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Old 07-26-2013, 08:38 PM   #11
Johnny Angel
 
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Default Re: [DF] Encounters

I may have a few ideas for this sort of thing. I need to work on my formatting. The way they're written make sense to me, but possibly not to anyone else.
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Old 07-26-2013, 09:40 PM   #12
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Default Re: [DF] Encounters

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anthony View Post
Ponder: would an adventure that starts with "This adventure was balanced around the following pregenerated characters" be acceptable? Other than that, you can always throw in suggestions for how to make a given part of the adventure more or less challenging.
Oh, I wholeheartedly agree that such a statement has merit.

The first thing I did for all my fan dungeons in the works was to create a party of five "iconic" delvers with which the dungeon is to be balanced. That said, I'm going through pains to make certain that the dungeon won't slaughter a party without a Knight throwing handfuls of dice for damage, a Wizard with Force Dome and a Cleric with Turning. Whether or not I accomplished my goal will be decided in the court of public opinion.

However, to me, the hardest part about writing a good dungeon for the public isn't balancing the lethality of battle. In my opinion, a good adventure needs to take to heart the Making Everybody Useful section in Dungeons. There need to be plenty of fun and interesting role-playing encounters and puzzles, even in Dungeon Fantasy. Every player needs a chance to shine, not just who throws the most damage dice per turn.

That doesn't mean there can't be good dungeons that state up front, "Everything in this dungeon is meant to be killed." I can think of a few famous examples. Even pure combat dungeons can be presented in such a way as to be truly fun and memorable, or just a forgettable series of maneuvers and rolls of the dice.

Say, for example, I drew a picture of a ninja. "Pretty righteous," you might say. However, if I drew a picture of a ninja wailing on an electric guitar standing atop a flying cyborg killer whale shooting laser beams out its eyes, that would be totally rad. Same thing at its core. It's all in the presentation.
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Old 07-27-2013, 02:20 AM   #13
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Default Re: [DF] Encounters

I thought I'd be clever and have each player make their character in secret without discussing anything with the other players. I've now got a party of a Ninja, Assassin, and a Martial Artist. At first I thought that it would be fun to play, but now I realize just how difficult it is trying to run it.

I guess what I'm saying is balancing encounters is not really that straight forward sometimes.
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Old 07-27-2013, 03:49 AM   #14
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Default Re: [DF] Encounters

Since I already have something waiting for approval, I won't chime in for this, but after I get that other super secret project sorted out, I might. I'm just cursing the clogged pipes though. I wish Ogres had dedicated lanes, but for something that size, it is probably not practical...
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Old 07-27-2013, 07:40 AM   #15
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I believe a DF encounter could have notes for party adjustment but it seems that an encounter could be a neat set up when the Dungeon Master does not have a room prepared. If the party finds the encounter it does not mean it will be a perfect challenge, it just means that there will be a better than average chance that the encouter will be a good challenge
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Old 07-27-2013, 07:47 AM   #16
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Default Re: [DF] Encounters

There's a d20 publisher (the did the Bluffside setting and adventures; IIRC, they sold off the product line to a second publisher, and I don't know about the second) who did adventures with encounters scaled to the party.

Not just the "party higher level than expected" or "more party members than expected," as we've seen used in the DF adventure.

The categories that they used (and note: they didn't apply these to every single encounter; certain encounters are simply easier if you have more of a type, or harder if you don't have any):

Greater Than: For parties that have more or stronger PCs than expected

Less Than: For parties that have less or weaker PCs than expected

Holier Than Thou: For parties with strong or multiple divine casters

Puzzles & Pits: For roleplay-heavy parties

Spell Slingers: For parties with strong or multiple arcane casters

Sword & Shield: For parties with strong or multiple fighters

Treacherous Traps: For parties with strong or multiple rogues

****************

The adventure was for four 2nd-level characters. But, for instance, the first encounter had the Greater Than and the Lesser Than scaling. (Encounter level = 4 characters of that level)

Normal encounter: 1 Shadow Lynx (encounter level 2)
Greater Than: 2 Shadow Lynx (encounter level 4)
Lesser Than: 1 Lynx (encounter level 1)

Next encounter includes a Treacherous Traps scaling. A pit trap, which allows the rogues to find it and nullify it.

And so on. Throw in the occasional "shining" moment for party members (a skill check for a divine caster, to be able to identify a holy object; a trap that only rogues can catch). Scale an encounter up, so it's not easy for parties overloaded in a "niche." Scale down an encounter, so it's not a killer for parties weak in a "niche."
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Old 07-27-2013, 09:41 AM   #17
chandley
 
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Default Re: [DF] Encounters

Hrm. I would think a small section at the start of the adventure that outlined the delvers the encounter was balanced around, followed by preworked examples of hirelings available to the party that could fill in gaps might help solve the issue. It is, at least in part, what DF 15 Henchmen was _for_.

Seed town with enough hints and rumors of the kind of challenges a group might face, and, well... if the players choose to leave a gap unfilled, on their heads be it.

I take as at least partial inspiration the mega-dungeon Peter Dell'Orto is running.
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Old 07-27-2013, 09:44 AM   #18
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Default Re: [DF] Encounters

Some encounters could be useful for any dungeon. Guard stations would be extremely useful especially if there were some tricks and traps. Crypts would also be very useful as well. There lair of a vampire or lich would be a great encounter situation. Maybe a room with a ledge on the top part of the wall with gargoyles could be fun to have with some notes on howthey attack and defend from above. But most importantly the encounter could be creative and shake up the typical dungeon player expectations.
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Old 07-27-2013, 09:50 AM   #19
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Default Re: [DF] Encounters

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Originally Posted by Kromm View Post
Correct-a-mundo. And as the wish list says, we're seeking Adventures items for the Dungeon Fantasy series . . . and Encounters volumes are automatically an option anywhere we want Adventures. So far, there has been zero interest in writing Dungeon Fantasy Encounters. I don't write 'em because I'm lousy at creating setting content; I do rules.
What's the difference between an Encounters supplement and a feature-sized Pyramid article detailing an encounter? From how I'm reading the wish list entry, I don't see a difference... Are possible Encounters going to Pyramid, by any chance?
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Old 07-27-2013, 01:12 PM   #20
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Default Re: [DF] Encounters

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Originally Posted by robkelk View Post
What's the difference between an Encounters supplement and a feature-sized Pyramid article detailing an encounter?
Length and, therefore, detail? The description of Encounters on the wish list starts with the maximum possible word count for Pyramid and goes up from there.
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