Skrum
2023-08-27, 07:43 PM
Since I play with a large group with rotating DM's, I've been thinking about ways to correctly convey difficulty levels so as to better set (and meet) player expectations. And I've come up with
Difficulty Chart
An attempt to categorize encounter and game difficulty via likelihood of character death/resource expenditure
1 - Poses no plausible threat, and is unlikely to consume meaningful resources
2
3 - Poses no real threat but some meaningful fraction of party resources will be expended
4
5 - The encounter is lively and meaningful, but outside of extreme statistical variance (most likely over a series of rolls) or major tactical blunders, character death will not occur
6
7 - Very serious encounter. While the players are likely to succeed, a couple of unfavorable rolls or small tactical mistakes could lead to character death
8
9 - Pushing the boundaries of what many groups would consider fair. Success comes down to optimized builds and nearly mistake-free play, and even then a couple of very important rolls will decided victory or defeat. Essentially a coin flip. This level of encounter or game will most likely be impossible for poorly constructed parties or less-than-optimized characters
10 - An overwhelming encounter. The players are unlikely to succeed, and any chance of success comes down to some combination of extraordinary rolls, extreme optimization, and the random vagaries of match-ups (e.g., having turn undead when facing undead). Failure taking the form of a TPK is a very possible outcome
In my experience, most games and encounters are at level 5 or less. Memorable, difficult encounters will push up to 7, and this is also probably a good level to aim for for boss encounters.
Going higher than 7 is tricky, and should definitely come with a talk with your players ahead of time (either in session 0 of a long form game, or as a warning at the start of a one-shot)
Difficulty Chart
An attempt to categorize encounter and game difficulty via likelihood of character death/resource expenditure
1 - Poses no plausible threat, and is unlikely to consume meaningful resources
2
3 - Poses no real threat but some meaningful fraction of party resources will be expended
4
5 - The encounter is lively and meaningful, but outside of extreme statistical variance (most likely over a series of rolls) or major tactical blunders, character death will not occur
6
7 - Very serious encounter. While the players are likely to succeed, a couple of unfavorable rolls or small tactical mistakes could lead to character death
8
9 - Pushing the boundaries of what many groups would consider fair. Success comes down to optimized builds and nearly mistake-free play, and even then a couple of very important rolls will decided victory or defeat. Essentially a coin flip. This level of encounter or game will most likely be impossible for poorly constructed parties or less-than-optimized characters
10 - An overwhelming encounter. The players are unlikely to succeed, and any chance of success comes down to some combination of extraordinary rolls, extreme optimization, and the random vagaries of match-ups (e.g., having turn undead when facing undead). Failure taking the form of a TPK is a very possible outcome
In my experience, most games and encounters are at level 5 or less. Memorable, difficult encounters will push up to 7, and this is also probably a good level to aim for for boss encounters.
Going higher than 7 is tricky, and should definitely come with a talk with your players ahead of time (either in session 0 of a long form game, or as a warning at the start of a one-shot)