Hey guys. Just a quick question: when your parties are pitched against an individual enemy, like a troll for instance, do you give the enemy any 'perks'? Such as allowing them to attack multiple times in one go, or to knock the players back. It's just something that's been bugging me and I've been unsure how to play it.
Thanks
Beleg

Spend a point of Hate to make another attack (against a different companion)?

No, but I have found that single enemies tend to be dispatched pretty quickly by my player's company. They have become incredibly efficient at taking down a lone troll.

I have begun either adding difficult terrain or obstacles that force less than the whole group to engage at once or adding a helper. Even 3 or 4 goblins can suddenly change everything. I also find that making them fight in the dark or uphill, and raising the target number due to being hindered also helps keep the company from blowing through too quickly.

A troll is the single largest thing they have faced so far. I haven't created any nasty single creatures, though if I did I would probably make sure it had the ability to make multiple attacks.

To be clear, it is never my intent to kill player characters, but I do like a fight to feel like a scary challenge with consequences for failure.

No, I don't provide an over-sized creature additional special abilities or perks unless the Company is substantially stronger or more capable against the listed opponent (I'm assuming this is a published game supplement, not your own adventure). In which case, rather than adding special abilites, perks or changes to the game mechanics, I might consider:

• slightly alter the setting in favor of the opponent (maybe a terrain penalty)
• add more duplicate creatures (two trolls)
• add a variety of creatures (a troll and a few orcs)
• use a substitute creature (6 orcs, no trolls)

Be careful of the quantity, placment, timing and the potential for unintentional deadly combinations of special abilities and/or called shots. If the result would further your adventure or campaign narrative, ignore the warning.

Combat with an oversized creature is as follows:

A similar description can be found under the preceding section, More Enemies than Heroes.

The lack of more specific information may be intentional to allow more creativity in combat against large opponents. Also, the use of stances without reference to exact s (floorplan, map) may result in situations where a single attack affecting multiple targets would not be appropriate. (But it does not rule a multiple target attack out, either.)

Thanks for the quick replies. It is actually for my own adventure. So far my party has only fought one troll, and I made the troll knock them back if it hit them, because at least 3 party members are almost always ranged, and called shots and prepared shots are capable of drastically shortening a battle, and I wanted it to last longer than a minute

Also, Garn, I'm slightly confused about your warning regarding timings and such. Could you clarify? Thanks

Sure, what I meant was...

Quantity: Simply overwhelming the Company with numbers (10,000 Orcs vs Company).

Placement: Depending on how you arrange a combat scene, it may be nearly impossible for the Company to respond correctly, effectively, and survive. For instance, 2 Orcs in a tunnel is one thing. Two orcs in a tunnel standing next to a lever which starts a process of pouring hot oil on the heads of the Company and igniting it, is a whole other situation. But things don't need to be so intentionally deadly. It might be a simple flanking maneuver that the Company cannot respond to - bad die rolls, or previous comments about away from effective response for the flanking manuever, etc. So consider multiple ways in which the Company can respond: in combat, outside of combat, evading combat, applicable skills and what their effects might be, etc.

Timing: Sending opponents into combat in multiple waves also makes a difference. If the Company has to fight 200 orcs, all at the same time, they're likely to be defeated. But if you sent those same orcs against the Company one at a time, they should win (theoretically). Again, it does not have to be that extreme. Imagine what would happen if the Company is fighting an equal number of Orcs (6 characters vs 6 orcs). Except while fighting, other nearby orcs join the battle in defense of their home, so every... round... we'll add one more orc. If the Company cannot kill an orc a round, even though their will never be massive disparity of numbers, the Company is likely to lose due to weariness / attrition.

Synergy: I'll define this as "combining two or more weak or less desirable effects, resulting in a total effect which provides an overwhelming benefit against opponents". I find this difficult to explain - although you see it all the time in mixed ability games (RPGs, MMOs, CRPGs; heck, any team game). If you've ever played the MMO Guild Wars you have definitely encountered it. Templar72's comment about how quickly his group takes out single opponents is probably an example of synergy. It is the mix of buffs, debuffs, modifiers, roots, etc taken all together, which provides far more combat effectiveness than might be considered when examined separately. In D&D terms this would be like casting Web, followed by Sleep, a couple thrown vials of oil and then a torch. None of these actions individually is particularly dangerous, but taken together might prove lethal.

So, imagine what would happen if you created a combat situation where the Company (6 characters) encounter 6 Attercops. Each character is engaged. What is the chance that one of the characters will be ensnared? How dangerous is this situation?

Now, we have the same situation, except we're going to add two Great Spiders who maintain a Rearward stance, simply casting Strike Fear at characters deemed appropriate targets. They do absolutely nothing else, ever. It doesn't seem like much, but now the characters cannot use Attribute bonus values in combat. Combat is getting dangerous as the characters do not have as much functionality as they are used to. But this is not an impossible situation by any means.

Lastly, lets add two Orc Guards (forward) and two Goblin Archers (rearward). We now have two enemies per character; the odds are not in the Company's favor, but it does not appear to be an overwhelming situation either. Except... the Guards add Hideous Toughness, so they can withstand more damage, extending the time it takes to defeat opponents. Further, if light sources can be extinguished (and with the Attercops capable of jumping around this isn't too extreme of an idea) that would mean the Archer's Denizen of the Dark kicks in - increasing their combat effectiveness (more successful attacks and less likely to be hit).

Imagine both Guards attack a single character, the Archers peppering anyone who tries to assist. One Great Spider uses Strike Fear against this character, limiting their combat effectiveness. The other Great Spider will afflict any potential rescuers. Meanwhile, any available Attercop(s) start using Great Leap to get in close and attempt an Ensnare/Seize Victim. Once seized, the Attercop positions the seized character so that the Guards may strike from behind. Just how dangerous is this situation now? How long can the Company withstand this orchestrated attack?

And are you starting to understand synergy?

Thanks Garn, I see what you mean now. At least, I think I do
I'd never quite realised how lethal certain combinations of enemies and circumstances could be. It's probably a safe bet to assume my players haven't either. I think now I'll be able to have them face a troll without resorting to baseball

Just keep in mind that your players', and their character's, will learn these techniques over time as well and will respond accordingly. Forming their own synergies and using them against your NPCs.

BTW, the available synergies will expand with each and every new product released that includes any original material.


Anything and everything in existence is now, or has been, used in some form of lethal encounter. Playdoh. A plain wooden toothpick. Ice. Salt. Sugar. A tie clip (not pin). Antiperspirant. Really, if given enough thought, the mind just boggles on the potential for lethality in commonplace items - without synergy. Its a miracle humanity still exists.

I wanted to chime in on this, Garn, Excellent points on the dangers of synergizing attack forms.


In D&D
Some of my favorite creature synergies are:
Creatures who are blind like Morlocks (Using blindsense) that attack alongside something that gives off an area effect visual effect (Like looking upon it turning them to stone).


A flesh golem and a wizard who has a propensity for fire lightning. (Since lightning heals the golem and hurts the PCs at the same time).


A wil'o'wisp and a shambling mound; since the wil'o'wisp makes the mound tougher via it's electrical damage, and since the PCs no doubt are getting afraid of how tough the mound is getting - and the wil'o'wisp thrives on fear......it keeps shocking the mound to incur more fear!



As a spellcaster - Web and Stinking Cloud are a horrible combo to overcome.

As a DM - I once dropped a high level group into a big deep well-pit - which was silenced and darkness; then a high level wizard cast web, solid fog, and cloudkill down there.......

Have the trolls start traveling in groups for protection.

Another factor is weather.

If you notice lone enemies are easy pickins for the archers - how bout a windstorm or fog or hvy rain that keeps visibility so low that the archers cannot maintain a safe distance.

Have the big toughie fighting on the edge of a cliff. The PCs will probably not be able to move the troll off the side of the mountain, but there's no telling when a wild crushing blow smacks a hapless elf off the side of the cliff.

Add the cliff AND the weather.....now you've got a really dangerous "Synergy". God forbid it was at night, too....

SirKicley,
Excellent examples and far more appropriate than my example as it is creature ability synergy, whereas I defaulted to one of the best know spell & item combos.

As for the Trolls... Placing a solitary Troll encounter is fine, even if the party can quickly defeat them. Just add a small cadre of orcs, maybe 50-ish in number, who were quietly following the troll, trying to apprehend it for use as part of the war efforts' labor force.

If they survive this encounter, I bet the very next solitary troll they encounter might be allowed to pass uncontested.