This may apply to solitaire adventure too...
I recently read a nice review of a KSA solo on Danhem’s blog. A quote from Ken’s text was reproduced by the reviewer:
“...suitable for a single human, elf, dwarf, or hobb character with less than 100 adds.”
Like Danhem, I’m a tad confused by this statement. I can easily roll a character with less than 100 adds; with one exception, I’ve never created a character that would be too powerful for this adventure.
If you’re writing a solo, why not just give the gamer the character it’s designed for?
Lots of different reasons I suppose but my point is, I have no clue what power-level of character is right for this mission. Zero is less than 100, right?
The problem isn’t so pronounced with a GM adventure and since this is the type of material I like to write, this is what I want to talk about - and elicit some help.
A reader can look at a GM adventure, review the challenges and traps and decide how to change it to fit their style or party’s ability. But in most cases you will have to make some changes before you start play; my game of T&T is very low-powered, magic items that boost stats are almost never found and if they are, the bonus is +1. An adventure I write for myself isn’t going to be immediately usable by someone using the T&T default style.
Cripes! Where am I going with this?
What I’d like to do is create a set of assumptions that I can use in designing a GM adventure that can readily be interpreted by others without being prescriptive; if I say the guardian wombat has an MR of 36 and in your game the PCs don’t get out of bed for anything less than 100 you have to figure out what to change my wombat’s MR to...
So, instead of me saying Winston (the wombat) has an MR of 36, I might refer to him as being an average foe.
(Type 0) Nuisance: even in large numbers these critters are an inconvenience, they might sneak in a few Spite hits before being pulped under the weight of the character’s blows but that’s it.
(Type 1) Minor: such foes put up resistance for 1 or 2 rounds before becoming Dungeon Paté. These enemies are more often scouts, trap-setters or bait.
(Type 2) Average: the typical foe is of this level. Unless the dice go in his favour, the average foe will not beat a full strength party of delvers. However, a series of average encounters will wear down the party’s resources.
(Type 3) Equal: these guys are tough. They are a match for the PCs; this could mean they have similar dice and adds, a special ability that calls for regular Saving Rolls or access to spells. This battle will be long and deadly; PCs could die. After this battle, they will need a little R&R to recoup their losses.
(Type 4) Heavy: this dude is tough, tougher in fact than the PCs. To beat this foe (or foes) the PCs will need to pull out their best moves, combat stunts, plans, one-use magic items and so on. Heavies don’t turn up often but when they do, it’s a tactical challenge that may cost lives. Sometimes you need to know when to run and hide; this could be that time.
(Type 5) Boss: the boss is like the heavy but moreso. Usually the boss can’t be avoided (but could be duped or bargained with) because he’s guarding what the PCs are looking for. The boss might be a vicious tyrants with lots of zeros after his rating but he might also be nuisance-level creature that explodes upon death killing all within a 100-foot radius....
It’s up to the GM to figure out what, for example, a Type 2 challenge really is but a good start is to take a level 1 warrior with sword, shield and leather armour (typical for level 1 methinks) and compare his average roll against the critters in your stable. Multiply it by 4 for a 4-man team of PCs but don’t take his armour-doubling ability into account. If you double the warrior’s armour you are negating his only special ability.
Okay, now you know where I’m going, the next bit is tougher.
Saving Rolls...
When I ask my players to make a level 3 Saving Roll it usually means curtains for someone. In your game, L3SRs might be the order of the day.
In generalising the SR the base always has to be level 1 since even the toughest delver on the block can fail that.
Class I (L1SR): the default SR level is always level 1. It’s a challenge for new characters and a small margin for error with veterans but there’s still room to fail.
Class II: consider this a median roll. It should give a near-equal chance of success or failure across the board.
Class III: this is ‘Class II plus 1’... You probably need a DARO to hit the mark here.
Class IV: you need at least one DARO and probably more to save the day.
BTW, I’m not suggesting that the Class of SR be set by each character in a GM game (but that would work in a solo), it’s the situation that must be quantified by the GM...
Example: my trap requires a DEX SR to avoid and my character has a DEX of 25. If it’s simple to avoid (such as a trap that ‘might’ be triggered when you walk across it), the SR is Class I (L1SR). If it takes a bit of skill to avoid (a needle is fired from the lock when you turn the handle), a Class II roll might be called for; for my DEX 25 character that would be level 4.
Why level 4? level 3 requires only a roll of 5+, not good enough. My next available option is level 4 which requires a roll of 10+ but no DARO.
A trap that spits out a cloud of poison gas might be Class III and for my DEX 25 guy that has to be level 5, he needs at least one DARO... Ouch!
And so on...
So there you have it. Suggestions and comments greatly appreciated.
;D
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