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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Scrivener of Doom" data-source="post: 6188351" data-attributes="member: 87576">Development simply means how this encounter can expand further, by triggering other encounters, providing information about other encounters, events or locations in the adventure, region or world.Personally, I'm a big fan of slightly overpowered basic items - weapons, armour; the other things that make up 3.xE's "big six" - because it means if I forget to add magic items later, the PCs are already slightly ahead of where they should be. Also, I realise that the pricing maths treats a +1 thundering weapon as a +2 weapon and therefore suitable for level 6 or higher characters, a +1 weapon is essentially boring, no matter how much of a story is attached to it, and it's better to simply making it something like a +1 thundering weapon... where the thunder damage is represented by screaming skulls, for example.I also concur with the idea of working out the monsters in advance. Not all of them, of course - others will spring to mind as you create your encounters and fill in your map - but a monster roster can really help you work out what you will be trying to fit on to your map and your map will also reflect your monsters' needs in a logical fashion.What I do is list out a rough monster roster. Here's an example from a 4E campaign I am working on: <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">aspect of Kostchtchie; level 11 elite brute</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">frost giant; level 1 or 2 solo brute, level 6 elite brute, or level 10 brute</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">ice ogre; level 1 elite brute, level 5 brute</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">snow goblins; level 1 skirmisher</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">taer; level 3 brute</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">white dragons; various levels, principally brutes but potential for controllers and skirmishers also</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">winter wolf; level 2 elite skirmisher, level 6 skirmisher</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">yeti; level 4 soldier</li> </ul>This is for the whole campaign but the principle is the same. In your case, running Pathfinder, simply substitute the monster's CR for where I have the monster's level and role. I also include my key NPCs on the same monster roster. As this campaign is still in an early outline stage I haven't started working those in yet.I would also point you to an article by James Wyatt on the WotC website called <a href="http://www.wizards.com/DnD/Article.aspx?x=dnd/dudc/2009august" target="_blank">Building-Block Adventure Design</a> (it's hyperlinked) which suggests building everything around the rule of three. I know it sounds horribly simple - and it grew out of watching his son create adventures - but it really works. I've been using it ever since. Try designing your dungeon around three encounters. These may take place over more than three rooms but get the three encounters designed first and then map them out. In the process of doing so, you will find three more. Just keep doing that until your adventure is ready to go. I would also add, try and give each of your three encounters a theme that holds them together. For example, if you are looking at a dungeon under a cemetery, you might decide that your first theme is an area of the catacombs where undead have been awakened. Your encounters might be ghouls then ghouls and ghasts and then a dread ghast necromancer. However, the encounters take place over five chambers of catacombs on the maps. Two of those chambers are empty but incautious play might attract the neighbouring creatures.Another themed area is an area of natural caverns free from the taint of undead. Maybe you have an entrance area where mobats and bat swarms dwell leading to passages leading deeper underground to a fungus garden where phantom stalkers are the threat before reaching a chasm that needs to be crossed but there are cave fishers taking pot-shots at the PCs from above.Here's a basic equation to consider:(Theme + three encounters) x repeat as required = a dungeon that makes sense and works</blockquote>

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