Pathfinder 1E Pathfinder: Encounter Design Simplified

[GlassJaw]

Yep.

Oh well. Not a huge deal. There are some advantages to the "bond anything" rule:

If you have a character that uses a funky weapon (like a guisarme) and you finally find a magic one during the campaign - even if it's just +1 - you can bond to it right away. That way it will level with you instead of outgrowing if as you level.

Makes a huge difference if magic item creation is removed from the game (hint, hint).

I would allow someone to "unbond" their item though and regain their AP (and cause the item to lose its properties).

By the way, I put up a new teaser-- more Purdy artwork-- in the Bad Axe forum.

Awesome stuff.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

I would allow someone to "unbond" their item though and regain their AP (and cause the item to lose its properties).

Of course.

While the item is bound, you'll enjoy a scaling bonus, but you'll have one less action point for other things-- per item you want to scale.

Fundamentally my sense is that binding one of each of the Big Six should leave you with very few action points-- two or three at most. Your "d20 boost" needs are covered by the Big Six.

My sense is also that situations where you really, truly need the full bonus of a Big Six item are edge cases, and that you're probably better off with a versatile pool of action points to cover any unexpected situation.

But I'm all about choices.

 

[Shazman]

Am I the only one that finds the 3.5 way of calcualting EL to be rather easy, and sees the "xp budget" method that 4E and Trailblazer use as being uneccessarily complicated? I don't need a chart and a calculator to make an EL5 encounter with the 3.5 method, but I do with the other method. Seriously, how hard is it to figure that 2 ogres is an EL 5 encounter, 4 ogres is an EL 7 encounter, and 2 1st level human fighters is an EL 2 encounter?

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

Am I the only one that finds the 3.5 way of calcualting EL to be rather easy, and sees the "xp budget" method that 4E and Trailblazer use as being uneccessarily complicated? I don't need a chart and a calculator to make an EL5 encounter with the 3.5 method, but I do with the other method. Seriously, how hard is it to figure that 2 ogres is an EL 5 encounter, 4 ogres is an EL 7 encounter, and 2 1st level human fighters is an EL 2 encounter?

Easy as pie.

Now tell me what EL this is:

- Goblin Worg Riders (2) CR2
- Worgs (2) CR3
- Manticore (1) CR5
- Hobgoblin Veterans (5) CR2
- Minotaur (1) CR4
- Hobgoblin Sorcerer (1) CR6

Mixed groups, Shazman. Core 3e has no good way to handle mixed groups.

 

[Holy Bovine]

Am I the only one that finds the 3.5 way of calcualting EL to be rather easy, and sees the "xp budget" method that 4E and Trailblazer use as being uneccessarily complicated? I don't need a chart and a calculator to make an EL5 encounter with the 3.5 method, but I do with the other method. Seriously, how hard is it to figure that 2 ogres is an EL 5 encounter, 4 ogres is an EL 7 encounter, and 2 1st level human fighters is an EL 2 encounter?

When you have mixed groups of creatures 3E's method becomes cumbersome to say the least. An XP budget works better, ime, but still needs alot of attention to detail. In the end the DM has to make judgement calls based upon his player's characters and style of play. I'm Ok with that but I will still prefer xp budget methods over the EL any day of the week.

 

[Shazman]

That's approximately an EL10, maybe an 11. I like to eyeball mixed groups anyway. If you know what the PC's are capable of and what the opposition is capable of, it's not hard to see how challenging a fight will be. I do see your point, though. There isn't a really good codified way to figure out the EL of mixed groups with diverse CR's. You do it your way, and I'll do it my way. Whatever works.

 

[Noumenon]

Now tell me what EL this is:

- Goblin Worg Riders (2) CR2
- Worgs (2) CR3
- Manticore (1) CR5
- Hobgoblin Veterans (5) CR2
- Minotaur (1) CR4
- Hobgoblin Sorcerer (1) CR6

10-1/3. 1 minute 18 seconds including the time it took me to go get the DMG. All you do is look on any line of the table on p.38. I like 8th level. A CR 2 is 300 XP. A CR 3 is 400 XP. Add them all up.

600 - (2) CR2
800 - Worgs (2) CR3
800 - Manticore (1) CR5
1500 - Hobgoblin Veterans (5) CR2
600 - Minotaur (1) CR4
1200 - Hobgoblin Sorcerer (1) CR6
=
5500. Look for 5500 on that 8th row. CR 10 is 4800 XP and CR 11 is 7200 XP. Ergo, 10-1/3. I checked it here and got 10.4, but I knew it would work. It really is that simple if they'd only realized it.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

10-1/3. 1 minute 18 seconds including the time it took me to go get the DMG. All you do is look on any line of the table on p.38. I like 8th level. A CR 2 is 300 XP. A CR 3 is 400 XP. Add them all up.

600 - (2) CR2
800 - Worgs (2) CR3
800 - Manticore (1) CR5
1500 - Hobgoblin Veterans (5) CR2
600 - Minotaur (1) CR4
1200 - Hobgoblin Sorcerer (1) CR6
=
5500. Look for 5500 on that 8th row. CR 10 is 4800 XP and CR 11 is 7200 XP. Ergo, 10-1/3. I checked it here and got 10.4, but I knew it would work. It really is that simple if they'd only realized it.

Yep. That's essentially what PF does. They've also (well, as of alpha...) changed the XP values (as have I).

 

[N0Man]

Step One: Determine the Encounter Budget

For each PC in the party, look up his level, and add the indicated amount of XP to the encounter budget.
...

Step Two: Determine Desired Difficulty

Multiply the total XP budget by the following multipliers:
Easy: x2/3 (-1 EL)
Average: x1
Challenging: x1.5 (+1 EL)
Hard: x2 (+2 EL)
Epic: x3 (+3 EL)
...

Step Three: Purchase Creatures from the Budget

Using the Creature XP values provided by Pathfinder, "purchase" creatures out of your encounter budget.
...

This is remarkably similar to the 4E approach. See DMG P. 56. I mean, aside from some of the exact numbers, the main departure is that the 4E order would effectively be this system's Step 2, then Step 1, then Step 3.

Even the XP multipliers are effectively the same (very close ratios, except determined by down 2 levels to up to 4 levels)... with Epic left out.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

This is remarkably similar to the 4E approach.

That should not be surprising. Two children from the same parent (ie, 3e).

I think someone noted it back on page 1 or so.