shivamuffin
First Post
Why tamper with the CRs? I am curious.
Low Magic Campaigns?
- Thread starter Errant
- Start date
Stormborn
Explorer
shivamuffin said:
In the standard d20 Fantasy or WoC product CRs are built with the assumption that PCs have the magical gear appropriate for their level. "Appropriate" is explained in the DMG, given average gp levels and with the sample NPCs of each class.
In a game where the PCs are not going to have a Cleric, a wand of fireballs, and a +3 sword of wounding or whatever, monsters with magical abilities or damage reduction are going to present a greater challange. Thus the need to adjust CRs for some, but not all monsters.
Of course calculating CR is one of the hardest things to do in d20, or and RPG mechanic. Since this thread was discussing the campaign style I thought Iwould see if anyone had worked out a way to adjust encounters accordingly. For example: How do you deal with a Troll w/o the ability to cast fireball? It can be done, but what would the new CR be?
Last edited:
shivamuffin
First Post
I agree about the CR thing.
I just fudge all my xp. If it was tough, they get more, if it was a cake walk, they get less. Kind of like calculating points in " Whose Line Is It Anyway ".
GSI
I just fudge all my xp. If it was tough, they get more, if it was a cake walk, they get less. Kind of like calculating points in " Whose Line Is It Anyway ".
GSI
SylverFlame
First Post
I would say that inherently problamatic monsters like dragons, all those spells and basically the fact their dragons, should make them REALLY rare and PCs probably won't see them if they're lucky.
As for the less troublesome monsters like trolls and other "lesser" magical beast, a few tricks are this: any monster with a high DR/magic has it's DR lessened or the magic descriptor changed to a more common thing. Anything like trolls, where regeneration is a problem, alter the rules slightly. For instance, any round in which a troll takes fire or acid damage it may take up to an equal amount of damage from other sources and not have its regenerate ability work for those points.
That is, say the rogue slaps the troll with a torch (essentially a burning club) dealing 4 points of damage that, since it's a torch, is fire damage. Now, the dwarf hits that same troll for 8 points with its great axe. Of those 8 points from the dwarf, 4 are lethal (since "fire club" dealt 4 damage) and 4 are subdual as per regular regeneration rules.
Personally, I think this troll fix is being generous since it's not hard for even low level PC's to come up with fire if they have the extra cash and access to an alchemist to have some sort of "fire bomb" thingy made.
As for the less troublesome monsters like trolls and other "lesser" magical beast, a few tricks are this: any monster with a high DR/magic has it's DR lessened or the magic descriptor changed to a more common thing. Anything like trolls, where regeneration is a problem, alter the rules slightly. For instance, any round in which a troll takes fire or acid damage it may take up to an equal amount of damage from other sources and not have its regenerate ability work for those points.
That is, say the rogue slaps the troll with a torch (essentially a burning club) dealing 4 points of damage that, since it's a torch, is fire damage. Now, the dwarf hits that same troll for 8 points with its great axe. Of those 8 points from the dwarf, 4 are lethal (since "fire club" dealt 4 damage) and 4 are subdual as per regular regeneration rules.
Personally, I think this troll fix is being generous since it's not hard for even low level PC's to come up with fire if they have the extra cash and access to an alchemist to have some sort of "fire bomb" thingy made.
For low-magic some creatures like dragons should have their magic powers reduced (see eg the War Dragon in Slaine d20, or pre-3e non-spellcasting dragons), and CR recalculated accordingly. NPC CRs should stay the same. CRs for big dumb uglies like ettins & giants will go up - against a party of 4 Fighters with no magic an ettin is easily CR 7+.
To illustrate where I was hoping to go with my Low Magic campaign idea...
I have two possible settings for my hoped for LM campaign, either Harn World, or 14th Century Europe.
Harn World offers a lot more flexibility for fantasy elements & is easily enough found on the web I won't elaborate.
The 14th Century Europe option will be based on the premise that magic has always been rare & since the Templars were disbanded under accusations of witchery & demon worship, the Church has declared all magic anethema. As a result, the Inquisition leads a crusade to wipe out not only magic, but all records or even rumours of magic... (ie there was magic in our world, but the knowledge of it was so sucessfully purged we just have no records of it).
For reference, f I go Europe, the PCs will at best have access to Buffy/Angel levels of magic.
Challenge Ratings. Very tough. As I understand it, official ratings are based on the idea that 4 PCs of the same level will consume about 1/4 of their resources to defeat that CR. To compensate for minimal magic in the group I think I'll start with a +2 base adjustment to existing ratings & tweak that by instinct. ALL monsters with DR will be given a non-magical vulnerability.
I have two possible settings for my hoped for LM campaign, either Harn World, or 14th Century Europe.
Harn World offers a lot more flexibility for fantasy elements & is easily enough found on the web I won't elaborate.
The 14th Century Europe option will be based on the premise that magic has always been rare & since the Templars were disbanded under accusations of witchery & demon worship, the Church has declared all magic anethema. As a result, the Inquisition leads a crusade to wipe out not only magic, but all records or even rumours of magic... (ie there was magic in our world, but the knowledge of it was so sucessfully purged we just have no records of it).
For reference, f I go Europe, the PCs will at best have access to Buffy/Angel levels of magic.
Challenge Ratings. Very tough. As I understand it, official ratings are based on the idea that 4 PCs of the same level will consume about 1/4 of their resources to defeat that CR. To compensate for minimal magic in the group I think I'll start with a +2 base adjustment to existing ratings & tweak that by instinct. ALL monsters with DR will be given a non-magical vulnerability.
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