Level 1 Power Houses

Post/Author/DateTimePost
#1

ClockworkSaber

Aug 24, 2014 16:25:00

So I ran a 5 hour session of 5e.  I had 4 PCs - but I had expected 5 so the combat XP values were tuned toward 5 PCs. My players were: Mountain Dwarf Barbarian, Human Fighter, Tiefling Warlock, and Half-Elf Rogue. The encounters were, for 5 PCs, mostly medium and hard with 1 deadly. My PCs crushed the encounters, and by the end of the session were level 3.

So what exactly is hard about surviving 1st level?

#2

CorwynnMaelstrom

Aug 24, 2014 16:58:05

Not enough information here to determine difference between your play and others' sessions. Suspect that a pair of high HP "distractions" allowed the lower HP folks to remain effective. That may or may not have been the DM playing with kid gloves on.

 

I can make a bunny rabbit TPK when I want. I can allow the characters to kill an ancient red dragon at 4th level. Pretty much everything lies with how the DM runs things in the end. I'd assume that the best answer to this question is:

 

"Having a DM who isn't going easy on you."

#3

FFSAA

Aug 24, 2014 18:16:14

Monsters aren't balanced.  Different monsters of the same XP can be far more lethal.  You probably just used weak ones.

#4

Veleria

Aug 24, 2014 18:25:16

Average damage on many monsters encountered at level 1 will KO in 2 hits without some intervening effect. It mostly comes down to luck of the dice. At level 1 there are not many abilities to mitigate the hits so initiative often felt like a major deciding factor of whether players were KOd before their chance to act. In playing a fighter with 12 hp through 6 level 1 prewritten adventures  a couple weeks ago I dropped unconcious 2 times before I had a chance to act from attacks that did 1d6+2 with a roll of 13 needed to hit and slightly higher than average damage this can happen easily. Mind you I am not complaining as this was expected in the new edition, I am just giving some experience as to how a combat can turn quickly against the PCs. In both cases enemies acted before PCs and launched 3-4 attacks on the fighter who was in the front of the party. Unconcious seems to happen alot but I have not seen many actual deaths.

#5

Kalani

Aug 24, 2014 18:52:53

Veleria wrote:
#6

JohnLynch

Aug 25, 2014 2:27:20

Clockworksaber wrote:
#7

Veleria

Aug 25, 2014 2:32:58

CR 1/4 goblins were the most common ones I encountered. Average damage from 2 hits is 11. I have seen them in groups ranging from 2 - 7 in official adventures. (Not counting homegames because those can vary wildly.)

#8

JohnLynch

Aug 25, 2014 2:37:08

1 CR 1/4 = 1 PC. If your in a fight against 4 CR 1/4 creatures with 4 PCs then your in a challenging fight. If your outnumbered your in an even harder fight. Having 1 PC go down before the goblins die doesn't seem unreasonable in a medium fight.

#9

Ramzour

Aug 25, 2014 2:40:12

FFSAA wrote:
#10

Veleria

Aug 25, 2014 2:43:19

JohnLynch wrote:
(Reply to #6)

Darth_Caffeineus

JohnLynch wrote:
#12

Haytam

Aug 25, 2014 3:22:59

JohnLynch wrote:
#13

Psikerlord

Aug 25, 2014 3:50:58

Darth_Caffeineus wrote:
#14

JohnLynch

Aug 25, 2014 4:56:10

Darth Caffeinus wrote:
#15

Haytam

Aug 25, 2014 6:05:34

JohnLynch wrote:
#16

Hurin88

Aug 25, 2014 9:41:36

I think the central problem is not just the potential deadliness, but the potential variability. 5e is simply unable to provide the sorts of firm guidelines that 4e did. It mixes CR and xp and then lumps too many creatures of varying ability under the same CR (Hobgoblins being one of the most famous examples).

 

This leads to rocket tag and encounters that vary from ridiculously easy to TPKs. The problem with not having a system that can accurately guide DMs is that you can have either in equal measure, even when you follow the encounter guidelines, and the problem is absolutely the worst when it should be the best: first level.

 

Never has the quote in my signature been more applicable... and I would like to note that it has been there for over a year now, as soon as I saw how 5e was shaping up.

#17

Thoughts_My_Aim

Aug 25, 2014 10:08:47

Ramzour wrote:
#18

Ramzour

Aug 25, 2014 14:35:10

Thoughts_My_Aim wrote:
#19

Thoughts_My_Aim

Aug 25, 2014 14:59:25

Ramzour wrote:
#20

JohnLynch

Aug 25, 2014 15:54:15

Hurin88 wrote:
#21

Fallstorm

Aug 25, 2014 16:08:15

JohnLynch wrote:
#22

JohnLynch

Aug 25, 2014 16:42:57

Fallstorm wrote:
(Reply to #22)

CorwynnMaelstrom

JohnLynch wrote:
#24

JohnLynch

Aug 25, 2014 17:44:52

CorwynnMaelstrom wrote:
#25

Haytam

Aug 26, 2014 2:03:00

@JL,not to qote any more. You have the same style as my DM. We don't play published stuff,but we play in open world where things happen organicly. So,you take a job to clear goblin infested mines,but ignore bandit attacks,guess what? Bandits run loose and next time you are in village,it's half burned. Action,reaction,consequences. We are all good friends at the table,so i trust my dm not to shaft me or other players on purpose. But we all know and love when the game is a bit more gritty,realistic and when our choices to act or not act mean something. And we had our share of tpk,mainly when we bite of more than we can chew,and died heroes death fighting foes we couldn't beat ( it's was our fault not to run away,since in this world,runinig away is always an option,run to fight another day). Inexpirienced players will learn that smashing trough the doors face on is not always the best or smartest option. 

#26

Veleria

Aug 26, 2014 3:06:07

I will see how deadly this edition truly is when I bring a character to a con next weekend with AC 9, no on mod and grants Advantage to enemies constantly. Should be interesting.

#27

JohnLynch

Aug 26, 2014 3:08:00

Veleria wrote:
#28

Ramzour

Aug 26, 2014 3:47:51

Thoughts_My_Aim wrote:
#29

Fallstorm

Aug 26, 2014 7:29:14

Haytam wrote:
#30

JohnLynch

Aug 26, 2014 7:35:27

Fallstorm wrote:
#31

FFSAA

Aug 26, 2014 7:49:21

Veleria wrote:
#32

h347h50

Aug 26, 2014 7:49:40

Fallstorm wrote:
#33

Fallstorm

Aug 26, 2014 11:30:48

JohnLynch wrote:
#34

Fallstorm

Aug 26, 2014 11:48:10

h347h50 wrote:
#35

Veleria

Aug 26, 2014 11:43:16

JohnLynch wrote:
#36

Haytam

Aug 26, 2014 12:08:57

Fallstorm wrote:
#37

Fallstorm

Aug 26, 2014 14:53:40

Haytam wrote:
#38

Ramzour

Aug 26, 2014 14:49:26

FFSAA wrote:
(Reply to #33)

JohnLynch

Fallstorm wrote:
#40

FFSAA

Aug 26, 2014 18:53:11

Ramzour wrote:
#41

Ramzour

Aug 27, 2014 1:04:25

FFSAA wrote:
(Reply to #24)

CorwynnMaelstrom

JohnLynch wrote:
#43

JohnLynch

Aug 27, 2014 2:11:44

Ramzour wrote:
#44

FFSAA

Aug 27, 2014 12:12:13

JohnLynch wrote:
#45

Fallstorm

Aug 27, 2014 16:15:04

JohnLynch wrote:
#46

Ramzour

Aug 28, 2014 1:01:58

FFSAA wrote:
#47

JohnLynch

Aug 28, 2014 3:35:51

Fallstorm wrote: