AntiStateQuixote
Enemy of the State
In light of the "how many encounters before an extened rest" type questions/threads I've seen, I thought I would share a session report from this past Friday (and the previous game session).
I used encounters converted from Dungeon Delve Level 4 and Draconomicon: Chromatic Dragons Level 6 (?).
Party setup: Level 5 human barbarian, dwarf fighter, dwarf shaman, half-elf bard, eladrin wizard
In our previous game session we ended the session after an encounter against six level 4 bandits. The fighter spent an action point and the wizard spent a daily power.
In Friday's session we started with the heroes moving quickly from the fight with the bandits to the bandits' hideout some 2 - 3 hours away. Short rest, but no extended rest.
At the bandit hideout they begin with a battle against the wall defenders: a pair of level 4 crossbowmen, a handful of minions and a ballista. While this battle is happening reinforcements come out of the barracks: three level 4 soldiers and more minions.
They PCs spend a couple of dailies and everyone that had not yet spent an action point spends one. Before this battle ends out comes a level 9 (I know, WAY too powerful) dragon. The dragon pulls its punches and pleads with the PCs to help it against the main enemy: a level 9 warlock (artillery) and his 4 bugbear soliders (level 6? brutes).
Here come the warlock and the bugbears. With the dragon's help they handle them. I decide to award TWO action points, considering they PCs had overcome the monsters from a total of four encounters (including the one encounter from the previous session).
Now comes the push: the dragon's children are held captive by gnoll allies of the warlock. The warlock sends a "don't kill them" message to the gnolls once daily before midnight. The PCs get information from one of the bandits as to where the gnolls are. It's already late in the evening. No time for extended rest. Off they go to save the dragon babies before midnight.
They go to an underground gnoll lair (converted from the level 4 Dungeon Delve): level 4 encounter (gnolls plus trap), level 5 encounter (more gnolls and hyenas) and level 6 encounter (gnolls plus elite grell soldier).
By the end of the adventuring day the PCs had gone through the equivalent of seven encounters, one was level +2, one was level +1, two were level -1 and the rest were on level.
Both dwarfs had spent all of their healing surges and one was still at less than full hit points afterwards. The barbarian was down to 2 or 3 surges. Everyone spent all of their action points and daily powers and several daily powers from items. Three PCs were knocked unconscious in the final fight but managed to get back into it from heal checks and/or healing spells/potions.
For the record, I roll on the table for all to see, so it was obvious to everyone that I was not fudging any attacks.
The players cheered louder than I have heard in a LONG time when they finally brought the grell down. It was a great challenge that pushed them to the absolute limit.
I'll take it a little easier on them for the next couple of sessions.
I used encounters converted from Dungeon Delve Level 4 and Draconomicon: Chromatic Dragons Level 6 (?).
Party setup: Level 5 human barbarian, dwarf fighter, dwarf shaman, half-elf bard, eladrin wizard
In our previous game session we ended the session after an encounter against six level 4 bandits. The fighter spent an action point and the wizard spent a daily power.
In Friday's session we started with the heroes moving quickly from the fight with the bandits to the bandits' hideout some 2 - 3 hours away. Short rest, but no extended rest.
At the bandit hideout they begin with a battle against the wall defenders: a pair of level 4 crossbowmen, a handful of minions and a ballista. While this battle is happening reinforcements come out of the barracks: three level 4 soldiers and more minions.
They PCs spend a couple of dailies and everyone that had not yet spent an action point spends one. Before this battle ends out comes a level 9 (I know, WAY too powerful) dragon. The dragon pulls its punches and pleads with the PCs to help it against the main enemy: a level 9 warlock (artillery) and his 4 bugbear soliders (level 6? brutes).
Here come the warlock and the bugbears. With the dragon's help they handle them. I decide to award TWO action points, considering they PCs had overcome the monsters from a total of four encounters (including the one encounter from the previous session).
Now comes the push: the dragon's children are held captive by gnoll allies of the warlock. The warlock sends a "don't kill them" message to the gnolls once daily before midnight. The PCs get information from one of the bandits as to where the gnolls are. It's already late in the evening. No time for extended rest. Off they go to save the dragon babies before midnight.
They go to an underground gnoll lair (converted from the level 4 Dungeon Delve): level 4 encounter (gnolls plus trap), level 5 encounter (more gnolls and hyenas) and level 6 encounter (gnolls plus elite grell soldier).
By the end of the adventuring day the PCs had gone through the equivalent of seven encounters, one was level +2, one was level +1, two were level -1 and the rest were on level.
Both dwarfs had spent all of their healing surges and one was still at less than full hit points afterwards. The barbarian was down to 2 or 3 surges. Everyone spent all of their action points and daily powers and several daily powers from items. Three PCs were knocked unconscious in the final fight but managed to get back into it from heal checks and/or healing spells/potions.
For the record, I roll on the table for all to see, so it was obvious to everyone that I was not fudging any attacks.
The players cheered louder than I have heard in a LONG time when they finally brought the grell down. It was a great challenge that pushed them to the absolute limit.
I'll take it a little easier on them for the next couple of sessions.
