Help with Combat/Encounters

[TomekC]

After reading over the core rules for BFRPG, I found some things that didn't make sense.

First, a player's HP is dependent on a dice roll plus their Constitution bonus. On average this will leave players with 4-7 HP. With many monsters causing d4 or d6 damage upon hits, I feel the players will die instantly. Is the HP supposed to be this low, or am I calculating damage wrong?

Secondly, when a PC encounters multiple monsters, does each monster attack, or just the 4 monsters surrounding the PC (assuming that I use a grid for encounters)?

I assume that I could create some of my own house rules to remedy the first issue, and start characters out with higher health, but I'm not sure how much to increase. Also, I plan on DM'ing an adventure with only two players. Could this low player count be another source of my problem? Any help or advice is appreciated.

[MedievalMan]

Yes combat is supposed to be that deadly. I always start my players off with maximum hit points at first level. Others do other things regarding starting hit points. As for combat I don't use a grid and just rely on common sense on who can attack who where.

[Hywaywolf]

One factor of old school gaming is high 1st level PC attrition. Being one-shot to death is a hazard of the occupation. Many PCs do die, but rolling up a new character is fast enough that you can get right back into teh game within 10 minutes (or faster when you get used to it). In old school you aren't supposed to be equal to or better than every encounter you meet. Sometimes you just need to run.

[MedievalMan]

As my players will find out tomorrow, right Hyway?

[Hywaywolf]

oh crap

[SmootRK]

It is a common house rule to utilize max hit points at first level (plus Constitution bonus if any). Some even go further, doing things like giving CON Score + hit die roll, or other things, but I stick to max hp at first level. These are adventurers and not even the run of the mill townsfolk or even npcs.

Otherwise, your observation is accurate. Old School Games are rather deadly, especially at first level. It is common to lose characters rather often. Old School also assumes a larger party size than the more modern game incarnations... generally about 6 to 8 characters, then add in henchmen, hirelings, hired man-at-arms, and so forth. That changes the odds quite a bit.

Multiple monsters get any appropriate attacks that make sense. I don't use grids/battlemaps, so just what I say goes. This should really be a mantra for old school games... the GM decides how much is appropriate and logical. I would allow many more attacks, for instance, if Kobolds were swarming a character. Perhaps much less if facing a group of Ogres. You have to simply decide, unless you are using such a battle map, when your game has a much more tactical inclination.

The low player count should be countered by some GM tweaks such as reductions in the given numbers of monsters, perhaps lowering the HP or equipment of foes, or giving various assistance here and there (extra potion of healing in treasure, NPC helps, etc. This is not to say that your players need to also take some matters on their own... they definitely should hire assistance, do lots of role-play in town to garner goodwill and perhaps other forms of aid, acquire guard dogs (or other creatures to either alert them or even fight for/with the characters), and so forth. They should be aware they are adventuring against normal odds while so under-staffed.

If this is your first try at such old-school games, give forewarning that losses are expected... have an extra character rolled up for each player, so that you can drop them in at first opportunity, and otherwise have them prepped to know this is all part of the spirit of the game. Balanced Encounters are not guaranteed, nor the norm. They should expect to run when the odds seem against them.

Sooo much more advice can be given, and others will likely chime in to offer their takes on this.

[MedievalMan]

oh crap

I expect to here this many times tomorrow. Its going to be a meat grinder in those caves. Whether its the players or their foes is yet to be seen...

[Steveman]

Gotta remember what era of the game that BFRPG models. BFRPG is decidedly B/X, which itself just a translation of the Original pamphlets (no seriously, Holmes and B/X are just the first few levels of the Original compiled and sifted through, absolutely nothing mechanical in them isn't found in the Original). It models a game where, if you engage the combat rules more than once or twice your character is already dead. There is an optional rule on page 141 of the core rulebook that talks about XP for treasure gained. This was not an optional rule and was the core way of improving your characters in older versions of the game that BFRPG models.* Even if you do not use that optional rules, the players should still be awarded XP for achieving party goals, such as defeating the bandits raiding their city, or getting out of that hobgoblin burial mound alive with the stolen holy sword their chieftain demanded to be buried with.

*Personal Note: The changing of this from the core XP mechanic to an optional one is why I thought that BFRPG had modeled itself BEMCI instead of B/X when I first became a fan of BFRPG.

[Hywaywolf]

I played a 1st level thief with only 3 hp. He was a braggadocios coward. He was great with a bow but talked very tough until the excrement hit the rotary device. Then he was accidentally behind the big guys or dropped a dagger and had to stop to pick it up while the rest of the party ran into melee. He had no qualms about shooting into melee either. whenever he explored a strange room, he did it with a rope tied around his waist and held by the strong guys. That saved him several times from falling into a pit. He never once swung a weapon in melee until he got to 2nd level and rolled for more HP. Luckily it was a 3 +1 (con bonus) for 4 more glorious HP.

[Hywaywolf]

I second steveman. If a party redirects a band of goblins by using a ventriloquist spell to entice them to go elsewhere, then they defeated the goblins and should get the XP. If they run into that party again they shouldn't get XP again for killing them, but they do get whatever loot they have.