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D&D 3.5 Fledgling DM

stfuadstfuad Registered User regular
edited October 2010 in Critical Failures
So I've recently 2-3 months ago taken over DMing for a group of friends. I seem to have most of the kinks worked out. Not to bash the former DM but the whole month he lasted somehow a group of level 3-4 PCs had access to legendary weapons. Not having my own campaign, using source-books, I've had to swamp them with creatures and be very mean to make up the difference. :)

So I have a question. Say I wanted to use a monster template and raise the CR to around the PCs level. I don't really understand how it works. And I can't seem to find the page in the DMs guide at the moment. Would I just raise the HD and level the monster as I would a PC? and I assume this would work the same way with NPCs?

Also about multi monster experience awards. I've been using the single monster encounter table 2-1. adding the total amount of experience together and kinda eyeballing who gets what.

Any advice is appreciated!

Also! if you kill a vampire do it's spawn die? I contend no. Seeing as vampirism as a disease. The vampires domination would go away, but would the condition it self go away? Like being bitten by an infected zombie.

stfuad on

Posts

  • delrolanddelroland Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    stfuad wrote: »
    So I've recently 2-3 months ago taken over DMing for a group of friends. I seem to have most of the kinks worked out. Not to bash the former DM but the whole month he lasted somehow a group of level 3-4 PCs had access to legendary weapons. Not having my own campaign, using source-books, I've had to swamp them with creatures and be very mean to make up the difference. :)

    So I have a question. Say I wanted to use a monster template and raise the CR to around the PCs level. I don't really understand how it works. And I can't seem to find the page in the DMs guide at the moment. Would I just raise the HD and level the monster as I would a PC? and I assume this would work the same way with NPCs?

    The Monster Manual has rules for increasing CR, but generally for each 4 HD you add, the CR increases by +1 (this varies by monster type; some increase every 3 HD, some every 5 HD). If the creature increases in size, this also adds +1 to the CR (due to increased damage, strength, and constitution). Monsters also get a new feat for every third hit die (total, not necessarily for every third HD you add; an 8-HD monster gets a new feat after adding one HD, and for every three added HD thereafter).
    Also about multi monster experience awards. I've been using the single monster encounter table 2-1. adding the total amount of experience together and kinda eyeballing who gets what.

    Calculate the average party level (round fractions down). Award experience per monster based on that level. Then add the total levels of all the PC's, divide that experience by the total levels, and multiply by each character's individual level to determine their "portion".

    Example:
    An APL 5 party comprised of a level 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 defeats 7500 XP worth of monsters. Their total levels are 25, so each "share" of XP is worth 300 XP. The 3rd-level character gets 900 XP, the 4th 1200, the 5th 1500, the 6th 1800, and the 7th-level character 2100 XP. At this rate, each character will level at the same time. After four such encounters, the levels will be 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.

    Or if you want quicker and easier, and a system that gets lower level characters leveled faster, just divide the total experience by the number of characters and award that amount to each character.

    Example:
    The same party above defeats the same XP value of monsters. Each character receives 1500 XP, or 1/5 the total. At this rate, the 3rd-level character will level after two encounters, the 4th after three, the 5th and 6th after four, and the 7th-level character after five such encounters. After those five encounters, the levels will be 5, 5, 6, 7, 8.
    Also! if you kill a vampire do it's spawn die? I contend no. Seeing as vampirism as a disease. The vampires domination would go away, but would the condition it self go away? Like being bitten by an infected zombie.

    Domination ends, but the spawn don't magically *poof* out of existence or get cured of their vampirism. They're still very undead and very desirous of the player characters' blood.

    delroland on
    EVE: Online - the most fun you will ever have not playing a game.
    "Go up, thou bald head." -2 Kings 2:23
  • SanderJKSanderJK Crocodylus Pontifex Sinterklasicus Madrid, 3000 ADRegistered User regular
    edited October 2010
    http://www.d20srd.org/srd/improvingMonsters.htm has the rules for how monsters advance. Note that if you up the challenge, by the rules the xp rewards go up, so the chars will level more quickly. (This could be good, since it'll make the weapons less out of sync though).

    My 3.5 books are at a friends house, SRD doesn't hold experience related things. The experience for a multigroup is just the experience added together, I think. The challenge rate is a bit complicated, but in general a doubling of monsters = CR +2, and there's also a table somewhere groups.

    SanderJK on
    Steam: SanderJK Origin: SanderJK
  • delrolanddelroland Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Honestly, I don't like advancing monsters. Better to use new opponents when characters get to higher level, else you risk them getting bored. Variety is the spice of gaming.

    delroland on
    EVE: Online - the most fun you will ever have not playing a game.
    "Go up, thou bald head." -2 Kings 2:23
  • stfuadstfuad Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Ah in the campaign we are in the PCs killed the head vampire and are about to proceed with clearing the castle. Unfortunately all the castle monsters are CR 1/2-6 with some of the higher level monsters being around cr 8-9. PCs are around level 8 right now.

    A question about golems. They seem to be ridiculously powerful. ex. DR 10/adamantine and immune to magic? Short of using non magic weapons, which I assume would be composite or weapons without the enhancements? Are there any other ways to kill them? Don't get me wrong in an otherwise easy dungeon/castle they make the fights very challenging.

    Oh also I used to have a campaign book set in ravenloft with some kind of hospital with demon nurses, very silent hill-ish. I think it was in the 3.0 era? Seemingly it's been lost, and I am hoping someone remembers it?

    stfuad on
  • delrolanddelroland Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Golems have specific weaknesses based on type. Also, spell immunity only works on spells that grant Spell Resistance. For example, the spell rusting grasp works on iron golems (quite effectively).

    Think of spell immunity as "Spell Resistance infinity". From the SRD:
    Spells that do not allow spell resistance are not affected by spell immunity.

    Vials of acid and alchemist's fire will work on golems as well.

    The following spells will work on golems (red ones are damaging spells):
    Spell levels 0-5:
    acid arrow
    acid splash
    flame arrow
    (the arrows may not be able to defeat DR, but the fire damage will still apply)
    fog cloud
    glitterdust
    grease
    obscuring mist
    pyrotechnics
    (smoke cloud)
    rusting grasp (iron golems only, for obvious reasons)
    sepia snake sigil (good luck getting the golem to set off the trap though)
    sleet storm
    soften earth and stone
    (on the ground beneath the golem, not on the golem directly)
    solid fog
    stone shape
    telekinesis
    (to attack with a weapon, though the weapon would have to be made of adamantite to beat the DR)
    wall of force
    wall of iron
    (damaging to Large or smaller creatures only)
    wall of stone
    wall of thorns
    (won't take damage because of high AC and DR, but the wall will still impede movement)
    web

    spell levels 6+:
    acid fog
    fire seeds

    forcecage
    reverse gravity
    (DR will apply to the falling damage, though if it's a long enough fall, damage will still be significant)

    delroland on
    EVE: Online - the most fun you will ever have not playing a game.
    "Go up, thou bald head." -2 Kings 2:23
  • stfuadstfuad Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Cool, thanks.

    stfuad on
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