Suggested Challenge Class for Numbers of Foes

[nittanytbone14]

A fighter tries to shove a large door open which is being braced on the other side by an ogre.

This is easy to roll -- a STR-based SIEGE check for the fighter seem like an appropriate ways to resolve this conflict to see if the fighter can force the door open in a round. The challenge class is equal to the HD of the ogre, 4.

What if there are two ogres bracing the door?

Does the character make two STR checks (one for each monster)? Or does the character use a challenge class equal to the total HD? Or does he make a check for 4 (the monster's HD) + 1?

Likewise, how would you handle a thief sneaking past a guard post with two guards or four or ten guards watching instead of just one?

Modification for numbers of monsters seems like it would come up pretty often!

The house rule I came up with to ensure consistency was thus:

The challenge class is equal to the HD of the most prevalent OR highest HD foe (CK's discretion) + a modifier for number.

2 in # = +1

4 in # = +2

8 in # = +3

16 in #= +4

32 in # = +5

and so on.

This can be a penalty (sneaking a platoon of 64 men through the woods would be at a penalty of -6) or a bonus (64 men all searching for a hidden elf would get one check at +6).

Any thoughts from the game designers? Should I be rolling 64 independent checks? Or is there some standard rule of thumb you use?

Many thanks for your quick replies in this forum.

[serleran]

Average, +1 per involved. For very large masses (above 8,) treat the number like it was an attribute score and the mod = difficulty mod. Circumstances always prevail, however.

Examples:

Beating the 2 ogres = 4 + (1 * 2) = 6 difficulty.

64 guards = 1 (average is 1 if they are all 1HD) + (44 / 2 = 22) = 23

That is what I would do. By design principle, the CK is supposed to adjudicate these on situational logic, and assign a modifier/difficulty they feel appropriate - there was never a formulaic approach.

I forgot to mention that is should be exceptionally rare that 64 people are actively engaged in the same thing at the same time. I can think of a few examples where something like this might happen, but in general, the difficulties would be manageable. Also, "mob mentality" usually makes activities against such people easier, because they stop noticing and focus on themselves... but, again, that is why Castle Keepers have to think and not rely on a mathematical stipulation to control their thought.

[Fiffergrund]

It is left up to individual interpretation, however:

Quote:
What if there are two ogres bracing the door?

Without magical aid, I would rule that the door is going nowhere unless destroyed. Ogres are big, many hundreds of pounds. If they are actively bracing the door, I feel that forcing the door would be impossible, and that the players should try other methods, such as chopping through the door, or tricking the ogres.
_________________
Sir Fiffergrund, Lord Marshal of the Castle and Crusade Society.

He Who Hides Behind The Elephant's Back