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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Klaus" data-source="post: 6118907" data-attributes="member: 607">Last weekend we had a quick playtest, to gauge the latest packet. Same players and characters as our previous playtest (where the 3-PC party was almost TPKd by nine kobolds). This time, I used Fiery Dragon's counters and Dungeon Tiles to help with combats.Quick character summary:1. Mountain Dwarf Cleric (Protector); Background: Knight; Specialty: Defender.2. Wood Elf Fighter (Archer); Background: Guide; Specialty: Skirmisher.3. Human Wizard (Scholar); Background: Sage; Specialty: Mystic Healer.We used Experimental Rule 1 for healing: each hour of rest healed level + Con modifier in hit points (8 hours add Con score hp on top of that).The party faced three fights in just under three hours (with plenty of roleplaying at the beginning and some Exploration Rules testing in the middle). The fights were:- 2 human warriors + 2 guard dogs (wolves)- 3 lizardfolk + 1 crocodile (giant lizard with clamping jaws) + 4 stirges.- 1 lizardfolk leader + 3 lizardfolkThe use of counters and tiles reeeeeeally quickened combats. Everyone knew where everything was, the players began using terrain (like placing a small pond between themselves and the humans, for instance), and the wizard positioned herself to catch as many enemies as possible inside her burning hands area.The first fight was the hardest, even though it was supposed to be average for their level. The wolves' knock down mechanic (roll max on damage to knock enemy prone) meant that I couldn't use a fixed ammount for their damage, leading to a greater swinginess in this combat (both the dwarf and elf were knocked prone at different points). If we weren't using the rest-based healing rules, the PCs might have been forced to stop right there (the cleric had already burned a Cure Wounds on himself and his Divine Shelter to save the elf from the first wolf).After this fight, I wanted to see if a single level would make the PCs more stable. And yes, it made a huge difference. Although the PCs were very much "beginners" (no 2nd-level spells, etc), they had a lot more hit points and greater flexibility (even the fighter, who took Shove Away as his bonus feat).The second fight was supposed to be a hard one for 2nd-level characters. Surprisingly, it was a cakewalk. The PCs managed to achieve surprise, and dispatched the lizardfolk and the crocodile before they could even act (they won initiative, so ended up acting twice before their enemies could react). Burning hands, magic missile and the fighter's Ricochet ability made short work of them. In the next round the stirges entered, and a ray of front and the fighter's bow made short work of them, before they could attack.After resting a bit, they entered the final room. Now this fight lasted an appropriate ammount. The cleric used Cause Fear to control the battlefield, imposing disadvantage on two lizardfolk and on their leader, and ended up facing only the two unaffected lizardfolk. The fighterswitched to scimitar and made short work of one lizardfolk, while another fell down a chasm trying to flee from the cleric (yay for impromptu interpretation of Dungeon Tiles!). The cleric alternated between facing the lizardfolk and the leader, while the wizard (after recovering one 1st-level slot -- yay for Arcane Recovery!) machinegunned the leader with a point-blank magic missile. It took them about seven rounds to finally kill the leader (last one standing).Next playtest, we'll mess with the wizard and cleric's spell list a bit to offer greater flexibility (as opposed to just damagedamagedamage). The wizard's biggest complaint: she no longer rolled her attacks.</blockquote>

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