Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Geoarrge" data-source="post: 7097894" data-attributes="member: 6801238">One thing I sort of got from Skyrim is the idea of using a small number of monsters as widely known benchmarks (in the sense that while a lot of it was scaled, frost trolls were pretty hard before about level 10, as were giants before level 20.)   That translated to an idea about having folk tales about two or three famous monsters that most NPCs would be able to recite at least partially, as a justification for estimating the PCs' power level within the game.I might have one story that involves something like "After throwing down with many a bugbear warband, Sir Gary and the Five Companions faced a hydra and slew it, though Steve the Bard was slain saving Jill the Sorceress so she could sear the beast's last neck stump."  That kind of story could have several layers of usefulness.  First, it establishes what a post-5th level party should be able to do, so it's a way of saying "You need to be 5th-8th level" without actually referencing the numbers.  Secondly, it establishes that a hydra is somewhat more deadly than a bugbear warband.  So, just because you've entered into the realm of multiple attacks per round and decent area attack spells doesn't mean you should immediately hunt a hydra, maybe you should confront some bugbears first.Thirdly, of course, it offers clues on how to defeat a hydra properly, if in fact an actual hydra battle ever occurs.</blockquote>