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<blockquote data-quote="Staffan" data-source="post: 4465555" data-attributes="member: 907">Another thing about 3e encounter design: the designers assumed you would have four encounters in a day. The idea then was that the first three encounters weren't really supposed to be dangerous, they were just supposed to wear you down enough so that the fourth encounter would be. This failed for three reasons:1. A single monster against four opponents that individually are a fair match for it will not consume 25% of their resources. It will consume more like 5-10% - more if it has area attacks and such, but still. That's because the group of four will both have total resources that are four times as large, and because they will deplete the single monster's resources four times as fast. That is of course grossly simplified, but more or less correct.2. Players tend to be a cowardly lot. By the time the casters start running out of spells, they will want to retreat, and in most cases they can (especially once they have spells like rope trick). Sure, you can make up scenarios where the clock is ticking and they have to keep moving, but if you do that every time, it gets old pretty fast.3. Five words: wand of cure light wounds (and its later cousin, wand of lesser vigor). This item costs 750 gp, and heals an average of 275 hp (550 for lesser vigor). That's only 2.7 gp per hp (call it 3 to account for overhealing and such). Sure, it's too slow to use in a fight (except at low levels), but it will ensure that the physical types enter each fight in peak condition.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Staffan, post: 4465555, member: 907"] Another thing about 3e encounter design: the designers assumed you would have four encounters in a day. The idea then was that the first three encounters weren't really supposed to be dangerous, they were just supposed to wear you down enough so that the fourth encounter would be. This failed for three reasons: 1. A single monster against four opponents that individually are a fair match for it will not consume 25% of their resources. It will consume more like 5-10% - more if it has area attacks and such, but still. That's because the group of four will both have total resources that are four times as large, and because they will deplete the single monster's resources four times as fast. That is of course grossly simplified, but more or less correct. 2. Players tend to be a cowardly lot. By the time the casters start running out of spells, they will want to retreat, and in most cases they can (especially once they have spells like [I]rope trick[/I]). Sure, you can make up scenarios where the clock is ticking and they have to keep moving, but if you do that [B]every[/B] time, it gets old pretty fast. 3. Five words: [I]wand of cure light wounds[/I] (and its later cousin, [I]wand of lesser vigor[/I]). This item costs 750 gp, and heals an average of 275 hp (550 for [I]lesser vigor[/I]). That's only 2.7 gp per hp (call it 3 to account for overhealing and such). Sure, it's too slow to use in a fight (except at low levels), but it will ensure that the physical types enter each fight in peak condition. [/QUOTE]

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