13.33 encounters to rise a level?

[Gargoyle]

Or was my old group just more combat-oriented than most?

I'd agree with those that say your group has more combats per session. We only get a couple of battles in during a 5 hour session of 3E, so maybe we're "combat light" or maybe our battles are just larger and more drawn out.

It just goes to show that there is a big difference between various groups in the pacing of gameplay. This explains why class abilities that function x times per day are so hard to balance. Inevitably some people think that you are letting them use the ability too often, others think you can't use it enough (i.e. smite evil and rage).

 

[WizarDru]

Our group of six players usually averages 1-2 combats per 5 hour session. Occasionally this spikes higher, but my group tends to fight larger battles against powerful enemies, rather than lots of weaker enemies in greater numbers. Levelling every four sessions on average, perhaps, but I think it varies somewhat drastically. I remember some dungeons runnning 8 or more sessions in the past, and a single level, at best, coming from one of them (not including PC deaths, which certainly affect the numbers).

 

[Bagpuss]

My game sessions last around 4 hours and we have between 2 and 3 combats per session, usually 2. It takes three or four sessions to level, but then the combats are usually of a higher encounter level than the parties average character level.

This is because I've found that the Barbarian/Rogue teaming up with the fighter/rogue can drop most individuals in a few rounds. One has a 15/20 critcal range with his rapier the other power attack and rages, both get the extra 2d6 damage for flanking.

This isn't helped by the sorcerer softening targets up with a few fireballs or lightening bolts, plus the Ranger/Fighter/Deepwood Sniper picking off what targets she feels like. The cleric in the meantime can either help with spells or in the combat.

Anything that is the correct EL is usually a walk in the park. If you have a number of lower CR creatures then the sorcerer can usually kill most of them with a fireball, if its a single creature then the barbarian/rogue and fighter/rogue can usually finish it off in a few rounds of melee.

 

[MerakSpielman]

Your group may be a bit moreon the combat-heavy side. Ours rarely gets in more than two combats per session. Then again, our combats typically take an hour or more to resolve...

Ditto.

As a matter of fact, it is not unheard of for our group to spend an entire session without combat and not even notice until a couple days later.

 

[dcollins]

Does this sound right? In my OAD&D games, a typical session lasted 4 hours and I know that there were more combats than that. Probably double: 6 to 8. Am I missing something here? Am I misunderstanding 3E? Or was my old group just more combat-oriented than most?

Combat in 3rd Ed. is more detailed and hence significantly slower in my experience. The RPGA adventure guidelines suggest 6 encounters per 4-hour session, and 1 of those is a trap, and 1 a role-playing encounter (so 4 combats).

Frankly, I try to run adventures at this rate and I find it a huge struggle in 3rd Ed. to complete even 2 or 3 combats in a 4 hour session. It's definitely different than OD&D.

 

[Arravis]

Our group levels every 14-22 hours (ussually every 18 hours) or so, with a combat encounter anywhere between 3-6 hours. We also tend to do one very large combat rather then a bunch of small combats... though I'm thinking of changing that cause I suspect one single massive combat will favor caster's over fighters, and I feel caster's are too dominant, especially in higher level games.

 

[Geoffrey]

Re: Re: 13.33 encounters to rise a level?

The RPGA adventure guidelines suggest 6 encounters per 4-hour session, and 1 of those is a trap, and 1 a role-playing encounter (so 4 combats).

Interesting. Do you have a link to the RPGA adventure guidelines? I'd like to read them.

 

[Bagpuss]

Re: Re: 13.33 encounters to rise a level?

Combat in 3rd Ed. is more detailed and hence significantly slower in my experience. The RPGA adventure guidelines suggest 6 encounters per 4-hour session, and 1 of those is a trap, and 1 a role-playing encounter (so 4 combats).

Frankly, I try to run adventures at this rate and I find it a huge struggle in 3rd Ed. to complete even 2 or 3 combats in a 4 hour session. It's definitely different than OD&D.

Strange I find that although 3rd Ed has more rules combats run quicker. The barbarian/rogue in our party for example rages, power-attacks and often get a sneak attack on top. He's usually doing a 20 to 38 points of damage in a single attack, and is now getting two attacks a round. There isn't much that stands up to that sort of punishment for long and that's before you add in the damage the other party members do. I rarely find combat last more than a few rounds.

 

[Mercule]

We typically have 3.5 hour sessions every week. Our _average_ is probably 1.5 encounters each session. That's usually in the form of 1, 2, 1, 2; but some sessions are 0 and some sessions are 3 or 4.

 

[Shard O'Glase]

when 3e 1st came out I knew the system the best so I ran the 1st campaign. The party was rolled up and had good stats, and to challenge them I needed to throw encounters at above their CR. People went up once a session.

Doing it again I just throw out the XP system, and give a ballpark estimate at how much XP I think they earned. Taking into account encounters they overcame/avoided, roleplaying, good plans, clever lines, not disrupting the game, bribes etc.

Fights very widely from 0 to 9-10 in a session depending on what's hapepning in the story. CR of the fights very form way below to way above(run away), with the standard encounter being slghtly below their CR to slightly above it.