D&D 5E How many combat encounters per adventuring day does your group have?

[Xetheral]

Youre assuming your average dungeon isn't full of sounds and combat on a relatively regular basis.

I can't think Orcs would think too much of rhe sounds of violence down a hallway even if we assume they hear it.

Even if the dungeon inhabitants are from a society where violence is commonplace, there are still the issues that (a) violence is likely a spectator sport thus drawing others to watch, and (b) the cries coming from an unscheduled brawl with another inhabitant or group of inhabitants of the dungeon are likely very different than the cries of combatants facing off against outside intruders. For example, non-combatants watching a fight between inhabitants might cheer on one or more of the combatants, but when confronted with intruders would be screaming and running for help. If the noise from the combat is high enough to be an uninterpretable cacophony, I doubt any occupants are going to be blase about the scuffle and ignore it completely.

But yes, I am indeed assuming that the average dungeon isn't full of the sound of combat on a regular basis. Occupied dungeons are someone's home, and most societies frown on violence in living spaces. It's certainly possible to design a game world where "take it outside" isn't the common expectation, but I think that would qualify as an unusual game world.

 

[Flamestrike]

Level? That's a lot for an entire dungeon.

Wut?

Every module ever has more than 4-6.

 

[Flamestrike]

Even if the dungeon inhabitants are from a society where violence is commonplace, there are still the issues that (a) violence is likely a spectator sport thus drawing others to watch, and (b) the cries coming from an unscheduled brawl with another inhabitant or group of inhabitants of the dungeon are likely very different than the cries of combatants facing off against outside intruders. For example, non-combatants watching a fight between inhabitants might cheer on one or more of the combatants, but when confronted with intruders would be screaming and running for help. If the noise from the combat is high enough to be an uninterpretable cacophony, I doubt any occupants are going to be blase about the scuffle and ignore it completely.

But yes, I am indeed assuming that the average dungeon isn't full of the sound of combat on a regular basis. Occupied dungeons are someone's home, and most societies frown on violence in living spaces. It's certainly possible to design a game world where "take it outside" isn't the common expectation, but I think that would qualify as an unusual game world.

For sure but I'm not seeing the entire dungeon drawn to the sounds of combat nearby.

The critters in white plume Mountain aren't racing to the next room to investigate even if they do hear it.

Its possible in some dungeons depending on the inhabitants of course but its not the certainty you guys are making it out to be.

 

[pming]

Hiya!

Most of these answers are incredibly wild to me. I've never played or run a game with the volume of low-stakes combat you guys are talking about. How do you set up dramatic tension over time if the game is packed with cakewalk fights? I've never watched Critical Role but I'm guessing Mercer isn't just setting up these kinds of MMO grinds, right?

What makes you think combats are "cakewalk fights"? Mine certainly aren't! Over the 5 or 6 years we were playing it, the HIGHEST level that any PC got to... 7th level Barbarian. After that, a pair (?) of 5th's, handful of 4ths, then just 1st to 3rd. So obviously my fights aren't "cakewalks". Bearkiller EARNED his 7 levels by the gods! He deserves every bit of praise he gets from our group.

Now, if you (general 'you') are the type of DM that is of the mindset that Players "should win by default...but make it look good/dangerous", to me, that's like throwing a boxing match. In which case said type of DM would most likely make "cakewalk combats" or cheat/fudge the heck out of the dice to make sure no PC died because it was "just an encounter to give them some XP and gold". In which case...just use the Milestone type advancement and remove the tomfoolery of having 'dangerous encounters' that really aren't.

Another thing that most definitely makes a difference...when the DM is "specifically building encounters to the PC's". Because then the DM has some sort of expectation... "This fight will be easy, same with the second one, then a tough one. Then they rest. Then an easy one that becomes the final deadly one when they pick up The Foozle". The DM has, at that point, "designed mini-adventures" that fit within the greater framework of the full-adventure. The DM is planning everything so that the PC's will most likely be right in that 'sweet spot' the DM envisioned. This is, IMNSHO, a horrible idea! But that is a whole other thread!

The DM that is designing "mini-adventures" that 'fit' inside some block of time is apt to...hmmm... modify his/her decisions in order to have the PC's complete the time-limited mini-adventure. The DM may do this via tweaking dice rolls, or deciding there are only 4 bad guys in stead of 8, or that there are 8 bad guys in stead of 4. Whatever it takes to "keep the adventure on track to end when the DM wanted it to when 8pm rolls around and it's time to end the session".

Some groups may enjoy the heck outta that style of play. I am not one of them. Nor are my players...assuming I still HAVE players... stupid Covid... mumble mumble mumble...

Bottom Line: Just run the game and run the monsters and NPC's as they would logically behave in the campaign situation. There is no time limit on D&D... if it takes a group a year and a half of weekly play to 'beat' Temple of Elemental Evil...so be it. If it takes them 3 months of weekly play...so be it. Trying to manipulate the Players and the Adventure to some set timeline is...well, THAT is weird to me. Just...REALLY weird!

^_^

Paul L. Ming

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Wut?

Every module ever has more than 4-6.

I wouldn't know, I tend not to use premade modules. I'm talking about ones I make. My last dungeon had four encounters, and technically only three of them were in it and two of them were mushed together, so there were two actual separate fights in it.* And looking at things like Critical Role, I'd expect this to be pretty normal. Long multilevel dungeons you crawl trough like in Diablo simply are not something a lot of people do.

(* Bugbear equivalents at the entrance, firebeetles and zombies at the upper level, gibbering mouthers at the bottom level.)

 

[Flamestrike]

I wouldn't know, I tend not to use premade modules. I'm talking about ones I make. My last dungeon had four encounters, and technically only three of them were in it and two of them were mushed together, so there were two actual separate fights in it.* And looking at things like Critical Role, I'd expect this to be pretty normal. Long multilevel dungeons you crawl trough like in Diablo simply are not something a lot of people do.

(* Bugbear equivalents at the entrance, firebeetles and zombies at the upper level, gibbering mouthers at the bottom level.)

Im not talking about your dungeons - im talking about one's we see in published material which reflects the default.

You could have single encounter dungeons man. I have no visibility on that.

 

[Puddles]

I wouldn't know, I tend not to use premade modules. I'm talking about ones I make. My last dungeon had four encounters, and technically only three of them were in it and two of them were mushed together, so there were two actual separate fights in it.* And looking at things like Critical Role, I'd expect this to be pretty normal. Long multilevel dungeons you crawl trough like in Diablo simply are not something a lot of people do.

(* Bugbear equivalents at the entrance, firebeetles and zombies at the upper level, gibbering mouthers at the bottom level.)

I’m in the same boat as you - my custom dungeons usually have around 3 encounters within them. I had actually considered making a thread about this, because I look at those massive dungeons in the official campaigns and have wondered how they could ever be found enjoyable and not a massive grind, but this thread has certainly let me know there are those who do enjoy these massive dungeons even if I cannot fathom how they are compelling to play through.

 

[Don Durito]

Along these lines, and pardon the pedanticism here, we might want review the fact that combats are not encounters, but a means of encounter resolution. In other words, combat is one possible means of resolving a meeting between PCs and NPCs/monsters. Love him or hate him, here is Angry's take where he covers that and more:

Three Shocking Things You Won’t Believe About D&D Combat

In this preamble to The Angry Guide to Kicka$& Combat, we’re going to tell you a few things you never knew about combat and debunk a few things everyone thinks they know about combat.

theangrygm.com

I think it is one of his better pieces, personally, and I'm glad this thread made me revisit it. On Roll20, I've fallen into the trap of "me DM; me set up rooms with Roll20-stat-sheet monsters with oh-so-clickable attack actions; when PCs meet monsters me ask for initiative and - combat! Cuz, that's what me prepped!" So, yeah. There's that... which I really need to work on... again.

As far as rest schedules go, non-combat encounters only count if they use up combat level resources.

Think about it in terms of exploring an old school dungeon. If you can manage 8 fights before a rest, then if you can sneak around or talk your way around another 8 then that's so much further into the dungeon you can get, and the more loot you can find.

That's all to the good, but there's no way players are going to go "well we've had four battles and managed to avoid four more by being clever, that's our budget for the day so let's head back to town."

 

[Don Durito]

Do you find this makes the narrative pacing of your game weird? Because, if you meet every week, that's one month of playing time for one day of in-game time. So after a year of playing the characters will have been adventuring for 12 days. Of course, you can have downtime, but if there is a semi-urgent narrative threat, it's going to be one sprint to the end.

Yes. This is my biggest issue with the rest schedule. If I try to follow WotC's timing, too long passes in real time before players get to refresh their stuff.

Changing the rest schedule in the game doesn't resolve this.

 

[clearstream]

Yes. This is my biggest issue with the rest schedule. If I try to follow WotC's timing, too long passes in real time before players get to refresh their stuff.

Changing the rest schedule in the game doesn't resolve this.

What are the features of "too long"?