Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Arrowhen 05-10-05, 05:30 PM	How closely do you follow the DMG guidelines for number of encounters per day, ratio of easy to challenging encounters, etc.?
Lord Ian Stark 05-10-05, 05:33 PM	I don't, I just have a story and well if they level too fast or slow...oh well. :)
The Weave05 05-10-05, 05:33 PM	Loosely for the most part. I think it is important at low levels though, to challenge them with somthing a little less dangeruos than an encounter because they can die easily.
Cyra 05-10-05, 05:35 PM	...such guidelines exists?
HyperVyperBeam 05-10-05, 05:38 PM	As far as I can tell, the equation goes something like this: Multiply the CR of each encounter by the level of the party. Divide by the number of characters in the party. Bring this number to the power of the number of encoutners that day. Subtract the party's total hit points, add the encounters average AC, multiply the new number by 72 and divide this number by the sum of the characters combined levels and award the xp based on their wisdom modifier. Not to mention you add +20 paladin modifier. Really now, I find the DM guidelines for encounters super wussy. A party of 4 warriors played by five idiots should be able to handle that. You really need to step it up some, or else just throw away the idea that combat is suposed to be hard. I chose the second. Everyone lives, but they get tortured with drama.
Paradisio 05-10-05, 06:20 PM	What page is this stuff on? I can't seem to find it.
Vharuck 05-10-05, 06:41 PM	I follow it as necessary. I do follow a story and don't even know what encounters will pop up when, but sometimes I tailor the story to include harder or more encounters, so that party balance and limelight-sharing occurs. If the wizard's been showing off lately, I'll create a gauntlet-styled run through maybe 10 small encounters. The fighter will beam with delight. If the fighter's showing off, I'll have one tough encounter the wizard can unload on and feel good about.
gleep 05-10-05, 06:52 PM	I just try to have as many encounters as possible in a session. Seems to work out pretty decently that way. Keeps everyone occupied, at least. :D --gleep
bjorntfh 05-10-05, 06:54 PM	Personally, I ignore it entirely. My party tends to have 1-2 fights (if that) a session, but they're MEMORABLE. Recently they were ambushed by a group of 6 Atavists on a lightning rail (we're in Eberron.) A party of 6 PCs 4 level 5, 2 level 6, vs 6 Kalashtar all level 4 (2 psions, 2 soulknives, 2 psi warriors.) The party definately felt the threat there, ending up with the encounted ending with 1 PC at -9, one at -4, one at 5 and one at 12 (out of 67.) Of course the monk managed to get out with only 10 HP down after the final attack, but overall the party was VERY hard pressed against coordinated attacks and disabling attacks (Entangling Ectoplasm is insane.) They often get into fights well over their heads and have to fall back, but they all get excited and worried when the fight starts, I'd rather have them worried about dying in every combat than them go "ho hum, another dragon."
Dragonspirit 05-10-05, 07:16 PM	My players sometimes complain that I don't follow the standard encounters per day closely enough. I counter with pointing out that their tears give me power. :) IOW, I don't follow them closely at all. Some (ingame) days there are no combats, and some there might be a dozen. There is no hard and fast rule I follow, or even guideline. I do gauge how tough it will be, though, and will sometimes try to soften the blow by telling them that there is a good chance someone will be checking out during the combat if I know it's going to be particulary challenging. I think they are under the impression that means I'm going to try to kill them, but really it just means the combat is risky. And my players are smart, especially regarding rules and base tactics, but I do wish they would try to think more strategically in a global combat sense. Their worst defeats have always come from a lack of team coherency.
Flushmaster 05-10-05, 07:48 PM	I put in encounters as I deem necessary. Factors largely include details directly relavent to my adventure (what would they encounter in this adventure, how many, and where). I might toss in a few pregenerated "random" encounters if I think that an extra combat encounter or two would be good for the pace. Whenever the PCs decide to rest is completely up to them, but they'd better do it in a secure location. Just because they need rest doesn't necessarily mean that the bad guys have to.
Arrowhen 05-10-05, 08:11 PM	In general I tend toward fewer but more challenging encounters, but really I'm all over the board when it comes to that sort of thing--in my current campaign I've run a session that was almost entirely roleplay with a minor combat encounter thrown in just to give the players a chance to relax and throw some dice, a session made up almost entirely of one long difficult combat encounter, and pretty much everything in between. I tend to plan my encounters more with an eye towards guiding the pace of the session rather than "ok, this encounter must use x percent of the party's resources." Sometimes I'll use a typical "couple of warm-up encounters followed by a main encounter" pattern, while occasionally I'll just use a single encounter at the end a session but fill the rest of the session with a lot of tension-building atmosphere so that by the time they get to the encounter the players are practically drooling with anticipation at the chance to actually kill something.
Draco Strang 05-10-05, 08:32 PM	My PCs level every 13.333333333333333333333333333333333 encounters. Period. Ok, so actually not. I like to make it anywhere from 10 to 15 encounters. The CRs will be across the board though. For a level 5 party, I could throw a CR 2 at them once or twice, but counter it with a CR 8 to keep them on their toes, and weed out an annoying PC if it is indeed that important for him to die. A mixture of traps, RP, problem solving, and interesting combats are involved in this. Gotta keep them guessing.
Nom 05-10-05, 09:13 PM	What page is this stuff on? I can't seem to find it.XP rules are on DMG pg 37-41, notably the inset boxes on pages 39 and 41. Encounter guidelines are on DMG pg 48-51. "Four encounters per day" is on DMG pg 50, under "Challenging". As for me personally? I do whatever feels appropriate. As a result, I often have fewer but more challenging (combat) encounters.