New here, some questions

Are you new to DCC? Are you loaded down with questions to ask before you begin play? Explore this section for answers and insights -- and ask your own questions -- about getting started with the Dungeon Crawl Classics Roleplaying Game...

Moderators: DJ LaBoss, finarvyn, michaelcurtis, Harley Stroh

Post Reply
Avoloch
Ill-Fated Peasant
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat May 09, 2020 3:20 pm

New here, some questions

Post by Avoloch »

1) the armor AC is + agility? so if you have a shield + agi 18 + full plate = AC 22
2) a fighter with +2for +1d3 will have a hard time hitting someone with AC 15, it is like this?
3) how agility / dexterity work for atacks, the bonus is in the damage too? you can use it for rapiers and daggers?
4) is there a rule of thumb for building encounters?

what are the adventures that you guys recomend?
is there some lists of free adventures:?
User avatar
GnomeBoy
Tyrant Master (Administrator)
Posts: 4126
Joined: Fri Mar 10, 2006 1:46 pm
FLGS: Bizarro World
Location: Left Coast, USA
Contact:

Re: New here, some questions

Post by GnomeBoy »

Avoloch wrote: Tue May 12, 2020 2:51 am 1) the armor AC is + agility? so if you have a shield + agi 18 + full plate = AC 22
Correct. Though that 18 Agility is going to be mighty rare. And starting characters are very unlikely to be able to get a hold of such armor, either. So a character with an AC of 22 is going to be really very rare for the first few levels.

Avoloch wrote: Tue May 12, 2020 2:51 am 2) a fighter with +2for +1d3 will have a hard time hitting someone with AC 15, it is like this?
If I understand your question correctly, to hit an AC of 15, a 1st Level Warrior would need to roll from 12-14 on their d20 Action Die. The variance comes in because their attack bonus is a d3. If they have a Strength bonus, those numbers drop, of course. So they will hit an AC of 15 about 1/3rd of the time. If that's a "hard time" in your mind, then yes, they will have a hard time. Then again, they deal higher damage than anyone except sometimes the Wizard (and spellcasting comes with it's inherent dangers), and Deeds can themselves change the course of battle when used creatively. They also crit on a 19-20 at 1st Level, and a 10% chance of a crit is nothing to sneeze at. And we're only talking 1st Level here...

Avoloch wrote: Tue May 12, 2020 2:51 am 3) how agility / dexterity work for atacks, the bonus is in the damage too? you can use it for rapiers and daggers?
Agility adds to attacks with ranged weapons, by the book. If you want it to do any of those other things, have at it.

Avoloch wrote: Tue May 12, 2020 2:51 am 4) is there a rule of thumb for building encounters?
That's a very broad question -- here's a broad answer: Make them interesting.

Avoloch wrote: Tue May 12, 2020 2:51 am what are the adventures that you guys recomend?
Some of my personal favorites: Sailors on the Starless Sea, Tower of the Black Pearl, Doom of the Savage Kings, Hole in the Sky, Neon Knights, Queen of Elfland's Son, The Arwich Grinder, among others.

Avoloch wrote: Tue May 12, 2020 2:51 am is there some lists of free adventures:?
The Gongfarmers Almanac has many, many free adventures.
http://gongfarmersalmanac.com/

Next question? :mrgreen:
...
Gnome Boy • DCC playtester @ DDC 35 Feb '11. • Beta DL 2111, 7AM PT, 8 June 11.
Playing RPGs since '77 • Quasi-occasional member of the Legion of 8th-Level Fighters.

Link: Here Be 100+ DCC Monsters

bygrinstow.com - The Home of Inner Ham
Avoloch
Ill-Fated Peasant
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat May 09, 2020 3:20 pm

Re: New here, some questions

Post by Avoloch »

A rule of thub for encounters is because im used to play D&D
there is a lot of guides for D&Da bout encounters.

DCC is a new system to me, so i dont have a reference for building encounters
User avatar
GnomeBoy
Tyrant Master (Administrator)
Posts: 4126
Joined: Fri Mar 10, 2006 1:46 pm
FLGS: Bizarro World
Location: Left Coast, USA
Contact:

Re: New here, some questions

Post by GnomeBoy »

So you're asking about "how many monsters per level" or things like that?

If you haven't played any of the published adventures before, it's hard to have a common frame of reference, and there can be a lot of variables, like party size, but I'll try...

If you're just starting off and feeling your way, use the number of HD a creature has, as a guage on how tough it is overall. If you want to threaten the party, and it's five 1st Level characters, then 5 1HD monsters would be in the ballpark. Or maybe two 3HD monsters. Or one 5 or 6HD monsters.

Monsters' special abilities can make this unpredictable, but then the game can be very unpredictable, what with Spellburn, Luck Burn, Mighty Deeds, etc. If the dice are hot for the players, monsters may easily fall. If the dice run cold for the players, the PCs might easily fall.

Of course, that's where the XP system kicks in and fixes things. An easy encounter is worth less XP than a tough or deadly encounter...

After you're run the game a bit, you'll start to develop a feel for it, and it won't be as big a mystery...
...
Gnome Boy • DCC playtester @ DDC 35 Feb '11. • Beta DL 2111, 7AM PT, 8 June 11.
Playing RPGs since '77 • Quasi-occasional member of the Legion of 8th-Level Fighters.

Link: Here Be 100+ DCC Monsters

bygrinstow.com - The Home of Inner Ham
Jim Skach
Mighty-Thewed Reaver
Posts: 296
Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2010 4:42 pm
Location: Crystal Lake, IL

Re: New here, some questions

Post by Jim Skach »

1) See Gnome Boy's Answer
2) See Gnome Boy's Answer
3) Clarification to Gnome Boy's answer: By the Book, Agility modifier does NOT apply to damage, and only applies to ranged weapon attacks.
4) Don't build encounters. Don't think about balance. Characters will have to learn to run away, on occasion....on many occasions. I would throw away any expectations you might have about how to do things learned from D&D. This is a different game with a very different...approach. as it says at the top of page 10... "Abandon all presumptions, ye who enter here."
User avatar
Vanguard
Mighty-Thewed Reaver
Posts: 305
Joined: Sun Apr 08, 2012 3:27 pm

Re: New here, some questions

Post by Vanguard »

My advice for designing encounters is to think concept/narrative first and make the creatures live up to their reputation (most of the time, keep them guessing by using false rumors to undermine expectations occasionally, too). Bandits aren't feared because they're well trained high level brutes but because they're opportunists who cheat to win. They'll crumple from a single hit, but they'll strike first from the shadows to gain the upper hand. The Ogre is strong but slow. If a party takes a hit they're going to be in a bad way but thankfully the party is faster, etc.

In terms of designing adventures, I would recommend varying the encounters so that there are a few easy encounters (think the bandits above), a few that are a solid challenge (bandits could still be if encountered along with things like traps, ambushes, poison, etc), and a few that would tax their resources greatly or even be beyond their means.

Also, be open to non-combat solutions. Maybe the bandits took to a life of crime because the local king raised taxes so much that they couldn't afford them in an honest life. Perhaps they'll agree to stop their crimes if the king can be convinced to lower taxes. The Ogre is actually under the command of an evil wizard and by breaking the spell they agree to help the party assault their tower, etc. Of course, sometimes a monster is just a monster, too.

Don't think about stats first, think about story.
My Gaming Blog: The Earthlight Academy
http://earthlightacademy.blogspot.com/
Post Reply

Return to “DCC College - New Judges Start Here”