Hi all! First of all, if any of my players somehow stumble across this thread, stop reading or I'll throw you all into an acid pit.
Now that that's out of the way...
I'm DMing my very first game in a few weeks, a one-shot for my husband's birthday with a story hook I've been brewing for a couple of years. But now I'm actually writing it all out and planning encounters and whatnot, I'm starting to wonder if maybe I should go for something a little simpler. Up until now, I've only been a player, so I'm only guessing at all the prep I'm going to need to do here. So, a few questions...
Do I need to/should I draw up character sheets for all non-monster NPCs? Just enemies? What about ally NPCs that are technically monsters which the PCs might attack on sight?
If not, how do I keep track of NPC stats and the like?
Is a level 10 Sorcerer a credible threat to a three-or-four-person party of level ~7 adventurers? Should I scale up or down?
On the flipside, is an adult silver dragon going to be too much for the party to handle should they choose to fight it?
If the players see through my admittedly slightly cliche facade and realise the queen is actually the "Big Bad" before they set off on their adventure, how do I quickly deal with the fact that I'm going to need to make the game longer? Is it okay to slightly railroad them a little and say "you might know that, but your character doesn't, so get on your horse and ride"? (Okay that one I do know the answer to, but I want to hear opinions anyway JIC)
If I think of anything else, I'll add things on :)
Do I need to/should I draw up character sheets for all non-monster NPCs? Just enemies? What about ally NPCs that are technically monsters which the PCs might attack on sight?
If not, how do I keep track of NPC stats and the like?
The DMG has a lot of good advice here, but in short you should at least write down the personality traits, bonds, ideals and flaws for your NPCs. If you don't expect players to pick a fight with them, you can skip that part and improvise on the spot. Otherwise, you can pick one of the NPC stat blocks in the Monster Manual and make some minor changes.
Is a level 10 Sorcerer a credible threat to a three-or-four-person party of level ~7 adventurers? Should I scale up or down?
On the flipside, is an adult silver dragon going to be too much for the party to handle should they choose to fight it?
Don't really have time to go through the numbers right now but I wouldn't expect a 10th level Sorcerer to last long. Not enough hit points, and they don't have enough actions available to deal with everything a party can throw at them. As a rule of thumb, if you're going to throw a single monster at the players it should have Legendary Actions. Otherwise, you really want to throw at least 2-3 creatures at the them so they can cooperate and get each other out of trouble the same way players can.
An Adult Silver Dragon is CR 16, that's way out of their league at 7th level.
If the players see through my admittedly slightly cliche facade and realise the queen is actually the "Big Bad" before they set off on their adventure, how do I quickly deal with the fact that I'm going to need to make the game longer? Is it okay to slightly railroad them a little and say "you might know that, but your character doesn't, so get on your horse and ride"? (Okay that one I do know the answer to, but I want to hear opinions anyway JIC)
Is it a problem if they know the queen is the Big Bad? It's not like they can just murder her on the spot, right? There'll be repercussions. There's nothing wrong with an adventure where the players know exactly who the villain is from the beginning; the problem is dealing with them.
The majority of the time NPC and Baddie characters only really need the important stats, AC, HP, to hit, avg(damage), special abilities/spells, Lair/Legendary actions. Jot down crib notes on a 3x5 index card, print off scanned images of the book, or look up stat blocks on line to print.
Even then, as you get more familiar with how the numbers work, you can make them up on the fly. I almost never use stat blocks any more (but I also have around 32yrs of DMing behind me), instead I use basic numbers that make sense. A guard to the bad guy who's a merc and loyal? AC 14, longsword with +5 to hit/damage, hp is going to be around 4d8 +8 (con mod of 2), and if I'm feeling greedy I'll give him multi-attack just for kicks since I've got 6 players. I can't tell you what the exact CR is but I'm guessing it'll be around a CR 2-3.
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Could a level 10 Sorc solo 7 adventurers, can an adult silver dragon? The answer is maybe, and it all depends on your players' levels. If you drop a lvl 10 sorcerer in front of that group in the first 3-4 levels, yea, they'll probably have trouble with him, after that, the sorc is going to need help. The dragon, I think most players start seeing them in their early-mid teens. There are numerous sites that will give you encounter generators and guides for working up encounters. With those and some practice you'll start to get a feel for how hard you can push your players. Even if you get an idea based on their levels and numbers, the one part that you'll have to learn through trial and error is how well they work together when things go sideways. I've had players come up with some amazing strategies that have killed creatures that were far beyond their ability to stand toe to toe with.
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Every plan falls apart when the players are introduced to the game. If they figure out that the queen is the "bad guy", then come up with a contingency. The Queen is under the thumb of another person/creature which has caused her to do this, or she's being framed. You could also come up with a second plot all together, and if they players see the Queen ruse immediately, reward them, and then spring the new plot on them as they sit back feeling smug.
My NPC's are usually 3 or 4 on a single side of a greeting card. That's how much info most of them require. AC, HP, Speed, Passive Perception, Stealth + X, Dex + X, Char + X, 2 more important stats with a + X. Then I can just roll and add the number and be done for almost anything. Add a short description of the position/role in the community and their personal goal. Everything else I make up on the spot regarding personality traits then write it down later to remember and stay consequent next time the players interact. Can also add a line To Hit + X for 2d8+4 damage and just wing the description of the kind of attack they do. In case the queen pulls out a dagger or cast a basic spell before her guards do the rest.
If you have more important NPC's that you know will partake in combat sooner or later. Just flesh those out more with more detailed attacks. And a single baddie is boring and needs lots of legendary/reaction moves to survive more then a single round. Also add environmental hazards and minions. Does the spellcaster have a certain personality/style? How can you make that appear in how he prepared his lair? Does he have arcane objects prepared that can charm opponents for him...or are there mirrors on the walls that function as portals through with tendrils appear which attempt to grapple players. Or did he put some glyphs/wards here and there to stun, wound pesky adventurers. Little things like that can aid in making a 1 opponent fight more interesting. Approach the scene from the baddies perspective. What do they do to win and increase the chance of success in achieving their personal goals. Its up to the players to investigate, gain information and prepare for the encounter. That's why I don't balance my fights and rather go for "realism". Don't worry about TPK'ing your party since players often surprise you. If your group has strong AoE attacks... Throw 4e concept of minions at your group. Simple opponents 3+ lvls below the group that have all the same attack options but only 1-5 HP so they instantly die.
In short. Try to simplify monster/NPC stats. Its ok to make stuff up on the spot. Its not like the players even know as long as you relay the flavor of the scene and opponents its fine.
Hi all! First of all, if any of my players somehow stumble across this thread, stop reading or I'll throw you all into an acid pit.
Now that that's out of the way...
I'm DMing my very first game in a few weeks, a one-shot for my husband's birthday with a story hook I've been brewing for a couple of years. But now I'm actually writing it all out and planning encounters and whatnot, I'm starting to wonder if maybe I should go for something a little simpler. Up until now, I've only been a player, so I'm only guessing at all the prep I'm going to need to do here. So, a few questions...
If I think of anything else, I'll add things on :)
The DMG has a lot of good advice here, but in short you should at least write down the personality traits, bonds, ideals and flaws for your NPCs. If you don't expect players to pick a fight with them, you can skip that part and improvise on the spot. Otherwise, you can pick one of the NPC stat blocks in the Monster Manual and make some minor changes.
Don't really have time to go through the numbers right now but I wouldn't expect a 10th level Sorcerer to last long. Not enough hit points, and they don't have enough actions available to deal with everything a party can throw at them. As a rule of thumb, if you're going to throw a single monster at the players it should have Legendary Actions. Otherwise, you really want to throw at least 2-3 creatures at the them so they can cooperate and get each other out of trouble the same way players can.
An Adult Silver Dragon is CR 16, that's way out of their league at 7th level.
Is it a problem if they know the queen is the Big Bad? It's not like they can just murder her on the spot, right? There'll be repercussions. There's nothing wrong with an adventure where the players know exactly who the villain is from the beginning; the problem is dealing with them.
The Forum Infestation (TM)
The majority of the time NPC and Baddie characters only really need the important stats, AC, HP, to hit, avg(damage), special abilities/spells, Lair/Legendary actions. Jot down crib notes on a 3x5 index card, print off scanned images of the book, or look up stat blocks on line to print.
Even then, as you get more familiar with how the numbers work, you can make them up on the fly. I almost never use stat blocks any more (but I also have around 32yrs of DMing behind me), instead I use basic numbers that make sense. A guard to the bad guy who's a merc and loyal? AC 14, longsword with +5 to hit/damage, hp is going to be around 4d8 +8 (con mod of 2), and if I'm feeling greedy I'll give him multi-attack just for kicks since I've got 6 players. I can't tell you what the exact CR is but I'm guessing it'll be around a CR 2-3.
----
Could a level 10 Sorc solo 7 adventurers, can an adult silver dragon? The answer is maybe, and it all depends on your players' levels. If you drop a lvl 10 sorcerer in front of that group in the first 3-4 levels, yea, they'll probably have trouble with him, after that, the sorc is going to need help. The dragon, I think most players start seeing them in their early-mid teens. There are numerous sites that will give you encounter generators and guides for working up encounters. With those and some practice you'll start to get a feel for how hard you can push your players. Even if you get an idea based on their levels and numbers, the one part that you'll have to learn through trial and error is how well they work together when things go sideways. I've had players come up with some amazing strategies that have killed creatures that were far beyond their ability to stand toe to toe with.
---
Every plan falls apart when the players are introduced to the game. If they figure out that the queen is the "bad guy", then come up with a contingency. The Queen is under the thumb of another person/creature which has caused her to do this, or she's being framed. You could also come up with a second plot all together, and if they players see the Queen ruse immediately, reward them, and then spring the new plot on them as they sit back feeling smug.
My NPC's are usually 3 or 4 on a single side of a greeting card. That's how much info most of them require. AC, HP, Speed, Passive Perception, Stealth + X, Dex + X, Char + X, 2 more important stats with a + X. Then I can just roll and add the number and be done for almost anything. Add a short description of the position/role in the community and their personal goal. Everything else I make up on the spot regarding personality traits then write it down later to remember and stay consequent next time the players interact. Can also add a line To Hit + X for 2d8+4 damage and just wing the description of the kind of attack they do. In case the queen pulls out a dagger or cast a basic spell before her guards do the rest.
If you have more important NPC's that you know will partake in combat sooner or later. Just flesh those out more with more detailed attacks. And a single baddie is boring and needs lots of legendary/reaction moves to survive more then a single round. Also add environmental hazards and minions. Does the spellcaster have a certain personality/style? How can you make that appear in how he prepared his lair? Does he have arcane objects prepared that can charm opponents for him...or are there mirrors on the walls that function as portals through with tendrils appear which attempt to grapple players. Or did he put some glyphs/wards here and there to stun, wound pesky adventurers. Little things like that can aid in making a 1 opponent fight more interesting. Approach the scene from the baddies perspective. What do they do to win and increase the chance of success in achieving their personal goals. Its up to the players to investigate, gain information and prepare for the encounter. That's why I don't balance my fights and rather go for "realism". Don't worry about TPK'ing your party since players often surprise you. If your group has strong AoE attacks... Throw 4e concept of minions at your group. Simple opponents 3+ lvls below the group that have all the same attack options but only 1-5 HP so they instantly die.
In short. Try to simplify monster/NPC stats. Its ok to make stuff up on the spot. Its not like the players even know as long as you relay the flavor of the scene and opponents its fine.