Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 gonfuthuhthemighty Oct 27, 2010 13:01:01	Hello forum, I don't post here very often, but I'm looking for advice on gauging the difficulty of this encounter I'm writing and would appreciate any advice offered.  the guy I usually check my encounters with is in the game I'm running so I figured the forums were the next logical place to go. The group (all level 1): We're a very homebrewed group and are using an alternate hybrid system to swap out class features. -Twinstrike ranger w/m fighter weapon talent -Monk with Sneak Attack -Bard with shadow walk (melee and ranged generalist) -Unmodified Mordenkrad fighter -Wizard with an altered warlocks curse that does no damage but slows on high rolls The encounter: 3x 'Guardian Emanations' (lvl 2 elite refluffed kobold dragonsheilds from MM1 with a charge attack that allows them to strike twice. They also have a rechareable ability to teleport as a move action when standing next to this black resin draping down some parts of the walls. they can teleport to any other square adjacent to the resin.) 1x 'Packlord emanation (lvl 4 Lurker, refluffed kobold slyblade from MM1 with the teleportation ability plus a leader ability to recharge all allies teleoprt ability 1/encounter.) 1x  'Pulsating Core' (a lvl 1 trap that telekinetically throws an object 3 squares on it's initiative. If the object strikes a player, then they roll a save with failure knocking them prone. The core also produces the resin on the walls. The resin has an Immediate reaction attack the immobilized save ends if the players move adjacent to it. Any successful attack against a normal resin square destroys that square while the 4 squares that make up the core have 15 HP and DR 5 each.) They will not be going into this encounter fresh. I knocked two of them unconscious with an intro encounter and there's an intermediary fight between that one and this one. From the way they're acting, I think they're going to barrel through the enocunters. Should I tone this one down? Are there any other interesting features I could add? Thanks for your time.
#2 calm Oct 29, 2010 13:38:23	I might change one of the guardians to avoid having 3 elite soldiers (and their high AC and HP, meaning a longer combat) for a brute or skirmisher. This is a semi-tough fight, so if they enter it without most of their dailies, or if anyone has 2 healing surges or less, it could prove too deadly. If that's the case, consider having the lurker show up a round or two late.