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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ThirdWizard" data-source="post: 2149789" data-attributes="member: 12037">Nah, usually a 2nd levle aristocrat. But, that's just a matter of preferance, as I love bosses who are physically weak in city-based campaigns. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />I do agree with most that many civilized NPCs are going to be statis quo. These NPCs are usually created with a place in society and their abilities dictate their standing. I once had a group of advenurers around level 7 try to take on a wizard who had not shown his power to them. He was level 15. Flesh to Stone first round and then he spared them in exchange for a hefty service. That definately taught them that everything isn't easy.Here's where the differing oppinions set in about what status quo and tailored actually mean. You started with a dragon, but you also wanted to give the PCs something to do, so there's an organization under the dragon. To some, me included, that means you tailored the setting to include venues for the PCs. Status quo exists without any relation to the PCs. They arn't there for the PCs to do anything with, they are simply there. By making something specifically accessable by the PCs, you've tailored it, if you understand the reasoning. Plausabilty isn't important, intent is what makes it status quo or tailored. You simply ask yourself, "Did I make this with how the players will react in mind?" If the answer is, "Yes," then I define it as tailored. I don't think about it as "independant of the PCs" or "Happening with or without PC interaction." The CR 15 dragon to the north could very well be tailored. If you choose for him to be CR 15 because you don't want the PCs to fight him yet (or die if they try), that is tailored. If you chose CR 15 because it will be interesting within the setting and the players just arn't to be able to fight him yet by happenstance, it is status quo.Now when designing adventures for my players...They enjoy encounters at or around an EL suitable to have somewhat difficult combats with a few very difficult combats, and a few extremely low or high ones. I try to follow the DMG somewhat in its suggestion: 10% Easy, 20% Easy if handled properly, 50% Challenging, 15% Very Difficult, 5% Overwhalming. Though, of course, this is only a very loose guideline. We can only play twice a month, and I don't want to waste game time on pitiful enemies nor beat them to a pulp just because a random encounter table says TPK [aside - I don't actually use RETs].In a game with 75+% status quo, I do not see how this could be possible. When that starts happening, I have to wonder if it is really status quo or it just has the appearance of status quo (which is very difficult to do actually!).</blockquote>

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