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How challenging is Out of the Abyss?
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<blockquote data-quote="Sword of Spirit" data-source="post: 7905904" data-attributes="member: 6677017"><p>I just finished reading my copy, and I'm concerned that the later half is going to be rather easy for characters of the designed levels. The major issue that I'm seeing is that most of the fights that you are actually likely to get into (I'm assuming you aren't trying to launch an assault on a noble house in Menzoberranzan, for instance) just don't have enough enemies. Either you are squaring off against a single powerful opponent (maybe with one assistant) or you are fighting a random encounter that is probably going to roll less creatures than PCs (especially if they are powerful enough to be an interesting fight).</p><p></p><p>Having just finished up running my players through the overland of Isle of Dread--even integrating my own random wilderness encounters into the ones included--I've determined from experience that the 5e wisdom I always agreed with on principle is true: you must outnumber the PCs to have a challenge*.</p><p></p><p>Numbers of opponents seems so much more important than CR of opponents, that a few dozen goblins with bows might be more of a threat than a couple of trolls (unless you can drop a well-placed area of effect). A party's ability to deal death and destruction with focused fire is just that good.</p><p></p><p>How have your experiences with the challenges of the second half of Out of the Abyss been? (I'm not focusing on the Demon Lords here--since mine will be upgraded and have high level demon lieutenants.)</p><p></p><p>* Or pit them against something <em>way</em> above their normal challenge range, in which case you have a different problem--that the party can <em>still</em> probably take it out in a few rounds, and the question is whether someone gets unlucky and dies along the way.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Sword of Spirit, post: 7905904, member: 6677017"] I just finished reading my copy, and I'm concerned that the later half is going to be rather easy for characters of the designed levels. The major issue that I'm seeing is that most of the fights that you are actually likely to get into (I'm assuming you aren't trying to launch an assault on a noble house in Menzoberranzan, for instance) just don't have enough enemies. Either you are squaring off against a single powerful opponent (maybe with one assistant) or you are fighting a random encounter that is probably going to roll less creatures than PCs (especially if they are powerful enough to be an interesting fight). Having just finished up running my players through the overland of Isle of Dread--even integrating my own random wilderness encounters into the ones included--I've determined from experience that the 5e wisdom I always agreed with on principle is true: you must outnumber the PCs to have a challenge*. Numbers of opponents seems so much more important than CR of opponents, that a few dozen goblins with bows might be more of a threat than a couple of trolls (unless you can drop a well-placed area of effect). A party's ability to deal death and destruction with focused fire is just that good. How have your experiences with the challenges of the second half of Out of the Abyss been? (I'm not focusing on the Demon Lords here--since mine will be upgraded and have high level demon lieutenants.) * Or pit them against something [I]way[/I] above their normal challenge range, in which case you have a different problem--that the party can [I]still[/I] probably take it out in a few rounds, and the question is whether someone gets unlucky and dies along the way. [/QUOTE]
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