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Message: <blockquote data-quote="eamon" data-source="post: 5529888" data-attributes="member: 51942">I prefer plot solutions over houserules.I don't think regular novas are actually a problem.  If you know they'll nova, make the encounters harder - so what if city encounters tend to be more vicious, that's OK, isn't it?Outside of the city, the occasional unpredictable nightly encounter should keep them from nova-ing.In the city, I love andy3k's solution of the occasional back-to-back encounter.  Again, it doesn't have to happen every time for PC's to get careful.  Similarly, unique encounter effects that make encounters harder is fine too.  Magic altars are flavorful, as andy3k suggests, and make sense to be more common in cities than in the countryside.  Entirely reasonable would also be that enemies in cities have better equipment - give em alchemical items well over their level.  They're overpriced, but that's good.  It encourages players to finish em quickly - to capture some really valuable potions/smokebombs, etc.  So it's a carrot (valuable loot) and a stick (dangerous enemies) simultaneously.  If you do this, make sure to let the characters know - make a winnable perception/arcana/whatever check, and after the first item use with visible effects tell them regardless - it won't work as well if the player's don't understand what's going on.But really, I wouldn't consider nova-ing a problem a priori.  Sometimes you want resource management to be part of the game, but you don't need it every day, every session.</blockquote>

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