Roleplaying Ideas Publication #0967
Siema Johnn,
A brand new RPT GM emailed me and stated one thing that triggered a thought of how you can higher steadiness your encounters.
Right here’s a snippet of his e-mail:
“The guild offers them a simple base of operations and offers a easy means of providing up quests on a job board.
It’s been going very well, however I’m on the point of introduce a bit extra complexity into the story within the type of a lethal conspiracy that they’re about to stumble into.
They simply discovered a secret passage within the sewers whereas finishing their newest job, and it’s going to result in a severe encounter that I’m undecided I’ve balanced correctly.
We’ll see the way it goes and I might need to fudge some enemy hit factors right here and there to get them by means of it however it ought to no less than be enjoyable.”
I Keep away from Fudging
Lately I don’t fudge. I roll all my cube within the open (aside from talent and sense checks whose outcomes would spoil the drama) and run stuff as-is from my notes.
For long-term campaigns, I consider such consistency maintains participant belief and offers PCs extra choices in the long term. Nice for sandbox video games.
I additionally assume encounter steadiness is extra sorcery than science. There are over a dozen methods a preset encounter could possibly be thrown off-balance.
For instance, if PCs are closely wounded versus absolutely rested. One other instance is that if the participant who’s received the smooth-talking PC can’t make the session.
Most encounters can’t be created upfront with confidence over issues like character assets, participant attendance, break up events, silly choices, and session pacing.
Now, after I say I don’t fudge, I imply the sport stats. I simply don’t sweat the numbers anymore.
As a substitute, I make the story dynamic. Which is the purpose of at present’s Musing.
Steadiness Encounters With Story As a substitute of Numbers
Don’t fear about fudging enemy hit factors. It results in scripting. Come at it from the opposite finish, as a substitute.
If the character lose, allow them to lose. And use the loss to open up extra gameplay.
One superior means to do that is thru enemy missions.
Bear in mind the Fight Missions tip?
Give monsters and enemies fight missions too.
A Rogue Instance
For instance, the social gathering crawls the sewers and comes upon a thieves’ guild safehouse. There’s a lookout lurking exterior, two guards contained in the door on alert, and three thieves simply again from a job and hiding from looking guards above.
Let’s say the social gathering has depleted half their assets. Spells, miracles, stunts, boons, and whatnot.
The six thieves’ guild members are too powerful for the 4 PCs. Gamers don’t spot the lookout and don’t know what’s behind the mysterious secret door, nonetheless, so that they enter.
Some nice preliminary choices to alter your story on-the-fly to make the encounter extra even may be:
- The lookout warns her comrades and runs away to get assist
- The thieves are winded and wounded from their heist
- The guards are dumb and make dangerous selections that put them at drawback
So let’s say you tweak your story to even issues up a bit and the characters nonetheless lose.
No drawback. The thieves don’t wish to struggle to the dying. Most foes wouldn’t.
Who needs dying on their conscience the remainder of their life?
Who needs lifeless weight our bodies to take care of?
Who needs their residence, lair, or hideout splattered with gore that’s gonna stink and entice consideration?
So no, the thieves select to make use of non-lethal harm as every PC goes down. As a substitute, capturing the PCs may get them a reward with the boss. Or ransom cash. Or new pawns. Possibly some vital data.
Now we’ve received superior grist for additional journey!
Momentary setbacks make for extra thrilling gameplay than at all times letting characters win.
Let choices and cube roll the place they might. You’re taking part in an infinite recreation. And foe missions allow you to do this.
One other Group of Free NPCs
Noah at FreeNPC has reached 50 NPCs! An excellent feat, Noah, thanks.
New to the stream are:
Silverback, Hobgoblin Bounty Hunter
Raphine Cordaye, Half-Elf Druid
Moriah Elsene, Air Sagani Bard
Dargado Kavarothenai, Goliath Druid
Harkova Brieaer, Avestan Fighter
You could find, type, and filter all 50 NPCs right here on Noah’s Stream. Marketing campaign Logger subscribers, you will get all 50 NPCs right here and import them into your Campaigns.
