Adjusting 4 PCs for WotC adentures

[dblade]

Double echo on scaling the encounters. It's ridiculously easy to scale up or down. I wish it would have been done for us. My DM for Keep on the Shadowfell didn't scale down (we had 4 heroes) because he thought 4 was supposed to be the standard. We had a TPK on a certain encounter that others have talked about as being quite hard. I was familiar enough with the monsters by now to know that the encounter was overpowered and started asking him if he had scaled down the adventure for 4 people. That is when he realized his mistake. Afterwards we crunched the numbers and decided he wasn't totally at fault. The encounter was a bit overpowered as written. It was 6 levels above a 1st level encounter with 5 1st level heroes (the DMG states that 7 levels over is too much) so it is a very very tough encounter. For 4 1st level heroes it is a meatgrinder.

 

[Rhenny]

I just ran "Burning Plague" with only 3 pcs. It was fine. I ended up cutting out one of the combat encounters toward the end, and added a few skill challenges. I suspect that it wasn't as difficult because there were no real solo monsters or big bosses to deal with. That is where you may run into a little more trouble with smaller parties.

My instincts say, that you can run 4 pcs without too much scaling or changing, as long as the players realize they may have to run away when they are facing a much more difficult opponent. Personally, I like this in a game. If the pcs can cut and run, they can plan and try to come up with more tactical approaches to the big fight.

Another advantage about letting them run (and not chasing them) is that it is easier to fudge an escape than to fudge attack rolls. As DM, you can come up with a number of reasons why the boss or big baddy will not go too far to chase the party. Perhaps he suspects an ambush, or he fears his own allies will turn on him and steal his treasure, or he may need to finish a ritual.

Hope this helps.

Cheers.