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[Jovis]

Hello All,
I am having a little trouble wrapping my head around this one;
how do you know if the monster or bad guy you are creating will be a challenge?
example in D&D 3.x you have CL (challenge levels)
in 4th ed you've got an xp build based on level

how do you know if the beatie you build will be challenging to the group?
is there a formula or something I am missing?

if I have a group of 5 players who are veteran level
and I want them to battle an alien (as in the movie)
how many points to I use for the Alien? double? triple?

thanks
Joe   

[selek]

As a general rule, I stat up the bad guy to either the same level as the heroes or just beyond.

Minions are also fun, even if they're just one-hit wonders (meaning they drop after a single hit).

The alien (as in the movie) wasn't that physically or mentally extraordinary- it was the tactics it employed and (in the later movies, at least) the overwhelming numbers of cannon fodder that made the difference.

The alien by itself wasn't that bad-...um rear. It's physical strength was slightly greater than human average, and it's apparent intelligence and agility were both worse than human norm.

It was the terrain and tactics that made it such a challenge.

Gorman being an idiot didn't help either.

Even a physically weak opponent can be very challenging if it takes advantage of cover, stealth, surprise, and speed.

[Skygalleons]

Another thing to take into account is that combat in Cortex is nothing like D&D. Cortex combat is far deadlier with a single hit capable of killing a PC regardless of their experience. Even NPCs with skills far weaker than the PCs can chew them up and spit them out consistently, if you use tactics such as firing from behind cover, called shots, and having them wear armor.

[cortex ghost]

Even in D&D, if played correctly, physically weaker opponents can take out higher level PCs utilizing the same: tactics, cover, called shots, etc.  See "Tucker's Kobolds" for a good diea of what tactics can do to a group.

In general, I stat my NPCs the same as the PCs, and level them alongside the group (assuming that they are gaining experience at approximately the same rate as the group).  It means a bit more work for me, but the expressions on their faces when they see an NPC they defeated six months ago show up again, with better gear and stats, priceless.

[Jovis]

thank you for your help with this, good ideas all.

but what if you want a "solo" monster against a group of PC's
how would you build it?
more HP?
regen?

[Skygalleons]

High armor (something like 8S and 8W) would be the best trick, that way only Extraordinary Successes or Called Shots would be effective.

[cortex ghost]

thank you for your help with this, good ideas all.

but what if you want a "solo" monster against a group of PC's
how would you build it?
more HP?
regen?

My current villain NPC is built exactly like the PCs, but has more resources (i.e. better gear, as well as minions), and is much, much smarter than they are.  Not to mention he enjoys messing with them simply to watch them suffer.  That being said, the first time they encountered him, through teamwork they were nearly able to defeat him - he has not made the same mistake in underestimating them twice.  He also prefers to work from a distance, sending minions to annoy and harrass, pushing the PCs into dangerous situations (spiking their drinks with things similar to PCP or LSD), or exacerbating tensions between them and the authorities (anonymous tips that the PCs are smugglers, or dangerous, or whatever).  Intelligent and vicious, is how I prefer to handle main villains - but, the other thing to consider is the villain's motivation: why does he hate the PCs, or what sort of things is he not willing to do in order to ruin the PCs (i.e won't harm innocent bystanders, or whatever).


Edit: I realised after posting this, i hadn't answered your question.  So here goes:

1. Better armor, better weapons, custom gear.  Deck the villain out in some fancy newtech armor, with a heavily modifed and personalized gun.  Make them stand out, signature weapons (like Vera).  And it dosn't have to be overwhelming, just a little bit better (d4W armor, or whatever).

2. Give them some brains - make the PCs sweat when it looks like this guy has anticipated their moves (think Jubal Early from "Objects in Space").

3.  Use the environment against them.  Shoot at them from a place they cannot reach, use cover, traps, and if possible, divide the PCs into smaller groups or pick them off one at a time - if you can simply wound them without killing them, that takes two people out of combat instead of just one (one who is wounded, and one who is treating them).  Use called shots, aiming bonuses, etc.

[Jovis]

very cool, thank you for you help with this
I think I have a clearer picture of what to do.

Joe

[Brandon]

Don't forget to give your NPC or monster some plot points to spend. Also grenades, even nonlethal ones, as they tend to bring combat to a crashing halt (at least in my experience).

[annnoyinglizardvoice]

Fighting smart is often more important than fighting hard. If the bad guy knows anything about the heroes, let he/she use it to his/her advantage. Make the fighting "context-sensetive" rather than just "I attack". Also feel free to make up new traits and items for the monsters, a DM should never be limited by the rules
My demon hunter group came closer to dying than they had in a fair while against a group of enemies who were about their equal in numbers and training because the monsters had planned out the encounter beforehand.