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Designing low level encounter

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
Seeron
Dec 12, 2012 7:44:32 So i have an interesting challenge for you.

Design an encounter for a Group with effective group level of 3 to 6. Doesn't necessarily need to be a combat.

Why that you ask, probably. Designing relative nice encounter in lowlevel is much harder then in mid or highlevel, cause there are not much levels of Monsters or such to play with. So you have to play with the environement.

I will post an own idea, when i get home this evening. And i will post every Encounter posted here in the start post, so they are easy to find.

!!NOTE: It's not about breaking the CR system lowlevel. Its about presenting, interesting Encounters, that are not only bashing a standard monster from the Monster Manual.

Allowed Books: Everything offically released for 3.5. no third party material. And try to keep the Material from Dragonlance, Eberron and FR to a minimum.

Hope some people will participate.
#2
StevenO
Dec 12, 2012 12:29:23 So what kind of ELs are you looking for? A group of four 3rd-level characters can still find EL 1 encounters interesting but when you move up to a 6th-level party they could potentially face EL 10 encounters. To put things simply there is a wide range of encounter levels that can be filled and innumberable ways of doing so.

Although I don't want to write up the character at this time a simple Halfling (Rogue1) can be a nice EL1 encounter the PCs never see coming. What's the challenge you ask? Simply detecting the Halfling and noticing when he takes some of their stuff. What's the danger? It may not be immediate but the time will soon come when the PCs are suddenly surprised that they are missing something they thought they had but need RIGHT NOW.

At the other end a couple of Young Red Dragons (CR7 each) in a favorable environment (+1 EL) can make for an EL 10 challenge that may end the lives of a party of 6th-level characters. One large (Juvenile) dragon may be CR 10 by itself but by using a couple younger ones you'd open up a number of different tactics that can be used which may suprise players who are more familiar with dragons as solo advesaries.

#3
Seeron
Dec 12, 2012 12:41:49 I just thought about? Encounter Thatcher Are challenging and different to the simple Beat the Monster to death. I once builded a wizard with a teleport item and some hops and fought against the PC On different platforms and thea hadern to mode the stages With different switches. Something like that. Something that Not only depends On Monster optimization but also On the environement and the Situation. And i said ecl 3-6 to go around that lvl 1 onehit Encounter. The Rest is up to you. See it as a possibility to be proud of encounters you allready DM'd or to bei creative and invent News ones
#4
frost.fire
Dec 12, 2012 13:08:21 A fun encounter I like to put players through from time to time is a simple doppleganger/changling killing dukes or lords or mayors of towns. Then usurping the power to create mayhem, it becomes a giant murder mystery for the pcs and at the end can be combat and even a dungeon crawl, if done over the course of a couple of days it limits party's access to resources. And depending on the town size you can control magic items and cost. To really play mind games make him an illusionist to add to the mayhem and chaos.
#5
Seeron
Dec 12, 2012 15:17:01 CJ could you explain your Encounter some. More?
#6
Krusk
Dec 12, 2012 15:35:44
If the game runs level 3-6 I am seriously rolling up the party below.

Human Fighter 6 - Archer, and took mounted combat (Rapid shot for 3 attacks a round) He also carries a lance. In melee he just full power attacks.

Don't care Rogue 6 - Uses a sling, and also took mounted combat. He carries a backpack full of daggers as his primary weapons if he is forced to sneak around and stuff. By and large he is on his horse, and throws rocks at people. We use him to rogue around outside combat. In combat he isn't particulalrly effective, but can still throw rocks at people if needed.

Gnome/Halfling Druid 6 - He spends most of his time as an eagle, dropping spells but if needed rides on the back of the fighters horse. As an eagle he scouts anything needed. During combat he buffs the horses, and actually the fighters horse is his companion. He also rains fire during combat.

Elven Cleric 6 - He took Zen Archery, Mounted Combat, and that healing reserve feat. He basically is the iconic cleric archer, on a horse.

We ride around and mongol everything. If scouting is needed we let the druid do it. If forced inside, we make the rogue do it and literally wait outside. He is pretty stealthy, and we bank on him getting back out. If its a cave we need to clear we just brick it up and assume whoever inside eventually starves. We probably consecrate the new brick wall, just in case. To roleplay it, the rogue is the iconic rogue who is a total coward in a straight up fight, and we berate him into scouting ahead.

If mongoling doesn't work, we let the horses help us in the fight, the rogue switches to daggers and the fighter just uses the lance on foot. The druid does his eagle thing, and the cleric switches to a two handed weapon.

We are also core only, so the DM is very unlikely to reject our concepts. **(MY bad cleric has non-core feats)

------

If the PCs have to fight this party they are basically screwed, because I doubt they can do much against mongols at this level. Unless they themselves are mongols. "They shoot bows at us at max range, and if we go near them they run away at full horse speed. If we stop chasing, they return and go back to shooting us. If we go to sleep the little guy tries to slit our throats". Best part, even if 1 PC is a mongol too, we seperate him and its 4 v1.
#7
Krusk
Dec 12, 2012 15:42:15 Its even worse if that rogue knows how to make poisons to put on the arrows.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Seeron Dec 12, 2012 7:44:32	So i have an interesting challenge for you. Design an encounter for a Group with effective group level of 3 to 6. Doesn't necessarily need to be a combat. Why that you ask, probably. Designing relative nice encounter in lowlevel is much harder then in mid or highlevel, cause there are not much levels of Monsters or such to play with. So you have to play with the environement. I will post an own idea, when i get home this evening. And i will post every Encounter posted here in the start post, so they are easy to find. !!NOTE: It's not about breaking the CR system lowlevel. Its about presenting, interesting Encounters, that are not only bashing a standard monster from the Monster Manual. Allowed Books: Everything offically released for 3.5. no third party material. And try to keep the Material from Dragonlance, Eberron and FR to a minimum. Hope some people will participate.
#2 StevenO Dec 12, 2012 12:29:23	So what kind of ELs are you looking for? A group of four 3rd-level characters can still find EL 1 encounters interesting but when you move up to a 6th-level party they could potentially face EL 10 encounters. To put things simply there is a wide range of encounter levels that can be filled and innumberable ways of doing so. Although I don't want to write up the character at this time a simple Halfling (Rogue1) can be a nice EL1 encounter the PCs never see coming. What's the challenge you ask? Simply detecting the Halfling and noticing when he takes some of their stuff. What's the danger? It may not be immediate but the time will soon come when the PCs are suddenly surprised that they are missing something they thought they had but need RIGHT NOW. At the other end a couple of Young Red Dragons (CR7 each) in a favorable environment (+1 EL) can make for an EL 10 challenge that may end the lives of a party of 6th-level characters. One large (Juvenile) dragon may be CR 10 by itself but by using a couple younger ones you'd open up a number of different tactics that can be used which may suprise players who are more familiar with dragons as solo advesaries.
#3 Seeron Dec 12, 2012 12:41:49	I just thought about? Encounter Thatcher Are challenging and different to the simple Beat the Monster to death. I once builded a wizard with a teleport item and some hops and fought against the PC On different platforms and thea hadern to mode the stages With different switches. Something like that. Something that Not only depends On Monster optimization but also On the environement and the Situation. And i said ecl 3-6 to go around that lvl 1 onehit Encounter. The Rest is up to you. See it as a possibility to be proud of encounters you allready DM'd or to bei creative and invent News ones
#4 frost.fire Dec 12, 2012 13:08:21	A fun encounter I like to put players through from time to time is a simple doppleganger/changling killing dukes or lords or mayors of towns. Then usurping the power to create mayhem, it becomes a giant murder mystery for the pcs and at the end can be combat and even a dungeon crawl, if done over the course of a couple of days it limits party's access to resources. And depending on the town size you can control magic items and cost. To really play mind games make him an illusionist to add to the mayhem and chaos.
#5 Seeron Dec 12, 2012 15:17:01	CJ could you explain your Encounter some. More?
#6 Krusk Dec 12, 2012 15:35:44	If the game runs level 3-6 I am seriously rolling up the party below. Human Fighter 6 - Archer, and took mounted combat (Rapid shot for 3 attacks a round) He also carries a lance. In melee he just full power attacks. Don't care Rogue 6 - Uses a sling, and also took mounted combat. He carries a backpack full of daggers as his primary weapons if he is forced to sneak around and stuff. By and large he is on his horse, and throws rocks at people. We use him to rogue around outside combat. In combat he isn't particulalrly effective, but can still throw rocks at people if needed. Gnome/Halfling Druid 6 - He spends most of his time as an eagle, dropping spells but if needed rides on the back of the fighters horse. As an eagle he scouts anything needed. During combat he buffs the horses, and actually the fighters horse is his companion. He also rains fire during combat. Elven Cleric 6 - He took Zen Archery, Mounted Combat, and that healing reserve feat. He basically is the iconic cleric archer, on a horse. We ride around and mongol everything. If scouting is needed we let the druid do it. If forced inside, we make the rogue do it and literally wait outside. He is pretty stealthy, and we bank on him getting back out. If its a cave we need to clear we just brick it up and assume whoever inside eventually starves. We probably consecrate the new brick wall, just in case. To roleplay it, the rogue is the iconic rogue who is a total coward in a straight up fight, and we berate him into scouting ahead. If mongoling doesn't work, we let the horses help us in the fight, the rogue switches to daggers and the fighter just uses the lance on foot. The druid does his eagle thing, and the cleric switches to a two handed weapon. We are also core only, so the DM is very unlikely to reject our concepts. **(MY bad cleric has non-core feats) ------ If the PCs have to fight this party they are basically screwed, because I doubt they can do much against mongols at this level. Unless they themselves are mongols. "They shoot bows at us at max range, and if we go near them they run away at full horse speed. If we stop chasing, they return and go back to shooting us. If we go to sleep the little guy tries to slit our throats". Best part, even if 1 PC is a mongol too, we seperate him and its 4 v1.
#7 Krusk Dec 12, 2012 15:42:15	Its even worse if that rogue knows how to make poisons to put on the arrows.