I am going to run my first game in a couple of days. I have planned an encounter that I think might be a little to tough for my group of four. They are going to be level 2 and marching through an arctic setting. There is going to be a lake with thin ice and a merrow lurking underneath it. So if the ice cracks, they can make an acrobatics check to see if they fall into the water. My idea is that anyone who falls into the water is going to be surprised by the merrow, while the ones who remain on the ice is going to make a perception check to see if they can detect the merrow. (I have not yet decided if I should consider the water dim light or dark yet for the purpose of the perception check). The water is also going to be very cold
I do want it to be a dangerous encounter, but I don't want it to feel pointless for the one falling into the water. Is there a way I could balance it in a good way or perhaps another monster with simliar properties (that drags people down into the water). I have considered removing it's multiattack ability and make it so that it can't use it's harpoon if it's stuck in a target.
Also, is there any general rules of thumb for how I should balance my encounters? Is there any psycological tips for how to host a dangerous campaign? (it's going to be very short one)
Depends on the level of danger and spectacle you want to have. If I were doing something like this, I would leave the monster stat blocks alone, but add an encounter release valve if things start to go south for the players. I would have something like a sea monster using the plesiosaurus stat block that would arrive and snatch up a marrow in its moth, break some ice, and give the party a window to flee.
Could it be equally valid to have something like a couple of merfolk coming to the combat and distract the merrow? (and maybe help a player come up to the surface?)
Hello everyone
I am going to run my first game in a couple of days. I have planned an encounter that I think might be a little to tough for my group of four. They are going to be level 2 and marching through an arctic setting. There is going to be a lake with thin ice and a merrow lurking underneath it. So if the ice cracks, they can make an acrobatics check to see if they fall into the water. My idea is that anyone who falls into the water is going to be surprised by the merrow, while the ones who remain on the ice is going to make a perception check to see if they can detect the merrow. (I have not yet decided if I should consider the water dim light or dark yet for the purpose of the perception check). The water is also going to be very cold
I do want it to be a dangerous encounter, but I don't want it to feel pointless for the one falling into the water. Is there a way I could balance it in a good way or perhaps another monster with simliar properties (that drags people down into the water). I have considered removing it's multiattack ability and make it so that it can't use it's harpoon if it's stuck in a target.
Also, is there any general rules of thumb for how I should balance my encounters? Is there any psycological tips for how to host a dangerous campaign? (it's going to be very short one)
Depends on the level of danger and spectacle you want to have. If I were doing something like this, I would leave the monster stat blocks alone, but add an encounter release valve if things start to go south for the players. I would have something like a sea monster using the plesiosaurus stat block that would arrive and snatch up a marrow in its moth, break some ice, and give the party a window to flee.
Could it be equally valid to have something like a couple of merfolk coming to the combat and distract the merrow? (and maybe help a player come up to the surface?)
Maybe, if you want to introduce some helpful merfolk npcs and maybe get some sort of quest line work out of them.