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I need help to create encounters for a mountain climb
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<blockquote data-quote="NotAYakk" data-source="post: 7867738" data-attributes="member: 72555"><p>The mountain is the first problem.</p><p></p><p>When you are on the mountain (past the base) you cannot long rest. The air is too thin. Short rests take 8 hours. And above a certain line, there is no more short rests; every hour you simply get a level of exhaustion.</p><p></p><p>Second: Everything is a dungeon!</p><p></p><p>3 starting paths, each with a fork into 3 sub paths. Those 3 choices can overlap.</p><p></p><p>A1</p><p>A2</p><p>A3 = B1</p><p>B2</p><p>B3 = C1</p><p>C2</p><p>C3</p><p></p><p>Now populate them; in general roll 1d8, rerolling duplicates. 1 is the path to the gate (on an 8, it is via path D). 1 tells you about route D (see below). 1 tells you about the guardian of the gate. 2 give clues asto which is the right path (eliminating some paths)</p><p></p><p>D is a path you can only find via the above hint. D3 is either a treasure, or the gate, depending on the result of the d8 earlier. One of D1/D2 is the gate if D3 isn't. Ones that aren't the gate, roll 1d8 skipping the gate and the clue where path D is.</p><p></p><p>This gives (A,B,C)+8 = 11 nodes. Each node should be populated with a challenge; a short rest's worth of encounters (either one hard-deadly, or multiple weaker ones) or something else.</p><p></p><p>Possible labels for A B C:</p><p></p><p>A: Climb the Glacier</p><p>B: A Goblin-spoor path</p><p>C: Up the River-Canyon</p><p>D: Underdark/Tunnels</p><p></p><p>Foes:</p><p>(A) obviously arctic monsters. Cracks in the ice. Blizzards.</p><p>(B) obviously goblins/humanoids. Harpies.</p><p>(C) obviously water creatures. Storm giants playing with lightning bolts.</p><p>(D) goblins or other underdark deziens. Lava and monsters. Fungus (from underdweller farms)</p><p></p><p>There. Lots of choices, and they aren't false. Dead ends to explore. Retreating down the mountain in the face of environmental difficulty.</p><p></p><p>That is 10 encounter-bundles ("scenes").</p><p></p><p>Now, 6 level 5 characters have an encounter level of (6*4)/4 = 6+1 = 7. Harpies are CR 1 with an encounter level of 1 per Harpy.</p><p></p><p>Your per-scene budget is 10 (4/3 encounter level of party) and your per-encounter discount is 2 (1/3 of encounter level of party).</p><p></p><p>So they are on a 40' level area, and 4 harpies attack, trying to lure them off the cliff (+50% difficulty due to terrain). Defeating them, they can go after the nest of 8 more harpies (but no longer as likely to go over a cliff) to secure the location. Note that song immunity is <em>per harpy</em>; they'll have to accumulate 4 successful saves in the first fight to not be lured off the cliff (!). DC is only 11, and you get 1 save initially, 1 at the end of first turn as you walk to the edge of the cliff, and 1 save the next turn or you plummet off the cliff.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="NotAYakk, post: 7867738, member: 72555"] The mountain is the first problem. When you are on the mountain (past the base) you cannot long rest. The air is too thin. Short rests take 8 hours. And above a certain line, there is no more short rests; every hour you simply get a level of exhaustion. Second: Everything is a dungeon! 3 starting paths, each with a fork into 3 sub paths. Those 3 choices can overlap. A1 A2 A3 = B1 B2 B3 = C1 C2 C3 Now populate them; in general roll 1d8, rerolling duplicates. 1 is the path to the gate (on an 8, it is via path D). 1 tells you about route D (see below). 1 tells you about the guardian of the gate. 2 give clues asto which is the right path (eliminating some paths) D is a path you can only find via the above hint. D3 is either a treasure, or the gate, depending on the result of the d8 earlier. One of D1/D2 is the gate if D3 isn't. Ones that aren't the gate, roll 1d8 skipping the gate and the clue where path D is. This gives (A,B,C)+8 = 11 nodes. Each node should be populated with a challenge; a short rest's worth of encounters (either one hard-deadly, or multiple weaker ones) or something else. Possible labels for A B C: A: Climb the Glacier B: A Goblin-spoor path C: Up the River-Canyon D: Underdark/Tunnels Foes: (A) obviously arctic monsters. Cracks in the ice. Blizzards. (B) obviously goblins/humanoids. Harpies. (C) obviously water creatures. Storm giants playing with lightning bolts. (D) goblins or other underdark deziens. Lava and monsters. Fungus (from underdweller farms) There. Lots of choices, and they aren't false. Dead ends to explore. Retreating down the mountain in the face of environmental difficulty. That is 10 encounter-bundles ("scenes"). Now, 6 level 5 characters have an encounter level of (6*4)/4 = 6+1 = 7. Harpies are CR 1 with an encounter level of 1 per Harpy. Your per-scene budget is 10 (4/3 encounter level of party) and your per-encounter discount is 2 (1/3 of encounter level of party). So they are on a 40' level area, and 4 harpies attack, trying to lure them off the cliff (+50% difficulty due to terrain). Defeating them, they can go after the nest of 8 more harpies (but no longer as likely to go over a cliff) to secure the location. Note that song immunity is [I]per harpy[/I]; they'll have to accumulate 4 successful saves in the first fight to not be lured off the cliff (!). DC is only 11, and you get 1 save initially, 1 at the end of first turn as you walk to the edge of the cliff, and 1 save the next turn or you plummet off the cliff. [/QUOTE]
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