How much damage does lava do?

[DracoSuave]

I beg to differ. This is a matter of playstyle.

I think it's entirely reasonable (and even important!) to create overpowering encounters from time to time. The important thing is to make it evident that the encounters are too tough for the pcs (yet), i.e. give them opportunities to get away, circumvent the encounters, or survive them with clever roleplaying.

If the encounter's goal is to run away, circumvent, or evade the challenge, then the challenge itself is not the encounter, but the running away, circumvention, what have you, -that- is the encounter, and -that- has to be within the players' means to accomplish.

The poster you responded to still made a true statement.

 

[unan oranis]

The thing with 4e is that you always encounter challenges that you can overcome. At level 1, you won't find a pit of lava that does 20d10 damage if you were to touch it because you might actually touch it. If you're fighting around lava at level 1 where you might often end up in the lava, it would probably only do 2d6 + 3 or something.

I double-beg to differ. You are saying that it is impossible to throw yourself off of a 100 ft cliff at 1st level, or to find one, or to expect anything resembling a hazard as deadly as lava in a "4e balanced" campaign.

from the dmg, pg.56

"Building an encounter is a matter of choosing threats
appropriate to the characters and combining them
in interesting and challenging ways."

"Encounter-building is a mixture of art and science"


I just played a 1st level session whose very first encounter (the start of the game) was being in a chamber with an insta-kill lava flow, dealing 5 damage a round for being in the same room as it.

The challenge was to get out of the room, which was also full of golden (but very hot) treasure, worth the next 7 levels of treasure parcels.

The players got out, one almost died from messing around with the lava, and they failed to collect even 1 gold piece.

This encounter allowed for the pc's to possibly "break" the treasure rules, "break" the no instant death design and remain a reasonable, perfectly survivable, exciting and relatively balanced challenge.

Nowhere in the dmg does it say that you may not, or should not, include elements that make it possible for a character to commit suicide.

 

[Jhaelen]

The poster you responded to still made a true statement.

Okay, you're correct regarding the sentence I quoted.

I'll just disagree with the second sentence then: First level characters _can_ find a lava-filled pit doing 20d6 damage.

If the players think their pcs can safely jump down every pit because their pcs are only first level, they should be prepared for some learning experience.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Okay, you're correct regarding the sentence I quoted.

I'll just disagree with the second sentence then: First level characters _can_ find a lava-filled pit doing 20d6 damage.

If the players think their pcs can safely jump down every pit because their pcs are only first level, they should be prepared for some learning experience.

And not in the "wohoo, enough XP for another level" type of learning experience.