D&D 5E Werewolves/rats and damage immunity

[Trit One-Ear]

I'm about to toss my heroes into a town with a secret thieves' guild of wererats (potentially with some other lycanthropes for flavor).
We're pretty new to 5th edition still (but have played a ton of 3rd and 4th), and I'm adjusting my expectations of combat in particular; namely, I feel the CR system is not the most accurate when it comes to encounter difficulty.

My big concern is throwing a 2nd level party up against even a single Wererat. Their damage immunities against non-magic or silvered weapons means that of our group, only the sorcerer or cleric could regularly damage them. That's kind of fun for one, maybe two enemies (and an interesting challenge for the group), but suddenly that doesn't feel like a CR 2 encounter.

Am I overreacting? Or should I see if I can't find a way to give the heroes one or two silvered weapons before hand? (Ugh this feels like a big break in immersion).

Trit

 

[Valmarius]

If the goal of the encounter isn't simply to 'kill the wererat' then this could make for an interesting learning experience for the characters. If they come up against a single wererat early on in their adventures and learn about its resistances they will know to prepare themselves should they expect to face more.

I would probably set up the scene like this: The PCs have tracked down and cornered a member of the thieves guild who shapeshifts and attempts to flee. The wererat isn't out for murder, which means that failure in this encounter is an escaped informant as opposed to PC death.

 

[S'mon]

Let them do the Beowulf thing and Grapple the bugger to death.

 

[Trit One-Ear]

Good responses. I am interested in this being an opportunity to think outside the box with their tactics.

Trit

 

[Shiroiken]

A good thing to do is drop a silver dagger in the adventure. Preferably by having it found on someone allied with the wererats. It will drop a hint to experienced and smart players, and allow one character to be able to attack in melee. Since it's a dagger, it's not an optimal weapon, but it's something that's fairly easy to conceal and should be socially acceptable to take into most places.

 

[Galendril]

Here's some out of the box thinking. Reward the PC's for researching their opponent before charging headlong into battle. If they determine they're up against a wererat, then smart PC's will research how to kill one.

If they want to solve the problem with their swords and fists instead of their heads, they will get what they deserve. And don't let them try this hokey 'Imma gunna strangle it to death' tripe either. If the creature is immune to normal non-silvered weapons, then it's sure as heck is immune to hands.

 

[JasonZZ]

Let them do the Beowulf thing and Grapple the bugger to death.

Back in the 2e days, I had my group fighting wererats in the sewers, and one had to drown his, since he didn't have a weapon that could hurt it directly.

 

[iserith]

I'm about to toss my heroes into a town with a secret thieves' guild of wererats (potentially with some other lycanthropes for flavor).
We're pretty new to 5th edition still (but have played a ton of 3rd and 4th), and I'm adjusting my expectations of combat in particular; namely, I feel the CR system is not the most accurate when it comes to encounter difficulty.

My big concern is throwing a 2nd level party up against even a single Wererat. Their damage immunities against non-magic or silvered weapons means that of our group, only the sorcerer or cleric could regularly damage them. That's kind of fun for one, maybe two enemies (and an interesting challenge for the group), but suddenly that doesn't feel like a CR 2 encounter.

Am I overreacting? Or should I see if I can't find a way to give the heroes one or two silvered weapons before hand? (Ugh this feels like a big break in immersion).

Trit

I wouldn't worry about CR and encounter balance, personally. If you're adequately telegraphing the threats and providing space for the players to make good decisions to improve their odds of success, then you've done your job in my view.

I suggest having an exploration or social interaction challenge allow for a silvered weapon to come into the PCs' possession as I have shown here in my short-form scenario, The Laboratory-Tomb of Viktor Vampenstein. As you can see, the werewolf battle can be quite a difficult one, but it's made easier if the players set about searching the body of the fallen Van Helsing. Setting up situations where exploration or social interaction will benefit the PCs in combat is a good way to encourage the players to engage with those pillars of the game.

You might also consider having it where in this town (and no other perhaps), silver is worth as much as gold or platinum because the thieves' guild or its proxies buy all the silver up to limit the chances of it being used to make weapons to use against them. This creates an interesting decision point for the players: Make a windfall profit off all that "useless" silver they found in the otyugh's lair (or whatever) or investigate why the silver is worth so much in this jerkwater burg...

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

I'm about to toss my heroes into a town with a secret thieves' guild of wererats (potentially with some other lycanthropes for flavor).
We're pretty new to 5th edition still (but have played a ton of 3rd and 4th), and I'm adjusting my expectations of combat in particular; namely, I feel the CR system is not the most accurate when it comes to encounter difficulty.

My big concern is throwing a 2nd level party up against even a single Wererat. Their damage immunities against non-magic or silvered weapons means that of our group, only the sorcerer or cleric could regularly damage them. That's kind of fun for one, maybe two enemies (and an interesting challenge for the group), but suddenly that doesn't feel like a CR 2 encounter.

Am I overreacting? Or should I see if I can't find a way to give the heroes one or two silvered weapons before hand? (Ugh this feels like a big break in immersion).

Trit

Let them suffer. Having easy access to magic weapons is one of the perks of being a bladelock (or a wizard with Magic Weapons). If you don't allow them to experience situations where it would have been nice to have a bladelock along, you're cheating the players out of the consequences of their choices.

It's not like the non-spellcaster PCs will be useless, either. They can grapple the wererats into position and then Help the sorcerer attack them; they can grapple the wererats and then set them on fire (2d6 per round IIRC); they can even empty their pockets looking for silver coins and use them as improvised weapons (stick a coin in its eye for 1 + STR damage). It will be a good experience.

 

[Cyan Wisp]

I'm in the "don't specially provide for the party" camp. A PC might have knowledge of such creatures (Nature check or something), or research it and the party could benefit from this intelligence by being prepared.

I like the idea that unusual tactics or equipment might be required (like a net or hunting trap), especially for more martial characters who are used to just hitting stuff. There is always the option to just get the heck out of there, tail between their legs!