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How challenging should encounters be?
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<blockquote data-quote="The Crimson Binome" data-source="post: 6548090" data-attributes="member: 6775031"><p>Even if you didn't get weaker as the day went on, a failure rate of 25% is still way too high. Even if you abstract the whole combat out to a single die roll - just roll 1d4, and on a roll of 1 the party loses - then that roll of 1 would still happen eventually. When it takes 8 encounters to gain a level, it's unlikely that anyone would get to level 5, and fully 25% of all parties would die in their first encounter.</p><p></p><p>Maybe it's a problem with the narrative, but it would seem contrived if those random skeletons decided to not kill you, or the hungry owlbear didn't eat you. That's D&D, though. In order for the game to continue, the PCs have to survive every fight, which generally means they have to win. If you don't know that you're going to win, then you shouldn't engage; if the encounter is forced, then you win by running away.</p><p></p><p>Maybe you're asking the wrong question. If you can't come up with hard rules for what even counts as success or failure, then maybe you should ask <em>how hard the players should need to work</em> for their win: can you win by charging forward? or do you need some reasonable tactics? or do you need a good plan <em>and</em> a lot of luck, because one or the other won't cut it?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="The Crimson Binome, post: 6548090, member: 6775031"] Even if you didn't get weaker as the day went on, a failure rate of 25% is still way too high. Even if you abstract the whole combat out to a single die roll - just roll 1d4, and on a roll of 1 the party loses - then that roll of 1 would still happen eventually. When it takes 8 encounters to gain a level, it's unlikely that anyone would get to level 5, and fully 25% of all parties would die in their first encounter. Maybe it's a problem with the narrative, but it would seem contrived if those random skeletons decided to not kill you, or the hungry owlbear didn't eat you. That's D&D, though. In order for the game to continue, the PCs have to survive every fight, which generally means they have to win. If you don't know that you're going to win, then you shouldn't engage; if the encounter is forced, then you win by running away. Maybe you're asking the wrong question. If you can't come up with hard rules for what even counts as success or failure, then maybe you should ask [I]how hard the players should need to work[/I] for their win: can you win by charging forward? or do you need some reasonable tactics? or do you need a good plan [I]and[/I] a lot of luck, because one or the other won't cut it? [/QUOTE]
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