Encounter Design 101.pdf

Saga Edition Web Enhancement 2

Encounter Design 101

RODNEY THOMPSON

(PDF CONVERSION BY CRAIG ‘GRIBBLE’ BISHELL)

Designing fresh, exciting, and (most importantly) fair encounters for Star

Wars Roleplaying Game heroes can be one of the greatest challenges for a

Gamemaster. In many ways, encounter design and balance are more art

than science. Despite the organized and numeric nature of the rules,

sometimes factors outside of the raw statistics can alter the difficulty or

fun of the encounter. For example, a Gamemaster might design an

encounter that would be perfectly appropriate for most parties, but since

her players have just the right mixture of talents, feats, and tactics, the

encounter is over too quickly -- either in the heroes' favor, or to their

dismay.

specific formula; determining CL can often be a matter of testing the

challenge to gauge its difficulty). However, CL gives a good starting point

for designing an encounter. An opponent of a given CL is considered to be a

challenge for four heroic characters of that level; thus, a CL 1 stormtrooper

is a challenge for four 1st-level characters.

As stated in the core rulebook, encounters with four to six enemies work

best for most encounters. This gives the heroes enough targets to feel like

each member of the group is participating while not overwhelming them. To

The Saga Edition Core Rulebook presents some very basic guidelines on

encounter design. However, to encourage Gamemasters to create more

dynamic and exciting encounters, this article walks through the steps for

building an encounter from start to finish. The guidelines in this web

enhancement should help you create interesting and fair encounters,

though of course each GM must consider the composition of the adven-

turing party.

Step 1: Determine Opponents

The most significant and most difficult part of designing an encounter is

choosing the enemies that the heroes will face. Every character, creature,

droid, and vehicle includes a Challenge Level (CL) that indicates how tough

that challenge can be. In many cases, CL is not assigned through any

remain an appropriate challenge, the main opponents in the fight should

have a CL that is 1 or 2 points lower than the average party level. For most

encounters, the enemies should be weaker than the heroes but should still

be enough of a threat that the heroes will feel challenged by the encounter.

Star Wars differs from many other roleplaying games, though, in that it's

often perfectly acceptable to litter the battlefield with enemies who are far

outclassed by the heroes. This will be covered in more detail in Step 3, but

when determining encounter difficulty, you should focus only on those

enemies whose CL is within 5 levels of the average party level.

For example, the classic "squad of stormtroopers" encounter is a favorite in

Star Wars adventures. However, so much more can be done with the

encounter to make it more exciting. Instead of six stormtroopers, we might

use four stormtroopers, an Imperial officer, and two Imperial probe droids.

Instead of five human thugs starting a cantina fight, the encounter might

be three human thugs, the Twi'lek bartender, and the cantina's "pet," a nek

battle dog. Even within members of the same species, class diversity can

make a big difference. A single noble with a few soldiers makes a potent

combination, and one that produces an interesting combat dynamic during

the encounter.

To determine whether or not the CLs you have chosen for your encounter

are appropriate, add all the CLs together and divide by 3. If this result is

within one level of the average party level, and no single enemy is of a

higher CL than the average party level minus 1, you've probably created a

good challenge. Remember, though, that for single opponents, an appro-

priate encounter is with an enemy of CL equal to the average party level.

Mixing in vehicles can be a bit more challenging, due largely to their

increased firepower and toughness. For this reason, most vehicles are higher

on the CL scale. However, speeder bikes and landspeeders (many of which

have weapons comparable to those carried by characters) can liven up the

battlefield without tilting the balance of the encounter too much. A group

of dark Force adepts might be made into a more interesting encounter if it

were two dark side marauders, a dark Force adept, and three of their human

thralls riding around the battlefield on speeder bikes.

Mixing Challenge Levels

Not every enemy in an encounter has to be a difficult challenge for the

heroes. It is acceptable, and even encouraged in many cases, to have a

portion of the opposition be weaker than other opponents. These weaker

enemies might act as "support" for the primary opponents, using the aid

another action to enhance attack rolls, or affecting the battlefield in some

indirect way. Alternatively, they might just be there to slow the heroes

down long enough for the main enemies to make their move. Regardless of

their function, these lower-CL enemies can still hurt the heroes, but they

are secondary concerns after the primary enemies.

Regardless of the exact combinations, diversity is usually more engaging

than uniformity when it comes to primary enemies. A good rule of thumb

when diversifying opponents is to choose one type of opponent as the base

enemy, choose a second type of opponent that is separated from the base

enemy by a minor difference (such as species or class), and then choose a

third type of opponent that is separated from the base enemy by a major

difference (such as by type: droid, creature, or vehicle).

Additionally, mixing Challenge Levels is a great way to keep the heroes

guessing. If one enemy has a high attack bonus and high damage, the

heroes might assume that they all do, encouraging the group to be more

cautious (even though that caution may be unwarranted). Similarly, heroes

that drop an enemy of a lower CL quickly might become reckless, making

them enticing targets for more threatening foes. A good mix of Challenge

Levels can add diversity to a fight in a subtle but effective way.

Altering Challenge Through Gear

Choosing Diverse Enemies

The process of picking appropriately interesting enemies is just as important

as picking appropriately challenging enemies. When designing an encounter,

pull enemies from different classes, different species, and even different

types. Mixing characters, creatures, droids, and vehicles is a great way to

create more interesting encounters precisely because they require different

tactics. Droids and vehicles are immune to ion damage, creatures can't be

negotiated with, vehicles move at high rates of speed, and characters have

a diverse array of talents and feats. Though each layer of enemy diversity

adds more work for the Gamemaster, they also make for more exciting and

tactically engaging encounters.

One aspect of picking your enemies that can often be overlooked is the

effect of weapons and equipment on an individual opponent. A CL 1 storm-

trooper typically carries a blaster rifle and other basic accoutrements.

However, if you put an E-Web blaster cannon in the hands of that storm-

trooper, he suddenly becomes a much more potent enemy, even though

technically his Challenge Level remains unchanged. Since equipment and

wealth are not balancing factors in determining Challenge Level for most

enemies, Gamemasters should be careful when handing out powerful

equipment. It can quickly increase the challenge out of proportion with the

Challenge Level.

between altitudes, as well as pits and chasms that must be avoided. Sim-

ilarly, a good encounter locale gives the Gamemaster enough to describe

without getting bogged down in details. By itself, a cargo bay isn't very

exciting or memorable, but a cargo bay with a massive glass window over-

looking a volcano planet, with electricity coursing through power couplings

along one wall, is certainly more evocative.

For outdoor locales, terrain plays an even more important role. Difficult

terrain requires tactical movement and can slow down heroes and enemies

alike. Alien flora and fauna, a staple of the Star Wars universe, can add

spice to any encounter. If your fight takes place on an ice planet, you can

stage it on an open, snowy plain, or you can stage it on the edge of a cliff,

above the canyon lair of a flesh-eating snow lizard. Likewise, if a battle

takes place on a forest planet at night, you can evoke the alien nature of

the world by having giant fireflies provide the only illumination. Even better,

as the huge insects drift across the battlefield, they bring an interesting

dynamic -- constantly shifting concealment -- to the fight itself.

By the same token, adding weapons or equipment to an opponent is an

excellent way to add diversity to an encounter. If every stormtrooper in the

encounter has a rifle, they all act the same way and use the same tactics. If,

however, one stormtrooper is firing an E-Web, this changes that opponent's

behavior and encourages the heroes to change theirs as well. Likewise, if

the Gamemaster puts a grenade launcher or a flamethrower in the hands of

one of the stormtroopers, the fight becomes very different indeed. A

standard bounty hunter might be tough, but when outfitted with the kinds

of weapons and armor worn by Boba Fett, the enemy becomes much more

challenging.

Environmental Hazards

Locales bring with them certain hazards native to the environment. Most

environmental hazards can be classified as conditional, partial, or total.

In general, equipment should not increase the CL of an individual opponent.

However, if the equipment significantly raises the enemy's attack bonus,

damage, or Reflex Defense, it might be appropriate to increase the CL as

well. As a guideline, if a piece of equipment increases any of these aspects

of the character by 50%, increase the opponent's Challenge Level by +1. For

example, a normal stormtrooper deals 3d8 points of damage with a blaster

rifle (an average of 13.5 points). If that stormtrooper begins using an E-Web

that deals 3d12 points of damage (an average of 19.5 points), that change

normally wouldn't justify increasing the CL. However, the weapon creates

an area attack (which not only strikes multiple opponents but also deals

half damage even on a miss), and that probably is enough to warrant a

higher CL.

Step 2: Determine Locale

Though the general locale of the encounter will likely be determined by the

demands of the adventure, choosing an appropriate setting can go a long

way toward excitement. Very few encounters in Star Wars take place in an

empty room or on a wide-open plain with no visible terrain or obstacles.

Instead, they take place in cramped hallways in Imperial detention centers,

around massive open-air catwalks and endless chasms, and on assembly

lines deep within droid construction facilities.

A conditional hazard is one that presents itself only if certain conditions are

met. These conditions might require the heroes or their enemies to trigger

the hazard. For example, anyone who passes through the security sensors

triggers an alarm that slams a blast door closed. Alternatively, the hazard

might be triggered by some other environmental effect. Perhaps when the

blast door slams shut, it disrupts power to half the room, plunging it into

darkness. Similarly, the condition that triggers the hazard might be a

function of time. After 5 rounds, the ice at the edge of the cliff melts,

sending anyone in a 2-square-wide line plummeting into the chasm below.

Usually, interesting encounter locales are irregular in shape, with alcoves,

short hallways, and protruding walls. A locale can encompass several rooms,

and a single encounter might be designed to flow from one room to

another. Perhaps an explosive charge collapses a wall, allowing rein-

forcements to arrive from the far side and increasing the challenge. Indoor

locales usually have stairs, catwalks, turbolifts, or other means of moving

Additionally, conditional hazards may not be readily apparent to the heroes,

and can come as a surprise in the middle of an encounter.

inhaled. If the gas is present only when a hero enters an incorrect command

code, the hazard is conditional; treat it as a CL 3 enemy. If the gas is always

in the room, but the cloud covers only the computer stations, the hazard is

partial; treat it as a CL 4 enemy. If the entire room is filled with gas, the

hazard is total and would be considered a CL 5 enemy.

Partial hazards are usually visible to the heroes and are present throughout

the duration of the encounter. These hazards can be avoided and may not

affect every combatant. For example, the Sarlacc in the Great Pit of

Carkoon acted as a partial hazard because while it was present throughout

the fight, the heroes could avoid it by not falling off their skiff. Other

examples of partial hazards include a room that's half underwater, a large

swath of ground that's covered in jagged rocks or metal, or a stretch of

floor plating that's charged with electricity.

In any case, when you're determining the fairness of an encounter, be sure

to include an environmental hazard's CL in the calculations.

Step 3: Determine Obstacles and

Other Challenges

Lastly, anything else that can act as an impediment to the heroes should be

added to the encounter. Though many obstacles are environmental hazards,

you can complicate an encounter in other interesting ways. For example, a

construction droid that swings a hanging girder through the battlefield

every other round certainly alters the fight. The droid is not an environ-

mental hazard because it can be disabled, but it's not really an opponent,

either, so you need not consider its CL when determining the fairness of the

encounter.

A total hazard is one that is present throughout the encounter and

unavoidable, such as a room filled with dioxis or a completely flooded

chamber. Total hazards usually impede (or damage) the heroes every round

and can seriously affect the encounter. Gamemasters should be careful with

total hazards because they can quickly lead to the death of one or more

characters -- or perhaps the entire party.

Reverse Engineering

One good way to determine if obstacles are needed for an encounter is to

use the reverse engineering method. First, picture the room where the fight

will take place, empty it of obstacles, and imagine the foes inside. Now

imagine that the fight begins; what do the heroes do? What are their

actions, assuming they win initiative and act first? Based on those

assumptions, find ways to make those actions more difficult. Repeat the

process until you're satisfied that the encounter provides enough of a

challenge to the heroes.

For example, let's say an encounter pits the heroes against four storm-

troopers, an Imperial officer, and two probe droids. Place the enemies in an

empty room and begin the reverse engineering process. The Jedi hero will

likely move into the room and use Force slam on the squad of storm-

troopers, so you decide to put two of them on a platform that is 3 meters

tall, meaning that the Force slam can only get 2 of them at best. The

scoundrel will probably try to sneak up on the Imperial officer, so give that

foe a hovering spotlight droid that tries to point out any heroes breaking off

from the main group. The soldier carries ion grenades and ion weapons, so

he'll probably try to take out the two probe droids. To complicate matters,

spread the two droids far apart from each other, ensuring that a single ion

grenade won't take them both out. With just a few small changes, a rel-

atively mundane encounter has become more engaging and challenging for

the heroes.

When introducing an environmental hazard, adjust the encounter to

accommodate the increased challenge. Assuming that the hazard has attack

bonuses and damage outputs on par with enemies of the appropriate CL,

adding a hazard to an encounter is just like adding another opponent. If the

hazard is conditional, consider it to be another "opponent" with a CL equal

to the equivalent enemy CL minus 2. If the hazard is partial, consider it to

be another "opponent" with a CL equal to the equivalent enemy CL minus 1.

If the hazard is total, consider it to be another "opponent" with a CL equal

to the equivalent enemy CL.

For example, let's say the hazard is a poison gas cloud. The gas attacks a

target's Fortitude Defense with an attack bonus of +6 (the equivalent of

about a CL 5 enemy) and deals 2d10 points of damage each round the gas is

When using reverse engineering, it's important to remember that your goal

is to challenge your heroes, not to stymie them. Star Wars is all about doing

amazing, heroic things in the heat of battle, and your players will want to

do this as well. Obstacles should encourage them to make choices with

their abilities, not keep them from using the abilities completely. Does the

scoundrel go after the officer or the spotlight droid first? Which pair of

stormtroopers does the Jedi use Force slam on? Which probe droid feels the

heat of the soldier's ion barrage? The heroes still use their abilities in fun

and exciting ways, but they have choices to make when doing so.

like combat experiences. Objects that provide cover -- such as crates, com-

puters, and low walls -- also act as obstacles, encouraging creative

movement throughout the terrain.

Spreading Out the Enemies

One of the fastest ways to get a group of opponents killed is to have them

all bunched together. A quick grenade or a Force slam, and they'll be

wounded, dead, or dying. Instead, try to spread at least some of the enemies

out to avoid area attacks. It's fine (and encouraged) to have a group of

battle droids march in formation so they can be taken out quickly, but if you

want certain enemies to present a significant challenge, place them

throughout the encounter area so that individual area attacks will be less

effective -- at least in the first round or two.

Low-Challenge Enemies as Hazards

Low-level enemies don't usually provide enough challenge for heroes.

However, even at high levels, most players still want to kill stormtroopers

and blow up battle droids. That's part of what makes a Star Wars game

memorable. Instead of continually increasing the levels of stormtroopers, try

using a handful of stormtroopers as an obstacle. An encounter with a single,

high-level enemy might need to be enhanced to present a more cinematic

scene, and adding a bunch of low-level goons to the fight does just that.

The heroes will usually take time to stop and dispatch low-level enemies,

even if they see them as little threat, and there's always a chance that a

natural 20 will allow a thug to get off a lucky shot at a hero.

Putting It All Together

Having walked through the process of designing an encounter, it's time to

make up an encounter of our own. Let's assume that we have a party of

7th-level heroes playing in the Rebellion era, and we want to challenge the

heroes while still making sure that they can survive the encounter. Since the

heroes will be infiltrating an Imperial Detention Facility as a part of the

adventure, we already know our setting. For our primary enemies, we pick

two CL 5 Imperial Security Bureau agents (nonheroic 6/scout 3) and one CL

5 Imperial Officer (nonheroic 3/noble 3/officer 1) to represent the inter-

rogation team. Additionally, the facility has a small complement of crab

droid scouts (CL 3, nonheroic 9) leftover from the Clone Wars, one of which

is guarding the area the heroes are attempting to infiltrate. Adding all the

CLs together and dividing by 3, we get an encounter CL of 6, meaning we

have the beginnings of an appropriate encounter.

For example, a party of 10th-level heroes comes up against the Sith

apprentice they have been pursuing for several adventures. The Gamemaster

wants the Sith apprentice to be the focus of the encounter, but a four-on-

one fight, even against a Sith, might be anticlimactic. To enhance the

encounter, the Gamemaster adds a dozen low-level stormtroopers. They

pose little direct threat to the heroes, but they're an obstacle that must be

overcome on the way to defeating the real enemy. In addition, they give

non-Jedi party members something to do while the Jedi engages the Sith

apprentice in a climactic duel. A similar situation occurred in the Battle of

Geonosis, when Mace Windu ran straight for Jango Fett while others

focused on taking out the droids.

However, we really want to challenge the party, so we spice up the bat-

tlefield with terrain effects and other hazards. The encounter will take place

in a detention block, since the heroes are there to rescue an NPC that has

helped them in the past. We decide that the detention block is equipped

with emergency systems that spray a numbing gas into the room. We give

the numbing gas an attack bonus of +5 against a character's Fortitude

Defense (the equivalent of a CL 4 enemy), dealing 3d8 points of stun

damage. But we also determine that the gas shoots out of the walls only

around the edges of the room, making it a partial hazard and reducing the

CL to 3. Added to the other CLs in the encounter, this gives us a new

encounter CL of 7, which should be more challenging for the heroes.

Providing Cover Spots

One important aspect of encounter design is providing enough spots for

heroes and enemies to take cover during an encounter. Not only is cover

important to many characters in the game, it also provides more Star Wars-

Knowing that our heroes are fond of stunning enemies, the party is likely to

charge in and try to get close to the officer and the ISB agents to use the

stun settings on their blasters. To keep this from happening too quickly, we

decide that barricades pop up to block the middle of the room, spaced at

intervals of 3 squares. Thus, if the heroes want to get in close with the ISB

agents, they'll have to move down the sides of the room, where the

Plik z chomika:

Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Inne foldery tego chomika: