I've been DMing Adventure Paths for a while now and I've always been interested in running my own campaign. I come up with crazy fun ideas but putting it to the test with the math usually discourages me.
My question is, has anyone built their own campaign from start to about 15th level and had fun? How did you make those XP decisions in regard to "filling up" that 10,000 point budget for your five level-1 PC's? What were the percentages spent on monsters, traps, and story awards?
Just, what do I do?
I don't use XP either when I'm running an Adventure Path but, I'd need to refer to CR and some XP budget to create enough encounters of the right level right?
Interestingly enough, I'm retooling an old campaign that I built myself. While I tend to use milestones as well, I still like to calculate the XP for each encounter and have a running total.
Basically, I have a big Excel spreadsheet with a worksheet for every 2 or 3 levels. I split it into chapters like an AP, but whatever works best for you will do. I also use the Slow XP chart. This way if the PCs skip something, or bypass a few encounters, I don't really sweat it. The players tend to level up every other gaming session (or third session), and it seems to be going well.
Yes, compiling Excel spreadsheets on encounters and treasure tables is what I call fun and relaxing.
So for example, if in Chapter 1, I want to go from Level 1 to Level 3, that is 7,500 XP on the slow path per PC, which is 30,000 total XP. I'll then list out columns for Encounter Name, XP, # of encounters (may have more than one orc after all), and total XP. When the total XP is at 30,000, I then plan encounter groups. For example, the PCs may need to overcome an orc outpost. That may consist of 4-5 appropriate encounters. I try to stick to 4-5 because if the PCs mess up and the whole complex comes down on their heads then they have an epic but survivable (barely) encounter.
I also make another Excel sheet for treasure and in a similar manner, calculate the total I want to give and split accordingly among types of treasure.
I'll stop before this gets much longer, but I hope this is helpful.
I don't use XP either when I'm running an Adventure Path but, I'd need to refer to CR and some XP budget to create enough encounters of the right level right?
Once you have an encounter idea that you like, sum up the total XP and compare it to the experience awards table. That gives you a very rough idea of how tough the fight should be.
Seriously though, don't feel too constrained to the CR tables. You have to take into account your PC's optimisation level, the particular tactics employed by the creatures in the encounter and how well the PCs can handle them, and the environment when you are designing an encounter. The CR numbers only get you in the ball park of an appropriate encounter. You will have to use your own judgement to do better than that, so there is little point in following the CR rules slavishly.
As for how much should be for traps, creatures or other stuff, this could vary wildly depending on campaign. An intrigue heavy social campaign could mostly give non-combat encounter XP. An adventure involving tomb raiding will be a mix of traps and creatures. An adventure that involves hunting down monsters will be mostly just creatures. This would be up to you based on what sort of campaign you are running.
If you wish to go more loosely, just plan 4 to 5 encounters as I mentioned above that are CR appropriate. Use those as a group of encounters that would probably be confronted before a rest period is available (roughly). Obviously, this will vary by group. Figure out a period of game time that seems to be agreeable to your players and yourself for when leveling up seems appropriate. My games are more combat focused so we tend to complete 3 or 4 encounter groups (12 CR appropriate encounters) in one four hour session. As such we tend to level up 2nd or 3rd gaming session.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I've been DMing Adventure Paths for a while now and I've always been interested in running my own campaign. I come up with crazy fun ideas but putting it to the test with the math usually discourages me.
My question is, has anyone built their own campaign from start to about 15th level and had fun? How did you make those XP decisions in regard to "filling up" that 10,000 point budget for your five level-1 PC's? What were the percentages spent on monsters, traps, and story awards?
Just, what do I do?
I completely ignore CR and XP and all that noise. I build npcs the way that makes sense, then, they interact with the PCs that make sense. If the scene would have 5 Ogres in it, there are 5 Ogres and it doesn't matter that the PCs are level 15 or 2 or anything in between. If they're 2, I sure hope they run or try and talk.
I pretty much just run sandboxes, so, fidelity to the setting is more important than getting the "correct" level of challenge.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I've been DMing Adventure Paths for a while now and I've always been interested in running my own campaign. I come up with crazy fun ideas but putting it to the test with the math usually discourages me.
My question is, has anyone built their own campaign from start to about 15th level and had fun? How did you make those XP decisions in regard to "filling up" that 10,000 point budget for your five level-1 PC's? What were the percentages spent on monsters, traps, and story awards?
Just, what do I do?
If you've been running the AP's, then you have been looking at it the whole time, but you're only seeing the mechanics.
It's all about the story. Write the story first, from beginning to end, not the details but the plot and major events. Decide on where the characters should level up in the story, maybe a chapter or two per level (the milestones), and then go back and flesh out the individual encounters, the details of the NPC's, the background settings and the treasure. Use the AP's as a guide. Ignore wealth by level if it doesn't make sense to your story.
The story is what you play; it's why you play.
|
I've been DMing Adventure Paths for a while now and I've always been interested in running my own campaign. I come up with crazy fun ideas but putting it to the test with the math usually discourages me.
My question is, has anyone built their own campaign from start to about 15th level and had fun? How did you make those XP decisions in regard to "filling up" that 10,000 point budget for your five level-1 PC's? What were the percentages spent on monsters, traps, and story awards?
Just, what do I do?
I completely ignore CR and XP and all that noise. I build npcs the way that makes sense, then, they interact with the PCs that make sense. If the scene would have 5 Ogres in it, there are 5 Ogres and it doesn't matter that the PCs are level 15 or 2 or anything in between. If they're 2, I sure hope they run or try and talk.
I pretty much just run sandboxes, so, fidelity to the setting is more important than getting the "correct" level of challenge.
I agree with this, while I will have encounters for all levels as suits I don't agree with the weird idea that really bad monsters will avoid the PC's because they are to low level. I like my players to get an idea of being "in the world" and not "are the world" when designing a campaign. As long as you don't unfairly spring 5 Ogres on a 2nd level party I'm all for it. Then if the players are stupid enough... Well I'm sure stories will be written about them by some bard.
I'm sure Red Dragons don't fly around looking for level appropriate PC's before deciding what lands to terrorize!
CR is useful to determine basic power level disparity between your own encounters.
For running your own game, try to have a basic outline of the story made for one or two weeks in advance.
The best part about running your own game is controlling the loot and overall power level acquirable by the players.
Typically, building challenges with appropriate NPC WBL, or appropriate treasure by encounter yields appropriate wealth and challenges for the characters.
I've been DMing Adventure Paths for a while now and I've always been interested in running my own campaign. I come up with crazy fun ideas but putting it to the test with the math usually discourages me.
My question is, has anyone built their own campaign from start to about 15th level and had fun? How did you make those XP decisions in regard to "filling up" that 10,000 point budget for your five level-1 PC's? What were the percentages spent on monsters, traps, and story awards?
Just, what do I do?
I completely ignore CR and XP and all that noise. I build npcs the way that makes sense, then, they interact with the PCs that make sense. If the scene would have 5 Ogres in it, there are 5 Ogres and it doesn't matter that the PCs are level 15 or 2 or anything in between. If they're 2, I sure hope they run or try and talk.
I pretty much just run sandboxes, so, fidelity to the setting is more important than getting the "correct" level of challenge.
I agree with this, while I will have encounters for all levels as suits I don't agree with the weird idea that really bad monsters will avoid the PC's because they are to low level. I like my players to get an idea of being "in the world" and not "are the world" when designing a campaign. As long as you don't unfairly spring 5 Ogres on a 2nd level party I'm all for it. Then if the players are stupid enough... Well I'm sure stories will be written about them by some bard.
I'm sure Red Dragons don't fly around looking for level appropriate PC's before deciding what lands to terrorize!
If you feel like doing this then you have to be aware that almost anything that is likely to kill the party in combat is also capable of chasing the party down right up until the party gets teleport capabilities.
If you decide to throw a CR9 Vrock at a level 2 party you are looking at a TPK, and no, retreating is not an option because it has a 50ft fly(average) move speed.
Having the party meet an ancient dragon is ok so long as you don't actually expect the party to fight the dragon and clearly give the PCs other options. Of course, if they aren't fighting the dragon then it isn't a combat encounter and the CR is irrelevant. If you expect the PCs to talk to the dragon and do something for it or else die the PCs might also rightly complain that putting a blatantly level inappropriate creature in front of them and using it to make them do things is the worst form of railroading.
Even the 5 ogres mentioned above move 30 feet normally, 40 feet unarmored. A dwarf or somebody in medium or heavy armor isn't going to even maintain distance from that, let alone outrun it.
EDIT: I actually wouldn't necessarily consider the dragon demands thing above railroading... the Dragon can make the demands it wants, that doesn't mean the party will keep their commitment to an evil monster.
Depends on whether the party can actually expect to be able to survive failing to keep their commitment.
If the dragon threatens to set the party's home town on fire if they don't do what the dragon says (and the party can't find a way around this) I would also consider that railroading.
In essence, presenting the party with two or more options is not meaningfully different to giving the party one option if all but one of the options are atrociously bad (e.g. do this for me,die right now or watch your family, friends and home town burn).
You do raise a good point. I was thinking more along the lines of the Dragon issues a quest and then goes to chill in his layer between hunts without worrying about it too much. If he notices them again after 'too much time' has past he'll land to 'deal with them' and... considering a dragon's sense of time... they very well may be able to fight back or at least teleport to safety by that time.
If enough time passes for them to be able to teleport from level 2 the dragon must have a *really* odd sense of time.
Either that or it's one of those Tippyish "Nobody to God in with a month of adventuring" type scenarios.
I find the lack of Excel love in this thread disturbing. You're not having fun unless your crunching numbers.