A couple questions:
1.) Would you rather roll and consult a chart (Ruins of the Undercity) or calculate values based on a modifier (Scarlet Heroes "threat")? ie. look up a specific monster stats, or have to calculate the stats for each encounter.
2.) Are there other games/modules out there designed to scale to any number/level of PCs (specifically OSR compatible)?
If it's all the same result, probably a calcuation, because it can be automated, and I guess can cover a wider range?
ReplyDeleteIf I'm automating it, calculation; if I'm doing it myself, table lookup.
ReplyDeleteI like tables in general.
ReplyDeleteI love tables. When I look at one, I can instantly get a sense of how varied the outcomes might be. A calculation has just as much, if not more, potential but it's hidden behind the numbers most often.
ReplyDeleteOn the OSR game front, there's Mad Monks of Kwantoom, original Stars Without Number with the Stellar Heroes supplement, any OSR game with the Black Streams - Solo Heroes supplement, finally Heroic Characters in the paid version of Stars Without Number Revised. Those are the ones that I can remember off the top of my head.
ReplyDeleteGeoff Osterberg Good point, tables give you a context that a calculation doesn't.
ReplyDeleteI've found quite a bit of info on difficulty and scaling encounters, but I think doing so dynamically (ie. via calculation) is going to be limited to the "hard" stats like Hit Dice, # appearing, etc.
ReplyDeleteFor more involved monsters with multiple attacks and special abilities, there's got to be some manual intervention to tone it down (or abilities added to pump it up). For instance, scaling a Lich down from 10 HD to 3 won't make it too much easier when it's a life sucking, paralyzing magic user with fear and various immunities.
Maybe if there were separate tables for special abilities where your calculated difficulty says "roll n times on this chart"? Has anyone seen abilities handled in a scalable way?
I enjoy both, small modifiers for things being simple and linear, as well as tables that give you different to hit curves based on source and target and separate per character type ( class) and level. Gives a lot of meat, way more than +1/level etc.
ReplyDeleteSeason to flavor.
I use both, but for solo play I find that a calculation for the approximate level of threat is generally going to give a better encounter than a random table... if the calculation is good at least. But they both depend on what has been set up. Garbage in, garbage out
ReplyDeleteI prefer charts, hands down. The generic enemy stats in Scarlet Heroes always seem so bland.
ReplyDeleteSpencer Salyer, Dragon Magazine #10 has an article on genrerating random monsters based on dungeon level. It's reprinted in Best of, Volume I. I've used it for B/X & AD&D & LotFP with great success. The special ability tables scale with monster toughness to avoid the situation you describe.
Gerard Nerval thanks for the Dragon tip! I also remembered the Sharp Swords & Sinister Spells Addendum has a monster generator complete with 100 special abilities that scale with the monster's Hit Dice. Those will both come in handy.
ReplyDeleteSeems like a mixed bag of preferences, so I wonder if a mixture of tactics might appeal to everyone (or possibly no one).
I'm trying to create an adventure module of sorts that will work well for solo play or for a group with a GM -- and scale based on the average party level. I've not tried putting together tables/encounters of my own before, so it's been a learning process! I'm getting the hang of it, though (I think).