DM advice please! - 3 Strikers, 1 Leader

[renau1g]

So it'll be pretty swingy from the sounds of things. Have you told you're players to expect this? If you're upfront about the difficulties ahead, maybe one of them will consider another character, or barring that, will be less angry if there's a TPK.

 

[Sanzuo]

We don't have a whole bunch of experience playing 4e, (we've just played one session every week since release :/ ) So I'm not sure exactly what to expect. My DMing style emphasizes drama, mood and setting, but I try to accommodate the power gamers in the group as best as I can. I don't like the idea of giving my players too much advanced warning of what they're facing since that spoils the adventure part of it.

I suppose if I have an unexpected wipe in a key encounter I can always have them captured instead of simply dead.

 

[Solodan]

I think you have enough of a party to deal with encounters. I'd make sure that nobody is skimping on CON though and start everyone off with a potion of healing. Not having a mix will probably hurt, especially as levels increase as Striker's don't seem to progress in damage nearly as fast as Monster HP increases.

Maybe you can bribe one of the players to go fighter? A fighter into Ranger is really quite fun to play.

 

[Sanzuo]

Maybe you can bribe one of the players to go fighter? A fighter into Ranger is really quite fun to play.

Yea, for a campaign like this I just want every player to play whatever suits their fancy. This is why I'm trying to tailor the game a little bit for them so they actually have fun without feeling like they're restricted.

 

[matthewseidl]

I personally wouldn't stress about the party comp and just design interesting encounters and let them figure out how to deal with them. At the moment, the group Im in has 3 strikers and 2 leaders, and we seem to maange alright. I'm sure we end up taking more damage than we might otherwise, but we also dish out an obscene amount when we really try (Hunger of Hadar and lots of movement powers). In your case, I'd expect the rogue and ranger to end up getting beat up a bit, and potentially wanting to take some extra feats to compensate. Maybe the ranger takes chain/scale prof for example. Or at least two weapon defense.

And in the worst case, its a self correcting problem. Someone will die, and come back as something else.

 

[Xorn]

Be sure to read the section in the DMG about missing roles. It gives pretty clear advice on what to expect when the group lacks a Defender and a Controller. Soldiers/Brutes are going to be more dangerous, and Minions/Controllers are going to be tougher.

This doesn't mean you can't use them, it just means that they are going to be a bigger threat than they would to a group with a defender. Just start off by not using any hard encounters (n+2 or more), as you might find what would normally be a standard party level encounter is more like level+1 because of brutes/minions in the encounter.

 

[Larrin]

I wonder if less monsters for the same xp budget might be the way to go. for example you have four characters, try to keep it around three foes on average, but higher level so the xp total is the same as 4 equivalent level monsters....might be a horrible idea, i haven't looked at the math, but the concept works....you'll run into trouble the most when outnumbered even from weak enemies.

 

[Sanzuo]

Yea, the other reason I have tough encounters is my group likes reasonably fast progression. So having more xp per fight seems like a good and dangerous way to get them leveled quicker.

But already my fights are seeming dangerous with the "8 encounters per level" method.

 

[renau1g]

Well they can still be higher level, just with more solo-type or fewer monsters, avoiding brutes and soldiers...

 

[Dave Turner]

Don't forget that your players share the burden of survival. They need to play smart to some extent. Rangers are strikers, but if you see the Ranger always rushing into battle to tie up a monster or two (i.e. acting like a defender), I'd have little mercy for him. Your PCs will have to develop hit-and-run tactics, being ready to make a quick retreat if the battle turns against them. The Cleric is going to be worked hard by all those fragile strikers.

It's good that you're thinking about accommodating the unique make-up of the group, but don't make it too easy for them!