CR &/or difficulty tweaking for Spine areas

[Machiavelli]

All those lovely areas up in the spine don't really get used, mostly because by the time people can actually manage them they get little to no xp. Maybe some tweaking of difficulty and/or CRs might change that (I don't know if any of it's been reviewed since the areas went in). Anyways, just a thought.

[Cornuto]

Already did it... just hasn't gone live yet.

Also did the snake cave and the necropolis.

[Thief Of Navarre]

The snake cave was already awesome last time I went there (bout 2months ago).

[Machiavelli]

Already did it... just hasn't gone live yet.

Also did the snake cave and the necropolis.

Nice one Corny! Respect to you, even though you insert vegemite related jokes into my posts

[Phantom Lamb]

Really? I've adjusted those snakes quite a bit over the last few months. Are you sure your adjustments were needed? I think simply removing the warlocks made a big difference. I'd rather we didn't play to the weakest link for our CRs. We need it to be challenging -- heck I was just at the spine yesterday solo at level 8.

Which hostiles did you find too tough on the spine?

I think the real reason we don't use the spine areas often is it's sort of a crossbreed area. It's not really a dungeon and not really a traveling area either. With a dungeon, you go there specifically for rewards. With the traveling area, you're passing through to get to your rewards. The destinations at the end of the Spine aren't very rewarding right now, and the monsters are too spread out to make it a rewarding dungeon area.

[Fezzik]

Getting to the spine past the gazzillion archers is sometimes a problem, once there level 8ish seems fine (even a wizard of that level can do reasonably well, with the right mix of spells). Maybe a mine that goes from lower in the mountain to higher up might make it more rewarding . Why go in the cold past a bunch of barbarians when you can kill a bunch of monsters instead!... just keep the Ballhog out of it.

[Cornuto]

I didn't realize you'd already adjusted the snake caves, I put it new CRs based on past experience there (back when warlocks were there).

To get to it you have to go past the Cartel, so a few of the monsters seemed low with level 6-7 CRs when the Cartel are more powerful than that. Even more so with the Cold Climb.

[Saulus]

All the encounters are going to get totally redone once GBX has finished his plugin, which is far into the final stage of development.

With it, encounters will become more intelligent in a number of ways, taking into account far more about a player, the party, the area, and the environment than what you normally see now.

And there will be rare surprises that will mimic the same functions DMs perform in the sense that just that once in awhile, you may see a particular creature.

[Intrepid42]

With it, encounters will become more intelligent in a number of ways, taking into account far more about a player, the party, the area, and the environment than what you normally see now.

This sounds fantastic!

[Nil]

This sounds fantastic!

Agreed. Sounds very cool!

[Machiavelli]

All the encounters are going to get totally redone once GBX has finished his plugin, which is far into the final stage of development.

GBX will be plugging things into us? I'm scared.

[Cornuto]

From the beta-tests I can tell you that the plugin checks if your PC's name rhyme's with Calacalypse Piscordia. If true, it spawns 100HD demonic chickens at you.

[Thief Of Navarre]

I found I was getting the maximum experience amount off the snakes even when the warlocks were there and I barely got touched! Energy Immunity: Acid and some antistun spells (spell warding types like magic resistance) and you were good to go.

Then again I was a druid in wildshape (regular panther form perhaps? cant remember). Im sure a specialized cleric could acheive the same though.

[DM_Equinox]

From the beta-tests I can tell you that the plugin checks if your PC's name rhyme's with Calacalypse Piscordia. If true, it spawns 100HD demonic chickens at you.

Oh no! Not the chickens We were saving them for extreme- oh. Right.