Dungeons & Delvers: Bandit Keep Stress Test
We ran a couple Dungeons & Delvers combat stress tests a few days ago, using some of my D&D minis so that the kids could fight something besides undead for a change (I have the Rock Top Gang for Super Dungeon Explore, but I'm saving that for a very Mario-themed adventure I'm working on).
During the necropolis-death-crawl they seemed to have an easy time cleaning house, so the first time I ran this I upped all the monster Attack and Defense scores by 1-2 points...which resulted in a near party wipe in the first encounter against four bandits (though, to be fair, they were using ranged weapons and a table for cover).
So, we rebuilt the dungeon (didn't want anyone to know what to expect), went back to the original stats, and tried again. This time it went much smoother, though the party still got beat up pretty badly (which is fine because they're only 1st-level).
Stop me if you've heard this one: three dwarves walk into a dungeon...
Our daughter loves Adventure Time, and was pretty excited to see the "jelly cube" make an appearance, despite the fact that it almost ate her.
The bandits were happy that the adventurers were able to take out the pesky jelly cube. They were also happy that the adventurers were weakened by the encounter, even though they still ended up getting defeated in the end.
Dwarf fighter, packing a big-ass hammer, shield, and clad in heavy armor still manages to leap away just in time to avoid falling into a pit trap.
Taking the jelly cube hall allowed the adventurers to skip some of the encounters, and they quickly found the bandit king's chamber. Wolves get a variable Attack bonus when teaming up on someone, and the bandit king makes multiple attacks when he's teaming up, making them a pretty nasty combination all around.
Once the players realized this they focused on taking the wolves out (they were easier to hit and had fewer Wounds), and then the bandit king (who was much easier when he was only making one attack). The dwarf fighter got taken out of the fight, but they still managed to defeat them and snag his a key to the treasure vault.
The fighter isn't Scrooge McDucking the treasure: the other adventurers just plopped her there while they took a long rest in the vault.
![]()
A Sundered World is out (and also available in dead-tree format)! If you for some reason don't want the entire setting, you can just snag the races and classes.
The Gunner is locked and loaded.
Sunken Treasures has been dredged up from the depths!
Lichfield is available for public consumption. If you want a concise adventure with a Silent Hill feel, be sure to check it out! Primordial Machine is also out, so if you want to catch a glimpse of A Sundered World, now's your chance! Finally, we've updated If These Stones Could Scream.
During the necropolis-death-crawl they seemed to have an easy time cleaning house, so the first time I ran this I upped all the monster Attack and Defense scores by 1-2 points...which resulted in a near party wipe in the first encounter against four bandits (though, to be fair, they were using ranged weapons and a table for cover).
So, we rebuilt the dungeon (didn't want anyone to know what to expect), went back to the original stats, and tried again. This time it went much smoother, though the party still got beat up pretty badly (which is fine because they're only 1st-level).
Stop me if you've heard this one: three dwarves walk into a dungeon...
Our daughter loves Adventure Time, and was pretty excited to see the "jelly cube" make an appearance, despite the fact that it almost ate her.
The bandits were happy that the adventurers were able to take out the pesky jelly cube. They were also happy that the adventurers were weakened by the encounter, even though they still ended up getting defeated in the end.
Dwarf fighter, packing a big-ass hammer, shield, and clad in heavy armor still manages to leap away just in time to avoid falling into a pit trap.
Taking the jelly cube hall allowed the adventurers to skip some of the encounters, and they quickly found the bandit king's chamber. Wolves get a variable Attack bonus when teaming up on someone, and the bandit king makes multiple attacks when he's teaming up, making them a pretty nasty combination all around.
Once the players realized this they focused on taking the wolves out (they were easier to hit and had fewer Wounds), and then the bandit king (who was much easier when he was only making one attack). The dwarf fighter got taken out of the fight, but they still managed to defeat them and snag his a key to the treasure vault.
The fighter isn't Scrooge McDucking the treasure: the other adventurers just plopped her there while they took a long rest in the vault.
Announcements
A Sundered World is out (and also available in dead-tree format)! If you for some reason don't want the entire setting, you can just snag the races and classes.The Gunner is locked and loaded.
Sunken Treasures has been dredged up from the depths!
Lichfield is available for public consumption. If you want a concise adventure with a Silent Hill feel, be sure to check it out! Primordial Machine is also out, so if you want to catch a glimpse of A Sundered World, now's your chance! Finally, we've updated If These Stones Could Scream.
Leave a Comment