Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="kigmatzomat" data-source="post: 1924930" data-attributes="member: 9254">Sounds like a problem with the DM (or modules) and not the system.  I run a by-the-book (12-13 encounters/level, wealth matching the DMG chart, etc, etc) and every combat either a) advances the story,  b) sets the tone, c) is a repercussion from PC actions.   But I also use encounters where combat is not the intention; powerful, frightening oponents that they have a chance to communicate with and "success" is measured by avoiding being eaten.  You *need* those encounters so the players can stretch their new abilities.  Sometimes I use specially tailored encounters just so the players have more opportunities to use their new 15th level shiny special.  I like the clean, fairly simple combat rules of 3.x vs most of the more convoluted systems.  Sometimes options are clutter.  Massive dungeons are a module choice.  Just say "no."  I have without any complaint from players.  I've been running a 3.0 campaign for 4 years (? has it been that long?) and there's been no massive dungeons.  I had a small one as a starter module to ease into 3e and a few "castle crawls" but those were all 1-session events.  I ran 2e for many years and yes, a few pre-packaged modules did have sizeable dungeons, but I only used two or three that ended up multi-session encounters.  Both are situation design choices.  Make trap construction difficult and emphasize simple-but-effective over the more convoluted.  Accept that some traps will be unstoppable by PCs; make those traps blatant enough that the PCs see them and find other options.  Many historical fortresses had massive "traps" where giant boulders would pound the only road and the invading army would decide it was easier to wait for them to starve than deal with the traps.  Sounds like what you really want to do is slow down BAB.  Make fighters 3/4, rogues/clerics 1/2 and wizards 1/3. If it takes at least 8 levels to get an extra attack you can get by with less AC.  By the same token, up the HD size and CR of creatures without DR and immunities.  Make animals d10 and magical beasts/abherrations d12 so they have enough hps to be a decent challenge.IMC creatures with DR only appeared when the party spent weeks of travel time leaving the beaten path.  Things with DR are scary and locals will move away if there aren't enough to kill the monster.  Before you spend a fortnight in the tower scribing a new edition try to design a new campaign first.</blockquote>

Verification