Yeah, I kind of want to make a homebrew campaign, and I have a good chunk of statistics down-but I'm not sure how to make the pattern of encounters...correctly. I'm sorry if I'm confusing everyone-what I'm saying is that I don't know how to make the pattern of enemies, and I want to make sure that I don't want to have the PCs encounter nothing but barbarians then go up against a young dragon.
All advice will be more than helpful.
Well, what I do is make a list of opponants and obstacles the PCs could possibly face in the given area, and put them where they'd make sense in the context of the quest. It helps me keep the variety, and it helps the players believe there's some sort of ecosystem or tactic to everything. Hope this helps.
Well, what I do is make a list of opponants and obstacles the PCs could possibly face in the given area, and put them where they'd make sense in the context of the quest. It helps me keep the variety, and it helps the players believe there's some sort of ecosystem or tactic to everything. Hope this helps.
It does. I've started on that, but I'm not quite sure how to follow a level-up pattern. I'm starting at 1st level and possibly ending on 7th or 8th level...
Not to mention that I also created an entire new region-don't worry, it's an island. A large island-one that's been settled for only a couple hundred years, but it's already getting some attention from other regions.
Well, the level-up pattern has mostly to do with how long you want your game to last, or your monsters stay relevent (goblins are only 'dangerous' as long as you stay in early levels). Last campaign I was a player in had the level-up rate lengthened to having to gain twice the experience. It turned into an epic, and the GM was able to cover a lot of the CR specific monsters before we outgrew them because of it. You could either use different monsters or give the ones you got class levels or templates.
Also, kudos for making your own region and adding your own story to it. Stuff like that really makes a campaign feel unique.
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Well, the level-up pattern has mostly to do with how long you want your game to last, or your monsters stay relevent (goblins are only 'dangerous' as long as you stay in early levels). Last campaign I was a player in had the level-up rate lengthened to having to gain twice the experience. It turned into an epic, and the GM was able to cover a lot of the CR specific monsters before we outgrew them because of it. You could either use different monsters or give the ones you got class levels or templates.
Also, kudos for making your own region and adding your own story to it. Stuff like that really makes a campaign feel unique.
Hmm...I'm gonna have to look at something like Rise of the Runelords as just a template...
Thanks. The campaign I wanna make is loosely based off of the story of The Last Unicorn, and I don't really wanna spoil too much-except that there aren't any unicorns involved.
EDIT: I did have a main threat-it won't be the final boss, but it will be quite high leveled. I'm not quite sure how to make it a powerful threat without making it the final boss. If there's a way I can tell ya without spoilers...
Well... in one of my campaigns, one of the penultimate fights was a humungous dragon which could have easily been the final boss, it had been plaguing us PCs for a long time by now, and the final boss was a human, from whome the dragon was working with. To make the human shine more, the dragon was taken out with the aid of cannons, a flying ship, and a squad of archers. The human was a more personal fight without any aid, that allowed the human to still be more powerful (granted, stats-wise, he WAS more powerful). So, my advice is that something like your powerful main threat can be taken down in a less conventional way than the true boss. Hope this helps, if at all.
If there's a way I can tell ya without spoilers...
If you don't want your players reading it, you can send a private message. Or, if you trust your players you could post things in a spoiler tag.
Being specific will get you better advice :)
If there's a way I can tell ya without spoilers...If you don't want your players reading it, you can send a private message. Or, if you trust your players you could post things in a spoiler tag.
Being specific will get you better advice :)
I was gonna ask for someone who's made homebrews if I can post what I got so far through private messaging, but I'm just not sure who can/wants to is all.
And yeah, I'll try to be a bit more specific.
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You need to make your own personal story.
This short advice is crucial unless you are playing an AP. The story needs to react to somehow involve characters into it, and how exactly, is up to you. Often enough, it's easiest to simply involve PC's through some combat activity. The story also needs to evolve constantly or the game will become stale and boring. Killing random monsters becomes fun only up to a certain point so make sure to keep several active quests for players.
Here is the tricky part, do not put huge aspect on combat. Try avoid combat here and there by trying to roleplay with NPCs, maybe make a session which only revolves around skill checks and roleplay. The expectations of combat encounters will make them even more desired that way. That's the best part of it! The opposite is also true, if you force combat constantly, it will eventually become only a mechanical kill/slash game with little expectations besides that.
Adam
You need to make your own personal story.
This short advice is crucial unless you are playing an AP. The story needs to react to somehow involve characters into it, and how exactly, is up to you. Often enough, it's easiest to simply involve PC's through some combat activity. The story also needs to evolve constantly or the game will become stale and boring. Killing random monsters becomes fun only up to a certain point so make sure to keep several active quests for players.
Here is the tricky part, do not put huge aspect on combat. Try avoid combat here and there by trying to roleplay with NPCs, maybe make a session which only revolves around skill checks and roleplay. The expectations of combat encounters will make them even more desired that way. That's the best part of it! The opposite is also true, if you force combat constantly, it will eventually become only a mechanical kill/slash game with little expectations besides that.
Adam
Thank you. This advice will be more than helpful. :)
I've been homebrewing campaigns across systems for the better part of 15 years (20, if I count those few high school games). I would love to check out what you've got. Word of warning, though -- my responses may be several days behind: I'm not on the boards all that often.
I've been homebrewing campaigns across systems for the better part of 15 years (20, if I count those few high school games). I would love to check out what you've got. Word of warning, though -- my responses may be several days behind: I'm not on the boards all that often.
Okay then. You want me to send what I got through a private message?
And don't worry. I usually don't get on the forums for more than once every couple of days.
Crunch the numbers to see how much XP it will take to get the PCs to your final confrontation at the desired level and challenge. Work your way down from there, building XP budgets for encounters and such for each level of advancement. Once you know how tough you want the fights to be at each point, *then* fill in the gaps with the necessary story to justify WHY the PCs are involved in that certain way at that certain point (try to have a solid understanding of your players'/characters' motivations to help with that!!).
Spoiler Alert: My Players Skip This! (I *do* trust mine!)
Top-down progression for combat encounters in a portion of my forthcoming campaign, by level:
-->5: party defeats a kobold clan and their baby dragon-god
Story hook: kobolds kidnapped an ally's daughter during a supply run
-->4: Solo encounter per character (huge test) to finish 3rd level; eliminate cult responsible for multiple kidnappings and murders in the area (party member is part of the local constabulary)
Story hooks: ties to all personal narratives; sometimes evil just has to be put down
-->3: ongoing conflict with tribespeople disturbing the peace; seemingly random incursions by extraplanar beings; overactivity of thieves (guild?) in the district
Story hooks: local businesspersons calling for action regarding the tribesmen's disruptive behavior; arcane PC looking for a discovery/event to study and resolve to gain entrance to elite scholastic organization; orphans and poor in the district slum hero-worshiping one of the PCs
-->2: less about combat and more story XP awards for character exposition and integration -- PC 1 receives commission as district warden after predecessor killed in lone combat vs tribal ringleader/bully; PC 2 notified of rejection for application of admission to scholastic organization; PC 3 notified of forthcoming eviction for squatting on an abandoned residence; PC 4 . . . Well, he hasn't given me much information to work with yet, so that'll be cobbled together later.
Boiled down: Malag's right -- make the story your own. Help your players make it their characters', too. Integrate as much as possible. Ask what things they'd like to see their characters achieve, and weave that into the backdrop of the primary tension of the campaign.
Sure. Send all the messages you like.
Crunch the numbers to see how much XP it will take to get the PCs to your final confrontation at the desired level and challenge. Work your way down from there, building XP budgets for encounters and such for each level of advancement. Once you know how tough you want the fights to be at each point, *then* fill in the gaps with the necessary story to justify WHY the PCs are involved in that certain way at that certain point (try to have a solid understanding of your players'/characters' motivations to help with that!!).
Spoiler Alert: My Players Skip This! (I *do* trust mine!)
Top-down progression for combat encounters in a portion of my forthcoming campaign, by level:
-->5: party defeats a kobold clan and their baby dragon-god
Story hook: kobolds kidnapped an ally's daughter during a supply run
-->4: Solo encounter per character (huge test) to finish 3rd level; eliminate cult responsible for multiple kidnappings and murders in the area (party member is part of the local constabulary)
Story hooks: ties to all personal narratives; sometimes evil just has to be put down
-->3: ongoing conflict with tribespeople disturbing the peace; seemingly random incursions by extraplanar beings; overactivity of thieves (guild?) in the district
Story hooks: local businesspersons calling for action regarding the tribesmen's disruptive behavior; arcane PC looking for a discovery/event to study and resolve to gain entrance to elite scholastic organization; orphans and poor in the district slum hero-worshiping one of the PCs
-->2: less about combat and more story XP awards for character exposition and integration -- PC 1 receives commission as district warden after predecessor killed in lone combat vs tribal ringleader/bully; PC 2 notified of rejection for application of admission to scholastic organization; PC 3 notified of forthcoming eviction for squatting on an abandoned residence; PC 4 . . . Well, he hasn't given me much information to work with yet, so that'll be cobbled together later.Boiled down:...
Hmm...I think I get it. Start with more story development, then try to integrate the story with some key battle encounters?
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I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "the pattern" of enemies... but i'll try to answer anyway.
if you are worried about ...throwing easy encounters, then one that is too hard then..
There is a CR listed for each monster in its description, that will give you a rough idea of how powerful a creature to throw for each party. and there are rules for how to calculate that for a group of enemies in the main book. Try to find monsters that are both appropriate for the terrain and place you are in and in the CR range that your party can handle.
if you are asking about what order of difficulty to put the fights in...
For a given session I try to use (CR + 2 or +3) for the first encounter, (cr +2 or +3) for the second then cr+4... that way they get to feel powerful for a couple encounters then are really challenged more by the final encounter..
CR isn't terribly accurate, but it gives you a place to start. You will eventually learn by trial and error what monster constitute a decent challenge
If you are asking what monsters to throw...i think its good to throw a variety of monsters. It gets tedious for players to fight the same thing over and over again also the monsters should make sense to be in that area. but.. You shouldn't have an otyugh in the bar or dire tigers walking alone down the street in the middle of the city unless there is a reason for them to be there.
or for your example .. I think it would be perfectly fine for you to be fighting a number of low level barbarians only to find out that they have a wormling dragon that they have been feeding and worshiping as a god.
As long as the encounters are in a reasonable range .. I wouldn't worry so much about that .. The most memorable fights tend to be the ones that go down to the wire between life and death.
A bigger issue for new dms is letting campaigns get out of balance...
because
... you gave out too much treasure or one item is unbalanced
... one pc becomes too powerful and half the table is bored
another common mistake is to take it personally when your players ruin your careful plans... It will happen
let it go..
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@KoolKobold
That seems about right.
My homebrew campaign started for example with party waking up in a very high tree house. They were left alone for some time to familiarize themselves with each other and maybe roleplay [plot moment why party is together]. The main initial plot hook was their loss of memory. Soon after it, they spoke with the elves who found them and some of them suggested going back to the site where they found them [short and simple story hook]. After they visited the site, they had a sudden vision of the past where they escaped several wagons filled with people in it [combat encounter where PC's fought, but couldn't die]. That was the initial session which I came up with.
It's kind of expected but may vary, that battle encounters are present 40-60% of session time. It may also depend on your group's preference.
Regarding XP, in most group's so far, we have ditched it. In a long campaign, people dislike tracking it and it's simpler for GM and players to say when they gained level.
I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "the pattern" of enemies... but i'll try to answer anyway.
if you are worried about ...throwing easy encounters, then one that is too hard then..
There is a CR listed for each monster in its description, that will give you a rough idea of how powerful a creature to throw for each party. and there are rules for how to calculate that for a group of enemies in the main book. Try to find monsters that are both appropriate for the terrain and place you are in and in the CR range that your party can handle.if you are asking about what order of difficulty to put the fights in...
For a given session I try to use (CR + 2 or +3) for the first encounter, (cr +2 or +3) for the second then cr+4... that way they get to feel powerful for a couple encounters then are really challenged more by the final encounter..
CR isn't terribly accurate, but it gives you a place to start. You will eventually learn by trial and error what monster constitute a decent challengeIf you are asking what monsters to throw...i think its good to throw a variety of monsters. It gets tedious for players to fight the same thing over and over again also the monsters should make sense to be in that area. but.. You shouldn't have an otyugh in the bar or dire tigers walking alone down the street in the middle of the city unless there is a reason for them to be there.
or for your example .. I think it would be perfectly fine for you to be fighting a number of low level barbarians only to find out that they have a wormling dragon that they have been feeding and worshiping as a god.As long as the encounters are in a reasonable range .. I wouldn't worry so much about that .. The most memorable fights tend to be the ones that go down to the wire between life and death.
A bigger issue for new dms is letting campaigns get out of balance...
because
... you gave out too much treasure or one item is unbalanced
... one pc becomes too powerful and half the table is boredanother common mistake is to take it personally when your players ruin your careful plans... It will happen
let it go.
I'm loosely familiar with CR, and I can figure out which enemies will be the best to choose from in both CR and environment. Thanks!
@KoolKobold
That seems about right.
My homebrew campaign started for example with party waking up in a very high tree house. They were left alone for some time to familiarize themselves with each other and maybe roleplay [plot moment why party is together]. The main initial plot hook was their loss of memory. Soon after it, they spoke with the elves who found them and some of them suggested going back to the site where they found them [short and simple story hook]. After they visited the site, they had a sudden vision of the past where they escaped several wagons filled with people in it [combat encounter where PC's fought, but couldn't die]. That was the initial session which I came up with.
It's kind of expected but may vary, that battle encounters are present 40-60% of session time. It may also depend on your group's preference.
Regarding XP, in most group's so far, we have ditched it. In a long campaign, people dislike tracking it and it's simpler for GM and players to say when they gained level.
Ah. I guess I'll allow the PCs to simply just RP for a bit (not only to get into character and to get to know one another, but to set up the theme slightly).
And as for XP, I have heard that most DMs/GMs are simply allowing PCs to level up when they think it's appropriate. Problem is...I'm not quite sure how to do that without making the PCs level up too early/too late...But I guess I can figure that out...
Not necessarily *exactly* that way, but incorporating all of it will provide a richer experience, I think.
Put 'em through the grinder at levels 1 and 2, and then let them start to sort things out at 3rd, perhaps. Or just go with a balanced approach from the very beginning. Story XP can be awarded as simply as being based off of the interactions with the necessary NPCs.
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@KoolKobold
For planning encounters, I suggest the following steps:
- First session, pull your group through 2-3 short combat encounters. The CR of these encounters should be CR or CR +1. The objective is to put several easy encounters to make your PCs feel strong. It's about the feeling here, so do what you think is right. If everyone is enjoying it, you aren't doing it wrong.
- When planning encounters or even choosing tougher fights (CR +2 or +3) consider picking more easy to kill opponents then a single hard to kill opponent. When you pick more opponents for the same CR, your PCs will feel better in combat because each PC will feel like contributing, even if they killed but a single goblin. More opponents means also having more options for you as a GM during the combat. There is however limit at higher levels when this tactic might prove to be ineffective.
- If it's a standalone encounter during a single day always put it at higher CR (CR +2 or higher). PCs tend to go "nova" on those types of encounters.
- Keep in mind that PCs are very delicate bunch at lv1. Let them get through that first level without much trouble.
There is really a bunch of advice to say, but that's a few more general tips regarding encounters.
Not necessarily *exactly* that way, but incorporating all of it will provide a richer experience, I think.
Put 'em through the grinder at levels 1 and 2, and then let them start to sort things out at 3rd, perhaps. Or just go with a balanced approach from the very beginning. Story XP can be awarded as simply as being based off of the interactions with the necessary NPCs.
I see. I think I can balance out story interaction/RP interaction with grinding at the first 2 levels...
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And as for XP, I have heard that most DMs/GMs are simply allowing PCs to level up when they think it's appropriate. Problem is...I'm not quite sure how to do that without making the PCs level up too early/too late...But I guess I can figure that out...
If you are new, you can choose a slow or normal XP gain. For me personally, I always felt that slow XP gain is right, otherwise PCs level up too fast.
And as for XP, I have heard that most DMs/GMs are simply allowing PCs to level up when they think it's appropriate. Problem is...I'm not quite sure how to do that without making the PCs level up too early/too late...But I guess I can figure that out...If you are new, you can choose a slow or normal XP gain. For me personally, I always felt that slow XP gain is right, otherwise PCs level up too fast.
I guess I'll work with slow XP gain. Sounds like it'll work in my favor.
Also...I'm not entirely familiar with melee combat rules (as I've played either a wizard or ranger with a longbow-aka long ranged combat), but I have the rules and I can read over them.
@KoolKobold
Read through the entire combat section. That's the most important part. Rest of it, you can familiarize yourself as you play.
Alrighty then. Thanks!
If I need anymore advice I'll just say so. But so far I think I'm good.
Okay, I wanted to edit on the last post, but since I can't...I got one more thing to address.
I have an NPC who will be of importance during the latter half of my campaign. Although there are a few things I'm gonna have to figure out, my main concern is this:
How exactly do I make sure that this NPC does not outshine the PCs, yet still keep her (yes, her) as something of importance to the PCs?
Well, the level-up pattern has mostly to do with how long you want your game to last, or your monsters stay relevent (goblins are only 'dangerous' as long as you stay in early levels). Last campaign I was a player in had the level-up rate lengthened to having to gain twice the experience. It turned into an epic, and the GM was able to cover a lot of the CR specific monsters before we outgrew them because of it. You could either use different monsters or give the ones you got class levels or templates.
Also, kudos for making your own region and adding your own story to it. Stuff like that really makes a campaign feel unique.
Hmm...I'm gonna have to look at something like Rise of the Runelords as just a template...
Thanks. The campaign I wanna make is loosely based off of the story of The Last Unicorn, and I don't really wanna spoil too much-except that there aren't any unicorns involved.
EDIT: I did have a main threat-it won't be the final boss, but it will be quite high leveled. I'm not quite sure how to make it a powerful threat without making it the final boss. If there's a way I can tell ya without spoilers...
The Last Unicorn is one of my all time favorite animated films. That sounds like a fun idea.
There is a nice simple post on wiki-how about designing dungeons that works well as a generic adventure design template.
Raging Swan Press offers a great PDF called Be Awesome At Dungeon Design for free. You can download it right here on Paizo.com.
Best of luck working out your new campaign!
How exactly do I make sure that this NPC does not outshine the PCs, yet still keep her (yes, her) as something of importance to the PCs?
This is often called the "Elminster Syndrome", and is a very real concern, as players shouldn't be made to feel like c-level heroes in their own campaign. What I do with my NPCs to avoid this problem is limit their amount of interaction with the players. They will only fight alongside the party against a much more powerful enemy, but preferably not at all.
I usually send them away on a secret mission like Gandalf to Dol Guldur to give the players a chance to save the day without their mentor's aid. This keeps them in the campaign but off in the distance to not overshadow the young heroes.
These are just a couple tactics that I try. Of course, you'll find what works for you. You'll figure it out as you play it out.
How exactly do I make sure that this NPC does not outshine the PCs, yet still keep her (yes, her) as something of importance to the PCs?This is often called the "Elminster Syndrome", and is a very real concern, as players shouldn't be made to feel like c-level heroes in their own campaign. What I do with my NPCs to avoid this problem is limit their amount of interaction with the players. They will only fight alongside the party against a much more powerful enemy, but preferably not at all.
I usually send them away on a secret mission like Gandalf to Dol Guldur to give the players a chance to save the day without their mentor's aid. This keeps them in the campaign but off in the distance to not overshadow the young heroes.
These are just a couple tactics that I try. Of course, you'll find what works for you. You'll figure it out as you play it out.
I honestly had a couple of NPCs designed for a boss battle that the PCs themselves would have immense difficulty fighting. But there's another NPC that I wanted to use-one that isn't so good at fighting, and...is necessary for a crucial story point (like stopping the damn from flowing in the 3rd Adventure of Rise of the Runelords). I wanted to know how to get a character like her in the story without having the story rely on her...
Again I'd hate to double post, but since I can't edit the last post...
I've gotten up the statistics for a few iconic/important enemies written down-but I have no idea if they're correct, underpowered, or even overpowered. If anyone wants to help me, I'll gladly send you the statistics.
I wanted to know how to get a character like her in the story without having the story rely on her...
I think that's exactly what you want to do -- make sure the PCs know that that character is there, and that they can beg her to consult with them for a very short period of time on one specific problem -- but there's nothing forcing them to do so.
That way, they're still the ones calling the shots, as far as the campaign goes. If they do decide to pull her in and it makes solving one problem easier, that's fine, they can then turn their attention to other matters, and she goes back to doing whatever she was doing. But the campaign shouldn't end or become derailed if they decide not to enlist her aid.
If the only solution to major campaign issues is "let this NPC handle it," then the PCs stop being the stars, which is what you want to avoid.
I think that's exactly what you want to do -- make sure the PCs know that that character is there, and that they can beg her to consult with them for a very short period of time on one specific problem -- but there's nothing forcing them to do so.
That way, they're still the ones calling the shots, as far as the campaign goes. If they do decide to pull her in and it makes solving one problem easier, that's fine, they can then turn their attention to other matters, and she goes back to doing whatever she was doing. But the campaign shouldn't end or become derailed if they decide not to enlist her aid.
If the only solution to major campaign issues is "let this NPC handle it," then the PCs stop being the stars, which is what you want to avoid.
Hmm...I think I understand. You're saying to make her optional, yet the campaign will take a slightly different turn if they don't enlist her help? I think I can work that around...
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Hmm...I think I understand. You're saying to make her optional, yet the campaign will take a slightly different turn if they don't enlist her help? I think I can work that around...
More or less, with emphasis on the "optional." I'd make her an easy "win" button for one specific problem or scenario -- one which is NOT central to the campaign. Whatever that problem/scenario is, there should be other ways of dealing with it, but they're all a lot more difficult/dangerous.
What you want to avoid at all costs is a scenario in which "you must get this NPC's help or the entire campaign stops." In fact, I find that's pretty good general advice -- avoid insisting on there being only one solution to a given problem or obstacle.
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I'm just going to give a few bits of advice
1. Don't be afraid to try anything for fear of screwing it up. Try it! If something about it doesn't work out, then scrap what isn't working, and salvage what does work.
2. Don't ever let the rules get in the way of a good idea. The rules are suggestions that can and should be completely ignored if you think not following them will make something more fun / memorable / scary / amazing / entertaining in some way.
I'm just going to give a few bits of advice
1. Don't be afraid to try anything for fear of screwing it up. Try it! If something about it doesn't work out, then scrap what isn't working, and salvage what does work.
2. Don't ever let the rules get in the way of a good idea. The rules are suggestions that can and should be completely ignored if you think not following them will make something more fun / memorable / scary / amazing / entertaining in some way.
Thank you man!
More or less, with emphasis on the "optional." I'd make her an easy "win" button for one specific problem or scenario -- one which is NOT central to the campaign. Whatever that problem/scenario is, there should be other ways of dealing with it, but they're all a lot more difficult/dangerous.
What you want to avoid at all costs is a scenario in which "you must get this NPC's help or the entire campaign stops." In fact, I find that's pretty good general advice -- avoid insisting on there being only one solution to a given problem or obstacle.
Right. I'll find a way for her (and maybe a couple other NPCs) to be helpful in specific missions, and give them some character development WITHOUT getting in the way of making the PCs important?
Also, I've been wondering about APL-I have someone helping me out with choosing the best APLs for my enemies, and he said the final boss should be an APL of 7-8 to make it challenging (at the least; I may make it higher), but he said that he needs "croonies" for the action economy to be more than one NPC vs 4-6 PCs. Any ideas on what these croonies could be?
What you're showing on your final boss spoiler in that last post is only a CR 10 or 11 -- definitely a fight for a level 6 or 7 party.
How many players *do* you have in this campaign? That information would play a huge determining factor in all this.
And given that you're looking at having the party engage the BBEG at somewhere between levels 6 to 8, it seems to me that a caster/DPR combo of henchmen would be fitting. The master villain's vizier and bodyguard, if you will. The bodyguard can set flanks for the boss man and help shield the caster; if that caster drops a haste spell followed by a fireball . . . . Whew! Hope they've got a paladin!!
So level 5 on the henchmen, to clarify . . . . lol
I'll find a way for her (and maybe a couple other NPCs) to be helpful in specific missions, and give them some character development WITHOUT getting in the way of making the PCs important?
I'd make them useful for certain things when you stat them up, and let the party know they're available, but do NOT have them tag along on anything unless the players specifically decide to go get them and ask them along. It needs to be the PCs' decision when to ask for help, and from whom -- otherwise the PCs end up as the NPCs' sidekicks, instead it being the other way around.
What you're showing on your final boss spoiler in that last post is only a CR 10 or 11 -- definitely a fight for a level 6 or 7 party.
How many players *do* you have in this campaign? That information would play a huge determining factor in all this.
And given that you're looking at having the party engage the BBEG at somewhere between levels 6 to 8, it seems to me that a caster/DPR combo of henchmen would be fitting. The master villain's vizier and bodyguard, if you will. The bodyguard can set flanks for the boss man and help shield the caster; if that caster drops a haste spell followed by a fireball . . . . Whew! Hope they've got a paladin!!
By "level 6 or 7 party" do you mean APL or the levels of all the players?
I plan to have no more than 5 to 6 players in this campaign, but definitely no more than 4.
I'd make them useful for certain things when you stat them up, and let the party know they're available, but do NOT have them tag along on anything unless the players specifically decide to go get them and ask them along. It needs to be the PCs' decision when to ask for help, and from whom -- otherwise the PCs end up as the NPCs' sidekicks, instead it being the other way around.
Hmm...Right then. I'll see to it that this happens. Thanks!
By "level 6 or 7 party" do you mean APL or the levels of all the players?
APL is the Average Party Level, so yes, that'd be the average level of all the players. However, to keep everything working right, you're supposed to add 1 to it if you have 6 or more players, and subtract 1 from it if you have 3 or less players. (Like all things involving CR, this is not exactly a science, so your results may vary.)
APL is the Average Party Level, so yes, that'd be the average level of all the players. However, to keep everything working right, you're supposed to add 1 to it if you have 6 or more players, and subtract 1 from it if you have 3 or less players. (Like all things involving CR, this is not exactly a science, so your results may vary.)
Ah, right. Thanks! I'm having trouble making APL equal to CR (I know that a challenging encounter is the APL + 1 (or maybe +2), yet I'm having some tough times trying to find the appropriate APL for the final boss)
Keep in mind that if you're using Rise of the Runelords, I believe that's on the "Fast" experience track by default, so it's going to be faster paced than you might expect.
Really? I thought that it was more of a medium pace campaign...
If you haven't yet, I would strongly suggest the GameMastery Guide.
I have a copy, but I'm getting it mailed to me; I should have it in use in a few days.
Ah, right. Thanks! I'm having trouble making APL equal to CR (I know that a challenging encounter is the APL + 1 (or maybe +2), yet I'm having some tough times trying to find the appropriate APL for the final boss)
I'm not sure I understand.
Are you trying to make the "APL" of the enemies equal the encounter's CR? APL doesn't actually mean anything for the enemies, it's purely a way of estimating the party's abilities.
Are you having trouble coming up with a group of enemies that are equivalent in CR to the party's APL? One thing you might want to try is using the CR experience as a budget.
So, if your APL is 10 and you want a CR=APL challenge, check the table for a CR 10 monster's experience. That works out to 9600 xp. Maybe you want one strong enemy, and you find one that seems right that happens to be CR 9. That takes 6400 xp from your budget, leaving you with another 3200 xp. Maybe the next appropriate enemy you find is CR 5. That'll take another 1600 xp, so you can have two of them. At that point, you've exhausted your budget, so the encounter is full.
Just be careful not to let any single enemy's CR end up too far below the APL -- otherwise, those enemies may end up being trivial and not really worth the XP they're granting. This is easier to do for more challenging encounters, of course, as those are intended to require more resources to defeat.
I'm not sure I understand.
Are you trying to make the "APL" of the enemies equal the encounter's CR? APL doesn't actually mean anything for the enemies, it's purely a way of estimating the party's abilities.
Are you having trouble coming up with a group of enemies that are equivalent in CR to the party's APL? One thing you might want to try is using the CR experience as a budget.
So, if your APL is 10 and you want a CR=APL challenge, check the table for a CR 10 monster's experience. That works out to 9600 xp. Maybe you want one strong enemy, and you find one that seems right that happens to be CR 9. That takes 6400 xp from your budget, leaving you with another 3200 xp. Maybe the next appropriate enemy you find is CR 5. That'll take another 1600 xp, so you can have two of them. At that point, you've exhausted your budget, so the encounter is full.
Just be careful not to let any single enemy's CR end up too far below the APL -- otherwise, those enemies may end up being trivial and not really worth the XP they're granting. This is easier to do for more challenging encounters, of course, as those are intended to require more resources to defeat.
Ah, okay. Got a bit confused over reading that part in Core Rulebook. Thanks!
Okay, need some help.
I'm designing an animated object that's a stone wolf statue with metal teeth. Though, looking at the choices for the animated object section in the first bestiary, I can't figure out what'll work.
Any advice?