Bad experience with a 1st level 4e encounter

[thecasualoblivion]

Oooh, I like that.

Works especially well with monsters that have mechanics that synergize well with minions. Consider the Kobold Dragonshield and his two Kobold minions a unit.

 

[Rechan]

Works especially well with monsters that have mechanics that synergize well with minions. Consider the Kobold Dragonshield and his two Kobold minions a unit.

Or the Skirmisher and their CA.

 

[Lizard]

4E is hard, dude.

Yup.

One thing I will happily say I was totally wrong about was the lethality/risk of 4e. Reading the preview material and looking at individual monsters and PC hit points, the game looked like it would be a cakewalk. In actual play, it is extremely well balanced and barring unusual good luck, a fight will drain a lot of your resources and "Rest or press on?" is a major concern. Healing surges go away fast...

 

[Haffrung Helleyes]

I agree

This could have happened in any edition.

The one thing that would have made it easy in 3E is that it is easier in 3E for PCs to Nova with consumable magic items when they find they are in over their heads. But I am not sure that this is a good thing, overall.

Ken

 

[UngainlyTitan]

I don't. I've seen it done though(my RPGA DM does it that way), and battles are much more interesting when things have their own initiative. The only time I combine initiative is with minions, combining them into one group or keying them off of the initiative of other non-minion enemies. As an example of the latter, think of a Kobold battle with a Wyrmpriest, a Dragonshield, two Skirmishers, and six minions, and have two minions each accompany the Dragonshield and each Skirmisher.

Am I right in that you normally have each individual monster on its own initiative?

 

[Rechan]

Am I right in that you normally have each individual monster on its own initiative?

That's how I do it.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

Quote:
Originally Posted by ardoughter
Am I right in that you normally have each individual monster on its own initiative?

That's how I do it.

I tip my hat to you, I could never keep track of that many monsters or initiative rounds. I generally group by type.

 

[Rechan]

I tip my hat to you, I could never keep track of that many monsters or initiative rounds. I generally group by type.

It's no different than having to keep track of PC initiative.

But to be honest, I have a player who keeps track of Init and monster HP. The reason I don't do it is because for some reason, when everyone rolls Init and yells out their numbers, I just can't seem to get it organized.

Although, I might do it myself.

One solution I found to tracking monster Init is to actually roll the monster's initiative before the fight, and write it down on the piece of paper you're tracking Init. That way, you just whip it out, say "Roll Init", write down the PC's numbers.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

That's how I do it.

It's no different than having to keep track of PC initiative.

But to be honest, I have a player who keeps track of Init and monster HP. The reason I don't do it is because for some reason, when everyone rolls Init and yells out their numbers, I just can't seem to get it organized.

Although, I might do it myself.

One solution I found to tracking monster Init is to actually roll the monster's initiative before the fight, and write it down on the piece of paper you're tracking Init. That way, you just whip it out, say "Roll Init", write down the PC's numbers.

In my case if there are a lot of monsters of the same type I loose track of which monster on the mat is on what initiative.. I loose track of the player too but they usually remind me. The monsters have no one to speak up for them.

 

[Spatula]

With players you can have cards written out before hand with their name, etc. on it. I usually have a few "monster" initiative cards to slot in, but I still only roll once for all the monsters (applying each monster's init bonus to the roll, which means some might be going at different times, or not, depending on how well or poorly everyone rolls). Like ardoughter I can't imagine keeping track of seperate initiatives for groups of several faceless monsters.