Encounter in the Forest - Part 4 - The Aftermath and the Future

Continuing the series of dissecting an encounter, we come to the aftermath.

The players cleaned up the wraiths without a huge amount of trouble, but it did cost them a half-dozen surges. This left them wary of continuing to delve into the woods. Here my favorite part of the encounter comes to be. After defeating the Wights, the players decided to try and find a place to rest. They wagered that the forest should be safe after they dispatched the Wights and their commander... Oh how wrong they were.

The most overlooked part of Encounter Design.

This could almost qualify as a post topic in and of itself.

In my opinion the most overlooked part of encounter design is the repercussions and immediate follow up. Immediate follow up incorporates those things which should affect the players in between this encounter and the next, if this is a dungeon. Or the next hour or so of non-combat time. While repercussions influence the entire adventure from this point forth.

So what were the repercussions and Immediate follow up here?

Immediate follow up: Having slain the leader of the Wights, who had been holding the band cohesive, the spirits of the forest have been released, and are not to happy with the players. Any attempt to rest within the woods is now far more mentally taxing than it should be, there is a malevolence and weight to the air. The players may also run the risk of running into more corporeal Wights. These fights aren't meant as full encounters, but each run-in should have an effect, perhaps charge the players a healing surge each time they run into a wight before it is unceremoniously slaughtered... That will start to worry the players, instilling the dread of running out of surges and finally being dragged down from attrition.

The repurcussion of slaying the Wight battle group was that the Lich who now lives within the ancient manor keep knows that something dangerous exists in the forest, and defeated his lieutenant. A particularly paranoid individual, he now sets about setting his traps for the PC's when they decide to step further into his domain.

Overall Impressions?

This encounter taught me that varied enemies is paramount to success in 4e encounter design. But an easy battle shouldn't end without some danger to the PC's, a little bit of dread can go a long way... Be sure that the battle ties into a larger scheme of things, and is not just there for it's own sake.

Non-Monetary Rewards

Recently I have embarked on a little experiment on my players *cue evil laugh* which seems to have gone very well and been enjoyed by all *laugh ends in a sputter*

The experiment was this: I would take the usual treasure volume which I have sprinkled throughout the characters adventures to come, and take away half of it. This half of the treasure would then be converted into other types of tangible rewards. So far the change had been very well received.

So just what did they get?

Well, I developed a short list of each character's backstory and motivations, and brainstormed appropriate rewards. Here I will list my favorites.

The near-constantly teleporting Feylock received a pet Shadow Hound as reward for killing a dangerous Shadar-Kai Warrior who challenged the party's honor. The Hound was one of the few creatures who could follow him when he constantly jumped around, and thus meshed perfectly with his character concept. This pet would also be able to protect him from melee, which could be quite dangerous with only one other defender to rely on.

So far the Warlocks player has really enjoyed the presence of the Dog, and has nearly lost it when the dog has gotten injured. Such emotional response would be very hard to foster for a sword (though the Dragonborn has a strange relationship with his).

For the aforementioned Dragonborn Fighter, there came a both a divine boon, and a Fire Elemental taking up residence within his blade. Both rewards served the stories ends, and made for fun 'treasure' to be found. The boon came as a result of saving the life of a cleric to Heironeous, thus garnering his god's favor. While the Elemental is something of an enigma, though it saved the PC's life so they haven't questioned it too much.

The Player of the Dragonborn has proved to be very pious, respecting many gods. He primarily serves The Raven Queen, but will work with any faith he respects. The boon of Heironeous was a way to show him that the god had noticed him, and that he was pleased with his actions. On the flipside of that coin, the Fire Elemental appeared to save them from the vengeance of Zehir. This elemental has empowered his sword, but it also speaks ill of the gods, trying to sway his opinion.

From my experiences so far, and the feedback from my players, I think that such non-monetary rewards are very cool, but it could be easy to overdo them. The players need some wealth to throw around for their own purposes, and crafting their idea of their character. The warlock in particular has come to be a little short on cash. I will have to be a little more delicate with balance in the future.

So does anyone else out there have any favorite items they have given out to players?

Encounter in the Forest - Part 3 - Companion Characters

We continue a series dissecting an encounter for 4th Edition DnD.

Companion Character Background:

So, almost immediately after purchasing the DMG2 I was inspired by the rules for Companion Characters. For any who may not know; Companions are simplified party members with a small variety of abilities, meant to supplement a party role or act as henchmen or the like.

The two companions currently in this party are: A Shadow Hound which the Feytouched Warlock saved from it's (now deceased) master. As well as a Warforged Divine Champion of the Dwarven God of Battle.

It was a lot of fun creating the stat's for these two characters. The Shadow Hound was crafted by applying the rules from DMG2 to it's MM entry, and leveling it up to 11. The Warforged was created by combining elements of the Warforged Knight and Warforged Flamepriest available in the Compendium, and had to be leveled down so as not to outshine the party (though he was hardly in danger with terrible rolls that missed everything he attacked).

Overall I would say that the Companion characters do exactly what they are supposed to, flesh out the party. They have added tactical options which did not exist before in the two-person adventuring party, without taking anything away from the player characters.

Next - Part 4 - The Aftermath and the Future

Encounter in the Forest - Part 2 - The Grand Melee

The Grand Melee

This is the second entry in a short series dissecting a particular encounter I ran for a 4E campaign.

The monsters for this Encounter were taken directly from the Nightmare's Monster Manual entry:

1 Nightmare

1 Battlewight Commander

6 Battlewights

I don't often use the given encounter groups, as often I find that they include thematically disparate creatures, but here the flavor fit, so I went with it.

The Party:

So the two PC's were a Dragonborn Dreadnaught Fighter and an Eladrin Feytouched Warlock. The Dragonborn is a staunch defender, and his marking combined with the Dreadnaught ability to automatically save with a small self-injury meant he could stand toe-to-toe with the band of wights. The Eladrin had so many Teleports at his disposal, that not more than one or two enemies were ever able to target him in a round, leaving him open to pelt them with spells. The two companions were a Teleporting Shadow Hound (The Warlocks Pet) perfect for flanking and bonus damage. And a Warforged Defender/Controller who rolled so poorly that he was nothing but a damage sponge.

The Enemies:

One thing I have noticed about Battlewights (and most other soldiers) is that they are almost a one-trick pony. Even the Commander (an Elite) only had one interesting ability beyond the standard wight energy drain and immobilization.

This battle wasn't intended to be dangerous, so much as a sink for the players resources (namely healing surges) and yet towards the end the monster's turns became quite stale. It would seem that even monsters need a controller in the group. I made a note to be sure to include more varied monsters in subsequent encounters. Even melee enemies can do with a few controller powers dragged in to spice things up, and with the Monster Builder it is only too easy.

So how did the battle go?

I had originally intended for the Battlewight Commander and his Nightmare to strafe the battlefield with charge attacks while the Battlewights held the party down in melee. The Dragonborn was able to trip the Nightmare and it's rider, and through concerted attacks, the party downed the Nightmare in only 3 turns. I was happy to see the players success, but the fight after that became more of a slog than a tense melee. The PC's were still threatened by the Wights, as the Surge drain which they can inflict could get deadly fast. But at this point the enemies had almost nothing to do other than attack with their swords in melee. The Immobilized condition never stuck to the Dreadnaught (given his paragon ability) and the Eladrin was rarely within range for the Commander to use his ranged special attack which hinged on the immobilized condition.

All in all the fight was still a success, but it pounded home the need for a varied group of enemies in 4E. Only 1 or 2 types of monsters doesn't cut it. Varied tactics keep the battlefield alive. For the next set-piece encounter in this little adventure (beyond harrying in the forest by skeletal horsemen) there will be much more variety.

Next - Part 3 - Companion Characters

Gheron the Veteran - Part 2

Last time I posted the fluff and history of Gheron, now onto some Stat blocks.

Gheron could appear as a minor NPC, or should the Players choose to bring him along, a Companion Character. I have built his stats as a Companion for both Heroic and Paragon Tiers.

Changes to note

Gheron has lost the racial benefits Dwarven Resilience and Stand Your Ground due to his past and physical injuries. As a replacement he has increased AC and Reflex defenses.

Gheron the Veteran Level 6

Medium natural humanoid XP 250

Initiative +4

Senses Perception +5

HP 43; Bloodied 21

AC 23; Fortitude 15; Reflex 20; Will 18

Saving Throws +5 vs Poison

Speed 5

[*] Second Wind (standard; encounter) • Healing

Gheron spends a healing surge and regains 10 hit points. He gains a +2 bonus to all defenses until the start of its next turn.

[*] Unbalancing Force (standard; at-will) • Arcane, Force, Implement

Range 5; +10 vs Fortitude; 1d8 + 7 force damage. The next ally who hits the target before the end of Gheron's next turn also pushes the target 1 square.

[*] Lightning Sphere (standard; encounter) • Arcane, Implement, Lightning

Gheron rolls a small metal sphere into the enemy ranks, where it promptly explodes into lightning.

Area burst 1 within 10 squares; each enemy in burst; +10 vs Fortitude; 1d8 + 7 lightning damage, and the target grants combat advantage until the end of Gheron's next turn.

[*] Insightful Warning (immediate interrupt; encounter)

Trigger: A creature you can see makes an attack roll for an area or a close attack that includes you as a target.

Effect: You and each ally included as a target of the triggering attack gain a +2 power bonus to all defenses against it.

[*] Bolster Armor (minor; daily) • Arcane

Gheron touches your armor, and outlines reinforcements to the item.

Target: Self or one ally; Effect: The target gains a +1 power bonus to AC until the end of the Encounter. The target may use a free action when hit by an attack to end the bonus and gain +4 to AC against that attack.

Alignment Unaligned Languages Common, Dwarven

Skills Arcana +12, Stealth +9

Str 11 (+3) Dex 13 (+4) Wis 14 (+5)

Con 6 (+1) Int 18 (+7) Cha 10 (+3)

Gheron the Veteran Level 16

Medium natural humanoid XP 1,400

Initiative +10

Senses Perception +12

HP 95; Bloodied 47

AC 33; Fortitude 26; Reflex 31; Will 29

Saving Throws +5 vs Poison

Speed 5

[*] Second Wind (standard; encounter) • Healing

Gheron spends a healing surge and regains 23 hit points. He gains a +2 bonus to all defenses until the start of its next turn.

[*] Unbalancing Force (standard; at-will) • Arcane, Force, Implement

Range 5; +20 vs Fortitude; 1d8 + 14 force damage. The next ally who hits the target before the end of Gheron's next turn also pushes the target 1 square.

[*] Lightning Sphere (standard; encounter) • Arcane, Implement, Lightning

Gheron rolls a small metal sphere into the enemy ranks, where it promptly explodes into lightning.

Area burst 1 within 10 squares; each enemy in burst; +20 vs Fortitude; 1d8 + 14 lightning damage, and the target grants combat advantage until the end of Gheron's next turn.

[*] Insightful Warning (immediate interrupt; encounter)

Trigger: A creature you can see makes an attack roll for an area or a close attack that includes you as a target.

Effect: You and each ally included as a target of the triggering attack gain a +2 power bonus to all defenses against it.

[*] Bolster Armor (minor; daily) • Arcane

Gheron touches your armor, and outlines reinforcements to the item.

Target: Self or one ally; Effect: The target gains a +1 power bonus to AC until the end of the Encounter. The target may use a free action when hit by an attack to end the bonus and gain +4 to AC against that attack.

[*] Stalwart Defender (standard; daily) • Arcane, Implement, Summoning

Effect: Create a Small stalwart defender in an unoccupied square within range. The stalwart defender has speed 6 and a +2 bonus to AC. Any enemy that starts its turn adjacent to the stalwart defender is marked by the defender until the end of your next turn. You can give the stalwart defender the following special commands.

[Standard Action]: Melee 1; targets one creature; +22 vs. AC; 2d8 + 14, and the target is immobilized until the end of your next turn.; [Opportunity Attack]: Melee 1; targets one creature; +22 vs. AC; 2d8 + 14 damage.

Alignment Unaligned Languages Common, Dwarven

Skills Arcana +19, Stealth +15

Str 13 (+9) Dex 15 (+10) Wis 19 (+12)

Con 8 (+7) Int 23 (+14) Cha 12 (+9)

Gheron the Veteran

I was inspired by a post on Dungeons Master about Characters with sub-par ability scores.

This inspired me to create an NPC, with stat's and backstory. The Stat's are designed for 4E, but the character should easily fit into a variety of systems.

Gheron the Veteran

"It's not my blade that kept me alive in that frozen hell of a battlefield. I was smart, smarter than those who died at least."

History
Gheron was a soldier in the front lines of a war that most have forgotten by now. He lived, though it left him a shadow of his former self.

The war claimed his left arm, and left his body battered and scarred. He has trouble with heavy work, and the pain is a constant reminder of that battlefield long ago.

After the war in the northern regions, Gheron took what he had and made his way south, nearly dying again in his desperate attempt to leave his past behind. Yet even in his workshop near the coast, his memories still find him.

Physical Description
Gheron is stout even by his races standards. He is short and blocky, with a distinct overhang to his brow. From beneath that brow shine a pair of hardened yet inquisitive eyes, green in the light. He is typically dressed in heavy woolen clothes and a thick cloak to keep out the wind and hide his stump of an arm.

Behavior and Mannerisms

After what he has been through, Gheron is very cold to anyone he doesn't know. His brashness and pride serving as a defensive mechanism. if anyone should inquire about his arm, he will respond with a gruff "Shove off! Ya berk!" (berk in this case being an insult from his homeland).

There are only a few folks who have gotten past the tough shell of this Dwarf, but to them he is known to be warm and friendly, if a bit shy about his past. Gheron desperately wants someone to confide in, but is worried about losing face and what he has left of his pride.

Usefulness

Should the players earn his trust, perhaps by helping him with a task he is unable to perform himself (just don't tell him that), Gheron actually has many ways in which he can help a party. If the players are persistent in gaining the favor of the maimed dwarf he will eventually warm to them.

It turns out that Gheron is more than just a lucky Dwarf who's smarts kept him alive. He is in fact a master craftsman of trinkets and mechanical devices. Within the small workshop attached to his house he has the ability to tinker up just about anything the players may need for their adventure.

Next - Stat Blocks

Encounter in the Forest - Part 1 - Background

Encounter in the Forest

The following series will take a single encounter/short adventure I am running as a DM and focus on my experiences, and how I might do better in the future.

Campaign:

So I am running an ongoing campaign for a number of friends. This game started when 4E was released, and has continued on a whenever-we-have-the-chance schedule since then. The players just hit Paragon Tier, and are enjoying a bit of open adventuring, having just completed their major quest for Heroic Tier.

The Players have been tasked with removing an unknown Undead threat from the woods surrounding an old dilapidated keep which was the site of one of their first adventures.

Background:

This keep belonged to the almost forgotten founder of the town where the PC's prefer to spend their time. While the 'Green Knight' as he is known has been relegated to bedtime stories, his ancient manor/keep has fallen into ruins within the woods which abut the town, and has become a favorite haunt for monsters.

Thoughts:

The players had just entered the woods when they heard the sound of approaching hoofbeats. Around the corner of the trail thundered a Nightmare, bearing a Gaunt warrior upon it's back, with half a dozen more warrior running behind.

Bringing a location to life is important in getting the players to hold a vested interest in your world, especially since this campaign might take weeks to months between sessions. I chose to place an encounter near a previous adventure location for this reason. The players felt an investment in the location and genuinely wanted to cleanse the Undead, even beyond the lure of treasure and XP. Since they had cleared the area of monsters in the past, it was almost an affront to them that these creatures had moved into their turf.

It also helped that they had previously heard tales about the Green Knight around town from NPC's so the location was more than just a random ruin in a forgettable forest. I don't often manage to do this, but having seen the players reactions, I plan on trying to do it more often.

Another point of enjoyment I spotted in the players was just how much they enjoyed having knowledge to plan ahead. I had an NPC tell them that the threat was Undead in nature, which gave them just enough knowledge to do a small amount of planning, such as seeking out a source of Holy Water in the nearby town. But this NPC didn't give away to much, so they were still wary when travelling of just what the Undead threat could be. In this case Wights.

Having just the right amount of knowledge seems to have spurred the players on. In the past I have allowed them careful study of an enemy before striking... Which had it's charm, but there was a loss of tension to the battle. While simply dropping them into the middle of danger without a clue seems the alienate people.

This is all based on my own speculation, but seems to be inline with what others have told me of their games. I am endeavoring to balance these sorts of things better in the future.

Next - Part 2 - The Grand Melee

RPG Blog

Well here it is, inspiration has finally rolled a crit against me, and so this blog is born.

I am starting this blog as an outlet for my DM'ing advice, Campaign Notes, Homebrew content, World Building experience, and general thoughts and ruminations on Dungeons and Dragons. If it lasts past 3 months I will be extatic, so let's see how it goes then shall we?

I must thank The Chatty DM profusely for his series on starting an RPG Weblog, and for being an awesome read. If you haven't checked his site out I highly encourage it.