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<blockquote data-quote="Goonalan" data-source="post: 5263657" data-attributes="member: 16069">H1 Keep on the ShadowfellPCs Level 1 versus Level 2 Stat Attack!Sorry about the exclamation mark, completely unnecessary.And so strap in- here we go-First up the PCs went through 8 combat encounters at Level 1, and 9 combat encounters at Level 2, although this accounts for 56 turns play at Level 1 and 50 turns play at Level 2, first stat then- the encounters as a Level 2 PC played quicker, just worth noting.Dirty Dwarf FighterDirty's attacks. (Format: Attack Type- Hit rate Level 1- Hit rate Level 2- Overall)Charge Maul&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 62.5% - 75% - 65%AoO Maul&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 41.67% - 50% - 44.44%AW- Cleave&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 55.56% – 55.56% - 55.56%AW- Reaping Strike&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 50% - 63.64% - 56.52%E- Spinning Strike&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 33.33% - 71.43% - 53.85%D- Brute Strike&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 50% - 60% - 54.55%Overall&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 50% - 60.78% - 54.87%Damage Done:&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 385 – 474 - 859Average/Enc.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 48.13 – 52.67 – 50.53Damage Taken:&nbsp; &nbsp; 220 – 311 - 531Average/Enc.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 27.5 – 34.56 – 31.24+/- Total&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; +165 - +163 - +328+/- Average&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; +20.63 - +18.11 - +19.29Action Points&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 7 – 5 - 120 HP&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 2 – 0 - 2Crits&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 4 – 4 - 8Healing Surges&nbsp; &nbsp; 12 – 14 - 26Daily Powers&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 4 – 6 - 10Monsters vs DirtyLevel 1 Attacks 64 Hits 31 Connection 48.44%Level 2 Attacks 87 Hits 41 Connection 47.13%Overall Attacks 151 Hits 72 Connection 47.68%What's to be said about Dirty, other than he seems to be hitting more at Level 2, his connection rate has increased, this is also the case for the amount of damage Dirty is doing/encounter; and yet he is also taking more damage/encounter. Healing Surges, Daily Powers and Action points are all about even, the only item of note is the fact that Dirty has not been reduced to 0 HP as a Level 2 PC.Grey Human WizardGrey's attacks. (Format: Attack Type- Hit rate Level 1- Hit rate Level 2- Overall)AW- Magic Missile&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 64.29% – 52.94% - 58.06%AW- Ray of Frost&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 66.67% - 57.14% - 63.16%AW- Scorching Burst&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 54.29% - 72% - 64.71%E- Burning Hands&nbsp; &nbsp; 59.26% - 70% - 62.16%Overall&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 60% - 64.77% - 62.36%Damage Done:&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 475 – 540 - 1015Average/Enc.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 59.38 – 60 – 59.71Damage Taken:&nbsp; &nbsp; 90 – 51 - 141Average/Enc.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 10 – 5.67 – 8.29+/- Total&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; +385 - +489 - +874+/- Average&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; +49.38 - +54.33 - +51.42Action Points&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 5 – 5 - 100 HP&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 1 – 0 - 1Crits&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 0 – 0 - 0Healing Surges&nbsp; &nbsp; 4 – 3 - 7Daily Powers&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 2 – 1 - 3Monsters vs GreyLevel 1 Attacks 17 Hits 11 Connection 64.71%Level 2 Attacks 12 Hits 8 Connection 66.67%Overall Attacks 29 Hits 19 Connection 65.52%Like Dirty above Grey has improved his connection rate overall, and in the process is doing more damage/encounter, to make matters worse for the bad guys he's also taking less damage/encounter. This perhaps due to the fact that he's hanging back much more and manoeuvring better to avoid taking attacks. Note the lack of Daily Powers used- we're using a bunch of pregen characters and Grey's dailies- Acid Arrow &amp; Sleep have not proved themselves useful, the player is seemingly reluctant to use them. We've made the decision to play the stated changes- to follow the pregen pathway for levels 2 and 3.Healing Surges, Daily Powers and Action points etc. are all about even, the only item of note is the fact that Grey has also not been reduced to 0 HP as a Level 2 PC.Kaspard Half-Elf ClericKaspard's attacks. (Format: Attack Type- Hit rate Level 1- Hit rate Level 2- Overall)Note Kaspard only made 5+ attacks with his At Wills at Level 1, she only used Healing Strike once and only made three attack rolls for Beacon of Hope. Turn Undead had not been used at all. Kaspard also only used Lance of Faith twice at Level 2.AW- Lance of Faith&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 46.67% – NA – 52.94%AW- Sacred Flame&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 57.69% - 72.73% - 66.1%E- Healing Strike&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; NA - 40% - 50%E- Turn Undead&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; NA – 66.67% - 66.67%D- Beacon of Hope&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; NA - 20% - 25%Overall&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 52.08% - 65.57% - 59.63%Damage Done:&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 145 – 417 - 562Average/Enc.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 18.13 – 46.33 – 33.06Damage Taken:&nbsp; &nbsp; 70 – 39 - 109Average/Enc.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 8.75 – 4.33 – 6.41+/- Total&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; +75 - +378 - +453+/- Average&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; +9.38 - +42 - +26.65Action Points&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 5 – 5 - 100 HP&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 0 – 0 - 0Crits&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 0 – 1 - 1Healing Surges&nbsp; &nbsp; 2 – 0 - 2Daily Powers&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 2 – 1 - 3Monsters vs KaspardLevel 1 Attacks 16 Hits 11 Connection 68.75%Level 2 Attacks 19 Hits 8 Connection 42.11%Overall Attacks 35 Hits 19 Connection 54.29%Kaspard has gone damage mad as a 2nd Level PC, partially this is due to the fact that some Undead creatures have at last appeared on the scene- leading to extra damage done due to their vulnerability to Radiant damage, but also because she has had much more time to launch attacks. Kaspard only used two Healing Surges as a Level 1 PC, but as a Level 2 PC- none. Her connection rate as a Level 2 PC has also increased dramatically- +1 for the Level Bonus and +1 for her magical Holy Symbol has made her much more potent. The dice have also been kind- it seems Bahamut is favouring her.Healing Surges, Daily Powers and Action points are all about even again, Kaspard has still not visited '0' hit points.Phrenic Tiefling WarlordNote Phrenic only played 4 encounters with the party as a Level 1 PC.Phrenic's attacks. (Format: Attack Type- Hit rate Level 1- Hit rate Level 2- Overall)Note Viper's Strike was the only attack power that Phrenic used 5 times or more at Level 1.AW- Viper's Strike&nbsp; &nbsp; 55.56% – 55.56% - 55.56%AW- Wolf Pack&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; NA - 40% - 37.5%E- Leaf on the Wind&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; NA – 66.67% - 66.67%E- Scorching Burst&nbsp; &nbsp; NA – 57.14% - 57.14%Overall&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 57.14% - 58.62% - 58.23%Damage Done:&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 94 – 293 - 387Average/Enc.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 23.5 – 32.56 – 29.77Damage Taken:&nbsp; &nbsp; 125 – 196 - 321Average/Enc.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 31.25 – 21.78 – 24.69+/- Total&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; -31 - +97 - +66+/- Average&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; -7.75 - +10.78 - +5.08Action Points&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 1 – 5 - 60 HP&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 2 – 1 - 3Crits&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 0 – 2 - 2Healing Surges&nbsp; &nbsp; 7 – 7 - 14Daily Powers&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 1 – 3 - 4Monsters vs PhrenicLevel 1 Attacks 23 Hits 13 Connection 56.52%Level 2 Attacks 51 Hits 24 Connection 47.06%Overall Attacks 74 Hits 37 Connection 50%Again, now at Level 2, Phrenic has picked up the pace, overall connection rate has increased slightly while damage done/encounter has increased by nearly 10 points. Also damage taken has decreased, which is good as Phrenic takes a lot of damage acting as a sometime Defender. Winstanley Halfling RogueWinstanley's attacks. (Format: Attack Type- Hit rate Level 1- Hit rate Level 2- Overall)Note Winstanley only used Deft Strike once at Level 2.AW- Deft Strike&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 100% – NA - 100%AW- Sly Flourish&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 77.42% - 71.79% - 74.29%E- Positioning Strike&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 83.33% - 71.43% - 76.92%Overall&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 82.69% - 73.47% - 78.22%Damage Done:&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 581 – 454 - 1035Average/Enc.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 72.63 – 50.44 – 60.89Damage Taken:&nbsp; &nbsp; 74 – 47 - 121Average/Enc.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 9.25 – 5.22 – 7.12+/- Total&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; +507 - +407 - +914+/- Average&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; +63.38 - +45.22 - +53.77Action Points&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 6 – 6 - 120 HP&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 2 – 0 - 2Crits&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 1 – 3 - 4Healing Surges&nbsp; &nbsp; 4 – 2 - 6Daily Powers&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 4 – 4 - 8Monsters vs WinstanleyLevel 1 Attacks 22 Hits 11 Connection 50%Level 2 Attacks 16 Hits 7 Connection 43.75%Overall Attacks 38 Hits 18 Connection 47.37%Winstanley's connection rate has dropped a little, although the damage done is still massive per encounter, in excess of 50 hit points.PCs overallWinstanley still has the connection rate nailed, a definite Striker, he's also still just ahead of Grey for total damage done, but not by much- both have passed the 1,000 hit points damage mark. All of the PCs are taking less damage/encounter, increased defences and a bunch of magic items is helping to keep the bad guys at bay.It's also still the case that Dirty and Phrenic are always in the thick of the action, Defending the squishier members of the party. Lastly Kaspard has surged forward with damage done, possibly because of lots of (Minion) Undead creatures in the Level 2 encounters.Encounters.To begin this is a strange fact, at Level 1 the PCs faced off against 1600 hit points worth of bad guys (in 8 encounters), and 1660 hit points (in 9 encounters) at Level 2. They really haven't been challenged in the same way as they were as Level 1 PCs.Encounter Path (X = Extended Rest SC = Skill Challenge)PCs Level 1- Level +0 – X – Level +1 – Level +0 – Level +5 – X – Level +1 – X – Level +1 – Level +1 – Level +6 - X.PCs Level 2- X - Level +1 – X - Level +0 – Level +0 – Level +1 – X – Level +1 – Level +1 – SC – Level -1 – Level +2 – Level +2At 2nd Level the PCs have had a much less dangerous set of encounters, it's just obvious. Perhaps grind, if that's what we've been seeing at Level 2 is best avoided by a more varied series of encounters which start low (Level +/- 1) and work their way up- quickly, to a much higher level encounter (Level + 4/5), in other words very similar to the Wizards Dangerous/Dungeon Delves format.Time/Encounter(As Level 1 PCs – As Level 2 PCs - Overall)Encounter Level -1(0) NA – (1) 19 minutes 6.33 Turns – (1) 19 minutes 6.33 TurnsEncounter Level +0(2) 31.5 minutes 4 Turns – (2) 50 minutes 7 Turns – (4) 40.75 minutes 5.5 TurnsEncounter Level +1(4) 43.5 minutes 6 Turns – (4) 41 minutes 5.25 Turns – (8) 42.25 minutes 5.63 TurnsEncounter Level +2(0) NA – (2) 56.5 minutes 6 Turns - (2) 56.5 minutes 6 TurnsEncounter Level +5 (1) 90 minutes 13 Turns – (0) NA - (1) 90 minutes 13 TurnsEncounter Level +6(1) 101 minutes 11 Turns – (0) NA - (1) 101 minutes 11 TurnsThe bigger picture, although this after only 17 combat encounters, is the higher the Level of the encounter the more time it takes to play out, bit of a no brainer really. It would nice to get the PCs into a few more Level +3 encounters.Overall at Level 1 the PCs average encounter was EL 2.88 (Level +1.88) took 7 Turns to play and lasted 53.5 minutes.At Level 2 the PCs average encounter was EL 2.78 (Level + 0.78) took 5.56 Turns to play and lasted 44 minutes.My point is KOTS, played as it is, has some scope for easy encounters, one suggestion is I adapt each encounter to challenge the PCs, however I am loath to leave the track- I want the PCs to have fun and at present they're having fun smashing their way through the bad guys. The other thing about KOTS is that having played it three times previously there's a lot of XP in the module, two of the groups (the other one was TPK'ed) were Level 4 before the final encounter, I think that's going to be the case in this instance.Nevertheless I'm going to throw some harder encounters at the PCs, of that... well, see below.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Goonalan, post: 5263657, member: 16069"] H1 Keep on the Shadowfell PCs Level 1 versus Level 2 Stat Attack! Sorry about the exclamation mark, completely unnecessary. And so strap in- here we go- First up the PCs went through 8 combat encounters at Level 1, and 9 combat encounters at Level 2, although this accounts for 56 turns play at Level 1 and 50 turns play at Level 2, first stat then- the encounters as a Level 2 PC played quicker, just worth noting. Dirty Dwarf Fighter Dirty's attacks. (Format: Attack Type- Hit rate Level 1- Hit rate Level 2- Overall) Charge Maul 62.5% - 75% - 65% AoO Maul 41.67% - 50% - 44.44% AW- Cleave 55.56% – 55.56% - 55.56% AW- Reaping Strike 50% - 63.64% - 56.52% E- Spinning Strike 33.33% - 71.43% - 53.85% D- Brute Strike 50% - 60% - 54.55% Overall 50% - 60.78% - 54.87% Damage Done: 385 – 474 - 859 Average/Enc. 48.13 – 52.67 – 50.53 Damage Taken: 220 – 311 - 531 Average/Enc. 27.5 – 34.56 – 31.24 +/- Total +165 - +163 - +328 +/- Average +20.63 - +18.11 - +19.29 Action Points 7 – 5 - 12 0 HP 2 – 0 - 2 Crits 4 – 4 - 8 Healing Surges 12 – 14 - 26 Daily Powers 4 – 6 - 10 Monsters vs Dirty Level 1 Attacks 64 Hits 31 Connection 48.44% Level 2 Attacks 87 Hits 41 Connection 47.13% Overall Attacks 151 Hits 72 Connection 47.68% What's to be said about Dirty, other than he seems to be hitting more at Level 2, his connection rate has increased, this is also the case for the amount of damage Dirty is doing/encounter; and yet he is also taking more damage/encounter. Healing Surges, Daily Powers and Action points are all about even, the only item of note is the fact that Dirty has not been reduced to 0 HP as a Level 2 PC. Grey Human Wizard Grey's attacks. (Format: Attack Type- Hit rate Level 1- Hit rate Level 2- Overall) AW- Magic Missile 64.29% – 52.94% - 58.06% AW- Ray of Frost 66.67% - 57.14% - 63.16% AW- Scorching Burst 54.29% - 72% - 64.71% E- Burning Hands 59.26% - 70% - 62.16% Overall 60% - 64.77% - 62.36% Damage Done: 475 – 540 - 1015 Average/Enc. 59.38 – 60 – 59.71 Damage Taken: 90 – 51 - 141 Average/Enc. 10 – 5.67 – 8.29 +/- Total +385 - +489 - +874 +/- Average +49.38 - +54.33 - +51.42 Action Points 5 – 5 - 10 0 HP 1 – 0 - 1 Crits 0 – 0 - 0 Healing Surges 4 – 3 - 7 Daily Powers 2 – 1 - 3 Monsters vs Grey Level 1 Attacks 17 Hits 11 Connection 64.71% Level 2 Attacks 12 Hits 8 Connection 66.67% Overall Attacks 29 Hits 19 Connection 65.52% Like Dirty above Grey has improved his connection rate overall, and in the process is doing more damage/encounter, to make matters worse for the bad guys he's also taking less damage/encounter. This perhaps due to the fact that he's hanging back much more and manoeuvring better to avoid taking attacks. Note the lack of Daily Powers used- we're using a bunch of pregen characters and Grey's dailies- Acid Arrow & Sleep have not proved themselves useful, the player is seemingly reluctant to use them. We've made the decision to play the stated changes- to follow the pregen pathway for levels 2 and 3. Healing Surges, Daily Powers and Action points etc. are all about even, the only item of note is the fact that Grey has also not been reduced to 0 HP as a Level 2 PC. Kaspard Half-Elf Cleric Kaspard's attacks. (Format: Attack Type- Hit rate Level 1- Hit rate Level 2- Overall) Note Kaspard only made 5+ attacks with his At Wills at Level 1, she only used Healing Strike once and only made three attack rolls for Beacon of Hope. Turn Undead had not been used at all. Kaspard also only used Lance of Faith twice at Level 2. AW- Lance of Faith 46.67% – NA – 52.94% AW- Sacred Flame 57.69% - 72.73% - 66.1% E- Healing Strike NA - 40% - 50% E- Turn Undead NA – 66.67% - 66.67% D- Beacon of Hope NA - 20% - 25% Overall 52.08% - 65.57% - 59.63% Damage Done: 145 – 417 - 562 Average/Enc. 18.13 – 46.33 – 33.06 Damage Taken: 70 – 39 - 109 Average/Enc. 8.75 – 4.33 – 6.41 +/- Total +75 - +378 - +453 +/- Average +9.38 - +42 - +26.65 Action Points 5 – 5 - 10 0 HP 0 – 0 - 0 Crits 0 – 1 - 1 Healing Surges 2 – 0 - 2 Daily Powers 2 – 1 - 3 Monsters vs Kaspard Level 1 Attacks 16 Hits 11 Connection 68.75% Level 2 Attacks 19 Hits 8 Connection 42.11% Overall Attacks 35 Hits 19 Connection 54.29% Kaspard has gone damage mad as a 2nd Level PC, partially this is due to the fact that some Undead creatures have at last appeared on the scene- leading to extra damage done due to their vulnerability to Radiant damage, but also because she has had much more time to launch attacks. Kaspard only used two Healing Surges as a Level 1 PC, but as a Level 2 PC- none. Her connection rate as a Level 2 PC has also increased dramatically- +1 for the Level Bonus and +1 for her magical Holy Symbol has made her much more potent. The dice have also been kind- it seems Bahamut is favouring her. Healing Surges, Daily Powers and Action points are all about even again, Kaspard has still not visited '0' hit points. Phrenic Tiefling Warlord Note Phrenic only played 4 encounters with the party as a Level 1 PC. Phrenic's attacks. (Format: Attack Type- Hit rate Level 1- Hit rate Level 2- Overall) Note Viper's Strike was the only attack power that Phrenic used 5 times or more at Level 1. AW- Viper's Strike 55.56% – 55.56% - 55.56% AW- Wolf Pack NA - 40% - 37.5% E- Leaf on the Wind NA – 66.67% - 66.67% E- Scorching Burst NA – 57.14% - 57.14% Overall 57.14% - 58.62% - 58.23% Damage Done: 94 – 293 - 387 Average/Enc. 23.5 – 32.56 – 29.77 Damage Taken: 125 – 196 - 321 Average/Enc. 31.25 – 21.78 – 24.69 +/- Total -31 - +97 - +66 +/- Average -7.75 - +10.78 - +5.08 Action Points 1 – 5 - 6 0 HP 2 – 1 - 3 Crits 0 – 2 - 2 Healing Surges 7 – 7 - 14 Daily Powers 1 – 3 - 4 Monsters vs Phrenic Level 1 Attacks 23 Hits 13 Connection 56.52% Level 2 Attacks 51 Hits 24 Connection 47.06% Overall Attacks 74 Hits 37 Connection 50% Again, now at Level 2, Phrenic has picked up the pace, overall connection rate has increased slightly while damage done/encounter has increased by nearly 10 points. Also damage taken has decreased, which is good as Phrenic takes a lot of damage acting as a sometime Defender. Winstanley Halfling Rogue Winstanley's attacks. (Format: Attack Type- Hit rate Level 1- Hit rate Level 2- Overall) Note Winstanley only used Deft Strike once at Level 2. AW- Deft Strike 100% – NA - 100% AW- Sly Flourish 77.42% - 71.79% - 74.29% E- Positioning Strike 83.33% - 71.43% - 76.92% Overall 82.69% - 73.47% - 78.22% Damage Done: 581 – 454 - 1035 Average/Enc. 72.63 – 50.44 – 60.89 Damage Taken: 74 – 47 - 121 Average/Enc. 9.25 – 5.22 – 7.12 +/- Total +507 - +407 - +914 +/- Average +63.38 - +45.22 - +53.77 Action Points 6 – 6 - 12 0 HP 2 – 0 - 2 Crits 1 – 3 - 4 Healing Surges 4 – 2 - 6 Daily Powers 4 – 4 - 8 Monsters vs Winstanley Level 1 Attacks 22 Hits 11 Connection 50% Level 2 Attacks 16 Hits 7 Connection 43.75% Overall Attacks 38 Hits 18 Connection 47.37% Winstanley's connection rate has dropped a little, although the damage done is still massive per encounter, in excess of 50 hit points. PCs overall Winstanley still has the connection rate nailed, a definite Striker, he's also still just ahead of Grey for total damage done, but not by much- both have passed the 1,000 hit points damage mark. All of the PCs are taking less damage/encounter, increased defences and a bunch of magic items is helping to keep the bad guys at bay. It's also still the case that Dirty and Phrenic are always in the thick of the action, Defending the squishier members of the party. Lastly Kaspard has surged forward with damage done, possibly because of lots of (Minion) Undead creatures in the Level 2 encounters. Encounters. To begin this is a strange fact, at Level 1 the PCs faced off against 1600 hit points worth of bad guys (in 8 encounters), and 1660 hit points (in 9 encounters) at Level 2. They really haven't been challenged in the same way as they were as Level 1 PCs. Encounter Path (X = Extended Rest SC = Skill Challenge) PCs Level 1- Level +0 – X – Level +1 – Level +0 – Level +5 – X – Level +1 – X – Level +1 – Level +1 – Level +6 - X. PCs Level 2- X - Level +1 – X - Level +0 – Level +0 – Level +1 – X – Level +1 – Level +1 – SC – Level -1 – Level +2 – Level +2 At 2nd Level the PCs have had a much less dangerous set of encounters, it's just obvious. Perhaps grind, if that's what we've been seeing at Level 2 is best avoided by a more varied series of encounters which start low (Level +/- 1) and work their way up- quickly, to a much higher level encounter (Level + 4/5), in other words very similar to the Wizards Dangerous/Dungeon Delves format. Time/Encounter (As Level 1 PCs – As Level 2 PCs - Overall) Encounter Level -1 (0) NA – (1) 19 minutes 6.33 Turns – (1) 19 minutes 6.33 Turns Encounter Level +0 (2) 31.5 minutes 4 Turns – (2) 50 minutes 7 Turns – (4) 40.75 minutes 5.5 Turns Encounter Level +1 (4) 43.5 minutes 6 Turns – (4) 41 minutes 5.25 Turns – (8) 42.25 minutes 5.63 Turns Encounter Level +2 (0) NA – (2) 56.5 minutes 6 Turns - (2) 56.5 minutes 6 Turns Encounter Level +5 (1) 90 minutes 13 Turns – (0) NA - (1) 90 minutes 13 Turns Encounter Level +6 (1) 101 minutes 11 Turns – (0) NA - (1) 101 minutes 11 Turns The bigger picture, although this after only 17 combat encounters, is the higher the Level of the encounter the more time it takes to play out, bit of a no brainer really. It would nice to get the PCs into a few more Level +3 encounters. Overall at Level 1 the PCs average encounter was EL 2.88 (Level +1.88) took 7 Turns to play and lasted 53.5 minutes. At Level 2 the PCs average encounter was EL 2.78 (Level + 0.78) took 5.56 Turns to play and lasted 44 minutes. My point is KOTS, played as it is, has some scope for easy encounters, one suggestion is I adapt each encounter to challenge the PCs, however I am loath to leave the track- I want the PCs to have fun and at present they're having fun smashing their way through the bad guys. The other thing about KOTS is that having played it three times previously there's a lot of XP in the module, two of the groups (the other one was TPK'ed) were Level 4 before the final encounter, I think that's going to be the case in this instance. Nevertheless I'm going to throw some harder encounters at the PCs, of that... well, see below. [/QUOTE]

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