I'm curious about how challenging people think this AP is for PCs in terms of combat. I'm currently running the AP, but I'm converting it to 4E rules with a party of 6 PCs, so I'm not running it as written. However, from what I've read through, the encounters look pretty easy for the most part (with a couple of exceptions here and there). Of course, easy is relative to your group, but most gaming groups I read about on-line tend to tap into the splat books pretty heavily and generally have pretty tough PCs. For instance, I think that the 3E party I ran through Savage Tide would crush most of the encounters in the AP without breaking a sweat. One of the reasons for this is that many of the encounters I see are just a solo baddie against the party, and from my gaming experience I have seen over and over that a solo 3E monster will often have be destroyed in a round or two by PCs, even if it has a CR equivalent (or even higher) than the party's average level. If I were running this AP in 3E, I can't imagine that I could run it as is. I'm sure I'd have to upgrade the difficulty of most of the encounters. Does anyone else feel this way? Has anyone run any of it and found that this has been happening? Does anyone feel the opposite?
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I'm curious about how challenging people think this AP is for PCs in terms of combat. I'm currently running the AP, but I'm converting it to 4E rules with a party of 6 PCs, so I'm not running it as written. However, from what I've read through, the encounters look pretty easy for the most part (with a couple of exceptions here and there). Of course, easy is relative to your group, but most gaming groups I read about on-line tend to tap into the splat books pretty heavily and generally have pretty tough PCs. For instance, I think that the 3E party I ran through Savage Tide would crush most of the encounters in the AP without breaking a sweat. One of the reasons for this is that many of the encounters I see are just a solo baddie against the party, and from my gaming experience I have seen over and over that a solo 3E monster will often have be destroyed in a round or two by PCs, even if it has a CR equivalent (or even higher) than the party's average level. If I were running this AP in 3E, I can't imagine that I could run it as is. I'm sure I'd have to upgrade the difficulty of most of the encounters. Does anyone else feel this way? Has anyone run any of it and found that this has been happening? Does anyone feel the opposite?
My players tend to get their asses handed to them by Paizo adventures, unless I soften the blow.
So if you're right and the AP is easier, well then i'm glad.
Um, yeah, don't do that with Crown of the Kobold King. Any player who takes the children in danger hook seriously is dead. I'm planning on running it for my one PC campaign, and she'll be 9th level with two 6th level cohorts and I don't anticipate changing anything.
The urgency of the hook should be accounted for in all recommended level guidelines. There's no way any good PC party is stopping every 5 encounters to rest for a day.
Um, yeah, don't do that with Crown of the Kobold King. Any player who takes the children in danger hook seriously is dead. I'm planning on running it for my one PC campaign, and she'll be 9th level with two 6th level cohorts and I don't anticipate changing anything.
The urgency of the hook should be accounted for in all recommended level guidelines. There's no way any good PC party is stopping every 5 encounters to rest for a day.
That's actually one of the issues with SD #13 most encounters are spread out over time... the players start fresh in almost every encounter. That's kind of good for lower level parties though.
As for the encounters being easy... I'm not entirely sure. My group had problems bagging the first encounter because half of them were blinded and by the time they got their site back the bad guys were headed out the door.
Creative Director
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That's actually one of the issues with SD #13 most encounters are spread out over time... the players start fresh in almost every encounter. That's kind of good for lower level parties though.
As for the encounters being easy... I'm not entirely sure. My group had problems bagging the first encounter because half of them were blinded and by the time they got their site back the bad guys were headed out the door.
Actually, yes. Giving the PCs a leisurely pace, or at least the choice as to how fast to take the adventure, is a specific design goal for SD #13. At 1st and 2nd level, PCs are fragile, and APs are stronger if the players don't die every other encounter, I've found. We also are trying to avoid building a lot of encounters to challenge hard-core players because that DOES make things a bit TOO tough for the average player...
As an experienced player, it took many deaths for me to actualize a survivable character. When I play, most standard challenges aren't that tough. My wife is new to this, and the standard, as written, encounters can be brutal.
For me, though, the story supersedes the challenge rating. A challenge made too tough will ruin the mood, but an encounter that's a bit easy doesn't seem to disenfranchise the interest with it if the story behind the encounter is engaging enough.
If the encounter gets out the intended laugh, or a grimace over something gross, or gasp of awe over something bizarre and mind-blowing, that is always worth more to me as a player and DM. That beats a TPK any day.