[Edit] Ah ... I thought I discarded this post. I've finished it.
I've been a DM since 1980 so I've seen a bit of stuff. But I'm looking to see how other DMs would balance a three-way fight.
I've got a McGuffin (an airship) that the players will want to investigate. It's been in a snowy canyon for years, and is currently inhabited by a cyclopes, his sheep, and his "dog": a basilisk that he's raised from a whelp. The basilisk knows how to avert its gaze except to target designated prey.
When the party finds the canyon, the snowfall is going from light to heavy (will reduce visibility to the point where the cyclops's range restriction is shared by all). And out of the storm come several yetis.
There are 5 PCs (level 6) and an NPC (level 4) in the party.
The cyclops is CR 6. The basilisk is CR 3. And the yetis are CR 3.
I was trying to find a way to make this work when I asked myself what I'm hoping will happen. I expect the party will let the two groups whittle each other down, then finish off the remaining group. So I'll write it as if that has already happened by the time the party comes into the fight.
I wouldn't bother to balance it very much. Sometimes fights aren't balanced and this will lead to players coming up with interesting solutions or taking different paths. If the party is getting a little too beat up. have one of the more dominant sides switch tactics to focus on the next rival team. Hopefully your party can capitalize on that switch in focus.
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"The mongoose blew out its candle and was asleep in bed before the room went dark." —Llanowar fable
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[Edit] Ah ... I thought I discarded this post. I've finished it.
I've been a DM since 1980 so I've seen a bit of stuff. But I'm looking to see how other DMs would balance a three-way fight.
I've got a McGuffin (an airship) that the players will want to investigate. It's been in a snowy canyon for years, and is currently inhabited by a cyclopes, his sheep, and his "dog": a basilisk that he's raised from a whelp. The basilisk knows how to avert its gaze except to target designated prey.
When the party finds the canyon, the snowfall is going from light to heavy (will reduce visibility to the point where the cyclops's range restriction is shared by all). And out of the storm come several yetis.
There are 5 PCs (level 6) and an NPC (level 4) in the party.
The cyclops is CR 6. The basilisk is CR 3. And the yetis are CR 3.
I was trying to find a way to make this work when I asked myself what I'm hoping will happen. I expect the party will let the two groups whittle each other down, then finish off the remaining group. So I'll write it as if that has already happened by the time the party comes into the fight.
Thanks @metamongoose for the input.
I wouldn't bother to balance it very much. Sometimes fights aren't balanced and this will lead to players coming up with interesting solutions or taking different paths. If the party is getting a little too beat up. have one of the more dominant sides switch tactics to focus on the next rival team. Hopefully your party can capitalize on that switch in focus.