It helps a bit if those fewer encounters are also longer, since with more combat rounds the resource expenditure generally goes up. (Although it does depend on why the combats are longer--a running fight when everyone has full cover most rounds is going to take longer without necessarily using up more resources.)
D&D 5E How do you use cities in your campaigns?
It helps a bit if those fewer encounters are also longer, since with more combat rounds the resource expenditure generally goes up. (Although it does depend on why the combats are longer--a running fight when everyone has full cover most rounds is going to take longer without necessarily using up more resources.)
There was a thread a while back about urban adventures that might interest you:
D&D 5E - What Makes a Good Urban Adventure?
I know that what my players really want when we re-start our game is an urban adventure. So I'd like to give it to them, but I'm not really sure where to start. I'd like to get people's thoughts on what makes a successful urban adventure. How to make best use of the urban atmosphere? What...
www.enworld.org
iserith
Magic Wordsmith
The song "Montage" from the Team America movie is instructive here.
Blue
Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal
Sure, a touch, but not as much as you'd think. Especially since even a longer encounter will rarely exceed 1 minute (10 rounds) which is the length of the shortest non-instant spell durations.
If a barbarian has 3 rages a day, he can rage half the encounters during a 6 encounter day. Cut that to three encounters and she's raging for every encounter in a day.
Casters puts a particular buff and party member(s) every encounter. Takes 3 slots for a 3 encounter day, 6 slots for a 6 encounter day. IF they have enough slots of that level or higher, it means that at least 2 were upcast. Many buffs don't even benefit from upcasting.
If the encounter is more difficult because there are more enemies, an area of effect spell can catch more of them. Even with saves, that's a lot more damage done per spell slot.
If the encounter is more difficult because there are more powerful enemies, it's even worse. The nature of only 2-3 good saves for monsters (between proficiency and having high ability scores in non-proficient saves) means that there are always weak saves. With spell DCs increasing with proficiency and weak saves not, you can affect a powerful as easy as a weak foe as long as you pick the right spell. Casting 101. So, for the same debuff/crowd control spell you are able to stop a more power foe (or foes) - again, getting more result from the same slot.
Ongoing spells that are target-able like Spiritual Weapon and Call Lightning also don't require additional slot resources to do more damage for the harder battle.
This isn't saying that more resources aren't used in a longer fight. They are. Three long fights will use more resources than three short fights. But six short 3-round fights will use a lot more resources than three long 6-round fights.
What you said is a common attitude that unfortunately doesn't hold true in actual play. And so few people have experience with regular 6-8 encounter days that the myth persists. That is the point @Don Durito made - actually having a "standard" 6-8 encounter day turned his fighter from constantly overshadowed by casters to the MVP.
If not convinced, try it for yourself. Have several days of 6-8 encounters, with two short rests about 1/3 and 2/3 of the way through. Experience how it differs from a few, long fights.
doctorbadwolf
Heretic of The Seventh Circle
It’s...not, though.
I don’t understand why you keep replying to people‘s question but making no attempt whatsoever to answer them. It’s a very confusing and frustrating behavior.
iserith
Magic Wordsmith
Some people get it. Some people don't, apparently.
doctorbadwolf
Heretic of The Seventh Circle
If this is your attitude, it’s hard to imagine what the purpose could possibly be of even posting?
The Green Hermit
Hero
Getting back to the original premise of this post, does anybody have any suggestions for Eturel? I'm about to go there (while after a few sessions) and the Swordcoast Adventurer's Guide only has a short blurb.
iserith
Magic Wordsmith
That may be true for some. For others, it's less hard to imagine.
But I answered the question that was posed upthread in any case. Perhaps it's just not the answer you hoped for.
Don Durito
Hero
One thing that's fun to do with a city once it becomes a familiar place is to transform it.
So have one urban adventure - say a mystery or the like, so that PCs become basically familiar with it, learn the main locations and map etc.
....Then do something that basically turns it into a very different situation. For example:
Or the reverse: the players explore a long ruined city, but then get the opportunity to go back in time, and experience the city at a point when it was still functional.
So have one urban adventure - say a mystery or the like, so that PCs become basically familiar with it, learn the main locations and map etc.
....Then do something that basically turns it into a very different situation. For example:
- have the city invaded and partially occupied by, let's say, the Drow, but there are also pockets of resistance that are holding out behind barricades.
- or similarly a zombie outbreak has turned large sections of the city into no go zones.
- or a singularly powerful monster stalks the streets at night picking people off before retreating somewhere during the day.
- or they return to the city, but now it's under siege by outside forces.
Or the reverse: the players explore a long ruined city, but then get the opportunity to go back in time, and experience the city at a point when it was still functional.
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