cory, she tells them where he lives" In this example, the flowchart hhas two lines drawn away fom the innkeeper. One goes ro the livery and the other goes to Gregory’ house, since those are the +80 likely paths the PCs wal ke next ‘Timeline: Another way co organize an event-based adventure i by the pasage of time. A timeline tarts when the PCs get involved in the story (or sometimes even before then. It marks what hap: pens when: "One day after dhe PCs arsve in town, Joham comes 10 ‘them pleading for help. The next cay, Joham is found dead in his room at the én. That evening, Gregory comes tothe inn, poking, round for information to sae ifthe body has been found” ‘Combination: An event-based adventure might use both a flowcharc and a timeline rhar are closely integrated: "Ifthe PCs ask the innkeeper about Gregory onthe day after the murder, she tells. them where he lives. The following morning, Gregory shows up at the inn, heavily disguised, and convinces the innkeeper that he Jpeing framed for the mune She agrees to hide him. Ifthe PC ask the innkeeper abou Cregory after this occur, she gives them the location of his house—but she also tells the PCs (untruth fll thas Gregory has been away from tom ona ip forthe lst several days! Random Encounters: Even inan adventure driven by evens, an encounter unrelated tothe flow of events can serve to empha size (or distract from) the ongoing plot. See Table 3-28: Urban Encounters, page 102, for an example of an event-based random encounter table. ? “Eventually, each adventure comes 4o_an end. A climactic fencounter places a nice capstone on an adventure, particulacly if its one that the players have seen coming. If the ogres they have ‘been fighting have been referring ro a dragon, chen an encounter swith the dragon isa suitable ending.) Many adventures require a denouement—some wrap-up (0 deal with the aftermath ofthe final encour. This can be the time when the PCs discover what treasure iin the dragon’ hoard, dramatic scene inthe king’ court in which he thanks the adven- turers for slaying the dragon and passes out knighthood all around, or atime to mourn those comrades who did not survive the battle, Generally, rhe denouement should nor take nearly as Jong asthe climax itself, ‘As with movies and books, adventures somerimes deserve se squels. Many advenures lead directly into nev adventures for the Cs, relating to what they have accomplished or discovered, the characters st destroyed the fortress ofthe ev overlord, they may find clues within the fortress that betray the identity ofa traitor on she rown council who has been secretly aiding the warlord. Por haps the overland ore ssinsons fled the siro—where did they go? (Ores, no matter where they go, ae sure to cause trouble!) Suppose Dandits atacked the adventurers while chey were on theis way to she overlords foreess—going back now and finding the bandits lair isan adventure of both justice and vengeance “As neresting as 5 ro alk abour ventures (and the stories be ‘hind them), he game is wally composed of encounters. Ech indi vidual encotnteris ike ts on game —with a beginning, amide, aneng, and victory conditions to determine a winner and a loser. TAILORED OR STATUS QUO. Jost as with motivations, encounters canbe tailored specifically 0 te PCs or not. tailored encounter is one in which you take into consideration thar the wizard PC has @ wand of svssiity and the fighters AC is 23. Ina tailored encounter, you design things to fit the PCs and che players In fact, you can specifically design some- thing foreach PC 19 da—the skeletal minotase is a challenge for the barbarian, another skeleton wich a crossbow ison a ledge that ‘only theroguecan reach, only the monk can lenpacross the chasm, to pall he lever to raise the portcllis infront ofthe treasure, and the cleric hide from undead spell allows her o get tothe treasure the skeletons are guarding while the battle rages. ‘A status quo encounter forces the PCs to adapt to the encounter rather than che other way around. Bugbear live on Clover Hill, and if the PCs go there, hey encouncer bugbears, whether bug” ‘beats are an appropriate encounter for them or nat, This kind of ‘encounter gives the world a certain verisimilitale, and sot good ro mix few in with the other sorts of encounters I you decide to use only status quo encounters, you should probably let your players know about this Some ofthe encounters ‘you place in your adventure setting will be an appropriate chal lenge fr the PCs, bur others might not be, For instance, you could decide where the dragon lair is Iong before the characters are ex: perienced enough to survive fight against che dragon. If players Iknow char che serting includes status quo encounters that cheit ‘characters might not he able o handle, they wil be more likely t0 make the right decision if chey come upon a tough encounter. ‘Thar decision, ofcourse, isco run away and fight again another day (ovhen the party is beter equipped to meet the challenge). CHALLENGE RATINGS AND ENCOUNTER LEVELS ‘A monster’ Challenge Rating (CR) els you the level ofthe parry for which that monster is 2 good challenge. A monster of CR Sis nappropriate challenge fora group of four sth-evel characters. I ‘he characters ae of higher level than he monster, they gee fewer XP because the monster should be easier to defeat Likewise, fhe characters are of lower level than 2 monsters Challenge Rating, she PCs gora greater award aries with five of more members can often take on monsters ‘with higher CRs and partes of three or fewer are challenged by ‘monsters vith lover CRs. the game rules account for these faces by dividing the XP earned by the number of characters in the parry (see Rewards, age 36). ‘Multiple Monsters and Encounter Levels ‘Obviously, if one monster has a given Challenge Rating, more than one monster represents a greater challenge than chat. You ccan use Table 4-1: Encounter Numbers to derermine the Encounter Level of a group of monsters, as wel as to determine ‘how many monsters equate toa given Encounter Lavel(wseful in balancing an encotnter witha PC part) To balance an encounter wich a party, determine che partys level (te average ofall the members’ character levels). You want the party level ro match the level ofthe encounter, so find that ‘number in the “Encounter Level cluima. then look across that line to find the CR ofthe kind of creature that ou want to wse in she encomnser, Once you have found i, look atthe top of that column to find the number of creatures thae makes a balanced ‘encounter forthe par. For example, suppose you want ro send ogres aguins oth level pany. The Monster Manual entry on ogres shows that they ate CR 2. Looking atthe 6” row in the "Encounter Level’ colima, you rei across to the “2” entry and then check the top ofthat column 10 find thar four CR 2 monsters make a good cth-ovel encomnter. To determine the Encounter Level of « group of monsters, reverse these steps (bepin with the nuzaber of creatures, ead down 1 find ‘he CR forthe ermine, then look left ro find the appropmite EL), In general, if a creature Challenge Rating is tro lower than a siven Encounter Level, then two creatures of chat kind equal an fencounrer of her Encounter Level. thus, pai of rose giants (CR. 9 each) isan EL 11 encounter. the progression holds of doubling the numberof creatures for each drop of two places in their indvidual CR, so that four CR 7 creates Gay, four hil giants) are an -EL11 encounter, as are eight CR 5 creatures (such a shadow mas tiffs). This calculation does not work, however, with crearures ‘whose CR is 1 or lower, so be sure to use Table 3-1: Encounter [Nambers for such encounters, ‘Mixed Pair: When dealing with a erearure whose Challenge Rating is only one lower than the intended EL, yo can rise the ELby one by adding a second creature whose CRis chree less than the desired EL, For example, a DM wants to set up an encounter swith an aboleth (CR 7) for an sth-evel pay Two aboleths would ‘be EL9, and she wants an encounter of EL8, s she decides 10 give the aboleth a companion or pet ta raise the encounter to EL 8. Checking Table 3-1: Encounter Numbers, she finds that the entry fo Sth-level encounters inthe "Mixed Pris" column is "745," This ‘means thata CR 7 monster and aCR § monster together arean EL S encounter, In general, you can teat group ofcreaturesasa single creature whose CR equals the groups EL. For example, instead of having the PCs encounter one CR 4 creature (say, 2 brown beat), you could substitute eo CR 2 creates (a pair of black bests), whose EL together is 4. However, creatures whose CR is far below the party’ level ofien provide no challenge tall so dont substiruce hordes of low-CR creatures fora single high-CR creature ‘Some monsters’ CRs are fractions. For instance, a single orc (CR 1/2)is noc a good challenge even fora 1stlevel party. This means that you should either calculate XP as if the orc were CR 1, then divide by 2,or rear each pair of ores encountered asaCR1 monster Encounters with more than a dozen crestutes are dificule 10 judge. Ifyou need thirteen or more crearutes o provide enough XP fora standin encounter, then chose andividial monsters are probably so weak that they dont make fr good encounter Thats why Table 3-1 doesntt have an enery larger than cwelve for ‘Number of Cresmares" Taaus 31: ENcouNTER NUMBERS Encounter "Number of Creatures Mixed wl 1 23 4 $6 79 WOR 1 12 12 18 We 6 ee TRB 20023 1 zip 1p ays 11a 30034 42 1 tae a ya ae 4345 2 42 7 ant 12 1s 3H 5 456 3 2 12 1 12 12 #2 6 567 4 3 2 42 1 ap sea 7 67k os 4 3 2 1 1p ee $789 6 5 4 3 2 1 as 98910 7 6 5 4 3 2 m6 0 9101 8 7 6 $s 4 3 a7 NM 1M 9 8 7 6 5 4 Oe Wo Ww 9 8 7 6 $5 to Bown Nw 98 8 7 6 HO 7 a Is Wise 2 9 kta 1 15,1617 M13 29s 716i S182 Moe otk we Is ms 19 1K 19.20 17 16 1S 13s 2m 6 1S ak 138417 What's Challenging? So, what counts a8 a“challenge’? Since a gam session probably includes many encounters, you doxt wane to make every encounter one char taxes the PCs 10 their limits They would have 0 stop the adventure and rest for an extensive period afier every ‘fight, and that slows down the game. An encounter with an. Encounter Level (EL) equal to the PCS’ level is one that shold expend about 20% of their resources—hit points, spels, magic item uses, and soon. This means, on average that alter about four encounters ofthe party's level the PCs need to rest, heal, and regain spells, & Gf encounter would probably wipe ther out. “The party should be able ro take on many more encounters Tower than their level bs fewer encounters with ELs higher chan their level. Asa general rule, ifthe BLis two lower than the partys Tevel, the PCs should be able ro ake on twice as many encounters ‘before having to stop and rest. Iwo levels lower than that, and the ‘number of encounters they can cope with doubles again, and so on. By contrast, an encounter of even one or two levels higher than ehe pay level might tax che PCs to thei limit, slthowgh with. Jack they might be able o take on two such encounters before needing to recover. Remember that when the EL is higher than the party level, the chance for PC farality rises dramatically Single Monster Encounters Many adventures each their climax when the party encounters the mastermind behind the plot, or when they track a big mom ster, such a a dragon or beboide, to its lair. Unfortunately, encounters with single monsters ca he very “swing” If the party takes the time to use the Gather Information skill and divination spells they may begin the encounter immune the monser ‘most powerful weapons Ifthe party wins initiative, they can gan, tmpon the monster and severely weaken t before ican act. ‘When planning adventures, consider some o al ofthe fallow. ing points to make single monster encounters more enjoyable. + your monster uses spells or magic stems, prepare additional sane: blocs thar show she rp of abley esancers sad other defensive spells and effects. Depending om how much ‘warning the monster has of the partys approach, itmay have al ‘Sorts of additonal defenses. Remember, though, shat readying an action isa comb action and dhe monster shouldnt do ths uni combat begins (no fair readying a fireall before anyone checks fr surprise or rls for sss. + Prepare your monsters tactics in advance, including what i does if loses the inva roll. 1 may flee, or it may simply choos differnt onder for spells and racks + Distat or spli up the party I the entte party can gang up on 4 single opponent, che encounter can end very quickly (espe caaly she prey wins ove). + Put the partyin situations where they must burs resources in order ro move forward, For example, a very hoc envionment ‘might do damage every round, forcing the party we spells sch as endure elements, orto rage most oF the clerics spells ro heal upafer posing through the ho ea + Go on the aggressive. Le the single monster auack che party ‘before she parry has a chance rosea rail enhancersand defensive effects + Fool dh party. Use lookalikes and decoys to convince che party thats major encounter i staring, they use les of high evel spells and powerful items before encountering your single DIFFICULTY Sometimes, che PCs encounter something thats a pushover for them. Ar other rims, an enconnter is too difficle and they have rorunaway. A well-constructed adventure has a variety of encoun ters at several different levels of difficsly Table 3-2- Encounter Difficulty shows (in percentage terms) how many encounters of a ‘corn difficulty an adventure should have. TaBus 3-2: ENCOUNTER DiFFICULTY ‘% of Tolal_ Encounter Description 10% Easy ELlower than party level 20% __Easyifhandled propery Special (ee below) So% Challenging EL equals that of pany 155 ery dificult EL higher than party level 58 Overpowering ELS higher than pary levelEasy: The PCs win handily with little threat to themselves. The “Encounter Level for the encounter is lower than the party level, “The group should be able to handle an almost limitless numberof Easy if Handled Propeny- Theresa trick 1o chs kind of encoun. ter—a trick the PCs must discover ro have a good chance of vic- tors, Find and eliminate the evil cleric with greteyanvisilsty Bist. so she stops bolstering the undead, and everything else about the encounter becomes much easier. If not handled properly, this kind of encounter becomes challenging or even very difficult Challenging: Mose encounters seriously threaten at least one _member ofthe group in some way. These ae challenging encour ters about equal in Encounter Level othe party level The average adventaring group should be able to handle four challenging en- counters before they run low on spells hie points, and other re sources. Ifan encounter doesnit cst the PCs some significant por- syon af their resources it noe challenging Very Dificall;One PC might very well die. The Encounter Level is higher than the pary level. Ths sort of encounter may be more dangerous than an overpowering one, because its noe immedi ately obvious ro she players that the PCS should flee ‘Overpowering: The PCs should run. If they dont, they will almost certainly lose. The Encounter Level i ive or more levels higher than che parry level Difficulty Factors ‘Yor have several options for making an encossnter more or les dif ficult by changing the circumstances of the encounter to account for some feature of the PCs’ surroundings ar the makeup of the any. For inseance + Tight quarters make things more difficule for rogues, since if harder to skulk about and gain a sneak attack, +A spread-omt farce makes things more diffielt for splleasters, since the area affected by most spells i small. ‘+ Many lesser foes are harder for a charaeter 10 engage in melee than one powerful foe + Undead are much more difficult to fight without a cleric. + Encounters involving animals or plants are much more difficult without a druid ora ranger inthe par + Encounters involving evil outsiders are much more dificule without paladin or cleric (and perhaps wizard or sorcerer) in, the party. + A large forces much more difficult fight withoura wizard or sorcerer in the party. + Locked doors and taps are much more difficult ro overcome without a rogne tn she par + Multiple combat encounters are more difficult to win withoue a fighter, barbarian, 2 ranger, ora paladin in the party. + Multiple combae encornters are more dificult survive with. fut cleric inthe party, ‘+ The bard and the cleric make good group support characters Their presence makes pracrcally every encounter easier None of the above factors should necessarily be taken into account when assigning or modifying Challenge Ratings but you should keep them sn mind when designing encowneer, TOUGHER MONSTERS A really big basilisk with more hit points and a higher arack ‘honrs than a normal basis isa greater challenge. 1f yor use the rules found in the Monster Manual for increasing the Hit Dice of ‘monsters, you should also increase the experience point (XP) wan forthe monster appmopriaely. Soe Advanced Monster Chal Tenge Rating, page 293 f the Monsey Manual ‘fa monster ba levels in PC or NBC classes, see Monsters and ‘Class Levels, page 290 of the Monster Manual for how ro derermine tsCR, LOCATION ‘A fight between characters perched on a bridge made of skulls ‘vera pool of bubbling ava is more exciting and more dangerous than cha same fighein ance, safe damgeon room. Location serves two purposes, both equally important. Iecan make a humdrum en ‘counter more interesting, and itcan make an encounter easier oF much more dfficlt, Making Things Interesting “Arguably, he deongcon itself atl exotic locale, but eventually the same old 30-foor-by-30-foor room starts to grow stale. Like ‘wise, a trip through he dare woods can be interesting and fright ening, but the tenth trip through i less so, Since this is a fantasy ‘game, allow yourself the freedom to consider al sorts of strange. locations for encounters, Imagine an encounter inside a voleano, along a narrow ledge on the side ofa cif arop a flying whale, ot deep underwater. Think of the exciting location frst, and then ‘worry about how and why the PCs would get there Situations within a location can have as much impact 2s the location itself. rogue has to pick the lock on the only door out ‘of che top room of 3 tower thats collapsing, ¢s suddenly 2 much more exciting situation than just another locked door in a dun- ‘Reon corridor, Create an encauinter in which the PCs mist he diplomatic while all around them a battle ages. Fillan under- ‘ground cave complex with water fora different sort of dungeon adventure, Seta series of encounters in a large wooden fort—that happens to be on fr See the Interesting, Combats section, page 17, fora short discus- sion thar deals with this same issue, Modifying Difficulty ‘Ore wih crossbows, behind coves, firing down at the PCs while the characters cross 4 narrow ledge over pt fall of spikes ae such more dangerous than the same orcs being engaged in hand torhand combat in some tunnel. Likewise ifthe PCs find them- selves o a balcony, looking down ar oblivious ores who ae car} ing barels of flammable ol the encounter is likely 2 be much ser than ifthe ores were aware ofthe PCs. ‘Consider she sors of factors, related to location or station, that make an encounter more difficult, such a che following + Enemy has cover (for examplesbehind a ow wall) + Enemy i at higher elevaon ori ard 0 ge at (on aledge or sxop a defensible val. + Enemy has guaranteed surprise (PCs are asleep) + Conulitions make it dificult co sea or boar (mist, darkness rumbling machinery ll around) + Conditions make movement difficult (underwater, heavy grav fy, very narrow passage) + Conditions require dlicare maneavering (imbing down a sheer elif hanging fom de ceing). + Condions dea damage (inthe ic cold ina bsning building vera pio si). Conversely, the firs chee conditions given above make ‘encounters easier from the PCS point of view if they are che ones honefiing frm the caver, elevarion, cr surprise REWARDS AND BEHAVIOR “Encounters, ether individually or stung together, reward certain ‘ypes oF behavior whether you are cansciows of or not. Encosn. ters that can or must be won by killing the opponents reward aggression and fighting prowess. Ifyou set up your encounters like his, expece wizamls and priests to Soon go inxo every adven- tate with only combat spells prepared. The PCs wil learn t0 use tactics to ind ehe best way to Lill he enemy quiclly. By contrast, ‘encouners that can be won by diplomacy encourage the PCs 10 talk to everyone and everything they meet. Encounters that reward subterfuge and prowling encourage sneakiness. Encoun-ters that rowatd boldness speed up the game, while those that reward caution slow it down. ‘Always be aware of the sorts of actions youte rewarding your players for taking. Reward, inthis case, doesn ust mean expe- Hence points and treasure, More generally, it means anything thar consistently leads co success, An adventure should contain encounters that reward different types of behavior. Not every- one prefers the same kind of encounter, and even those with a favorite enjoy a change of pace, Remember, then, that you can offer many different kinds of encounters, including all of the following. ‘Combat: Combat encounters can he divided into two groups: atcack and defense. Typically, the PCs are on the attack, invading monsters lars and exploring dumgeons. A defense encosnter, in which the PCs must keep an are, an abject, ora person safe from the enemy, can bea nice change of pace, ‘Negotiation: Although threats can often be involved, anegati- ation encounter invalves less swordplay and more wordplay. Com vincing NPCs to do what the PCs want them toi challenging for ‘both players and DM—guick thinking and good roleplaying are the keys here. Dont be afraid ea play an NPC appropriately (stupid orinvelligene, generous or selfish), as longa it fits. Bur dont make sn NPC 30 predictable that the PCs cam alsays tell exacely what he or she will doin any given circumstance. Consistent, yes; one- dimensional, no. Environmental: Weather, earthquakes, landslides, fast- moving rivers, and fires ae just some ofthe environmental cond tions that can challenge even mid- ro high-level PCs Problem-Solving: Mysteries, puzzles, riddles, or anything that seqjuies the players we logic and reason ror) 1 overcome che challenge counts a a problem-solving encounter Judgment Calls: ‘Do we help che prisoner here in the dun- {goon, even though st might he a rap?” Rather than depending on logic, these encounters usually involve inclination and gut Investigation: This is along term sor of encoumter involving some negotiation and some problem-solving. An investigation may be called for ro solve a mystery orto learn something new. —_________TREASURF ‘What advennure would be complete wishowt reasure? ‘close second in importance to experience points, reastre provides an important motivator for PCs to go on adventures. As with experience points, treasure empowers the PCs. The more they ge, the more powerful they become, MONSTERS WITH TREASURE ‘he standard way to acquire treasure iso defeat enemies chat pos sess it, guard it, or happen to be near In the Monser Manu ev ery monster has eeasure rating (indicating how much treasure it has, although for some cxearutes the rating 6 "None". The tables found inthis section enable you to determine the specifics. After referencing the level and kind of eeasure (coins, goods, items) foxand in che erearare’sdescripion, rll on che appropriate row and columns of the proper table. ‘When generating an encounter dealing with monsters away from their lair (a parol, 2 wandering creature, and so on), remem- ber shara crearare only kes wharse can easily carry wih stn the case ofa creature such as a displace beast, chat generally means nothing. The monster safeguards or hides es treasure as well as it ‘can, but i leaves it behind when outside the lar Example: Gnolls that live ina dungeon often leave thei lait 0 wage war on nearby orc brigands to steal treasure and food. The PCs encounter and defeat the gnolls while the hestial humanoids are on their way to raid the ores. Each anoll has a smattering of coins or gems on its person, The leader has the masterwork greatsword from the groups hoard and uses itin the batele. The majority ofthe gos’ reasure, however, remains in their air guarded by afew gnols left behind and two well-con- cealed pit traps Monsters with Classes ‘Many monsters advance by adding clas levels (see the Monster ‘Manual)-To deermine treasure for monsters with clss levels frst ‘ive them equipment, Use Table 4-23: NPC Gear Value (page 127) and «se just chee class levels to determine the value of their equip- ‘ment, Then generate their treasure according to their monster entry and the rules under Building 2 Treasure, below. This may ‘generate more items that the monster ean use, and thar fine (see Custom Treasures, below), Treasure per Encounter Table 3-5: Treasure has been created so that if PCs face enough, encounters oftheir own level to guin a level, they wall have alsa ‘gained enough rreasure ro keep them apace with the wealth-by- Jevel information found in Table 5-1: Character Wealth by Level (page 135). Just as gaining a level requires berween thirteen and fourteen encounters ofa partys level, s0 too fourteen average rolls con the table at the partys level will get them the treasure they ‘eed to gain the appropriate amount for the next highest level, assuming thatthe PCs expend some resources such as potions and scrolls during those encounters. Tape 3-3: TREASURE VALUES PER ENCOUNTER Encounter Treasure «Encounter -—_Treasure level perEncounter Level’ Encounter 1 300 gp 0 7,500 gp 2 600 gp. 2 9800 ep 3 900 gp 1B 13,000 gp 4 1,200 gp 17,000 gp. 5 11600 ep 6 22,000 gp 6 2.000 > 6 28,000 gp 7 2.500 gp "7 36,000 gp 8 3,400 ep 8 47,000 ep 9 4500 5p ry 61,000 gp 10 5,300 gp 2 30,000 gp ‘On average, the PCs should earn one seasure suitable to their level for each encomnter they overcome. The key, oF course, ss “average” Some monsters might have les treasure than average, some might have more, and some might have nome at all. As you write an adventure, okay to combine the indivival reasures listed for each monster into one larger hoard. Ifa dungeon is ‘home ta beholderand numerous bugbears, for example, you can take some or all of che hisghear treasure and add st ro the bebolders hoard “Monitor the progress of treasure into the hands of the PCs. For instance, you may want rouse lows of high-reasure or low-rreasure monsters, yet sill hand out a normal amount of treasure overall The PCs neednit have average treasure a every stage in their ‘careers, but ifn imbalance (ether high or low) persists for more than a few levels, you should rake gradual action to correct it By awarding slightly more or slightly less treasure Taaue 3-4: Averace Treasure RESULTS Type Average Result Gem 25 0 A abject 1.100 gp Mundane iter 350 gp Minor magic tem 1,000 gp Medium magic tem 10,000 gp Major magic item 40,000 gp