Party Ambush!

[tresson]

I've run +6-8CR encounters in 3e but this was with heavily optimized parties. Without the optimizing you're right the range is about +3 before it gets really difficult.


Thing is these are non-optimized pregenerated characters and there are no splat books for power creep or exploits to come into play. Yet of the encounters run only a few were TPK or had extensive PC losses. Seems like the edge has been dulled so characters are less likely to die even in overmatched encounters than 3e.

What do you mean there weren't any Exploits? The Fight had sheet of paper full of them

 

[Sitara]

Thing is these are non-optimized pregenerated characters and there are no splat books for power creep or exploits to come into play. Yet of the encounters run only a few were TPK or had extensive PC losses. Seems like the edge has been dulled so characters are less likely to die even in overmatched encounters than 3e.

I think that has been pretty obvious fora while now. Heck, just check out the healing surge mechanics; pc death is going to be incredibly rare now assuming you follow the encounter guidelines.

 

[WhatGravitas]

Those solo monster better pack a mountain of hp!

Or do a proper ambush during "camping", when none of these *big* powers are available.

Isn't that the basic point of an ambush? Catching an unprepared enemy to whack him?

Cheers, LT.

 

[FourthBear]

So 1st level party versus a solo monster results in many PC deaths, possibly one or more TPKs and only once did the solo monster die itself. You know, I"m not really getting this huge, 4e is nerfed vibe here. Especially with the putative lack of resurrection in the Heroic Tier of 4e.

 

[jaer]

I thought this was supposed to be a 1st level party and a 1st level solo monster would be balanced as a tough fight for them. Instead a 4th level solo monster won mostly but with few TPKs? That seems a bit off to me, especially given that these were pre-gens with none of the optimizing one might see in a normal campaign.

I thought a solo creature was balanced against 4 PCs, not 6.

After all, a Lvl 1 solo creature can't be equally solo-able to any party size!

 

[Snarls-at-Fleas]

Look at kobold skirmisher. He has 27 hp and there are supposed to be 6 of those guys (Mearls said 600XP of monsters for 1st level party). So 100 hp solo guy is not something unusual I think.

 

[Thyrwyn]

What do you mean there weren't any Exploits? The Fight had sheet of paper full of them

LOL - so did the Ranger! Two characters with loads and loads of Exploits!

Actually that was my very first thought when looking over the PCs - ". . .pretty clever marketing move by the WoTC crew: by defining Exploit as a specific game term, they have taken a key weapon away from their detractors. . ."

I like it lots - both in its own right and as for the irony of the whole thing.

 

[eleran]

I thought this was supposed to be a 1st level party and a 1st level solo monster would be balanced as a tough fight for them. Instead a 4th level solo monster won mostly but with few TPKs? That seems a bit off to me, especially given that these were pre-gens with none of the optimizing one might see in a normal campaign.

Heres what James Wyatt wrote about that encounter;

Six 1st-level characters ought to face an encounter worth 600 XP. The 4th-level solo black dragon was worth 875 XP. Getting every character (and I mean *hitting* every character) with its breath weapon during the surprise round certainly got the characters off on the wrong foot. But they didn't even bloody the thing before finally fleeing, leaving three bodies behind.

 

[HeavenShallBurn]

Heres what James Wyatt wrote about that encounter;

Okay that's more like the sort of thing I'm looking for. Thing is from what was said it sounded like as an average of all the tables and games many were retreating but on average not many were actually dying. That looks far more reasonable.

 

[Stalker0]

Look at kobold skirmisher. He has 27 hp and there are supposed to be 6 of those guys (Mearls said 600XP of monsters for 1st level party). So 100 hp solo guy is not something unusual I think.

One of the points of a Solo monster is not that its just incredibly tough and powerful, but it has abilities designed to handle a party of people.

Paladin: I use "pain of death!!"

DM: The dragon immediately counters with a tail sweep, using a strength attack vs your reflex. Your knocked prone, and your now attacking at a -4.

Things like that.