D&D 5E Test of High Level 5E: Design 4 or 5 lvl 13 PCs for 6 to 8 encounter adventuring day

[Flamestrike]

As it is I will be amazed if any group can get through all 7 encounters. They are tough.

It's designed to be tough. These are 13th level PCs after all. They have access to potent divination magic and skills to overcome such threats.

Also; the first encounter there WAS a warning from Myrkyn that this is the lair of a dracolich. This might be enough to tempt the PCs into pre-buffing before teleporting. This is a risk v reward aspect of resource management for the players to decide on though (do we expend resources to pre-buff on the chance that there is an encounter, or go naked and risk it?). It was an intentional part of that encounter design.

 

[BoldItalic]

Encounter 2:
Creatures: 2 Death slaads (beings allied to the entity Blackrazor aeons ago) have recently plane shifted into this chamber. They currently lurk on either side of the western exit of the room. They are invisible and communicate to each other with telepathy.

I suppose it's too late to go back for two bags of soot and a 10ft pole?

Seriously, this encounter does seem harder than the first because the Slaadi have a wider range of tactical options than just "hit them with a big axe". Also, there's apparently no chance of talking your way out of the encounter so the PCs options are more limited. That all agrees with what the guidelines tell us. Nice one.

 

[BoldItalic]

Myrkyn? Bedrock here. Are you hearing this? Ah, good. Just keeping you in the picture. Edward says this telepathic bond will fade soon, so I'll be brief. We're on our way towards the odd black thing where the volcano used to be and we expect to be there in about another hour. Don't worry if you don't hear from us again for a while - you'll know soon enough when we've fixed your little problem.

You can tell the B team that it's safe to use the teleport if they want to. It comes out in a big cave, so it's nicely out of the weather. When we arrived, the cave was occupied by some poor, frightened creatures who were sheltering there. We had a brief disagreement over whose cave it was, but I'm happy to report that there is no longer a disagreement.

We've helped some frost giants spend a few hours, at least, in Gianthalla where they can bask in the satisfaction of having fulfilled their destiny, which was to die fighting.

Sadly, Princess Jubali is no longer with us. If you get the chance, please write to her father and tell him that she died doing what she loved - screaming. They say that elves live a long time, but she was only a half-elf so we think she must have picked the wrong half. No, don't tell him that. Edward had a soft spot for her and called her his Special Snowflake, which was rather sweet of him.

Edward sends his regards and says don't forget about the Reverse Gravity scroll you promised him.

 

[Lord Twig]

Here is my first character. Fred the Fighter!

Let me know what you think and feel free to point out any mistakes you find.

Fredrellar “Fred” Hanerick
Race: Human Class: Fighter (Champion) 13
Background: Folk Hero Alignment: Neutral Good
Sex: Male Age: 21 Height: 5'11” Weight: 180lbs. Size: Medium
Senses: passive perception 17
Speed: 30 ft

Abilities
Str 20 +5 (15 base, +1 race, +4 ASI)
Dex 14 +2 (13 base, +1 race)
Con 16 +3 (13 base, +1 race, +2 book)
Int 12 +1 (11 base, +1 race)
Wis 14 +2 (12 base, +1 race, +1 feat)
Cha 10 +0 (9 base, +1 race)

Proficiency: (+5)
Saving Throws: Strength +10, Constitution +8, Wisdom +7
Skills: Acrobatics +5, Animal Handling +7, Athletics +10, Perception +7, Sleight of Hand +5, Stealth +5, Survival +7
Armor: Light armor, medium armor, heavy armor, shields
Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
Tools: wood carving, vehicles (land)
Languages: common

Combat
Initiative: +5
Defense
Armor Class: 20 (18 armor, +2 shield)
Hit Points: 121 (13d10+39)
Hit Dice: 13d10
Attacks
Longsword: +11 to hit (reach 5 ft.)
Damage: 1d8+8 slashing damage
Javelins: +10 to hit (range 30/120 ft.)
Damage: 1d6+5 piercing damage
Longbow: +5 to hit (range 80/320 ft.)
Damage: 1d8+2 piercing damage

Features and Traits
Fighting Style: Protection. When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield.
Second Wind: On your turn, you can use a bonus action to regain hit points equal to 1d10 + your fighter level.
Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.
Action Surge: On your turn, you can take one additional action on top of your regular action and a possible bonus action.
Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.
Improved Critical: Your weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20.
Extra Attack: You can attack three times, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Resilient (Wisdom): You gain proficiency in Wisdom saving throws.
Remarkable Athlete: You can add half your proficiency bonus (round up) to any Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution check you make that doesn’t already use your proficiency bonus.
In addition, when you make a running long jump, the distance you can cover increases by a number of feet equal to your Strength modifier.
Indomitable: You can reroll a saving throw that you fail. If you do so, you must use the new roll, and you can use this feature twice between long rests.
Fighting Style: Dueling. When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.
Shield Master: You gain the following benefits while you are wielding a shield:
If you take the Attack action on your turn, you can use a bonus action to try to shove a creature within 5 feet of you with your shield.
If you aren’t incapacitated, you can add your shield’s AC bonus to any Dexterity saving throw you make against a spell or other harmful effect that targets only you.
If you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you can use your reaction to take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, interposing your shield between yourself and the source of the effect.

Equipment
+1 longsword, spellguard shield, 3 javelins, longbow, 20 arrows, plate armor, Manual of Bodily Health (used), shovel, iron pot, hooded lantern, Oil (10 flasks of 1 pint), common clothes, belt pouch, wood carver’s tools, healer’s kit, 2 potions of greater healing, explorer’s pack.

Money: ?gp

Personal Characteristics
Description: Fredrellar has experienced much in his young life and the trials show on his otherwise boyish and clean shaven face. His otherwise unremarkable brown hair and eyes is set off by his body, which is muscular and well built by just about any standard. He likes to show off his strength whenever an attractive woman in near. A display that has mixed results at best.
Feature: Rustic Hospitality. Since you come from the ranks of the common folk,
you fit in among them with ease. You can find a place to hide, rest, or recuperate among other commoners, unless you have shown yourself to be a danger to them. They will shield you from the law or anyone else searching for you, though they will not risk their lives for you.
Defining Event: I led a militia to fight off an invading army.
Trait: I judge people by their actions, not their words.
Trait: If someone is in trouble, I’m always ready to lend help.
Ideal: Respect. People deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. (Good)
Bond: I protect those who cannot protect themselves.
Flaw: The people who knew me when I was young know my shameful secret, so I can never go home again.

 

[Lord Twig]

It's designed to be tough. These are 13th level PCs after all. They have access to potent divination magic and skills to overcome such threats.

Also; the first encounter there WAS a warning from Myrkyn that this is the lair of a dracolich. This might be enough to tempt the PCs into pre-buffing before teleporting. This is a risk v reward aspect of resource management for the players to decide on though (do we expend resources to pre-buff on the chance that there is an encounter, or go naked and risk it?). It was an intentional part of that encounter design.

One thing I am finding is that spells are very precious in this version. I'm used to 3.x/Pathfinder where by this level the casters were putting up day long buffs and dropping scouting and movement spells all over the place. The wizard and cleric only have 17 spells for the day. With 7 encounters that is 2 spells per encounter, maybe 3.

I'm not sure what spell there even is that can speed up travel. Teleportation Circle is 5th level and only goes to pre-set locations and Teleportation is 7th level, which they only have 1 casting of. Fly only lasts 10 minutes and requires concentration. To get the entire party to fly would take a 7th level slot. It used to be a staple spell, now it is barely worth preparing. Is there a good travel spell (or other ability) that I'm missing?

Myrkyn did say it was an old dracolich lair, but he also emphasized that the dracolich should be gone. And he was. There were just some squatters there instead.

I am absolutely not complaining though. I'm in the camp that 7-8 medium/hard encounters can challenge any party, no matter how optimized. It seems the main problem with challenging a high level party is having them run away when the going gets tough. My mage has Plane Shift prepared. They can get out of there just about any time. Except for the fact that they don't want the multi-verse to be destroyed.

 

[Lord Twig]

Nightflower
Race: Wood Elf Class: Rogue (Thief) 13
Background: Criminal Alignment: CG
Sex: Female Age: 28 Height: 4'11” Weight: 85lbs. Size: Medium
Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., passive perception 22
Speed: 35 ft.

Abilities:
STR 12 +1
DEX 20 +5 (14 base, +2 race, +4 ASI)
CON 14 +2
INT 10 +0
WIS 14 +2 (13 base, +1 race)
CHA 10 +0

Proficiency: (+5)
Saving Throws: Dexterity +10, Intelligence +5
Skills: Acrobatics +15*, Deception +5, Insight +7, Perception +12*, Persuasion +5, Sleight of Hand +10, Stealth +15*
Armor: Light armor, medium armor, shields
Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
Tools: Disguise kit, thieves’ tools*
Languages: common, elvish

Combat
Initiative: +5
Defense
Armor Class: 18 (13 armor, +5 Dex) (+1 dual wielder)
Hit Points: 94 (13d8+26)
Hit Dice: 13d8
Attacks
Rapier: +10 to hit (reach 5 ft.)
Damage: 1d8+5 piercing damage
Dagger of Venom: +11 to hit (reach 5 ft.)
Damage: 1d4+1 piercing damage (off-hand)
Dagger: +10 to hit (range 20/60 ft.)
Damage: 1d4+5 piercing damage
Longbow: +10 to hit (range 150/600 ft.)
Damage: 1d8+5 piercing damage

Features and Traits
Darkvision: 60’
Fey Ancestry: Nightflower has advantage on saving throws vs. charmed, immune to magic sleep.
Mask of the Wild: Nightflower can hide when lightly obscured by natural phenomena.
Trance: Meditate for 4 hours a day and gain the same benefit as 8 hours of sleep.
Expertise: acrobatics, perception, stealth, thieves’ tools
Sneak Attack: 7d6
Thieves’ Cant
Cunning Action: Dash, Disengage, or Hide as bonus action.
Fast Hands: Sleight of Hand, Thieves’ tools, or Use an Object as bonus action.
Second-Story Work: Climb at full speed and +5’ jump.
Uncanny Dodge: When an attacker that Nightflower can see hits her with an attack, she can use her reaction to halve the attack’s damage against her.
Evasion: No damage with a successful Dex save, half damage from a failed Dex save.
Supreme Sneak: Advantage on stealth if Nightflower moves no more than half her speed.
Reliable Talent: Whenever Nightflower makes an ability check that lets her add her proficiency bonus, she can treat a d20 roll of 9 or lower as a 10.
Dual Wielder: Master of fighting with two weapons, gaining the following benefits:
+1 AC while wielding a separate melee weapon in each hand
Can use two-weapon fighting even when the one-handed melee weapons you are wielding aren’t light.
Can draw or stow two one-handed weapons when normally only able to draw or stow one.
Use Magic Device: Ignore class, race and level requirements on the use of magic items.

Equipment
glamoured studded leather armor (+1), rapier, dagger of venom, longbow, quiver, 10 +1 arrows, 30 arrows, 6 daggers, thieves’ tools, crowbar, dark common clothes w/ hood, belt pouch, disguise kit, healer’s kit, caltrops (3 bags of 20), ball bearings (2 bags of 1,000), goggle of detect magic (2/short rest, attuned), 2 potions of greater healing, bag of holding, burglar’s pack.

Money: ?gp

Personal Characteristics
Burglar
Description: Lithe and svelte Nightflower is graceful even for an Elf. She moves like she is dancing to music only she can hear even when just crossing a room. Just shy of five feet, she as tall as she is ever going to get, but her diminutive size is an advantage in her line of work.
Nightflower keeps her black hair, which goes down just past her shoulders, tied back at all times. She has green eyes and greenish coppery skin.
Feature: Criminal Contact. Nightflower has a reliable and trustworthy contact who acts as her liaison to a network of other criminals. She knows how to get messages to and from her contact, even over great distances; specifically, she knows the local messengers, corrupt caravan masters, and seedy sailors who can deliver messages for her.
Trait: The first thing I do in a new place is note the locations of everything valuable—or where such things could be hidden.
Trait: I would rather make a new friend than a new enemy.
Ideal: Charity. I steal from the wealthy so that I can help people in need. (Good)
Bond: Someone I loved died because of I mistake I made. That will never happen again.
Flaw: When I see something valuable, I can’t think about anything but how to steal it.

 

[BoldItalic]

Here is my first character. Fred the Fighter!

Looks good. I've added a link into the index.

Is the longsword damage right?

There's now a vacancy in Bedrock's party. If Fred should happen to be floating about south of the rift, a chance meeting could easily be narrated

 

[Lord Twig]

Looks good. I've added a link into the index.

Is the longsword damage right?

There's now a vacancy in Bedrock's party. If Fred should happen to be floating about south of the rift, a chance meeting could easily be narrated

Thanks! The longsword does 1d8 +5 Str +2 Dueling style +1 magic bonus. So that's 1d8+8.

I'm sure Fredrellar would get along with Bedrock fine, but he has his own party for now.

 

[Lord Twig]

One thing that has already struck me out of this experiment is that all of my characters have either a +10 to hit or +11 if they have a +1 magic item. I'm not sure if that is good or bad yet, it's just that there is a lack of diversity.

 

[Azurewraith]

One thing that has already struck me out of this experiment is that all of my characters have either a +10 to hit or +11 if they have a +1 magic item. I'm not sure if that is good or bad yet, it's just that there is a lack of diversity.

That's optimization for you