Post/Author/DateTime	Post
ksbsnowowl 04-18-06, 06:35 PM	I'm about to start my fiancee through her first D&D campaign in a heavily Norse-flavored world. I'm thinking of using a toned-down Taer (CR 1 giant from UE) as a lone cliff troll that will be one of her first combat encounters. I think she should be able to handle it, but I'm looking for opinions as to if that is true or not. An appropriate challenge for a typical party of four 1st level adventurers is one CR 1 creature; ie - a CR ratio of 4:1 The taer as stated in Unapproachable East is a CR 1, 2 HD Medium giant with a 15 strength, and an AC of 15 (+2 NA, +3 Hide armor), that wields a Great Club, but also has 2 claw attacks (1d3+2 dmg) and a bite attack (1d4+3). It also has a 30 ft climb speed. This would theoretically be an even match-up for a 1st level character, with the PC having a 50% chance of surviving, but the character is Gestalt, and thus is more powerful (though not equal to a second level character). We'll call her CR 1.5 I figure if I take away the Taer's Hide Armor and Great Club, that would drop its CR a fraction... call it 3/4. Thus, I'm not sure this won't be too powerful of an encounter for her, especially since it is her first game. The reason's I think she'll be ok include the fact that with her decent rolls (11 Str, 14 Dex, 15 Con, 14 Int, 15 Wis, 14 Cha) and her armor (Leather and Small wood shield) she'll have an AC of 15, while the Taer will only have a 12, and she will also have her animal companion with her (not chosen yet). I've already read the first half of Oakspar's magnificent DMing thread, and gleaned great info from it. Even so, are there any suggestions for this encounter or DMing a solo game in general? (BTW - she will pretty much only ever be able to play solo games with me, due to the fact she is deaf, and I've yet to meet any other gamers who are deaf or know sign language.)
druidess4life 04-18-06, 09:45 PM	well with her being a duel class, and having an animal companion, it is not only about that, it also has to do with her understanding of different tactics and spell use. If she has a basic understanding of both, I think it would be just fine... She may be deaf, but can she read lips, if she can read lips, she would fit very well in a group as long as you tell the players, to look at her, speak slowly so she can read their lips, and I think everything would be fine. Or maybe even, you could do a D&D game via E-mail. If you live together and have only 1 computer, you take an hour or 2 and do just like you would a normal game, describe the scene, the action, etc etc
KJW 04-19-06, 08:12 AM	Well the link in my signature will have all the mechanical answers to your questions as well as a slew of ideas for solo campaigns! :) It is tricky to balance encounters with just one PC, I would advise starting small and testing the waters. A few unlucky rolls and a solo PC is down and out, but that said, this encounter does not look that bad depending upon how it unfolds. A druid/ranger is not likely to be surprised and one with a animal companion with some scouting abilities is even less likely to be surprised. If your PC knows about the Taer, before it detects her, and the PC approaches the engagement cautiously it could be easy. Now as this is your fiancee's first exposure to D&D I want to give you a caveat, first off focus on roleplaying and second be prepared to go in a different direction. She may try negotiating with the Taer, she may simple avoid it, the key to solo campaigns is to be flexible and follow the flow of the solo PC. Also maybe do a mock battle with another druid (or summoned animal) as a rite of passage to teach her combat and how to use magic. Also online gaming may be an option as she is deaf, but solo campaigns are great and it will be a good experience for both of you. Hope that helps.
Merestil Haye 04-19-06, 08:51 AM	I think your fiancee is going to have a problem. FIrst the small nitpick; the bite should be 1d4+1 as it is not the creature's only natural weapon. Each combatant has roughly the same chance of hitting the other with primary weapons - 45% per blow. The character will do 1d6 (3½) average per blow landed while the the Taer does 1d3+2 (4) per claw, plus the bite (which we can ignore for this purpose). Basically it's going to wipe the floor with her unless she can use her class abilities. Flanking is out unless she sacrifices one full round to summon an ally, which will last for one round. So she opens herself up to a free attack which has the possibility of disrupting the spell, to get an almost insignificant ally with whom she can flank (very useful, besides the damage it can do) for one round before having to disengage and do it all again. Another point; The Druid class is very strong, but its strength depends almost entirely on the player's knowledge of spells and available animals for summoning and (later) Wildshaping into, making it just about the worst PHB choice for a brand new player. Seriously, suggest she redo the character as a cleric/rogue. This way she gets spontaneous Healing, can use weapons with more impact (with a better chance to hit if she can take the War domain), and won't have quite so much to learn. Hope she enjoys the game whatever she plays.
Illion the Red 04-19-06, 09:38 AM	Each combatant has roughly the same chance of hitting the other with primary weapons - 45% per blow. The character will do 1d6 (3½) average per blow landed while the the Taer does 1d3+2 (4) per claw, plus the bite (which we can ignore for this purpose). Basically it's going to wipe the floor with her unless she can use her class abilities. Flanking is out unless she sacrifices one full round to summon an ally, which will last for one round. So she opens herself up to a free attack which has the possibility of disrupting the spell, to get an almost insignificant ally with whom she can flank (very useful, besides the damage it can do) for one round before having to disengage and do it all again. I have to disagree on the flanking issue - the animal companion (I would suggest wolf) can set up the flank pretty easily. As to the character overall - don't be afraid to give the character a stat boost or other similar power-boost that doesn't quite fit with the rules. Since she is the only PC, don't worry too much about making her overpowered - everything should be adjusted around her character's capabilities.
ksbsnowowl 04-19-06, 11:43 AM	FIrst the small nitpick; the bite should be 1d4+1 as it is not the creature's only natural weapon.You are correct in this regard; I was doing it from memory. Although caution is warrented, I seriously doubt it is as severe as you think. I will not make this her very first encounter, but more likely the culminating encounter of her first level. (And no, it won't be after several other encounters of the day; it will probably be the first and only encounter of that day.) She really likes the concept of the Wildshape ability, and the druid fits better in the campaign, so I'm not going to tell her she has to make the character all over again. As to her reading lips...she can't. And she actually detests the expectation that she should be able to (don't take this as a slam on any of you guys for suggesting it; it's merely a clash of deaf and hearing culture). It's tantamount to asking a blind person to stand on a stage in front of an audience, and make him tell you which people are wearing red hats. Computer gaming might be an option later on, but I want her to get the experience of table top games, especially while she is learning the game. I'm actually quite looking forward to this game, as it will be my first time DMing in a long while, and it will be the initial run of my norse-flavored world (she knows I'm a big history dork in love with Norse culture.) Perhaps for her first real combat I'll have her face some type of Spirit Animal (template from Frostburn). The template makes the animal a fey, and makes it behave somewhat like a ghost (Manifestation, incorporeal, etc.), but all its attacks deal subdual damage. So, although she may get bested, she'll merely be unconscious for a while.