Dealing with essential impossibility

[pawsplay]

Does your DM realize that, when calculating challenge ratings, he has to add +1 to the CR for every like creature in the mix?

One (ie, 1) Half-Golem is indeed a CR 4, and your party of under-equipped heroes would still have a good fight. But FOUR Half-Golems is a CR 8 encounter. For the same party, it "should" be a very difficult fight, even for a well-equipped team.

Well, EL 8, which may be slightly more favorable in XP terms at lower levels. Just sayin'.

In general, most of the monsters work okay with low magic, but your DM needs to add around +1 CR for exotic defenses (like any DR higher than 5) or exotic attacks (like energy damage, touch attacks, etc), or +2 CR for both (an incorporeal creature or a mature dragon, for instance). CR 4 creatures shouldn't wipe you out, but as noted above, four of the is EL 8.

And it is really worth asking if low magic means "low magic for the PCs" or really "low magic." Half-golems are freaky, and making four of them in a x 2.5 magic costs world should be rather prohibitive. Why wouldn't an evil wizard just hire a bunch of low magic henchmen instead?

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Just talk to him. Tell him that you were pished when he laughed at you. Explain that with lower wealth and magic, things get harder, especially magical stuff like half-golems.

He might not be aware that he petered you off and/or have intended to do so.

 

[moritheil]

What was his explanation for the half-iron golems in such a low-magic place?

That said, DMs can always do ridiculous things with a bit of min-maxing and CR on their side. Don't expect him to be unable to stomp on the party even if he agrees to low-magic enemies.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

It's things like these that give low magic a bad name.

Maybe you should present him with Iron Heroes as a gift.

 

[mmu1]

It's things like these that give low magic a bad name.

Maybe you should present him with Iron Heroes as a gift.

Yes, they do... As a result of most of my experiences with "low magic" games, I tend to mentally cringe when someone talks about running one. Not always, but a majority of the time it actually seems to mean "low magic PCs vs. overpowered magic equipped enemies". It's even worse when the DM doesn't address the inequality that develops between caster and non-caster PCs in those kind of games.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Maybe you should present him with Iron Heroes as a gift.

I somehow think that awarding people for mess-ups like that isn't the way to go.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

I somehow think that awarding people for mess-ups like that isn't the way to go.

Maybe if you attach it to a hardcover and present it to his head Or just steal his PH and DMG (and sell them) and then give him IH.

Not always, but a majority of the time it actually seems to mean "low magic PCs vs. overpowered magic equipped enemies".

And yet, oddly enough, there's so many people claiming it's easy and requires no real changes.

 

[Nail]

What was his explanation for the half-iron golems in such a low-magic place?

My question too....and for most of us on these boards.

"Gee, are half-golems magical? Ya think?"

IME, DMs that try to run "low magic" games are doing so from a general lack of experience with 3.xe D&D.

 

[MithrasRahl]

In his defense, most of the "foes" we've been fighting have been humanoid with equally bad magical equipment.

 

[werk]

Does your DM realize that, when calculating challenge ratings, he has to add +1 to the CR for every like creature in the mix?

One (ie, 1) Half-Golem is indeed a CR 4, and your party of under-equipped heroes would still have a good fight. But FOUR Half-Golems is a CR 8 encounter. For the same party, it "should" be a very difficult fight, even for a well-equipped team.

I thought that you broke them into pairs...

2 CR4 = CR5
2 CR5 = CR6

So 4 CR4s is CR6

Am I making this up?