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<blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 751810" data-attributes="member: 4937">As far as DMing 1st level players goes, you have always had to be extraordinarily careful when creating challenges.&nbsp; I _still_ don't send orcs after 1st level players, not because I don't think the players will win, but because I think it is too easy for an orc to get lucky and flat out kill a PC even though the PC did nothing 'wrong'.When creating an adventure for 1st level characters, you have to be very careful.&nbsp; You mostly choose monsters that do very low damage per attack (1d3 or&nbsp; 1d4-1 tends to be the max I'm happy with).&nbsp; You go ahead and stack the deck in the PC's favor by giving them the advantage of terrein (if they are smart enough to use it).&nbsp; You give the foe a disadvantage (it is drunk, it is sleeping, it is suprised), and you give the thugs inferior equipment (wooden spears, -1 to hit and damage, or clubs instead of swords and axes, or weaker armor).&nbsp; You give opponents below average h.p.All of this presents a challenge to the 3rd edition CR system (does the orc CR reduce if it has only 1 hit point, or has a club rather than a great axe?), but wasn't a bit of a problem for 1st edition since h.p., max damage, and so forth, were figured into XP calculations directly.You make the skill checks really easy (15 DC or lower).&nbsp; In 1st edition terms this meant that the traps or obstacles had a bonuses to notice them or disarm them.&nbsp; 'Traps' often inflicted subdual damage on the PC's (it was in 1st edition too, only the references were more obscure), or else&nbsp; stunned or deafened them for a period.&nbsp; You frequently separate the encounters in time and space, so that the players have a chance to rest up and reequip between them - and so you can worry less worry about players stacking opponents on themselves with poor play. Alot of what I throw at 1st level characters is really below CR 1, and in 3rd edition I reward them accordingly.&nbsp; In 1st edition, that wasn't a problem and didn't require a house rule.&nbsp; It was perfectly fine to award only 6 or 12 XP for winning through an encounter.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Celebrim, post: 751810, member: 4937"] As far as DMing 1st level players goes, you have always had to be extraordinarily careful when creating challenges. I _still_ don't send orcs after 1st level players, not because I don't think the players will win, but because I think it is too easy for an orc to get lucky and flat out kill a PC even though the PC did nothing 'wrong'. When creating an adventure for 1st level characters, you have to be very careful. You mostly choose monsters that do very low damage per attack (1d3 or 1d4-1 tends to be the max I'm happy with). You go ahead and stack the deck in the PC's favor by giving them the advantage of terrein (if they are smart enough to use it). You give the foe a disadvantage (it is drunk, it is sleeping, it is suprised), and you give the thugs inferior equipment (wooden spears, -1 to hit and damage, or clubs instead of swords and axes, or weaker armor). You give opponents below average h.p. All of this presents a challenge to the 3rd edition CR system (does the orc CR reduce if it has only 1 hit point, or has a club rather than a great axe?), but wasn't a bit of a problem for 1st edition since h.p., max damage, and so forth, were figured into XP calculations directly. You make the skill checks really easy (15 DC or lower). In 1st edition terms this meant that the traps or obstacles had a bonuses to notice them or disarm them. 'Traps' often inflicted subdual damage on the PC's (it was in 1st edition too, only the references were more obscure), or else stunned or deafened them for a period. You frequently separate the encounters in time and space, so that the players have a chance to rest up and reequip between them - and so you can worry less worry about players stacking opponents on themselves with poor play. Alot of what I throw at 1st level characters is really below CR 1, and in 3rd edition I reward them accordingly. In 1st edition, that wasn't a problem and didn't require a house rule. It was perfectly fine to award only 6 or 12 XP for winning through an encounter. [/QUOTE]

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