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Challenging my high-lvl group (NPCs and monsters; my players shouldn't read this!)
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<blockquote data-quote="Crowe9107" data-source="post: 361270" data-attributes="member: 2033"><p>I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way. Are they ill-tempered sea bass....hmmm? I agree, quite deadly, there is a fairly fine line between "challenging" and TPK. My own players seem to like ECLs that are +2-4 (depends, ECLs are not all they are cracked up to be), for climatic battles, wherein they expend at least 80% party resources, these "dicey" battles are the ones they seem to remember and enjoy the most. Because of this, I tend to gloss over minor encounters unless I feel that party endurance is going to be an issue. 3e has certainly sped up combat, but I generally take the cinegraphic approach to pushing through the stormtroopers, focussing on the "cool scenes" and major encounters. It is most difficult to get it just right, you slowly have to probe the party's capabilities and ramp up the encounters (factoring in rest and expenditures) until you find out what's right for the party. If you start out with too much, too soon, you end up with monsters that suddenly remember that it is time for their coffee break in the middle of a battle or a TPK, which is no fun. As for the ropers...I think I am going to start wrapping my head in tin-foil, I come up with alot of ideas that suddenly appear elsewhere, it's all a conspiracy I tell you.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Re,</p><p></p><p>Carl Rowe</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Crowe9107, post: 361270, member: 2033"] I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way. Are they ill-tempered sea bass....hmmm? I agree, quite deadly, there is a fairly fine line between "challenging" and TPK. My own players seem to like ECLs that are +2-4 (depends, ECLs are not all they are cracked up to be), for climatic battles, wherein they expend at least 80% party resources, these "dicey" battles are the ones they seem to remember and enjoy the most. Because of this, I tend to gloss over minor encounters unless I feel that party endurance is going to be an issue. 3e has certainly sped up combat, but I generally take the cinegraphic approach to pushing through the stormtroopers, focussing on the "cool scenes" and major encounters. It is most difficult to get it just right, you slowly have to probe the party's capabilities and ramp up the encounters (factoring in rest and expenditures) until you find out what's right for the party. If you start out with too much, too soon, you end up with monsters that suddenly remember that it is time for their coffee break in the middle of a battle or a TPK, which is no fun. As for the ropers...I think I am going to start wrapping my head in tin-foil, I come up with alot of ideas that suddenly appear elsewhere, it's all a conspiracy I tell you. Re, Carl Rowe [/QUOTE]
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Challenging my high-lvl group (NPCs and monsters; my players shouldn't read this!)
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