Rate this encounter please

[nickl_2000]

Working on another one shot where the PCs are gladiators and I could use a rating on this encounter. PCs are experienced players, who optimize within their character concept but play for fun so the characters are not always the most powerful choices you can make.

There will be either 3 or 4 level 5 PCs and they are in a 100 foot radius Arena with water filling all but a 40 foot radius island in the middle.

The encounter will be against 2 giant octopuses who will climb up on land reach to grab them, then attempt to drag them back under the water. There will either be 6 Koa-Toa as well (10 for 4 PCs). 1 Koa-Toa will stay underwater by each octopus and stab anything that gets dragged under. The rest will come out of the water and try and keep the rest of the PCs distracted.


This will be the first battle of the day, and if the PCs smooze well enough in non-combat encounters they will have an idea that the arena will be flooded (there will be multiple ways that this can happen, the healer for between battles, the other gladiators, kissing up to the governmental officials, etc). I'm looking for how deadly it will likely be for the PCs

[Hyde]

What level are they? There's not much threat of actually drowning but two octopi could hit kinda hard for low level.

[nickl_2000]

What level are they? There's not much threat of actually drowning but two octopi could hit kinda hard for low level.

Bugger, sorry. The PCs will be level 5

[Ninja_Prawn]

You say it's the first encounter of the day... will the rest of the day be gruelling? Because this looks like a fairly soft warm-up to me. By the numbers both versions (6 or 10 kuo-toa) are between medium and hard, but I think that overstates the danger.

I ran an encounter with a Paragon Giant Octopus (statistically equivalent to fighting two at once) against 5no level 3 PCs, and they breezed past it easily. I guess you're hoping that the kuo-toa support will make it harder, but I think they're too weak to really do that. 5th level PCs will be able to kill them with impunity. Maybe something like merrow would be a better option.

[Foxhound438]

Bugger, sorry. The PCs will be level 5

this seems like a pretty easy encounter then, actually. Giant octopus has very lackluster AC and its HP is hardly enough to make up for that. A party of 3 well optimized PC's can probably burst one down before it moves, and the other would probably barely get anyone to the edge of the water.

The real challenge is probably the pile of kuo-toa, at least if the party doesn't bring a good AOE spell to deal with the crowd somehow.

Though it's easy, it does look like a pretty good encounter, and it could be pretty dangerous if the party is caught off guard.

Maybe have the kuo-toa pop up from underwater and shoot at range, and have some tridents lying around the edge of the inner circle to make it look like the party should dive in and use the tridents to fight underwater, or else stand at the edge throwing in, where the octopi then attack from stealth after they're already at the water. Remember that ranged weapon attacks have disadvantage v. submerged targets unless it's a crossbow or thrown weapon, so it would be in the party's best interest to use those tridents.

That would probably be a lot more dangerous, and interesting, than having the octopi slowly trying to drag people off of the center with their (10 or 20) foot land speed that's halved for dragging an enemy around.

[nickl_2000]

You say it's the first encounter of the day... will the rest of the day be gruelling? Because this looks like a fairly soft warm-up to me. By the numbers both versions (6 or 10 kuo-toa) are between medium and hard, but I think that overstates the danger.

I ran an encounter with a Paragon Giant Octopus (statistically equivalent to fighting two at once) against 5no level 3 PCs, and they breezed past it easily. I guess you're hoping that the kuo-toa support will make it harder, but I think they're too weak to really do that. 5th level PCs will be able to kill them with impunity. Maybe something like merrow would be a better option.

The days will be 3 fighting encounters per day with a short rest in between (with a possible bare handed brawl between gladiators if the PCs decide they want to pick a fight).

This will be Day 2 and the PCs will know that the final fight will be at the end of day 2. My thought on the Koa-Toa support is that they will be able to keep the others PCs busy while two possible PCs are restrained and pulled under the water. Plus the Koa-Toas have some fun little abilities with their sticky shield.