Determining Adventure/Monster Level in 2e
- Thread starter Scribble
- Start date
Adlon
Mortality.net
I used an approx 20% of total party levels....
5 players @ 12th level each= 60 party levels
You'd want to look at a 12th lvl monster, and look at some 13th and 14th as well...
6 players:
4 @ 12th level = 48 party levels
1 @ 10th level= 10 party levels
1 @ 8th level = 8 party levels
Total 66 party levels * 20%= 13th level monster....more or less again...
Also, alot has to do with the particular monster, and how well it is played as a nemesis for your group....
5 players @ 12th level each= 60 party levels
You'd want to look at a 12th lvl monster, and look at some 13th and 14th as well...
6 players:
4 @ 12th level = 48 party levels
1 @ 10th level= 10 party levels
1 @ 8th level = 8 party levels
Total 66 party levels * 20%= 13th level monster....more or less again...
Also, alot has to do with the particular monster, and how well it is played as a nemesis for your group....
3catcircus
Adventurer
The way you did this in 1e/2e was really really simple.
Look at the hit dice of the monsters in question. Add one additional hit dice for each special or extraordinary abilities or extra hit points. Divide by the total party levels. This tells you the relative challenge of an encounter (as well as the fraction of total xp to award the PCs.)
If the average monster HD is 10 x more or less than the average player level, than you need to either double or half the xp awarded - this pretty much sets the upper/lower bounds for what is too challenging or no challenge at all.
No CR vs. EL.
Example: Goblins have 1-1 HD. Six goblins vs. six 1st level PCs is an average challenge. Four goblins should yield 66% of the total xp - representing roughly 2/3 the challenge. If the PCs were 2nd level, the challenge of six goblins is only 50%. Six goblins against six PCs of 5th level is 10% challenge - i.e. - not a challenge at all.
As a real example, Against the Cult of the Reptile God is designed for 4-7 PCs of 1-3 level - a range of 4 - 21 total levels (more likely 7 - 12 total levels if you assume more PCs of lower level and less PCs if they are higher level).
Most of the encounters in this module average about 5-10 total HD/monster levels per encounter.
Look at the hit dice of the monsters in question. Add one additional hit dice for each special or extraordinary abilities or extra hit points. Divide by the total party levels. This tells you the relative challenge of an encounter (as well as the fraction of total xp to award the PCs.)
If the average monster HD is 10 x more or less than the average player level, than you need to either double or half the xp awarded - this pretty much sets the upper/lower bounds for what is too challenging or no challenge at all.
No CR vs. EL.
Example: Goblins have 1-1 HD. Six goblins vs. six 1st level PCs is an average challenge. Four goblins should yield 66% of the total xp - representing roughly 2/3 the challenge. If the PCs were 2nd level, the challenge of six goblins is only 50%. Six goblins against six PCs of 5th level is 10% challenge - i.e. - not a challenge at all.
As a real example, Against the Cult of the Reptile God is designed for 4-7 PCs of 1-3 level - a range of 4 - 21 total levels (more likely 7 - 12 total levels if you assume more PCs of lower level and less PCs if they are higher level).
Most of the encounters in this module average about 5-10 total HD/monster levels per encounter.
Plane Sailing
Astral Admin - Mwahahaha!
In OD&D and 1e I always used the 'monstermark', a system developed by Don Turnbull in White Dwarf issues 2 & 3 IIRC.
Essentially it calculated a number based on the number of rounds a monster would be expected to last against a theoretical 1st level fighter with a longsword. Then the monsters expected damage against a stream of said fighters was calculated.
Multipliers were used for salient additional abilities (magic, poison, petrifaction etc)
The resultant number was used to group monsters into a series of 'levels'.
It all worked really nicely (and interestingly demonstrated that some creatures were much more bad-ass than would have been suspected)
Cheers
Essentially it calculated a number based on the number of rounds a monster would be expected to last against a theoretical 1st level fighter with a longsword. Then the monsters expected damage against a stream of said fighters was calculated.
Multipliers were used for salient additional abilities (magic, poison, petrifaction etc)
The resultant number was used to group monsters into a series of 'levels'.
It all worked really nicely (and interestingly demonstrated that some creatures were much more bad-ass than would have been suspected)
Cheers
The "appropriate dungeon level" thing I talked about was probably a minor development of this idea, since it only goes up to 10.
Voadam
Legend
2e monsters had an xp amount in their stat block that was a rough guide to monster power. It incorporated HD and special abilities into the calculation formula.
I just generally eyeballed HD and abilities when planning what to throw at the party in the 2e era when I was not running a module.
1e had monster terrain and then dungeon level charts, but I don't think I ever used the level ones. I used the terrain ones though and my players knew that there was big dangerous stuff out in the dark woods and they might need to run away. Nothing like a wandering monster big green dragon to spook a low level PC to flee.
I just generally eyeballed HD and abilities when planning what to throw at the party in the 2e era when I was not running a module.
1e had monster terrain and then dungeon level charts, but I don't think I ever used the level ones. I used the terrain ones though and my players knew that there was big dangerous stuff out in the dark woods and they might need to run away. Nothing like a wandering monster big green dragon to spook a low level PC to flee.
