Guidelines

Five Suggestions

1. Player Skill > Character Builds

Sessions are not a test of how well-optimized a character is. They are about creative problem solving that leverages a character’s abilities.

2. Tactics

Fair fights get adventurers killed. Set the expectation (gently at first) that going toe-to-toe with monsters without a plan will hurt.

3. Low Fantasy, Not Grimdark Fantasy

There’s a balance to be struck between “challenging resource scarcity” and “arbitrary sadism”. Present reasonable challenges to your players by signaling when danger is afoot, giving them a chance to react before inflicting harm.

4. Alternatives

Just because the door is guarded by a ferocious hell hound does not mean that the party needs to fight their way through. Let the players try befriending the dog, luring the dog away, talking to the dog, or other tricks. Spring the fight only when an attempt fails.

5. Grounding

Be judicious when allowing external material into the game world. A Bag of Holding or Goodberry spell can break Naevis’ core mechanics.