An Insane Encounter

[FitzTheRuke]

1st level really shouldn't be that much fun. Doesn't feel like D&D to me...

Hahaha.

Man, I want to start running games right now.

Get a group and do it, man! You can pick up the "proper" rules when the books come out. For now it works fine with the PHB Lite stuff.

It's funny, I look forward to finding out what I'm doing "wrong" and will be disappointed if there's not a lot of it, simply because if I'm doing it all "right" now, why do you need the books? And as a Game store owner, I WANT people to need the books. (of course, there IS leveling, but first level characters are pretty darn fun...)

Fitz

 

[That One Guy]

Can't say I ever use random encounters, if by RE you mean "Roll on a chart to see what they fight next" If you mean throw unsuspecting wandering monsters into the mix...

Thanks for reading!

Fitz

Thanks for posting!

Sorry, I forgot how Random Encounters... 'work'. I had so many frustrated PCs bored with pointless 'random encounters' years ago that I gave up on them. Instead, I plan out 'possible encounters' where a plot event is transpiring or about to begin or may have happened by the time the PCs get there. So, I map out who, what, why, where, and when so it makes a good story... rather than 'a bunch of monsters x, y, and z attack!'

I do like your delay/bigger fight growing method. I may have to mercilessly steal that some time.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Instead, I plan out 'possible encounters' where a plot event is transpiring or about to begin or may have happened by the time the PCs get there.

Yeah, that sounds like what I do. It's a matter of letting the monsters be "up to something" rather than just waiting around for PCs to drop by...

Fitz

 

[Celebrim]

I'll say this for 4E, if it brings about a new renaisance in encounter design, then it will be worth it. You are to be congradulated. Good job.

Very little in your description suggests which edition the encounter occurred in, but if it only could have occured for you in 4E then by all means play 4E.

And without a grid!!! I so hate it when minatures absolutely ruin a good scene like this. So, again, good job.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Very little in your description suggests which edition the encounter occurred in, but if it only could have occured for you in 4E then by all means play 4E.

Thank you.

I'm sure I COULD have run it in 3.x (or a number of other games) but 4E made it easy, fun, and inspiring.

Fitz

 

[hbarsquared]

1st level really shouldn't be that much fun. Doesn't feel like D&D to me...

I totally have a new signature.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Thanks for the writeup

Gridless combat rules.

But I will miss first Level

My players however won´t

 

[valeren]

Thanks for the post.

Just curious, do you guys have any idea on what the comparative levels of 4e characters are to that of 3.xe ones? I mean, like what CR in 3.xe encounters can be at par with the new buffed up 4e level 1 characters?

Thanks

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Thanks for the post.

Just curious, do you guys have any idea on what the comparative levels of 4e characters are to that of 3.xe ones? I mean, like what CR in 3.xe encounters can be at par with the new buffed up 4e level 1 characters?

Thanks

Level 4-13 are sometimes called the sweet spot for 3E, and 4E is supposed to "extend" the sweet spot over levels 1-30. That's the "crunch" side. So, a 4E 1st level character is probably on par with a 4th level 3E character - but note the difference in attacks & defense. The translation cannot be exact.

The fluff probably still covers level 1-20 (or levels 1-30?) of 3E in the level 1-30 of 4E.

 

[Destil]

Criticals are also a big wrench in this for 3E... 3.0 MM orcs with greataxes make running this before 6thish level a possible unfair player killer (for the encounter mentioned above you could most likely do it as a EL 6-7 with 3rd-5th level PCs depending on the level of min-maxing for the closest translation).