Encounters with Alternate Goals

[RealAlHazred]

Originally posted by baldhermit:

Since the PCs will likely need three or four rounds to physically get adjacent to the Crackers, it's a save or suck situation.

 

[RealAlHazred]

Originally posted by iserith:

I could see it getting done - with teamwork - in four rounds. Less with AP. My guess is that it comes down to the wire when factoring in the combat distractions and failed checks.
 
What do you think would be a better countdown?

 

[RealAlHazred]

Originally posted by baldhermit:

Not at home, but I would not use a set count, instead use story to pressure the PCs. They only need to know explosives about to go off.

 

[RealAlHazred]

Originally posted by Beldak_Serpenthelm:

baldhermit wrote:I would not use a set count, instead use story

Would you handle combat the same way? Using the players' in-story descriptions of their attacks "instead of" attack/damage rolls vs. hit points?

 

[RealAlHazred]

Originally posted by baldhermit:

Beldak: making it a skill challenge would kill the excitement of this encounter, so no, I would not suggest that.
 
What I am talking about is something I talk about (elsewhere) quite often, adjusting the encounter to the party. In this here case the party makes it into the fireworks factory by some means, they come face to face with dirty one liner guy, and at some point this NPC chooses to pull something out of his pocket, or perhaps already has it in his hands, and presses a button.
 
In every party I come across, there is at least one radar. You know the guy, "a pregnant brown haired mouse walked by that corner three weeks ago". Whatever his passive perception is, and perhaps the next PCs as well, he/they hear from the backroom the sound of a clock ticking, a sound that started immediately after the Puzzler pressed his button.
Players know what that means. There is no need to inform them of 5 rounds, as ideally you want them to feel like heroes, so you do want them to be able to free the Crackers.
 
So do not inform them of 5 round limit, forget yourself there is a 5 round limit. If the players ignore this sign and engage in combat instead of attempting to make it to the back room, make a show of the bad guys running from the scene, even provoking opportunity attacks while doing so, in a desperate attempt to get away.  If your players are halfway smart, and they should be since they choose you to DM for them, they really should know what that means, and can make the appropriate judgement call (fight/flight).

 

[RealAlHazred]

Originally posted by iserith:

I'm open to changing the number of rounds or coming up with another mechanism entirely for fairly determining if the players have made the right decisions to succeed in saving the Crackers in time, but managing it by way of narrative isn't something I like to do. It's too squishy for me. A hard limit and agreed-upon stakes is where I tend to go in encounter designs these days.

 

[RealAlHazred]

Originally posted by baldhermit:

That's entirely your prerogative. You could also determine the number of rounds based on character speed, and generally optimization, prior to actual start of session.
 
There is a vast different with some optimized elves or some teleporters in the group as opposed to a handful of speed 5 dwarves.

 

[RealAlHazred]

Originally posted by iserith:

I wonder what kind of countdown or mechanism sits sort of in the average of those two "extremes." Five feels right, but like you said, could be that 4 rounds are just spent positioning which doesn't leave time for skill checks. I'm okay with some groups not being able to cut the mustard, but one would hope that would spur further creativity to get it done. I think if everything is made clear up front, 75 actions (between 5 characters) should be enough to get 'er done.
 
I'll have to poke Jerico_Mason to take a gander at this. This was actually from the campaign he was in (he played El Fuego, a sort of Human Torch superhero), but they skipped this scene. He'd be able to think about it in terms of the PCs we had at the time.

 

[RealAlHazred]

Originally posted by Mr_Confused:

Some interesting reading here for a new DM, thanks for the inspiration! I'm trying to incorporate some alternate goals in my encounters but balancing them always seems hard.
 
iserith, what program do you use to create those maps and is it a program you would recommend?

Originally posted by iserith:

You're welcome. Let us know what you come up with in this thread!
 
These maps were created in Roll20, a virtual tabletop.

 

[RealAlHazred]

Originally posted by Jerico_Mason:

The move speed of the group ranged from an elven ranger with quicksilver motion, to a Bozak Sorcerer with Mark of storm, to a dwarven paladin although the sorcerer and the paladin were both second string players that only got to play when one of the main crew couldn't.  I think that it would be doable in 5 rounds, but Fuego would need to AP nova them to make sure that they don't waste any time on taking down Puzzler and Ivey  (at 80 hp there's good odds that they never get to act).  Also I expect Fuego should stay back from the bombs given that he is on fire, but hey I suppose he could extinguish himself.
 
Edit: The group in question often liked to do second story entries, so they would likely opt for dropping in to the room from the skylight, I know that Fuego and The Darkness would have done that for sure, not so sure about The Amazing Bulk or The Mastermind, but at least half the party would have been able to engage the puzzler and Ivey right away.