How do Items effect CR

[tim01300]

If a party of four lvl 10 PCs are captured and all their items taken away from them, how should the CR of monsters they fight be effected? The party is a druid, wizard, barbarian and cleric. I plan to have them captured, and escaping a dungeon but having to find loot as they go, eventually finding their stash of items later. But I am unsure what they can tackle.

The spell casters will have an advantage over the barbarian and the cleric without all of his heavy armor will need to change his tactics drastically.

Any tips or advice would be helpful.

[Fyermind]

The druid will be pretty much fine. The cleric should be able to cope by changing his spells a bit. If the wizard can even prepare spells, it will be fine, otherwise it will suck. The Barbarian is screwed. They should fight someone with a good weapon for him to use ASAP. Give them a weapon for the cleric too.

[sleepyphoenixx]

The wizard can use Major Creation to make temporary weapons and armor for the cleric and barbarian if he knows it. The cleric can buff those with Magic Vestment/Greater Magic Weapon.
I wouldn't put them against encounters that are significantly tougher than them unless they're really optimized but normal encounters for their level should be fine if you don't use the really nasty monsters.
Maybe you'll get lucky and they'll actually learn some tactical thinking. :smallbiggrin:

[Psyren]

I recommend you let the melee find something - a rusty blade, a stool whose legs they can rip off, anything - that they can fight with so they aren't doing nonlethal and provoking with every attack.

How tough things will be for the wizard depends on what he has prepared from before he lost his spellbook.

The druid will be largely unaffected.

[Fyermind]

Note, so that they still want their armor back, decrease the damage not the attack bonus to make things less crippling. You still want the PCs to feel like they are weak and everything hits them even if they aren't dying left and right.

[Urpriest]

It won't be uniform, so modifying CR is pointless in this situation. Different classes gain different benefits from gear after all. I'd take a look at the specific capabilities of your characters: can they hit the enemies' AC without items? How often are the enemies hitting them?

[awa]

different monster need different kinds of gear for example a shadow is basically unbeatable if your a non-caster with no items.

so i vote for a blanket change to cr is not the answer

[Fyermind]

Note, so that they still want their armor back, decrease the damage not the attack bonus to make things less crippling. You still want the PCs to feel like they are weak and everything hits them even if they aren't dying left and right.

[137beth]

Note, so that they still want their armor back, decrease the damage not the attack bonus to make things less crippling. You still want the PCs to feel like they are weak and everything hits them even if they aren't dying left and right.


Note, so that they still want their armor back, decrease the damage not the attack bonus to make things less crippling. You still want the PCs to feel like they are weak and everything hits them even if they aren't dying left and right.

Hmm, something looks the same here:smalltongue:

I'd suggest sending them up against a few CR 9-10 encounters, but make sure that they find at least a melee weapon and a spellbook fairly soon. The rest is less important.

[Fyermind]

I think this is a new high (low?) for the server. A double post almost three hours apart.

[Gavinfoxx]

Get them melee weapons, holy symbols, spell components, spellbook, etc. asap.