Butschi
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Joined: Tue 25 Sep 2018, 17:28

Challenge Rating

Tue 25 Sep 2018, 17:39

Hi,

I'm a total Coriolis noob, so maybe I just didn't see it. Is there anything like the Challenge Rating (CR) in D&D for NPCs or creatures? Say I want to let my party fight against a troop of soldiers. For instance, take the Terenganu Valley scenario in the rulebook. At some point the special archaeo troop is deployed. How can I estimate how many troopers are appropriate?

Or take the beasts. They have a rarity rating. But - appart from trial and error, guessing and the like - is there a rule of thumb how dangerous they are?
 
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9littlebees
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Re: Challenge Rating

Wed 26 Sep 2018, 09:12

There isn't a Challenge Rating, no.

Every combat is potentially lethal, since any opponent can land a Crit with a good roll, and 65 / 66 on the table is lights out for your PCs. Hell, Crits from 36+ (more than half the results) are "Lethal". This is a deadly game, and if you're playing with D&D players, you should probably let them know this up front. Running from or avoiding a fight is a good (sometimes the best) strategy.

The way I think about balance is simply in terms of numbers. If the PCs outnumber their opponents, they're likely (but not guaranteed!) to win. If they're equal numbers, it is much more down to the dice.

Gear is also very important. Thermal weapons are so OP that I advise you don't introduce them at all, or at the very least until you're well into the campaign and have a better handle on things. Explosives are likewise very deadly, and finally some of the rare armour will turn a character into a tank.

This game attempts to simulate reality more than D&D does, so telling the players to remember that may help.

My ultimate advice: focus your prep on the story (or setting if you're running a sandbox), not combat, and don't try to balance combat should it occur.
I make YZE games (https://drivethrurpg.com/browse.php?author=Matt%20Kay) and produce predominately Free League content on my YouTube channel (https://youtube.com/@3skulls)

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