Why you shouldn't use 5 ft corridors

[Raven Crowking]

But, yeah, RC, it's not likely to shut the door.

Hence, PCs stand back & fire arrows. Lather, rinse, repeat. The DM, using average damage, tells them how long it takes to kill, and the adventure goes on. Or the DM says it lets off a godawful caterwauling (which, for some reason, it wouldn't if being slaughtered close-up and personal-like?) and reinforcements arrive in X rounds, by which time Y arrows have hit it for Z damage.

Seems like a speed bump at best to me, and certainly not worth condemning the adventure for.

(shrug)

YMMV, I guess.

RC

 

[Hussar]

Well, looking at the whole map, which is available for free, I can see Merric's point. It's not that one single encounter makes the whole dungeon bad, it's just that the whole dungeon is like this one encounter. And, even if it won't move out of the room, it could easily move to the side and avoid all those arrows.

A tactical challenge is one thing. An entire dungeon where you have half your players sitting in the back twiddling their thumbs is not a fun night. And that's what you have when you use very cramped maps - half the party is doing all the work and the other half sits on their hands.

For me, realism can take a back seat. If widening a corridor by 5 feet means that everyone at the table gets to play instead of just half, then, well, wider corridors it is.

 

[Raven Crowking]

And, even if it won't move out of the room, it could easily move to the side and avoid all those arrows.

And, if it steps aside the fighters with their Held Actions can enter the room. Now everybody can get in on the fun, and there is a melee. Either way, this encounter shouldn't end up with "half your players sitting in the back twiddling their thumbs".

BTW, in games I run, for the most part players try to find a way to get involved no matter what the situation is. If there's a way to do more than twiddle your thumbs, they'll find it. And I've run a series of encounters where the PCs (and opponents) were limited to single file, and after the initial problems they found ways to deal with it. And there were 8 PCs. And they had fun. Go figure.

 

[Markn]

As a reenactor, I've fought while squeezed in by my allies on many occasions. I wouldn't recommend it (the -4 to attack and AC is a bitch), but I can say with certainty it can be done.

Not that I want to get into a rules debate, but you can't be squeezed because of another person or creature. Ending your movement in the same space as someone else is illegal unless you are prone or dead. So unless a feat otherwise allows it (thinking Spring Attack perhaps) this, RAW is not allowed.

 

[lukelightning]

I prefer 15 and 20 corridors. That way you can terrorize your players with huge fire elementals, purple worms, and cloud giant frenzied berzerkers.

 

[Jedi_Solo]

Hence, PCs stand back & fire arrows. Lather, rinse, repeat. The DM, using average damage, tells them how long it takes to kill, and the adventure goes on.

I'm missing something here...

With the given example that would let one character do the combat (one space outside of the critter's reach). So then the critter side steps out of the way. Presumably (not sure where the critter is chained in the room so I don't know where it can and can not step to) this would open a space for the PCs to enter, or maybe the critter just stepped to the other side of the doorway creating the same problem (except now the adversary is on the north end of the doorway and not the south end).

Assuming that it DOES open a space for the PCs a 1st level PC enters the room and then gets wacked by the critter's held action. The PC can then attempt to continue moving generating an AoO (not a good idea for 1st level PCs and their low HP) or stay there forcing the other PCs to take the AoO. I don't see how this is an improvement of the situation.

 

[BradfordFerguson]

OK, I got much respect for you Merric... but YOU'RE THE DM, it's your game, not the adventure writer's game, YOU DECIDE ON THE MAP AND THE ENCOUNTERS. You're experienced enough.

Don't let WotC always tell you what to do!

If things are getting too repetitive and there are too many combats, then you can change that too. I have confidence that you can DM and not run things as written.

Let's see... I as DM, declare that each square on this map is 10'. Pretty cool, huh? It's that easy.

 

[Raven Crowking]

I'm missing something here...

I wasn't looking at the map to see where the chained creature was going to move to to prevent it from being pincushioned by arrows, and I'm not looking at it now, so I may be wrong.

BUT....If the complaint is that the other PCs can't manuever around it to attack, AND that it's a long combat in which some PCs cannot participate, THEN either the complaint is wrong. The monster can be killed without a long combat, OR it must make way for the PCs.

Moving into position where all PCs can attack might be hazardous, certainly. OTOH, a well-placed tank can help to draw any initial attack, as well as being ready to make his own AoO if the monster attempts the same.

It is up to the DM to set up the situation. How the players deal with it is up to them.....and there are certainly means enough to deal with it here.

 

[Storminator]

It is up to the DM to set up the situation. How the players deal with it is up to them.....and there are certainly means enough to deal with it here.

The problem is not that there's no means to deal with situation, it's that the appropriate method of dealing with it is for the tank to step to the front and trade blows, and for the cleric to stand next him and heal him every (maybe every other) round. Everyone else should just sit back and wait. Every now and again, that's a good thing. It lets the tank get his spotlight time. But if that's the most successful strategy at the next door... which is 10' ahead... and the next door, and the next door, and the next door, and the next door and the next doorandthenextdoorandthenextdoorandthenextdoor... it gets old.

I know that my players would never have considered sucking up AoO to get past the monster. The door on the far side of the room would open and rogues would pop out, and they'd be wounded and alone and flanked and Sneak Attacked... which is not a pretty place for low level PCs.

PS

 

[Klaus]

So I'm facing the door, and it opens into the room (away from me) are the hinges on my left or my right?

What happens when the door is between two rooms?

At this point I just yell at players.

PS

1 - Hinges are usually nearest to the nearest wall.

2 - It opens into the room that is furthest from the entry.

3 - Agreed!