D&D NPC's

[Melena]

if youre a GM just make them on the fly with stats you think of lol

Easier said than done. Customizing a dnd character to make it powerful is a pain in the ass, there is too many skills/feat/spell/items, and not all combo are good. Players are always overpowered, and will assrape anything you put in their way if you didnt spend 2 hours making something midly powerful.

Stacking magical stuff on your npc doesnt work well either because the players will loot them after one shotting your npc >_>

which is why i always refer to rocks fall, everyone dies when people get too cocky/powerful in game.

[Devek]

It is fun to win, D&D is fun

Even against a very large number a enemies it feels like cheating if you have a druid + sorc/wizard in the pt.

[Kaylia]

It is fun to win, D&D is fun

Even against a very large number a enemies it feels like cheating if you have a druid + sorc/wizard in the pt.

Druid and oversized bear are retarded, they are gonna grapple everything and rape them. They nerfed them in 3.5, but they are still overpowered.

Sorc/Wizard aren't really a problem >_> Some spell are cheap, but landing them on a target isn't that easy. Melee are gonna resist everything you cast at them.

Melee job are the worst imo, it's too easy to stack bonus on your attacks roll, and when you get 3 attack per round + 1 from haste, you rape everything in 1 round.

[Gares]

yeah, DnD is a bit broken like that... which is why I love Iron Heroes.

If your D&D game seems broken your DM must be broken. A smart DM will pit the players up against alot more things than hack & slash. I know it seems a painstaking job but a good DM should pre plan EVERYTHING they wish to throw at their PCs. Improv can get you through a night but it doesn't make a DM good, improv makes a good DM better.

For 1 it can't always be 2 dimensional combat, what I mean is, there have to be more variable than just your stale walk into a room filled with kobolds. You have to be a rentless bastard to be a good DM. The trick is this, just when your PCs think they are on top of the world, you have to hit them with an encounter that makes them think otherwise. Make that +2 weapon they just got seem like it's rarely making a difference.

One good ego check technique is have the PCs employed as backup hirelings for real adventures that are a few levels higher than them. Also your plot devices should always follow through. If the PCs decide to get careless and kill some guy in a bar room brawl, plan an encounter for the guy's brother to tail the PCs and strike when he has the advantage. You don't have to be a death trap DM to make your PCs realize there are consequences to their actions.

You can't assume anything, I've learned it's best to create a situation where the PCs have a choice and plan out branches and storylines for every conceivable route they might pick, DMing is a hell of alot of writing and thought time.

Also here's a good tip for you serious DMs, now I don't expect anyone to do this the same way I plan on doing it, but I came up with an idea to spice up encounters. Combat hit & miss descriptions. Upon completion I plan to have players roll an extra dice anytime they make an attack roll, the dice will refer to a series of charts that give detailed descriptions of the damage done (if any) depending on the type of weapon used (blunt, piercing, slashing, even critical hit charts) vs the creature size of the foe. Depending on the roll of the dice they not only find out how they managed to hurt their foe or how badly, some things might include stunning an enemy and giving a bonus attack or doing some bleeding damage over time. This will be an assload of charts but I'm hoping it will really give my encounters the feeling of cutting edge DMing as well as make the encounters more memorable.

Flooding a campaign with encounters is the work of a lazy DM.

[Kaylia]

If your D&D game seems broken your DM must be broken. A smart DM will pit the players up against alot more things than hack & slash. I know it seems a painstaking job but a good DM should pre plan EVERYTHING they wish to throw at their PCs. Improv can get you through a night but it doesn't make a DM good, improv makes a good DM better.

They are just gonna cast the spell fly and get over any obstacles, use rope trick to rest in the middle of nowhere. It's easy to balance thing early, but after level 7-8, players can easily overcome any situation using cheap tactic and simple skill.

The trick is this, just when your PCs think they are on top of the world,

Thing is...PC are on top of the world. They are never gimped, have very little weakness and are ready to face anything. Killing player is easy, but that's not what a DM wants, you need to keep them alive...but barely. Most PC have very high dmg output, and they can easily take out something that will give them a fuckton of xp/loot.

Last campain I played was with a brd/fighter/wizard/druid pc, all lv 12 when we stopped. Tell me what you would do to "stop" them, because every fight were decided the moment iniative was rolled.

[BRP]

In turns of balance, DnD is best at the Level range 3 to 8 (maybe a little higher). That is before you start to encounter monsters that require a shit-load of magic to take down or spells/magic items get out of hand.

I found this awesome system I'm dying to test... it had the level cap set at level 6 and had players buying new feats and skill points using exp. It reminded me a lot of the merit point system of FFXI. If anyone wants it, I can go search for it.

EDIT: Yeah... huge problem with DnD at the higher levels. Highest initiative wins.

[Kaylia]

In turns of balance, DnD is best at the Level range 3 to 8 (maybe a little higher). That is before you start to encounter monsters that require a shit-load of magic to take down or spells/magic items get out of hand.

I found this awesome system I'm dying to test... it had the level cap set at level 6 and had players buying new feats and skill points using exp. It reminded me a lot of the merit point system of FFXI. If anyone wants it, I can go search for it.

EDIT: Yeah... huge problem with DnD at the higher levels. Highest initiative wins.

Yeah, they seriously need to rethink their damage/hp in the next edition, at least for higher level. I understand the system is heavily based on luck, but when it get to a point where only 1 dice matter per fight, it's kinda stupid.

[Gares]

Well for one it seems like theres too many monster encounters. Try more riddles & traps in your dungeons if you're doing dungeon crawls and offer experience for those as well as for finding secret things. The object shouldn't always be kill target. Go with the exact opposite, maybe the PCs have to track down a master escape artist who has stolen a fortune or magic item and hidden it. You have to get creative. Level draining monsters or gambling with experience vs demons are always options to consider if you're desperate. Here's one house rule I use for example to control levels.

When a PC gains a level he rolls hit dice, he gets the hit dice for the level he gained but no feats or skill points etc. In order to unlock those parts of his level he must undergo training from someone of a higher level than him. I always hated the idea of killing a monster and being like, whoa I killed this troll so now I can cast fireballs. Having a teacher or a series of teachers or training classes involved is a whole new variable on its own. They might need to seek out a hidden brotherhood of monks who require strict dicipline in order to receive their training, etc etc etc. IDK there's always a creative outlet for your D&D problems.

Editing: Anti magic fields, areas that are level capped by magical means, gloves of missile snaring, monsters immune to weapons of less than +5 magical means the list goes on, I do believe there's an enjoyable solution to any D&D problem.

[Kaylia]

Riddle and trap? They can use their adamantite weapon and blow up the wall. Also, try to logically explain to your player why someone protected his magic item with a riddle...>_> It's lame in a book, it's lame on tv and it's also lame in DnD. Same deal with trap...at lv 12, not many trap would make sense or matter. Personally, I prefer adding stuff directly to the battlefield to avoid brute force being used in combat, but it doesnt work that well at higher level. Swim, climb, jump, crumbling ceiling/floor is the kind of thing imo that add more to the "adventure" part.

Gambling with their experience/level is a bad idea because someone will just end up being weaker than the rest of the group. We usually ditched the xp lost rule to keep thing bloody and avoid having unbalanced party.

maybe the PCs have to track down a master escape artist who has stolen a fortune or magic item and hidden it.

It takes 5 sec to roll your tracking dice, and someone in the group is bound to have some skill in it. If not, they probably have a spell that do the same thing. The poor master of escape is gonna get brutally murdered by the "heroes" before spending the first gold coin he stole.

Also, I'm not certain most player enjoy playing scoobidoo and find the bad guy in disguise. They would rather have epic fight and do something that matter instead of being someone bitch to find a few stolen gold.

When a PC gains a level he rolls hit dice, he gets the hit dice for the level he gained but no feats or skill points etc. In order to unlock those parts of his level he must undergo training from someone of a higher level than him. I always hated the idea of killing a monster and being like, whoa I killed this troll so now I can cast fireballs. Having a teacher or a series of teachers or training classes involved is a whole new variable on its own. They might need to seek out a hidden brotherhood of monks who require strict dicipline in order to receive their training, etc etc etc. IDK there's always a creative outlet for your D&D problems.

And then, you spend your whole time unlocking skill instead of doing something more important. Players can level easily every 2 encounter if you make them face stuff that can kill them, or offer some challenge. You will never end if you force them to train for every skill they get. Also, what you are saying could work for a quest with 1 players, but try doing that for 4 players at the same time.

[Gares]

And then, you spend your whole time unlocking skill instead of doing something more important. Players can level easily every 2 encounter if you make them face stuff that can kill them

Here's your first problem, you're giving levels away. You don't want to be thinking, ok now they're level 3 they need to fight only these monsters, make the mobs terrain specific and every monster they encounter doesn't need to be battled, some mobs are docile and unagressive, not every monster is hiding behind a door prepping for combat. The PCs should have a slight hint of what they're walking into though, depending on the terrain. Monsters should have a motive for being where they are, as well as animals.

Stay away from this train of thought: "Well now you guys are all level 3 so we start fighting this monster, now you guys are level 4 if you can beat this monster you'll get level 5."

Levels aren't a test of what monster they can fight in a completely fair fight, they're rewards for overcoming obstacles. Fights are rarely fair, just because the PCs are level 5 doesn't mean they're always having level 5 encounters. RETREAT & PULL BACK should be things you train them on from level 1 on up. The PCs should get a rude awakening that they, at times, have to pick & choose what they want to fight and they could just as well be picking their funeral.

My suggestions were for your next DM experience not for the current one, sounds like you might be best off scraping your level 12 game sounds like a hack & slash campaign. Traps and riddles are a common way to safeguard treasures in a sophisticated way. It's not always the answer but in context it works.

Try to aim for one overall main super goal of your campaign, and it's reached through a grueling series of mini and normal sized quests. And I do mean grueling, have the PCs stumped, there's no shame in the PCs saying, ok time out I want to think about this before I make my decision. Add the element of surprise to encounters, as well as an interactive environments. And unless the quest is really stressing mass encounters, cut back on them, it sounds like you're offering the PCs too much easy experience, if you don't want them to level up so high you can slow the pace.

As far as training, it doesn't need to be a high level wizard training a low level wizard, it's simply a higher level NPC training any number of lower level PCs, the class does not matter, the passing of hard earned mental & physical experience to another is the key point. What's the points of having all these awesome skills and abilities if you get them so fast you don't know when to use which? The most rewarding things are the ones you work hard for.

Build suspense before an encounter, which lets you either A: Make the encounter seem more meaningful, or B: Lets you throw a curveball the PCs were not expecting. I rarely play as a PC because so many DMs have little to no building of suspense into an encounter.

DM: Suddenly there's ghosts, oOooOoOOoOooOoO
PC: Ok where the fuck did they come from?
DM: Shut up I'm the DM.

Make magic items & rare materials harder to come by. Get rid of the general magic item shop because magic item shops should be very very rare. Just because someone is level X doesn't mean they need to have item Y. To boot, just because PCs have some gold, doesn't mean you should smother them with things to spend it on.

I'm curious to hear some short versions of what you've had your PCs doing so far, as well as what level you had them start out as. Did you have them develop storyline/history for characters? If so how much life are you breathing into that? What are your PCs goals? By goals I mean what do they want their character to accomplish, and how are you going to let them do that? What are your goals for the PCs?

In AD&D as in life, LESS IS MORE. PCs get more satisfaction off working their ass off to get a handful of gold coins than mysteriously stumbling upon a loosely guarded hoarde of gold bullion.

PS: Reoccuring villain, some bastard that always seems to slip away or grab the key item right before the PCs. It will give them alot more satisfaction when they nab him.

[Xiona]

um, NPCs dont need to follow the rules you set for the players. if they arent going fast enough then increase their attack rate. if the party is over powered throw in an interesting AV like strat to defeat it =p

gotta balance it all out on the fly thats all =p

[Kaylia]

Ok...I wont answer everything you said, because most of it doesnt concern what I'm talking about. I know how to plan encounter or make quest, thank you very much. I'm saying the game lack balance at higher level, because it does, and it's a pain when you are trying to make interesting battles that wont end in 1 round and make the players use different strategy.

Generally, 1/2 of the encounter I do are story based (npc and stuff like that). Other half is "random" (but appropriate within the circumstance) encounter.

Fights are rarely fair, just because the PCs are level 5 doesn't mean they're always having level 5 encounters. RETREAT & PULL BACK should be things you train them on from level 1 on up.

"Retreat"? 4PC lv6 one shotted a CR12 hydra for 1 level worth of xp. They killed a krakken in 1 round at lv 9. Last time I played, they one shotted a lv20 mage that was suposed to be a recurring villain, then ran away from the remaining monster.

Yes, the PC run away at time, but you have to make them fight overpowered thing if you want that to happen. This may cause problem if I win initiative and have to hold back to give them a chance>_>

My suggestions were for your next DM experience not for the current one, sounds like you might be best off scraping your level 12 game sounds like a hack & slash campaign. Traps and riddles are a common way to safeguard treasures in a sophisticated way. It's not always the answer but in context it works.

Riddle are retarded. None of the players want to do that kind of bs, same with me. Traps happen, but it's not Baldur gate where every damn chests is trapped. When your campaign reach a point where they have to lockpick/trap check every room, you're doing something wrong imo. Especially if none in the team have rogue level.

That said, trap also give a large amount of xp. If you want to annoy higher level players, your trap need to deal some serious damage, and because of that, they are just going to get stronger. when player get wounded, they are just gonna use Rope Trick and rest 8 hours.

I will PM you the .doc of my last campain. There is nothing wrong with it, it's just that player know the rule too well and can make overpowered character easily

[Kaylia]

um, NPCs dont need to follow the rules you set for the players. if they arent going fast enough then increase their attack rate. if the party is over powered throw in an interesting AV like strat to defeat it =p

gotta balance it all out on the fly thats all =p

Well, DnD player are just like mmorpg players, they bitch all the time when they are not happy. "omfgwtf, why this monster has so much hp and give less xp than this one" and "wtf@shit drop, I dont want those potion that allow me to ttalk with the trees".

Creating AV is just gonna make them hate the DM However, I do agree custom monster works well compared to default crap when they are overpowered.

[Maguspk]

I always thought you made everything in D&D including the characters, so how can certain things be overpowered lol >.>.

[Kaylia]

I always thought you made everything in D&D including the characters, so how can certain things be overpowered lol >.>.

Nah, you make very little concerning the battle. Every stats for every jobs/monsters are in the book already, and you customize it with skill you pick in a list. Job balance is probably 10 times worse than the balance between Drg and Mnk in FFXI

[Gares]

Riddle are retarded. None of the players want to do that kind of bs, same with me. Traps happen, but it's not Baldur gate where every damn chests is trapped. When your campaign reach a point where they have to lockpick/trap check every room, you're doing something wrong imo. Especially if none in the team have rogue level.

That said, trap also give a large amount of xp. If you want to annoy higher level players, your trap need to deal some serious damage, and because of that, they are just going to get stronger. when player get wounded, they are just gonna use Rope Trick and rest 8 hours.

I agree that out of context a riddle or a trap can be seriously unappealing. Not every last hinged box should have a trap and not all lairs or dwellings should have lil secrets here and there. So far I've been kind of reluctant to lay down any of my AD&D writings because idk if I want people to read them and use the ideas, but if you're willing to send me some of your stuff I would love to read it, and share my own works as well.

That being said I want to focus again on context, out of context, AD&D is stupid, when the PCs encounter something they should be amused and amazed, they shouldn't be saying well wtf is this doing here? For a good taste of well thought out traps, I recommend reading "Tomb of Horrors" as well as "Return to the Tomb of Horrors" these are two interesting modules that offer alot of traps, mostly deadly, but it gets your creative juices flowing. You have to realize that you can do w/e you want to your PCs as long as the setup is correct.

I'm glad someone mentioned customing monsters because that is a very good idea, I hate it when PCs are like well we're fighting this monster and these are the weaknesses and strengths, it's like man, if you know those yourself, great, stay in character.

Riddle are retarded. None of the players want to do that kind of bs, same with me. Traps happen, but it's not Baldur gate where every damn chests is trapped. When your campaign reach a point where they have to lockpick/trap check every room, you're doing something wrong imo. Especially if none in the team have rogue level.

I can't agree with this, 100%. When there's low tension in character and the PCs are checking a room, ideally, I want them to do it like they're the damn national security agency. I train my PCs to be more like detectives than random fools running around stacking loot. Sure it's fun to see a redneck run straight into a death trap saying "hay yall watch this" but I think it's the DM's job to install a certain level of paranoia in their PC's minds. The trick is just finding the right level of paranoia. If the PCs have nothing to fear, it's all over, they're running the game now. Not everything should be trapped, no not at all, but surprises are half the fun and that's that.

I pass out a sheet to my PCs at the beginning of every new group that basically tells them build a story for your character, more detailed the better, if you want to pursue goals in the game, detail your motive inside your history but be prepared to plead your case depending. I also explain to them my role in the game, here's an exert from my house rules handout.

As a DM I'm willing to use most any suplimentary AD&D materials/books you have at your disposal. I do have a style of gaming that is very much my own. I may make modifications in the AD&D rules where I see fit and I reserve the right to veto/omit any rules. Think of me more as the judge presiding over the game you're playing. As a judge I tend to look for a number of things. These include preperation, cunning, properly executed planning, talking amongst your party members, alignment as motive, fear of death, and many other things. Try to surprise me, sometimes situations can be resolved in a very straight forward manner, others require a very delicate approach.

The big thing in there I look for though, is properly executed planning. I want my PCs to say to me, ok this is what I plan to do, then depending on dice rolls I tell them how it pans out. Overall you can't let the players warp your game, I think they like it more when they realize they have very little say outside of their goals/character history in what will happen in a given session of gaming. That way it's just as it should be, you're showing them your style of gaming, given you are writing your own adventurers not using store bought ones.

Please send me some of your work I'd love to swap some writing.

There's an edit in there ( ' - ')y

[Kaylia]

I know you can't let player warp your game, but for that, you have to axes 95% of the book If you impose too many limits/restriction, something isn't gonna feel right. I wouldn't let the player use a real loophole (huge spiked chain + trip attack + free move), but there is still many thing that get overpowered quickly

Imo, a campain should have the epic feel to it, kinda like playing a version of LoTR or another fantasy book. Story + hard and rewarding fight + some dungeon crawling once in a while.

What you are talking about is a different play style that work well for low level/small quest/dungeon crawling game. I'm not even sure how you work with 4 players that way if you have to spend so much time on every players tho.

[Drinhkinn]

From what I see, you allowed your PCs to become that strong.

They got their huge magic sword that allows him to deal out 100+ dmg per attack round. Oh god, if it woulda been a perfectly normal iron sword, maybe it wouldn't hit that hard.

Oh dear, he has all the most damaging feats and skills. Your gonna tell me he learned em all on his own without any proper training? Nothing prevents you from telling your PC "Sorry, but nobody in this region knows how to teach you this".

What i like to giveas far as puzzled are concerned, is what i call reactive thinking. You got flames engulfing half the room, burning up the oxygen that you need to breath. What do you do. (As i say this, i start performing a countdown with my fingers). Other scenario: The floor is slowly going upwards to meet the roof that's covered in spikes. (the other way around is waaay overdone), and you got 60 seconds to figure out a correct lever combination.
etc.


And because I can be an evil bastard, when I DM, expect to find cursed items, with the odd sentient one with it's own agenda. Brings a new dimension to wanting to aquire magic items. Did i forget to mention that i veto-ed the existance of the Identify spell?


In my opinion, your campaign is due for the good old reset button.

[Kaylia]

Oh dear, he has all the most damaging feats and skills. Your gonna tell me he learned em all on his own without any proper training? Nothing prevents you from telling your PC "Sorry, but nobody in this region knows how to teach you this".

I would rather artificially increase monster hp than nerf every damn skill/weapon individually >_> Player should be free to build their character the way they want within the rule instead of being locked away from 3/4 of the skill to prevent any abuse.