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2 years ago  ::  Apr 06, 2011 - 1:50PM #1
darrell_uk
Date Joined: Nov 27, 2005
Posts: 345
The group that I DM for had their **** handed to them by encounter 9, 2d10+4 and 2d6+3 are big damage numbers, especially when the monsters can hand around for quite a while...

Two of the PCs are down to 2 surges, and a third has only 1!

I'm undecided as to whether on not to allow them an extended rest between 9 and 10. And if i do, what I should to to alter the rest of the chapter.

Does anyone have any thoughts or opinions please?
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2 years ago  ::  Apr 06, 2011 - 9:38PM #2
Metafictional
Date Joined: Apr 15, 2007
Posts: 916

In my group our Thief is down to 9 hp with four surges remaining, and he was complaining about the difficulty of the encounter as well.  I think the main problem is that there was a lack of consistency throughout the adventure for how difficult the encounters were.  Many were a cakewalk, with my players griping about being too easy.

So I made things harder, and they still laughed off most fights.  This week I made minor changes to make things a little easier, and the presented encounter ripped the party apart.  At this point, you have to ask yourself a question:

What would make the game fun for the players?  Obviously, dying off because they lack healing surges would make for a terrible end, but at the same time, if you give them an extended rest every time they are low on resources, they'll get to the last battle and just spam all their daily powers.

I generally give the party multiple short rests, even though, as written, a lot of the adventure is written as a race against time.  Since an extended rest resets all their powers, though, it can trivialize encounters where you're meant to conserve resources.

The best advice I can give is to ask yourself the following:

Did the party get beat up because they didn't use better tactics, or was there simply no way for them to avoid the situation, ie, the monsters were too tough, or the party had plain old bad luck?

What I'll probably do myself is have Faldyra give the party some herb or a poultice that restores healing surges, and let them decide on how to use it.  If two characters can regain 1-2 surges, which two party members should?

"You can always judge a man by the quality of his enemies." -The Doctor, Remembrance of the Daleks
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2 years ago  ::  Apr 06, 2011 - 11:34PM #3
Darkraven3
Date Joined: Feb 12, 2009
Posts: 135
one solution would be to have faldyra give the pc a scroll with the following ritual:

Comrades' Succor

Ritual participants share their vitality and luck with one another.

Component Cost: 10 gp
Market Price: 150 gp
Key Skill: Heal (no check)
Level: 1
Category: Restoration
Time: 5 minutes
Duration: Instantaneous


While  performing this ritual, you and up to 5 participants in the ritual can  choose to lose any number of healing surges and select another  participant to gain an equal number of healing surges. No participant  can have more healing surges than his or her daily maximum.  Additionally, you or one participant must lose 1 healing surge when  performing this ritual.


Published in Dragon Magazine 380, page(s) 89.

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2 years ago  ::  Apr 08, 2011 - 2:04AM #4
darrell_uk
Date Joined: Nov 27, 2005
Posts: 345

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll probably run with a variant on the Comrade's Succor. Have Faldyra cast it whilst they are with her, and also give then a scroll of it to take with them.

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2 years ago  ::  Apr 11, 2011 - 9:30AM #5
Randilin_Goldenleaf
Date Joined: Apr 9, 2010
Posts: 43
I was in a similiar situation and my part took a pounding in the last Encounter.  I honestly thought I was going to have a TPK on my hands.  I like the idea of her casting Comrade's Succor and giving up a few of her own e-mail surges
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2 years ago  ::  Apr 12, 2011 - 3:53PM #6
El_Rico_D
Date Joined: Nov 4, 2008
Posts: 63
I could never give up one of my e-mail surges. 
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2 years ago  ::  Apr 13, 2011 - 2:23AM #7
jonathan_sicari
Date Joined: Sep 1, 2008
Posts: 3,349
Just remember that Faldyra, as a heroic tier NPC has 1 healing surge.
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2 years ago  ::  Apr 13, 2011 - 5:01AM #8
darrell_uk
Date Joined: Nov 27, 2005
Posts: 345
Was wondering what e-mail surges were.

Yep, she's only got the one, but that's enough to "pay for" the ritual, and hopefully we'll have a character along tonight that missed last week's butchery...
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2 years ago  ::  Apr 13, 2011 - 9:44AM #9
Saintdave
Date Joined: Jun 5, 2010
Posts: 16
Comrade succor is okay.  There is something that might offend some of you and that is gasp, let them die.  They just bring their character back with -4 surges in the next session.  I felt bad about TPKing my group the first time then again the second time I felt a little worse.  Now they are using much better tactics.  I feel like they learned by failing. 
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2 years ago  ::  Apr 14, 2011 - 7:51AM #10
Randilin_Goldenleaf
Date Joined: Apr 9, 2010
Posts: 43
Well the Comrade Succor went great at my table.  The problem is that the encounter at the doors ate most of the surges that they shared.  I would be super surprised to see the survivors live through the next couple of encounters.
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