Epic Level Handbook

CHAPTER 3:RUNNING ANEPIC GAMETABLE 3–8: EPIC ENCOUNTER NUMBERS–––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Number of Creatures ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––PartyLevel One Two Three FourFiveor SixSevento NineTen toTwelve PairMixedPair21st 20, 21, 22 19 18 17 16 15 14 19 20 + 1822nd 21, 22, 23 20 19 18 17 16 15 20 21 + 1923rd 22, 23, 24 21 20 19 18 17 16 21 22 + 2024th 23, 24, 25 22 21 20 19 18 17 22 23 + 2125th 24, 25, 26 23 22 21 20 19 18 23 24 + 2226th 25, 26, 27 24 23 22 21 20 19 24 25 + 2327th 26, 27, 28 25 24 23 22 21 20 25 26 + 2428th 27, 28, 29 26 25 24 23 22 21 26 27 + 2529th 28, 29, 30 27 26 25 24 23 22 27 28 + 2630th 29, 30, 31 28 27 26 25 24 23 28 29 + 2740th 39, 40, 41 38 37 36 35 34 33 38 39 + 37Any EL–1, EL, EL+1 EL–2 EL–3 EL–4 EL–5 EL–6 EL–7 EL–2 EL–1 + EL–3Rating. Table 3–8: Epic Encounter Numbers allows you toquickly determine an appropriate mix of creatures foryour party.Just as the Challenge Rating system isn’t always perfectat lower levels, in an epic game you must closely monitorthe characters’ capabilities to match encounters to theirpower level. Because it becomes increasingly more difficultto estimate an average party’s capabilities at theselevels, even the best-designed system can only serve as aguide to the DM.For instance, because of the spells known, equipmentpossessed, or feats selected by your epic characters, certainmonster capabilities may be more or less dangerousto them. If the entire party is virtually immune to fire, forexample, you know that fire-using creatures may poselittle threat to the party. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’tuse such creatures—it’s not fair to punish the charactersfor the powers they’ve gained—but it does mean that ifyou want such creatures to pose a threat, you should presentthem in situations where they can take advantage ofother abilities. For instance, even if a red dragon’s fierybreath doesn’t endanger the characters, its spellcasting,flight, and sheer destructive power can still pose quite athreat in the right environment.As a last resort, you can also adjust the experience pointreward for encounters that don’t pose a threat. Don’toverdo this, however, since it essentially means you arepunishing the PCs (by reducing their experience pointrewards) for good preparation.REWARDSRegardless of level, experience points and treasure arethe two primary methods of rewarding the characters’success. The Epic Level Handbook uses the same basic systemsas presented in the DUNGEON MASTER’s Guide, with afew modifications as noted below.EXPERIENCE AWARDSAwarding experience points for encounters overcomeworks just as in nonepic D&D games. Use the monster’sChallenge Rating (possibly with adjustments based onthe difficulty of the encounter) to assign an experiencepoint value for the encounter, based on the average partylevel. Particularly when using the concept of the epicquest (see Motivation, earlier in this chapter), you maywant to use the Story Awards variant in Chapter 7 of theDUNGEON MASTER’s Guide, but you should only do so if youand your players are comfortable with it.Table 3–9: Epic Experience Point Awards (SingleMonster) shows the appropriate experience pointawards for party levels (average level of the characters inthe group) 21st to 40th, and for CR 14 to CR 40. Forparty levels and Challenge Ratings above these ranges,DON’T PULL YOUR PUNCHESThe best advice for any DM creating an epic adventure is this:Don’t pull your punches.Don’t be afraid to set up a series of encounters or obstaclesthat require multiple high-level spells, checks against tremendousDCs, or other grand accomplishments to bypass. If thecharacters have survived this long, they have resources availablethat should let them solve any problem you can imagine. Thetypical epic adventuring group has virtually any kind of mobility itneeds, from flight to teleportation to planar travel. The PCs canlearn any fact they need, whether through bardic knowledge,communing, or scrying. They can dispel any spell, resist anyhazard, and if worst comes to worst, they can use wish or miracleto get what they need. Even death itself is only a 10-minute breakin the action (thanks to true resurrection). And never discount theability of characters to simply overcome an obstacle throughsheer force. Any epic fighter worth his salt can survive at least afew rounds submerged in a pool of lava, and eventually theraging barbarian can baiter down the adamantine door.Make your characters use all the options available to them.If nothing else, it lets them feel good that they were preparedfor the adventure. And then whack ‘em with the 25th-levelvampiric minotaur fighter riding the half-fiendish great wyrmred dragon.120