feature, not something that can be broken and carried away.

 

[moritheil]

If you really want to screw your players over, you will. The rules are all loaded in the DM's favor. You don't need to adjust the stats of monsters or anything, and you don't need to try to kill PCs for it to happen - PCs will die from simple bad luck going up against things appropriate for their EL.

Bad Paper, rather than undead in the pit, gelatinous oozes are my favorite.

 

[Cartigan Mrryl]

I agree with Moritheil.... dont' TRY to kill the PCs. As a fellow DM, I've noticed that esp. when the PCs are 1st level newbies to DnD They'll die merely because they don't realize how dangerous the big bad world is to them.

And what Blackseed said about Traps is true... I prefer concealed pit traps at first that deal no really bad damage, because if a player dies with every trap they find, they're gonna decide that traps merely are impassibly and spend time trying to get past the trap without geing anywhere NEAR the trap (meaning they'll go looking for another corridor that isn't trapped, taking up serious game time merely beause you killed them off.)

And If you want a pit-no-way-out-encounter... I say using a Golem takes the cake, nothing worse that being thrown into a pit with a Construct and you can't get out...