Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="uzirath" data-source="post: 7895194" data-attributes="member: 8495">Yeah, I try to inject plenty of that into the world too. Indeed, until higher levels, the PCs aren't particularly important at all. I have found, however, that it's fairly easy to insert good challenges that don't make it feel like you're just creating set pieces for each character. The Saltmarsh mansion, for example, is three stories tall. Why not have something come out of the attic to attack the group from above while they are outside? This provides a realistic encounter that also happens to provide some fun opportunities for an aerial character. Similarly, with the mermaid. Indeed, the players thought that the water encounter I inserted must have been intended by the authors of the adventure to be much more difficult because how many groups have an amphibious character? (I nodded in wry agreement, of course.)&nbsp; Over the years, my priorities have also shifted somewhat. For a long time, my top priority (almost my only priority) was to develop a rich world in which the PCs could immerse themselves. Adventures were designed solely with the realities of the world in mind. The PCs were entirely irrelevant. I still have respect for that style. (Looking back, though, I do think that sometimes I was kidding myself that I wasn't thinking about the PCs... otherwise, TPKs would have been much more common.) Now, with each hour of gaming more precious than in the past, my top focus is that the players have a blast at every session. This is not to say, of course, that a player's fun depends solely on doing things that their characters are good at. Another excellent class of challenge is something that falls outside of the party's skillset.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="uzirath, post: 7895194, member: 8495"] Yeah, I try to inject plenty of that into the world too. Indeed, until higher levels, the PCs aren't particularly important at all. I have found, however, that it's fairly easy to insert good challenges that don't make it feel like you're just creating set pieces for each character. The Saltmarsh mansion, for example, is three stories tall. Why not have something come out of the attic to attack the group from above while they are outside? This provides a realistic encounter that also happens to provide some fun opportunities for an aerial character. Similarly, with the mermaid. Indeed, the players thought that the water encounter I inserted must have been intended by the authors of the adventure to be much more difficult because how many groups have an amphibious character? (I nodded in wry agreement, of course.) Over the years, my priorities have also shifted somewhat. For a long time, my top priority (almost my only priority) was to develop a rich world in which the PCs could immerse themselves. Adventures were designed solely with the realities of the world in mind. The PCs were entirely irrelevant. I still have respect for that style. (Looking back, though, I do think that sometimes I was kidding myself that I wasn't thinking about the PCs... otherwise, TPKs would have been much more common.) Now, with each hour of gaming more precious than in the past, my top focus is that the players have a blast at every session. This is not to say, of course, that a player's fun depends solely on doing things that their characters are good at. Another excellent class of challenge is something that falls outside of the party's skillset. [/QUOTE]

Verification