Siema Johnn,
A brand new RPT GM emailed me and stated one thing that triggered a thought of how you can higher stability your encounters.
Right here’s a snippet of his e mail:
“The guild offers them a simple base of operations and gives a easy approach of providing up quests on a job board.
It’s been going very well, however I’m on the point of introduce a bit extra complexity into the story within the type of a lethal conspiracy that they’re about to stumble into.
They only discovered a secret passage within the sewers whereas finishing their newest job, and it’s going to result in a severe encounter that I’m unsure I’ve balanced correctly.
We’ll see the way it goes and I may need to fudge some enemy hit factors right here and there to get them by way of it nevertheless it ought to at the very least be enjoyable.”
I Keep away from Fudging
Today I don’t fudge. I roll all my cube within the open (apart from ability and sense checks whose outcomes would spoil the drama) and run stuff as-is from my notes.
For long-term campaigns, I imagine such consistency maintains participant belief and provides PCs extra choices in the long term. Nice for sandbox video games.
I additionally assume encounter stability is extra sorcery than science. There are over a dozen methods a preset encounter could possibly be thrown off-balance.
For instance, if PCs are closely wounded versus absolutely rested. One other instance is that if the participant who’s obtained the smooth-talking PC can’t make the session.
Most encounters can’t be created prematurely with confidence over issues like character sources, participant attendance, break up events, silly choices, and session pacing.
Now, after I say I don’t fudge, I imply the sport stats. I simply don’t sweat the numbers anymore.
As a substitute, I make the story dynamic. Which is the purpose of at the moment’s Musing.
Steadiness Encounters With Story As a substitute of Numbers
Don’t fear about fudging enemy hit factors. It results in scripting. Come at it from the opposite finish, as an alternative.
If the character lose, allow them to lose. And use the loss to open up extra gameplay.
One superior approach to do that is thru enemy missions.
Keep in mind the Fight Missions tip?
Give monsters and enemies fight missions too.
A Rogue Instance
For instance, the occasion crawls the sewers and comes upon a thieves’ guild safehouse. There’s a lookout lurking exterior, two guards contained in the door on alert, and three thieves simply again from a job and hiding from looking out guards above.
Let’s say the occasion has depleted half their sources. Spells, miracles, stunts, boons, and whatnot.
The six thieves’ guild members are too powerful for the 4 PCs. Gamers don’t spot the lookout and don’t know what’s behind the mysterious secret door, nevertheless, so that they enter.
Some nice preliminary choices to vary your story on-the-fly to make the encounter extra even is perhaps:
- The lookout warns her comrades and runs away to get assist
- The thieves are winded and wounded from their heist
- The guards are dumb and make unhealthy decisions that put them at drawback
So let’s say you tweak your story to even issues up a bit and the characters nonetheless lose.
No drawback. The thieves don’t wish to struggle to the dying. Most foes wouldn’t.
Who desires dying on their conscience the remainder of their life?
Who desires lifeless weight our bodies to cope with?
Who desires their residence, lair, or hideout splattered with gore that’s gonna stink and entice consideration?
So no, the thieves select to make use of non-lethal injury as every PC goes down. As a substitute, capturing the PCs may get them a reward with the boss. Or ransom cash. Or new pawns. Possibly some vital data.
Now we’ve obtained superior grist for additional journey!
Momentary setbacks make for extra thrilling gameplay than all the time letting characters win.
Let choices and cube roll the place they could. You’re taking part in an infinite recreation. And foe missions allow you to do this.
One other Group of Free NPCs
Noah at FreeNPC has reached 50 NPCs! An important feat, Noah, thanks.
New to the stream are:
Silverback, Hobgoblin Bounty Hunter
Raphine Cordaye, Half-Elf Druid
Moriah Elsene, Air Sagani Bard
Dargado Kavarothenai, Goliath Druid
Harkova Brieaer, Avestan Fighter
Yow will discover, type, and filter all 50 NPCs right here on Noah’s Stream. Marketing campaign Logger subscribers, you may get all 50 NPCs right here and import them into your Campaigns.
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