Help me balance this encounter

graymouser · Post by **graymouser** » Sat Sep 08, 2007 11:05 am

I'm going to be running my second game of Castles & Crusades in a week and a half, and I'd like to make sure the encounters are well balanced. One of the encounters is with a monsters I found from a PDF online, they're 2HD creatures with a tail attack that can cause a constriction effect for 1d6 HP per round. The PC party is likely to be 4 or 5 1st-level characters. These monsters are meant to be the big encounter of the night, though there are a few other combats likely.

So:

1. How many of these creatures should I use? I'm thinking between 2 and 3 of them, and I want to make sure that the encounter is balanced so that it's a challenge for the PCs but isn't too likely to result in TPK.

2. Is it a better idea to have fewer 2HD creatures and one or two 1HD servitor type creatures?

- Wayne

SoulCatcher78 · Post by **SoulCatcher78** » Sat Sep 08, 2007 11:19 am

If they have more than one attack, I'd not allow it while they were constricting a target. Maybe on a higher HD creature but it would definitely spell the end for most 1st level parties out there. You could always drop them to 1 HD creatures or if you want to keep it more "real", set a % of HP at which they figure they aren't going to win and run away. Even animal intelligence knows when it's beaten and will split unless it's unable to.

Nelzie · Post by **Nelzie** » Sat Sep 08, 2007 12:19 pm

There's also no reason why the party shouldn't run away...

If the monsters are after PCs as food and kill one, while the rest of the party runs away, the monsters would probably drag the body off to munch on it in peace...
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Treebore · Post by **Treebore** » Sat Sep 08, 2007 3:41 pm

To really balance encounters I need to know HP's of the PC's, HP of the creatures, AC of all the above, and even any exceptional stats. A fighter with an 18 STR is a big difference from a fighter witha STR 10 (+3 to hit AND damage).
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serleran · Post by **serleran** » Sat Sep 08, 2007 4:47 pm

If the PCs have a chance to escape, don't take it, and die...it was their fault. Forget about "balance." Use whatever you feel is right, and rely on the party not being totally stupid.

jman5000 · Post by **jman5000** » Sat Sep 08, 2007 5:53 pm

what is this balance thing you speak of???

Cheers,

J.

SavageRobby · Post by **SavageRobby** » Sat Sep 08, 2007 8:35 pm

Well, the big question of the day is do they have access to Sleep, and do you think they'll use it up before this encounter?

Because of unpredictables like Sleep, I like to make my big encounters a) high in numbers, b) lots of mooks with one or two big baddies, and c) when possible, make the big baddies hidden or somehow protected until after the group has committed. Its best to have multiple threatening groups, and I've found that usually the group will use Sleep or other tactical nuke spells on the largest group of threats (such as enemies with missile fire), not necessarily the actual biggest thread (such as the BBEG).

I'll often make the HP of my mooks flexible; 2 HP or 8 HP, based on the party composition and how deadly I want it to be (2 HP are almost always one shot kills, 8 HP usually require two). And I never think twice about throwing more mooks into the fray if the party is ripping through them too easily (and there is at least a remotely logical explanation for adding more).

Treebore · Post by **Treebore** » Sat Sep 08, 2007 8:50 pm

DMing secret to mooks. Don't give them HP's. They die whenever you want them too. So the encounter is always as tough, or easy, as you want it to be.

Generally I still assign HP's, but I look at them as the maximum. If the encounter ends up being tougher than it was supposed to be all of a sudden I rolled really lousy on their HP's.

If it ends up being easier than I wanted they suddenly gain HD/levels.

Since the PC's get more or less XP based on the number of HP it works as "on the fly scaling" of the adventure.
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BASH MAN · Post by **BASH MAN** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 4:36 pm

The answer depends entirely on this: did you make your players roll their hit-points at 1st level, or did they get max hp at first.

if the answer is rolling, then you have no business having them fight a 2HD monster than automatically does 1d6/round unless the PCs make a save that they have a 10% chance of actually succeeding on [40% if they have STR prime]. Your party likely has PCs with as little as 3hp-- the average roll on a d6 is 3.5.

The the answer is max HP, then you should have ONE monster like this, and the rest be 1HD underlings.
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Post by **Fiffergrund** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 4:59 pm

Keeping the creatures as-is, the most I'd use is 2 with a 1st level party. Constriction is a bee-otch.

Edit: 2 adults and 2 children might work for a more climactic encounter, but they had better be at full strength when they get there.
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