Help for a sample encounter

[Theroc]

Okay, here's the deal. I'm introducing a player both to Enworld and to 3.5 edition Dungeons and Dragons at the same time.

I've walked her through creating a character sheet for Living Enworld, and figured it might be a good idea to walk her through the basics of the combat system so when she does get into an encounter, she'll understand the basics of the system.

The best way I can think of to teach someone such a thing is to run a simple encounter for them. The primary problem for me there, is I've never DMed anything, and the CR system seems rather complex, so I thought maybe it would be better if I simply used similar rules and created a level 1 character for her to fight.

She is a level 1 rogue built according to the Living Enworld specifications. What type of character should I have oppose her for this, and what sorts of things should I do for a simple one shot encounter? I'd like to stick to the SRD(no psionics or Divine stuff) so as not to get overly complex, as this is just to get the basics across.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Runestar]

1st lv rogues aren't really all that great in combat, IMO. You don't qualify for weapon finesse yet, so ranged attacks might be your best bet.

Perhaps some sort of sniper attack? You have a few weak kobold warrior1 npcs, which the rogue has to pick off while hiding and sneaking from spot to spot? Crossbow+sneak attack should be able to take each of them down with 1 shot (assuming you don't roll too poorly).

 

[Shin Okada]

Hmm. As a start, I will use, say, one kobold with a melee weapon.

Then one kobold with a ranged weapon.

But if her PC is a rogue, you would better teach her how to flank an opponent. And, as D&D is meant to be a game of adventuring party, tutorial works better with 2+ PCs. That way she can understand the cycle of rounds and initiative.

If you can't teach 2+ players at a time, you may prepare an supporting NPC. Maybe a 1st-level fighter or something.

A rogue and a fighter against 2 Kobolds, maybe?

 

[Theroc]

Hmm. As a start, I will use, say, one kobold with a melee weapon.

Then one kobold with a ranged weapon.

But if her PC is a rogue, you would better teach her how to flank an opponent. And, as D&D is meant to be a game of adventuring party, tutorial works better with 2+ PCs. That way she can understand the cycle of rounds and initiative.

If you can't teach 2+ players at a time, you may prepare an supporting NPC. Maybe a 1st-level fighter or something.

A rogue and a fighter against 2 Kobolds, maybe?

Yeah, I only have one person to teach, though, I may be able to drag a second person into the thing if they're willing, as it's simply for teaching purposes.

 

[Thanael]

If you want to run a small adventure for him Thievery 101: Joining the Watchers and Thievery 101: The Periapt of Famidon are linked solo modules for a beginning Rogue. The free pdf A Thief Among Us is included in the second adventure above.

I agree that for a Rogue flanking tactics and creative skill use are probably more important to learn...

 

[NewJeffCT]

Okay, here's the deal. I'm introducing a player both to Enworld and to 3.5 edition Dungeons and Dragons at the same time.

I've walked her through creating a character sheet for Living Enworld, and figured it might be a good idea to walk her through the basics of the combat system so when she does get into an encounter, she'll understand the basics of the system.

The best way I can think of to teach someone such a thing is to run a simple encounter for them. The primary problem for me there, is I've never DMed anything, and the CR system seems rather complex, so I thought maybe it would be better if I simply used similar rules and created a level 1 character for her to fight.

She is a level 1 rogue built according to the Living Enworld specifications. What type of character should I have oppose her for this, and what sorts of things should I do for a simple one shot encounter? I'd like to stick to the SRD(no psionics or Divine stuff) so as not to get overly complex, as this is just to get the basics across.

Thanks for the help.

It depends - would she be discouraged if her character died during a sample encounter? Meaning, if her rogue fought two kobolds who used flanking against her, would she get upset if her rogue died? Kobolds can be a tough encounter because they have a pretty good AC due to DEX and small size, so she might get frustrated at not being able to hit.

That said, if you can get another person/PC or NPC to help her and show her flanking offensively, it would probably be a better learning experience as rogues tend to work best in tandem with others.

 

[Theroc]

It depends - would she be discouraged if her character died during a sample encounter? Meaning, if her rogue fought two kobolds who used flanking against her, would she get upset if her rogue died? Kobolds can be a tough encounter because they have a pretty good AC due to DEX and small size, so she might get frustrated at not being able to hit.

That said, if you can get another person/PC or NPC to help her and show her flanking offensively, it would probably be a better learning experience as rogues tend to work best in tandem with others.

At the moment, I've managed to finnagle another friend who is familiar with 3.5 to stat up a character to work with her during the encounter.

I am not certain how she'd feel about dying in the encounter, though I don't think she'd be too upset, as I've emphasized in my talks with her that the whole point is just to explain parts of the system as they come up(as I am horrible at just thinking them up and explaining them[I'd be bound to miss important bits that are second-nature to me])

At the moment, I am thinking of trying to arrange a scenario where they are near two kobolds in a decently lighted cave, but neither see each other immediately (bringing spot/listen checks into play, and giving the rogue a chance to hide and open up with a sneak attack), and allowing her to practice flanking as well.

I'm considering giving one kobold a reach weapon, and giving the other a flail (disarm/trip) to cover several of the basics of melee combat, since she'll be focusing on that mostly.

 

[Theroc]

Hm... this may sound stupid, but I just realized a rather major issue for the lesson.

I don't have any real way to share a map with the other's in the exercise! My father owns the network and doesn't want me joining sites that involve uploading and all that stuff, so I can't really use a map-site as a member, and I have no excel or the like.

Does anyone know of some form of alternative map setup I can use for a simple, basic map so players can tell general relation from one another so they can flank and such, should it come up?