Getting the funnel right
Posted: Sat Sep 01, 2012 3:31 pm
I'm interested in hearing some thoughts on how to design a funnel that balances the difficulty so that it's not a cake-walk and yet it doesn't end in TPK. It seems like an incredibly fine line, and one that will require a good deal of luck to pull off in any event. I have playtested several encounters and the results can be wildly different, depending on how well the party and the monsters roll. It's particularly tough getting the third and fourth encounters set to an appropriate difficulty, since what I've playtested so far has resulted in anything ranging from one out of 16 characters dead after the first two encounters all the way up to half of them dead.
I'm just curious to hear how some of you have dealt with this challenge. I'm an experienced DM, going back over 30 years, but I'm really having trouble guessing at the right level of difficulty with the monsters.
I very much appreciate any advice!
I'm just curious to hear how some of you have dealt with this challenge. I'm an experienced DM, going back over 30 years, but I'm really having trouble guessing at the right level of difficulty with the monsters.
I very much appreciate any advice!