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In 2013 our plans call for us to add an additional adventure to the event. There will be two consecutive adventure modules, and each module will have two variations of either a combat or puzzle orientation. The first module called “Lycans Afoot” tasks the party to travel through a dark forest in search of a tower, while the second module called “Golembane” challenges the party to reach the top of tower.
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TOPIC: Nightmare

Nightmare 10 years 7 months ago #1

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Many of the people I encountered and ran with this year felt that the challenge and fear of death has been removed from Nightmare runs. I understand some people don't want to die, but nightmare doesn't pack the punch or allow that extra creative solution it used to.

The issues many of us saw were:
1. Experience- people are running Nightmare for the extra experience and we all know the complaints about nightmare difficulty in the past. Possible solutions are to just make the XP reward flat across difficulty or to do it by adventure rather than room.

2. Monster stats- the nightmare monsters appeared to only have extra HP and dealt greater damage. Extra powers, better attack bonuses to increase their success would help.

3. (This one is not just nightmare related)- Untie the DMs hands- the use of creative solutions has been limited by the need to call the directors. For example, we tried to Lesser Maze the genie- the DM said no, then "I'll call the director." We don't have time to call the directors. We had several rooms like this. It goes to the situational tokens too. Why have boots of water walking if they never work?

I'll add more later I'm sure.
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Last edit: by EN 429.

Re: Nightmare 10 years 7 months ago #2

Was there an additional 50 XP (Room 8) for Nightmare/Hardcore? I see where three of my team received this (Golembane Combat) and I did not. We all survived and are of the same level.

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Re: Nightmare 10 years 7 months ago #3

Answering both of you...

There are only 7 rooms so they had the wrong number typed in for their run.

As for the monsters HP, yes they have more HP and higher AC. Some had damage reduction too. I noticed on one of my Nightmare runs the HP was lower than the last run, we were also hitting on lower numbers.

Then one of the Nightmare runs we need such high numbers we were shocked. Still downed the monster but took a few extra rounds of combat!
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Re: Nightmare 10 years 7 months ago #4

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Kaledor wrote: Answering both of you...

There are only 7 rooms so they had the wrong number typed in for their run.

As for the monsters HP, yes they have more HP and higher AC. Some had damage reduction too. I noticed on one of my Nightmare runs the HP was lower than the last run, we were also hitting on lower numbers.

Then one of the Nightmare runs we need such high numbers we were shocked. Still downed the monster but took a few extra rounds of combat!


I think you are missing my point. My premise is that it isn't hard enough. We regularly have time to defeat the creature and goof off for awhile. We know there is mor XP for nightmare because we have it. My proposal is to even it and make it the same for every difficulty.
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Re: Nightmare 10 years 7 months ago #5

Don't think I missed your point. I think some of the GM's missed up which run it was, hardcore vs nightmare. Since they are both type of runs are worth the same XP.

I know for sure one of my Nightmare runs it was way easier than the other Nightmare run.

Overall the monsters were slightly under powered in Nightmare (except for that one run we had). Not sure if they adjusted the monster later or the GM as using Hardcore monsters...

EN 429 wrote:

Kaledor wrote: Answering both of you...

There are only 7 rooms so they had the wrong number typed in for their run.

As for the monsters HP, yes they have more HP and higher AC. Some had damage reduction too. I noticed on one of my Nightmare runs the HP was lower than the last run, we were also hitting on lower numbers.

Then one of the Nightmare runs we need such high numbers we were shocked. Still downed the monster but took a few extra rounds of combat!


I think you are missing my point. My premise is that it isn't hard enough. We regularly have time to defeat the creature and goof off for awhile. We know there is mor XP for nightmare because we have it. My proposal is to even it and make it the same for every difficulty.

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Re: Nightmare 10 years 7 months ago #6

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I have no idea what was happening as far as the difficulty with Nightmare/hardcore this year. I ran Lycans once on both difficulties this year and my group barely survived when we did HC on Friday. Granted we had some well equipped newbies in the group which may have been a factor but when we did the nightmare version on Saturday with a different group we breezed through some of the same combats like they were nothing.
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Re: Nightmare 10 years 7 months ago #7

You may have had the DM we had that was rolling a DM for damage on normal. We were doing a sealed run and he hit someone for 18 point of damage.
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Re: Nightmare 10 years 7 months ago #8

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Additional abilities/resistances for NM monsters makes sense - I think that is what Incognito does in True Grind.

As far as Lesser Maze and the genie, I decided that the genie was indeed removed from combat for a round, but that she did not return to her own plane of existence. When she returned from the Maze, Cogwind's magimagnetic chains trapped her again.
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Re: Nightmare 10 years 7 months ago #9

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jedibcg wrote: You may have had the DM we had that was rolling a DM for damage on normal. We were doing a sealed run and he hit someone for 18 point of damage.


Might have been the same guy, we ran on Friday evening, the most excessive damage seemed to come from the room where the shambling mound creature grabbed players. It took us by surprise despite several of us having surprise immunity then the DM then had it grab one player per round no hit roll or anything and hold them (despite all of us having free action). From there he rolled the d20 for damage against each of the held characters taking 3 from full life to dead before we could kill the monster. Once the creature was dead we were told our friends were not dead and only unconscious at 1hp but that we would have no time to heal until they regained consciousness in the next room because the lycans were after us, when we commented that that didn't seem right he just shrugged and said hardcore. Over all I wasn't impressed at all but there wasn't really time to argue the point. Anyway we burned a lot of item based healing there but we managed to pick ourselves up and make it to the end.
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Re: Nightmare 10 years 7 months ago #10

We went through Lycan Combat at 10:24 and it was that room, so it does sound like the same guy. We just shrugged it off and continued on our way. It was a sealed run and we were having fun.
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Re: Nightmare 10 years 7 months ago #11

We had an issue in that room as well because a couple members of our party deal so much damage that we can insta-kill our own party members if we hit them.

I only realized afterwards that we should all have been immune to grapple attacks, but live and learn, I guess. More disappointed with my bad performance on the Tree board in the end. :( Worst sliding of the convention for me.

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Re: Nightmare 10 years 7 months ago #12

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Kaledor wrote: Don't think I missed your point. I think some of the GM's missed up which run it was, hardcore vs nightmare. Since they are both type of runs are worth the same XP.

I know for sure one of my Nightmare runs it was way easier than the other Nightmare run.

Overall the monsters were slightly under powered in Nightmare (except for that one run we had). Not sure if they adjusted the monster later or the GM as using Hardcore monsters...

EN 429 wrote:

Kaledor wrote: Answering both of you...

There are only 7 rooms so they had the wrong number typed in for their run.

As for the monsters HP, yes they have more HP and higher AC. Some had damage reduction too. I noticed on one of my Nightmare runs the HP was lower than the last run, we were also hitting on lower numbers.

Then one of the Nightmare runs we need such high numbers we were shocked. Still downed the monster but took a few extra rounds of combat!


I think you are missing my point. My premise is that it isn't hard enough. We regularly have time to defeat the creature and goof off for awhile. We know there is mor XP for nightmare because we have it. My proposal is to even it and make it the same for every difficulty.


My apologies, I'M the one who misunderstood your point. :( thanks
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