Zaebos's page

I hate to say it, Zaebos, but that kind of math can get a lot of characters killed. Two CR 13 monsters (Glabrezu, let's say) against a group of 6 10th to 11th leve characters is a really nasty challenge, especially as their ACs and Save DCs are callibrated for level 13 characters.

Now, if your party is very well equipped and has high stats and hp, they may well be able to take on such an encounter. But 4 of them in a row, without rest? I'm skeptical.

I think a *much* more accurate (and less lethal) system is to treat the effective party level the same way you'd treat a CR. If the baseline party is 4 characters of the same level, a party of 6 has a +1 EPL, while a party of 8 has a +2 EPL. This means to challenge Zaebos's example party, I would throw four EL 11 encounters at them, not four EL 15 ones.

I can't say that your system is more accurate, however, it is less lethal.

Your system is exactly like how you figure out Encounter Level. A party is not an encounter since they both measure different things.

Encounter Level should expend 20% of the party's resources.

So why would you calculate your party's level the same way?

Dammit, I want new GH books! WotC sucks. :(

I would suggest to you that they are all Greyhawk books that come from WotC. Everything except for the campaign specific books (ie Forgotten Realms) is Greyhawk.

well, since EL (Encounter Level) is not your Party Level, I would be extremely hesitant about using the above method.

Since EL is based on a number of encounters in a given time frame as opposed to a Party Level number that is not, trying to compare the two based on encounters gets into spotty math.

How I do it is basically how the book says, except instead of the average of the party, you divide the total party level by 4.

Example, your party consists of one level 9, three level 10's and two level 11's

You would add up all the levels and divide by 4 since 4 is what your basic average Party Level is. (9+(3*10)+(2*11))/4

you get 15.25 Party Level which means they should be able to deal with 3-4 EL 15 encounters before they need a rest.

It works for me.

No problem, thanks for the prompt reply... :D

hey thanks :D

I've searched and searched in all 3 publications of the city of Istivin, and I can't find on the map point 8, The Gryphon's Arms inn. WHere is it?

In some of the stat blocks there is a 'B' listed besided some feats of the NPC.

Exactly what does that mean?

Dragon? Where did you go?

I miss my dragon. All I see now is filler within Dragons pages since the new format has taken root in the magazine. Articles like 'First Watch' and 'Players Initiative' just don't feel like dragon content. I find my self skipping over many of the articles trying to find something, anything that my players can use.

The 'special feature' articles in this last issues (and the four previous issues), have had precious little content for my players. My players love prestige classes, they enjoy reading the new spells and history of geological locations of Greyhawk and Forgotten Realms, and have a healthy interest in new races.

The entire 'Ecology' column was nice when it came but once in a while. Players really don't need to know the ecology of monsters. I believe that a little mystery is in order for a player to play. Giving away monsters history, physiology and society of monsters is fairly useless to players. Players come to play (hence the name PLAYERS), not to discuss what happens when a Rakshasa reaches puberty. Unless a player wants to play a Rakshasa (I don't know many DM's who would allow this) then why fill the magazine with it?

'Class Acts' do not help my players. I have had my players read those columns and then say, 'This is common sense stuff.' I agree with their assessments. I am hard pressed to find something in 'Class Acts' that is actually helpful. Some of the feats offered help some, but they could have been placed in 'special' articles and not squeezed on a single page.

Finally, I miss the old title. You at Dragon may like it, but it seems you grabbed the first font you found on your 'Photo Shop' program and went with it. The previous title added mystique and flair to the magazine. It begged readers to pick it up and read it. It was creative, unlike your current title.

I can go on about your other articles in the magazine, but I think you get the idea of where I am going with this.

After careful consideration, I have made the somewhat painful decision to discontinue my Dragon Magazine purchases, considering the only useful content I have found in the last four issues has been 'Scale Mail'.