Just met a young black dragon as a random encounter at lvl 4. It acted second and one-shot half of my team with an acid breath and left the other 2 at 10-15 hp. They died next turn.
If this is intended behaviour iron man is currently unplayable. I hope it is a bug.
I was willing to look past the "EmptyString" descriptions in some locations but they should have warned me that this DLC is not polished at all.
I had a similar encounter with a green dragon, though was level 5 and managed to kill it with 1 player with 4 HP. However I had to die the first time around.
You make a good point about Iron Man, these random encounters, though they feel epic , won't be as enjoyable on Iron Man.
Well, I have a problem with how the dice rolls work out.
I have lost several parties, because the player can't roll a hit, but the enemy rolls very well consistently,
It's uncanny. My entire party just went down to four bears, because the party constantly rolls misses on the dice.
I've had that problem all the way back to "Crown" days. It drives me batty.
This has always been my reluctance to computer D&D, vs live action rolling the dice.
I've had the same problem. Random encounters in low lvl could be fairly brutal, but they are getting to be hard enough for most parties to just be doomed. So far I've run into the following at low level:
Young Black Dragon (total CR: 7) - Party level: 4 - Instant death by acid breath
Crimson Spider + 3 Crimson Spiderlings (total CR:11) - Party level: 4 - The grown spider killed one character per turn
5 Scouts + 4 Wolves (total CR: 3.5) - Party level: 3 - Death by Pack Tactics with ranged support
1 Necromancer + 3 Cult Fanatics + 3 skeletons (total CR: 11.75) - Party level: 3 - Death by overwhelming force
Most of these challenge ratings unrealistically high by the CR system (though that is a flawed system) for a level 4 party where a CR 4 encounter is supposed to be a "fair challenge" for a party of four. I know the CR system can be awful at adjusting for actual challenge, but this is overcorrecting in the other direction.
They might've fixed the mechanical problems with random encounters (which is good), but the random encounters themselves got even worse in the process and makes all overland travel at low level a dice roll for instant death. We're crossing the Marshes, not the Rubicon!
Typos happen. More so on the phone.
"
Well, I have a problem with how the dice rolls work out.
I have lost several parties, because the player can't roll a hit, but the enemy rolls very well consistently,
It's uncanny. My entire party just went down to four bears, because the party constantly rolls misses on the dice.
I've had that problem all the way back to "Crown" days. It drives me batty.
This has always been my reluctance to computer D&D, vs live action rolling the dice.
"
There is a difference for me.
Mitigating bad dice rolls is part of the genre. Spawning enemies that one shot your party with no counterplay is terrible gamedesign.
Just ran into another overtuned enounter: Death Squad
1 Wight - CR3
1 Skeletal Sorcerer - CR3
2 Zombies - CR0.5
4 Skeletal Archers - CR1
2 Skeletons - CR0.5
Total CR: 8
Party level: 4
Typos happen. More so on the phone.
For some reason crowd control is really important in this DLC. Stun and entangle got me though a lot of the encounters. The dragon though is just harsh. My ranger is cursed it seems. I swear he misses two thirds of his attacks. Tried changing weapons, having him travel with no inventory, just anything I could think of and nothing helped.
Had a fun one at lvl 8:
2 fully grown Remorhaz and 1 Remorhaz Offspring. If I didn't have casters with Banishment, I'd probably just get killed in that one.
Typos happen. More so on the phone.
Had a fun one at lvl 8:
2 fully grown Remorhaz and 1 Remorhaz Offspring. If I didn't have casters with Banishment, I'd probably just get killed in that one.
I got this one too - and before that I got the single Remorhaz one (cast the Sorcerer Mind Warp - the one for INT saves and it's a auto win). Remorhaz have -3 INT saves and become incapacitated, easiest 4250XP ever...
Well, to be fair, I have rolled a party, all four High Elves, three of them cleric included carrying Longbows
The Wizard relies on Firebolt
All four have high Dex
Two are Paladins, one Battle Cleric, and one Shock Arcanist
And they have had one helluva run of it
They are at 7th level now and that 1st level companion is still with them with his 12 hp.
That's a good one, but you get much more mileage out a Fire Sorcerer with twined firebolt (and with both manuals of Charisma you will be making all attacks +7 fire damage). I rather enjoy having a ranger because of Goodberry and Spike Growth, you can really funnel and slow enemies down while mauling them from afar. If they reach you Spirit Guardians on the Cleric does the trick.