Is This Too Much for My Players?

[Zarrexaij]

Normally I'd ask one of my more experienced players one of these questions, but it would be a spoiler to them and I need more than one opinion.

I plan on having my group of 6-7 (one of the new guys who said he would show for our online IRC DnD game never showed up) at level 3 or 4 face a single level 7 cleric as a "boss." I'll try to prepare them as best as I can without leading them by the nose. but I'd really like to know if I should do this.

If you need the statistic of the said level 7 cleric, I shall give them. Right now it'll remain an ambiguous question.

The whole story behind this is that they're investigating a hamlet that has been having unusual activity. Eventually, it'll lead to the large building in the hamlet that seems strangely empty. Entering in it, my players will discover an underground temple to a deliciously evil and deliciously bloodthirsty deity. And, of course, a nice fight with the local "priest."

The team consists of two fighters, a barbarian, a rogue, a cleric, and a sorcerer. The new guy was supposed to be a bard. Is this too much of a challenge for this group? Forgive me; I'm a little inexperienced and very excited. It'll probably be our twelth or thirteenth session before we get to that part of the story.

[Skjaldbakka]

It depends if they win initiative. I started a fight with a level 15 spellcaster with my level 8 character, and because we all beat the guy on initiative, he was dead before he could do anything. We were a 4 person party.

[Mike_Lemmer]

Usually single-enemy encounters are bad. It's too easy for one side to quickly win. I'd suggest a CR 6 & CR 4 encounter, or CR 6 and three CR 2s. No boss should ever be without minions.

[Maltrich]

What resources does the level 7 cleric have? If he's anything like prepared when they face him, he'll have bodyguards, some fighters, some mages, and if you're using psionics, some of those too. If they have to come to him, remember that his lair will probably be trapped, and he'll have multiple plans of escape in case things go wrong.

Remember that if he's forced to fight to the death, he'll expend every helpful magic item he can get his hands on; the extra charges won't do him any good dead.

If he's prepared, he can probably hold off the characters at least until he can escape, unless they come up with some brilliant tactic that exploits a non-obvious flaw in his security, and depending on circumstances he could very well kill them all. If they catch him out in the open, unaccompanied, or otherwise vulnerable, then six level 4's should be more than a match for him.

[Zarrexaij]

What resources does the level 7 cleric have? If he's anything like prepared when they face him, he'll have bodyguards, some fighters, some mages, and if you're using psionics, some of those too. If they have to come to him, remember that his lair will probably be trapped, and he'll have multiple plans of escape in case things go wrong.

Oh, the temple is very well trapped. I made sure of that. There's also more clerics on the way to the boss that are closer to their levels.

Unless one of my players does something really silly (quite likely, seeing as how one of my characters nearly killed a wyrmling in front of its advanced silver great wyrm foster parent) ), I doubt he'd be very prepared. Unless he has ears, say, 800 or so miles away.

Remember that if he's forced to fight to the death, he'll expend every helpful magic item he can get his hands on; the extra charges won't do him any good dead.

I gave him potions and scrolls, but nothing too powerful so my players wouldn't have anything I didn't want them to have.

If he's prepared, he can probably hold off the characters at least until he can escape, unless they come up with some brilliant tactic that exploits a non-obvious flaw in his security, and depending on circumstances he could very well kill them all. If they catch him out in the open, unaccompanied, or otherwise vulnerable, then six level 4's should be more than a match for him.

I put a secret exit in one room and there are plenty rooms he can get to and the PC's simply can't. I'd rather they not die though. As many evil schemes I've come up with, I don't want my own actions to kill them, but I'm fine if they, you know, find some way to kill themselves (like playing the game of "poke the dragon" or "intimidate the beholder").

[TSGames]

Is this too much for my players?

I find that whenever I have to ask myself this question the answer is no. "No sacrifice, no victory!" But then again, when I was but a noob DM I misinterpreted the meaning of CR which resulted in the party consistently facing challenges about 4 CR above their level. Needless to say, it was high power campaign.

[SoulCatcher78]

Use some low powered undead (skeletons and zombies) to slow down the PCs. Put them behind a tapestry or screen so that they aren't immediately visible to the party. Once they start moving toward the Cleric, have them mix it up with the party so that they Cleric can use his abilities in an intelligent manner (hold person and fear are going to be your best bet for knocking the party down a notch or three...be sure to read the description for fear (cone shaped area 30' long). Make it a challenge using the low powered undead as shields and it'll at least take a couple of rounds to complete (if the PCs make their fear/hold saves).

[Maltrich]

If the lair is somewhere that he might reasonably expect to be attacked, the clerics would realistically have some way to raise the alarm - although if it's a small area, just shouting should get them all there pretty quickly. If the lesser clerics are equal in level to the PCs, and there are at least 5 (remember, they'll be attempting to raise the alarm and get everyone to attack the party at the same time) then you'll end up with a situation where the six PCs are fighting five NPCs of their level and one who is 2-3 levels higher, on those NPCs' home ground. If the clerics are all equipped as one would expect for their level, then the support of the higher-level character is going to make things very difficult for the players.

Which is, actually, probably a good thing. If they have any sense at all, they'll send the rogue in first, possibly accompanied by the sorcerer. They can scout invisibly (assuming they've made fourth level, and the sorceror has the sense to take it), isolate one of the clerics and kill him quietly, then steal his robes and use change self (if the sorceror has it) to replace the cleric with the sorceror. If things are going well, they can continue to do this until they get bored, but they should take care that no one who sees the sorceror-as-cleric attacking his "friends" survives, probably by using sleep every time they find another one of the suckers so that they can't cry out. Alternatively, the sorceror can try to chat up his new "comrades" in the hopes of learning something important, probably with Bluff checks to keep from revealing his own ignorance. Then, the rogue returns to the party and they head in. For added fun, the bard can create a silent image (if he knows it) to make it appear that the sorceror is still with them.

With some of the clerics dead (and their bodies presumably hidden) and one of the PCs sowing confusion in the enemy ranks, they have much better odds of success. There are probably dozens of other plans like this that would let a resourceful 4th-level party take on a 6th-level cleric and all of his minions.

[Zarrexaij]

Thanks for the advice. This won't be for a while, as I've said (two weeks at the least). I have a habit of planning things out in advance so things don't jump up and bite me in the behind.

I'll try to have faith in my players.

[Dairun Cates]

I know things have been said, but I know at the very least that my group, suicidal as it is at times, would tear an encounter like that to ribbons. This is also the group though where characters seem to routinely be able to fight characters levels above them to a stalemate. Still, just by going by the base CR calculations here, a level 7 character is absolutely no match for even a team of 6 level 3 characters unless he's using a really cheap trick. Hell, a really devious second level party could take that on. That's already been said though.

By the way, Kudos on not using a wizard.