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View Full Version : 3.5: suggestions for dealing with larger parties? (Age of Worms applicants keep out!)



Saintheart
2010-03-25, 07:46 PM
Hi all--

The short version: I'm putting together and intending to run the Age of Worms adventure path over in the OOTS forums. I'm running as D&D 3.5 in the Forgotten Realms with a few houserules, if that's any help. Initially I said I was only going to take a maximum of 6 people, but the interest has been so great and the submissions so superior (in my view) that I'm very seriously considering raising the party size from 6 maximum to 8 instead.

I'm aware, from running a RHOD campaign with 8 people, that this gives the PCs a fairly significant advantage in the action economy, usually manifesting in the PCs' strategy shifting from carefully laid takedown plans to "Everyone just charge in against one or two opponents" because they can bring to bear reasonably overwhelming firepower against an encounter.

Basically, what I'm looking for is some suggestions about how to best upgrade encounters and opponents so they still present a challenge even for a party that's eight strong. A lot of the Age of Worms encounters as written are usually a couple of ECLs above that of the party -- hence the adventure's reputed lethal nature, I think -- but I still think some beefing up is going to be required. There's a fair number of undead encounters, but also more mundane opponents and reasonably potent single magic users as well.

General suggestions would be most appreciated, of course, but anyone who's actually been running an Age of Worms campaign and still managed to challenge a small platoon of PCs in a game in combat encounters?

Thanks in advance, guys... :smallsmile:

Jack_Simth
2010-03-25, 09:22 PM
Basically? If you have a double-sized party, double up the opponents and double up the size of the rooms. If you have a +50% party, increase the number of opponents by +50%. If that would leave you with half an opponent, instead insert a similiar-theme opponent of 1 CR lower (so instead of three classed goblins at CR 2, you have four CR 2 classed goblins and their CR 1 wolf; 3*1.5=4.5).

Increasing the CR of opponents is either a death sentence because they have stuff the party can't counter after the fact, or get walked all over due to the action economy. Don't use them.

Area buffs and area effect spells become more effective (in a party of 8, a Bard is an extremely effective character, because of what Bardsong does for the rest of the party).

Flickerdart
2010-03-25, 09:26 PM
Use summoners. A Balor that summons another Balor is still a CR20, a Wizard that binds some Succubi is your best friend still the same CR he'd be without them. Stupid flaw in the system, yes, but it'll let you augment existing encounters without changing anything else about them, such as XP and treasure values.

Gralamin
2010-03-25, 10:03 PM
Use summoners. A Balor that summons another Balor is still a CR20, a Wizard that binds some Succubi is your best friend still the same CR he'd be without them. Stupid flaw in the system, yes, but it'll let you augment existing encounters without changing anything else about them, such as XP and treasure values.

Incorrect. By RAW, summons are only not worth XP if summoned DURING the combat (See Skull lord in MM5)