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The challenges of high level adventure design.
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<blockquote data-quote="Flamestrike" data-source="post: 8930209" data-attributes="member: 6788736"><p>No, that's not what I said.</p><p></p><p>To paraphrase myself 'Make the stakes high, the antagonists experienced, and the environments nonstandard'.</p><p></p><p>You need experience in high level play before you can do it properly though<strong>. You need to be familiar with the tricks high level PCs can pull, so your monsters can also be familiar with the same tricks</strong> (and you can play them smart instead of as just dumb bags of HP).</p><p></p><p>In a recent thread on this site, I ran a PbP game for high level PCs. It was set on Careri (the prison planet), the PCs got there via the Astral Plane (on an Astral Barge) it featured Githyanki spellcasters, a Pit Fiend/ Archduke of Hell, a Red Dragon, and a Titan (among other threats) who were all well versed in high level PC tactics and abilities (with countermeasures prepared) in addition to stand up fights with Trolls, an Iron Golem and some traps.</p><p></p><p>The expectation was that the PCs were Avengers like people of notoriety, with connections among the movers and shakers of the Prime material. They were actively sought out by Hermes, messenger of the Gods for the task.</p><p></p><p>At stake was the fate of the multiverse.</p><p></p><p>Choosing the setting (prison plane of Carceri) let me regulate teleportation and planar travel (and summons/ conjuration) while remaining thematically appropriate (it's the prison plane of the multiverse, where Titans - the BBEG - were banished Aeons ago, which is actually canon). The Gith are also thematically appropriate for the setting (the Astral plane) and they used their spells smartly, with a plan (involving permanent image, greater invisibility, simulacrum and others).</p><p> </p><p>It's not just 'enter the dungeon, moving from room to room/ encounter to encounter and gather loot', although it played out (at the table) in the same linear fashion, with the party moving from encounter to encounter largely as planned, with the illusion of freedom of choice (a good DM has a good idea of where the PCs are going to go next, and sets the path down for them where he wants them to go, while also being open to left field choices and improvisation if they go off the rails, and being prepared to reward creative choices that bypass or overcome intended challenges in unexpected ways).</p><p></p><p>I felt (as DM) the players were challenged as they were going, had to think and try to 'get in the head' of the adversaries they were facing (instead of just viewing them as HP) and were somewhat invested in the outcome of the quest (and it's potential consequences) while still getting to act like bad-ass Avengers, travelling the planes of existence, dealing with Demigods and Archdukes of Hell, and getting to use their full suite of abilities, against an experienced foe, well versed in the capabilities of high level PCs.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Flamestrike, post: 8930209, member: 6788736"] No, that's not what I said. To paraphrase myself 'Make the stakes high, the antagonists experienced, and the environments nonstandard'. You need experience in high level play before you can do it properly though[B]. You need to be familiar with the tricks high level PCs can pull, so your monsters can also be familiar with the same tricks[/B] (and you can play them smart instead of as just dumb bags of HP). In a recent thread on this site, I ran a PbP game for high level PCs. It was set on Careri (the prison planet), the PCs got there via the Astral Plane (on an Astral Barge) it featured Githyanki spellcasters, a Pit Fiend/ Archduke of Hell, a Red Dragon, and a Titan (among other threats) who were all well versed in high level PC tactics and abilities (with countermeasures prepared) in addition to stand up fights with Trolls, an Iron Golem and some traps. The expectation was that the PCs were Avengers like people of notoriety, with connections among the movers and shakers of the Prime material. They were actively sought out by Hermes, messenger of the Gods for the task. At stake was the fate of the multiverse. Choosing the setting (prison plane of Carceri) let me regulate teleportation and planar travel (and summons/ conjuration) while remaining thematically appropriate (it's the prison plane of the multiverse, where Titans - the BBEG - were banished Aeons ago, which is actually canon). The Gith are also thematically appropriate for the setting (the Astral plane) and they used their spells smartly, with a plan (involving permanent image, greater invisibility, simulacrum and others). It's not just 'enter the dungeon, moving from room to room/ encounter to encounter and gather loot', although it played out (at the table) in the same linear fashion, with the party moving from encounter to encounter largely as planned, with the illusion of freedom of choice (a good DM has a good idea of where the PCs are going to go next, and sets the path down for them where he wants them to go, while also being open to left field choices and improvisation if they go off the rails, and being prepared to reward creative choices that bypass or overcome intended challenges in unexpected ways). I felt (as DM) the players were challenged as they were going, had to think and try to 'get in the head' of the adversaries they were facing (instead of just viewing them as HP) and were somewhat invested in the outcome of the quest (and it's potential consequences) while still getting to act like bad-ass Avengers, travelling the planes of existence, dealing with Demigods and Archdukes of Hell, and getting to use their full suite of abilities, against an experienced foe, well versed in the capabilities of high level PCs. [/QUOTE]
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