So I've been having fun running my players through big battles, actually 3 - 5 encounters lumped together in waves, and I'm wondering what people think. Let me know! I'm sure people have done similar stuff sometimes.
http://worldbuilderblog.me/2015/03/26/dungeon-brawls/
Jimbro wrote:
I might actually employ this method in the next encounter if my players decide to track down the camp of bandits that have accosted their caravan a few times. The "Oh ****" monster would be the Bandit Captain with his multi-attacks. Is Level 2 too soon to try it? Or should I wait until the players are less "squishy"?
This looks like a fun way to hit a dungeon. A huge bout of Hack and Slash mayhem can be just what the doctor ordered. I think I'll point our DM to this to see if it interests him at all, but I'll probably wait until we hit level 3 or 4 first though just to be on the safe side. 
I'll definitely be trying this the next time I'm behind the screen.
Do you find that Dungeon Brawls need a minimum level of PC's before it's reasonably safe? I get the feeling that a couple of lucky hits can down someone in the early levels and if that happens at the begining of the Brawl, it seems like things would go from bad to worse in a hurry.
- Eck
I would wait until most PCs have enough HP to take an Average-damage hit from a typical opponent and still have 1 HP remaining. If Team Dungeon rolls well, they can take down a PC. BBEG will be a whole other story; he ought to draw Alpha Strikes after taking down one PC.
I play a Paladin and expect to get beat up a lot. High AC + d10 Hit Dice + a CONmod = I can take it and not worry too much. Do not use me as the measurement for "tough enough".
Our party Wizard, though, has a history of getting KO'ed every other week, either from a sniper or accidentally walking past an ambushing melee artist.
Hey all! Thanks for the feedback and compliments. I think a minimum level of 3 is probably good. You can make 2 work, provided you're using a lot of CR 1/8 creatures. Level 1 is probably a little too soon.