Arthera -
@The Harbinger of Ferocity,
Ceria -
@Mistiel,
Ulor -
@Oraculum,
Daisy -
@Ermine,
Ary -
@corneredbliss,
Yvah -
@Ms Ravenwinter,
Lex -
@TurbowraithWelcome to the end of your first combat! I wanted to follow up with a few notes.
Please read carefully!1) I mentioned this a few times, but I want to just make it perfectly clear.
I messed up on this battle. It was significantly harder than I intended, and you have received bonus experience for my error. I think you all handled the combat itself tremendously well (no one is dead, and the combat was well beyond "Deadly" levels). Future combat will be adjusted to match your power level a little better. In terms of experience gains, D&D is balanced around the party fighting several battles before leveling up. Because slow progression is fun for no one, I will be bolstering combat experience with milestone experience as I see fit. Translation: you will also gain exp after completing certain missions.
A couple reasons why this combat was stronger than intended: A) In my previous game that I DM'd, everyone had magic items that were a bit too powerful, and my combat calcs were adjusted upwards for that. I should have noted this and fixed my calcs before this battle. B) I decided to test out a carry-over idea from Pathfinder where you attribute feats and abilities to enemies as fitting their level. While I don't think this is a bad idea, I think I will need to be careful which feats I choose. Great Weapon Master is one of the strongest feats in the game, and I gave it to the strongest enemy. While the feat did turn a couple of hits into misses, it also nearly oneshot the character who should be most tanky. I will adjust this in the future.
I will add that while this fight was certainly more dangerous than intended, it will not be more dangerous than potential encounters in the future (once you have some better gear and more experience). High level boss encounters -should- be nail-biting. A couple of ruffians in the street? Less so.
2) Combat in D&D is intended to be fast-paced and fairly brutal. In a large number of combat scenarios, there will be a potential for a peaceful outcome to combat, especially when the enemies are not obviously monstrous or evil. The likelihood of success, however, may not be very high, and it drops to zero if the enemies are harmed and they feel they have a chance for success. I do not require you to kill every enemy you encounter, and I provide
full exp benefits no matter how an encounter is completed. However, killing or incapacitating an enemy generally allows you to pick their pockets, gather materials, take their weapons. Peaceful solutions may sometimes yield other rewards, sometimes better or sometimes worse. Depends on the situation!
3) I would like everyone to
learn combat terms and limitations. I need you to be able to roll attacks and saves without asking what to add. Everyone should have their attack bonuses listed on their sheet. You do not add any other values unless a feature specifically tells you that you do. Terms like Attack of Opportunity, Advantage, etc need to be in your vernacular. I know this is a Beginner's Game, but I need you to read the combat rules as well. I understand some things are complicated or nuanced. Please take this chance outside of combat to ask questions. Spellcasters should thoroughly
read your spells, as well as the spells you haven't prepared or learned to decide whether they will be useful. If you do not have a copy of the PHB, please let me know. Online information is not always trustworthy, but I can link you info that is.
On a similar note, I will tell you if something you do doesn't work or requires a roll. I also strongly suggest you
do not offer to gimp yourself, especially mid-combat. I design these fights with idea that people will use their best options to the best of their ability. Deciding that you should have disadvantage after taking a single wound or saying that your weapon breaks with no triggering event will serve to make your allies very frustrated, and you probably won't have a good time either. There are enemies that can impose these effects on you. Don't gimp yourself unnecessarily.
4) Less pressing, but I have included the final map for the encounter in the 0th post, in case people are interested about placement, etc.
5) In regards to posting times:
I would like people to maintain the pace that you saw in this combat. If you have nothing to add, let me know so I'm not waiting for you while everyone else has posted, but I expect contribution and reaction from everyone with some frequency. RPing is about talking about your character. It's about being descriptive. Being descriptive is
not showing off. If you read a book and the author never explains the thoughts and motivations of the characters, they feel flat and boring. No one wants their characters to feel like that.
The aftermath of this combat is a good chance to practice. Your characters all have some opinion on what happened: thoughts about how the combat was handled, the actions of your new ally, speculation on who the enemy is. I would like to see a good solid post from everyone on this combat if possible, even if you do not say a single word out loud. Again, that is
not showing off. That is good writing.
On the other hand, there is such a thing as purple prose when writing can be excessive. I don't believe I have ever stated a minimum post length for this RP. Don't pad on an entire paragraph that gives no insight into your character's thoughts and actions. Trimming purple prose while adding intriguing information is my goal for RPing. As a DM,
I love to see how your character thinks. As I am not a player, it's my main source of enjoyment for an RP. Please don't deny me that :P
