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Originally Posted by MKMcArtor
Wow Nymdok, thanks. This was something I too was wondering about and struggling with. Your advice is going to go a long way toward making my life easier. I really appreciate this. :)
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Use it in good health and good gaming! There are SOOO many other things that will merit your consideration in encounter design, but having these guildines to 'jump off' from should help get you on the path. :)
Things not touched on in that post that will require your further review and examination are Combat Longevity, FP as Ammunition, Resistances to Advantages and Spells, and as Bruno points out, Environmental Considerations.
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Originally Posted by Bruno
One way to adjust things is by environmental modifiers....
If the floor is slippery ... Lighting penalties or smoke/fog, low ceilings, wading through water (when the monsters are Amphibious), flimsey rope bridges, narrow ledges over pits of lava, etc etc etc...
Not only do these make the encounter different and pretty cool and dramatic, they ALSO mean you don't need as hard hitting monsters :D
It's also possible for parts of the map to give BONUSES to monsters...
You can switch things around and have features that penalize monsters but not PCs, or give bonuses to PCs and not monsters (allowing bigger scarrier monsters that you otherwise wouldn't like to use).
And then there's "stuff that penalizes EVERYONE" or "Stuff that benefits EVERYONE" - bonfires burn goblins just as much as PCs, and shed light that works well for either group.
The nice thing about including terrain features like this is that those traits (advantages, spells) that seemed sort of "non combat" and "fluffy" can start to really matter. This makes the players that picked them feel good about their character and choices.
The fun thing about low ceilings is that it makes traits that normally seem a little disadvantageous (being short frex) cool :D
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Brilliant Examples Bruno!
I especially agree with the idea of making Players who took advantages feel like they are getting thier money's worth (or even a bargain!). It makes the players feel that their charachters are 'Special' and if not for them and the abilities they bought, the party would be in worse shape.
Nymdok