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Ok, so here's some lessons form my playtesting of 5 entries.
1) CR is completely relative.
2) Next time playtest with iconics.
3) Initiative rolls really are that important.
4) An encounter that the DM can innovate on is better.
5) Surprise rounds are dangerous.
6) Traps are rarely more than a hiccup, focus on the fight.
7) Agropelters are better than everyone thinks, fringe fighters that get away are a good element.
8) Summons are godly.
9) Rogue dip for Druid is quite a bit more effective then most people think.
10) Adjustments are almost always needed as a good DM adjust for the playstyle of his/her players.
Ok, so here's some lessons form my playtesting of 5 entries.
1) CR is completely relative.
2) Next time playtest with iconics.
3) Initiative rolls really are that important.
4) An encounter that the DM can innovate on is better.
5) Surprise rounds are dangerous.
6) Traps are rarely more than a hiccup, focus on the fight.
7) Agropelters are better than everyone thinks, fringe fighters that get away are a good element.
8) Summons are godly.
9) Rogue dip for Druid is quite a bit more effective then most people think.
10) Adjustments are almost always needed as a good DM adjust for the playstyle of his/her players.
Nice list, especially number 10 - that's the one I look for - has the designer made my job harder or is it fairly obvious how to adjust for my different groups.
Very useful observations. Thanks.
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aka primemover003
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I'll have to agree CR is relative, though I think that has to do with how people play rather than the mechanic itself. I don't see many playing 15 point buy. Its usually 20 points like PFS uses or rolling which tends to produce vastly higher arrays. In my games I've had to throw 5-6 encounters of APL +1 or greater per day to really challenge my players. However playing through the Carrion Crown AP I've found some encounters meant for the baseline play perfectly well against six optimized 20 point buy characters.
Initiative is HUGE. My players routinely crank their Initiative modifiers through the roof! Its not uncommon for them to Have +8 to +10 at first level.
--Vrocket Launcher Tag
When someone doesn't know what feat to choose, my advice is always the same: when in doubt, take Improved Initiative.
CR is a really trick thing. I kept trying to bring my Round 4 encounter's CR down, as I didn't feel it was CR 11 at all - I ran a playtest myself before submitting. The problem was that the traps kept bumping it up, even though they were circumstancial; based on playtests - my own and the ones reported in the message boards - I'd rate it as a CR9 encounter, tops. But I didn't want to go against the CR table in the Gamemastering section and get dinged for that. :P
EDIT: and summons ARE godly! You can quickly raise your team's APL in a matter of rounds, effectively making any combat easier!