I DMed a session of D&D for the first time the other night. it was pretty fun!

My new roommate had never roleplayed and was very interested. He pwas pretty dead-set on trying D&D, since that's the game he'd heard so much about. So I got myself a full complement of 3.5 corebooks, asked around for other players, and this week we got things rolling.

Ironically enough, my roommate wasn't able to make it to the first session. We all (myself and 5 players) had a initial discussion and chargen meeting, and decided to get together in a couple of days to do some actual playing while things were still fresh. It turned out that Scotty (my RM ) just couldn't make it on that day of the week.

So we ran with who we had on hand, which turned out to be three players; one other guy (Tommy, a 16-year-old who's played before) waas supposed to be coming, and never showed. What we did have was:

Erik, veteran D&Der who I've played with in the past, playing a Half-elf Monk.

Shirley, who's never played before, playing a Half-elf Druid.

Eriks (that's right, no typo; it's Latvian), Shirley's boyfriend who played a freeform D&Dish thing at a camp or something some years back. He's got a Gnome Sorceror/Rogue.

We're starting at level "2 1/2", I.E. halfway to level 3, so as to let the new players wet their feet before they pick their level 3 Feat.

So:

We had a freewheeling good time, a lot of character shenanigans and the plot slowly gathering steam. I came into the session with only the vaguest idea what would go down--after the Sunday meeting we established that Erik and Shirley's half-elves were twin brothers, and that Tommy's Elven Bard (a vengeful, piratey type who's moving toward Assassin) was their half-sister. Their mutual father is the Elven-King who was deposed, in part because of his dalliances with Mortals (and resultant offspring). So the bastard children were raised in seclusion (the Druid in a rural elf-village, the Monk in a Human town), and the legitimate Daughter has been in exile training for revenge, and now seeking out her siblings toaid her. Except Tommy never showed. Oh well, next time.

Meantime, we all sort of created an opening narrative by bouncing ideas off each other: "Ok, the Monk is just out of Monk school and looking for his rumored half-brother; is he going to find him in town, or will he have to go hunt in the woods?" "Oh, I could be in town." "All right, your guy's a brewer; how about if he's delivering beer to local taverns and inns?" "OK, cool!"

We had a really fun opening scene where the Monk just out of training goes out for a celebratory drink and gets mistaken for his twin--the guy who delivers beer. Things turned ugly when the bartender realized he did NOt in fact have beer with him--AND had just drunk up the last of the brew they had on hand. There was a fight with bouncers, then a confrontation with a bystander sparked off an all-tavern brawl. Meanwhile, the real brewer arrived and quietly skirted the fight, loading casks into the back room with the barmaid's help. When the barmaid appeared at the bar and shouted "we've got beer!" Everyone stopped in mid-punch and rushed the counter, and the twins got to meet each other.

One thing that was kind of interesting and cool: I hardly had to do any work; the players all shouted out ideas and I ran with the good ones, which was pretty much all of them. The mistaken identity, the bouncers, the barmaid breaking up the fight, all player input. My favorite bit was when Shirley asked, "are they about ready to kill him for not having the beer?" I answered, "not quite yet," and she said with an evil grin, "I'll wait to arrive until they are."

Meanwhile, Eriks' little Gnome lass (Eriks, Shirley and Tommy all rolled randomly for gender, and all rolled opposite their real ones) was originally going to be in the bar pulling pranks on the patrons, but he got a better idea--he waited until the commotion had died down and the two PCs were in the middle of their "meet and compare notes" schtick--then tried to ride Shirley's goat. The goat was the Druid's animal companion, hitched to the beercart outside. Incidentally, Eriks' description was "Trying very unsuccessfully to ride the goat." I had him make a Handle Animal roll, which with no skill ranks he failed easily--which was exactly wat he wanted anyway, so he was overjoyed. It occurred to me I could have just let him fail.

So the PCs all met and teamed up, and decided to journey to the Druid's village to learn more about their shared heritage. Once in the Elven woods they fought off a pair of hunting wolves, which I emphasized were kind of odd to be attacking human(oids). i had noted to Shirley that the forest life had been agitated and restless of late, and when her Druid made an Animal Empathy check to calm the wolves, she rolled low and failed--so I described how the Wolves' minds were overcome with aggression and expelled her spirit.

After the fight, I noted (Shirley had already stated that her Druid is loathe to kill animals) that the Wolves weren't dead, just dying, and could still be saved. Shirley said it was sad for them to die, but this time she was too tired to deal with it. She seemed to mean, though, that she herself was too tired--she'd had a long and hard day, it was about time to end the session, and she announced she was going to bed, and immediately did so. So I'll probably give her another chance when we reconvene, since the story hasn't progressed any.

A couple of notes on my techniques:

One, I designed several encounters as a kind of "bandolier" of potential challenges. Partly this is 'cause my MM hasn't arrived yet, so I had to access the SRD online and copy down the info. And partly 'cause I didn't know what direction things were going in, so I needed to be ready for encounters in several different environments, for varied possible party strengths (depending on who showed up). I think I like working this way. It's essentially the way I GM Over the Edge, except in that game I don't really need to prep statblocks.

Two, I started drawing a map. It was just a basic doodle, like "OK, there's Dwarven Mountains here, and Elven forest here, here's humans and here's Orcs." But as I flesh out the thing, all kinds of little details become apparent, like: "OK, the united front of the Dwarves and Elves keep the humans protected from Orc raids, but they're too shortsighted and proud to realize it. And the Elven usurpation could upset that balance thusly. . ." I'm having loads of fun designing the world organically this way; I just have to be careful I don't end up elaborating too far beyond the point where it's useful and relevant to the actual players and characters.




Lastly, there were a couple of issues that cropped up that I'm scratching my head over:

When I gave out the EXP at the end, I tried to go pretty much by the book. The wolves were easy--CR2 divided three ways. However, the barfight was trickier. I awarded Erik 300 for besting a CR 1 challenge (2 level 1 warriors, AKA the bouncers, CR 1/2), but then felt bad because Shirley and Eriks didn't get anything, even though they both contributed equally to making the scene enjoyable. In fact, most of the cool p-lot ideaswere Shirley's. I gave them both a "Roleplaying award," but the DM guide says to keep those to 50 points a session, which still felt like a gyp. I feel like Eriks and Shirl got the shaft merely because they stayed out of a fight they had no strong IC reason to join. Leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

It has occurred to me that I could reasonably justify including Shirley in the encounter, and her circumventing the fight and providing the beer that ended it could constitute beating the "challenge." Which still leaves Eriks out, but that's not so bad; he chose to do his own thing and not get involved at all. The question is, where do I draw the line? If a player chooses not to life a finger ina given struggle, do I include them anyway because they were there and "choosing not to fight is also a solution?" Seems like a shaky standard to me. "EX no matter what" (bar losing, of course) encourages sucky passivity, but going hardline "no fight, no EXP" sidelines a lot of cool input.

Any thoughts?

The other issue is Action points. Erik brought his Ebberon book and I took a peek; I decided (and Erik and Eriks both agree) that AP would be a cool addition to the game. However, it looks like Ebberon AP are only awarded as a flat "so many per level" bonus. I'd like to make them more special, earnable by certain actions, but Ican't come up with anything less arbitrary than "when I think you deserver one," which is the kind of standard I'd like to avoid. Anyone know of any alternate means of generating them?

Thanks for your time. I'm working hard on making this experience of D&D and roleplaying in general enjoyable for new and old players alike.

Peace,
-Joel

Quote from: MelinglorI DMed a session of D&D for the first time the other night. it was pretty fun!

Cool!  Always nice to hear some positive gaming experiences.

Quote from: MelinglorWhen I gave out the EXP at the end, I tried to go pretty much by the book. The wolves were easy--CR2 divided three ways. However, the barfight was trickier. I awarded Erik 300 for besting a CR 1 challenge (2 level 1 warriors, AKA the bouncers, CR 1/2), but then felt bad because Shirley and Eriks didn't get anything, even though they both contributed equally to making the scene enjoyable. In fact, most of the cool p-lot ideaswere Shirley's. I gave them both a "Roleplaying award," but the DM guide says to keep those to 50 points a session, which still felt like a gyp. I feel like Eriks and Shirl got the shaft merely because they stayed out of a fight they had no strong IC reason to join. Leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

It has occurred to me that I could reasonably justify including Shirley in the encounter, and her circumventing the fight and providing the beer that ended it could constitute beating the "challenge." Which still leaves Eriks out, but that's not so bad; he chose to do his own thing and not get involved at all. The question is, where do I draw the line? If a player chooses not to life a finger ina given struggle, do I include them anyway because they were there and "choosing not to fight is also a solution?" Seems like a shaky standard to me. "EX no matter what" (bar losing, of course) encourages sucky passivity, but going hardline "no fight, no EXP" sidelines a lot of cool input.

Any thoughts?

Well if they didn't participate at all, then don't award them XP.  You want players active and participating, even if they're throwing taunts while other members are fighting.  In other words, I'd award Shirley but not Eriks, and that's pretty much by-the-book.

As to tricky xp awards, I rely on the Encounter Level Calculator over at d20srd.org.  It's especially handy for dealing with odd-sized groups or level disparities.  Or monster team-ups that don't fit easily into "group of same CR" or "mixed pair."  Plus it spits out recommended EL average treasure and gives the xp as a per-PC dole, all with a few clicks.

Quote from: MelinglorThe other issue is Action points. Erik brought his Ebberon book and I took a peek; I decided (and Erik and Eriks both agree) that AP would be a cool addition to the game. However, it looks like Ebberon AP are only awarded as a flat "so many per level" bonus. I'd like to make them more special, earnable by certain actions, but Ican't come up with anything less arbitrary than "when I think you deserver one," which is the kind of standard I'd like to avoid. Anyone know of any alternate means of generating them?

Thanks for your time. I'm working hard on making this experience of D&D and roleplaying in general enjoyable for new and old players alike.

Peace,
-Joel

Just off the top of my head, why not award 1 AP / every 2 character levels per day?  In other words, a 3rd level PC would be able to spend up to 1 AP / day, whereas at 4th level, she'd get 2.  The AP-based feats in the ECS book should work normally with that, and it won't be too under- or over-powered.

Quote from: RedFoxWell if they didn't participate at all, then don't award them XP.  You want players active and participating, even if they're throwing taunts while other members are fighting.  In other words, I'd award Shirley but not Eriks, and that's pretty much by-the-book.

Cool. The only wording I could find in the DMG was "when the party defeats monsters, you award the characters experience points." Which didn't really seem to cover more nuanced situations. I'm guessing this sort of thing isn't going to come up a whole lot mow that the ball's rolling, since we all agreed to the "chartacters form a 'party' and travel around together" setup for simplicity's sake. But still, it's nice to have a good rule of thumb for when it does happen.

One other thing on reflection; the DMG seems to indicate that two 1st-level "NPC classes" are equal to CR 1, but in practice, our stalwart hero didn't even break THAT much sweat. They certainly didn't seem worth Erik getting EXP double EXP for the session. I guess the fact that even if they were "Level 1 warriors" they were still wearing no armor and using unarmed strikes probably accounts for the disparity. Maybe this just goes to show that D&D doesn't cover brawling very well. . .

Thanks for the link, that's sure to come in handy.

Not sure about the AP thing; Eriks explicitly said that he wanted AP to feel "special." Which to me says award them for special things, but that runs into the problem of ambiguity over what constitutes "special." Once I figure out how to award them though, the uses per day based on level sounds cool.

Peace,
-Joel

Quote from: MelinglorCool. The only wording I could find in the DMG was "when the party defeats monsters, you award the characters experience points." Which didn't really seem to cover more nuanced situations. I'm guessing this sort of thing isn't going to come up a whole lot mow that the ball's rolling, since we all agreed to the "chartacters form a 'party' and travel around together" setup for simplicity's sake. But still, it's nice to have a good rule of thumb for when it does happen.

It's just my personal rule of thumb, but I put it up to a litmus test of "contribution" and "participation."  If a PC at least attempts the former and succeeds in the latter, they're qualified for their fair share of the xp for the encounter.  Whether it be RP, puzzle, combat, or something else.

YMM, of course, V.

Quote from: MelinglorOne other thing on reflection; the DMG seems to indicate that two 1st-level "NPC classes" are equal to CR 1, but in practice, our stalwart hero didn't even break THAT much sweat. They certainly didn't seem worth Erik getting EXP double EXP for the session. I guess the fact that even if they were "Level 1 warriors" they were still wearing no armor and using unarmed strikes probably accounts for the disparity. Maybe this just goes to show that D&D doesn't cover brawling very well. . .

Judging EL and CR will get easier as you get more experience.  Remember that a CR 1 encounter is in fact something that would supposedly chew up only 20% of the resources of four 1st Level PCs.  For a higher level party, it's not that big a deal.  Take a look at some of the CR 1 critters and compare that to your NPC monks.

Wearing no armor is a toughie though, mainly because the Warrior class assumes the use of armor.  There's no real "Monk" NPC class, so you kind of have to adjudicate it on the fly.  I'd have probably switched out the Warrior armor proficiency with the Monk Wisdom-to-AC class feature to make it fit.  ^_^

Quote from: MelinglorNot sure about the AP thing; Eriks explicitly said that he wanted AP to feel "special." Which to me says award them for special things, but that runs into the problem of ambiguity over what constitutes "special." Once I figure out how to award them though, the uses per day based on level sounds cool.

Peace,
-Joel

Ask him specifically what he means by "special."  Is it how they're rewarded?  What they're used for?  Rarity?  Those are all different things that could mean "special."

If he wants them to be rewarded for special behavior and you're reticent to do so, that'll be a problem.

Quote from: RedFoxIt's just my personal rule of thumb, but I put it up to a litmus test of "contribution" and "participation."  If a PC at least attempts the former and succeeds in the latter, they're qualified for their fair share of the xp for the encounter.  Whether it be RP, puzzle, combat, or something else.

Sounds good to me.

Quote from: RedFoxWearing no armor is a toughie though, mainly because the Warrior class assumes the use of armor.  There's no real "Monk" NPC class, so you kind of have to adjudicate it on the fly.  I'd have probably switched out the Warrior armor proficiency with the Monk Wisdom-to-AC class feature to make it fit.  ^_^

Thing is, they weren't "Monks" in any conceptual sense--they were bouncers--big wall-of-muscle "This guy bothering you, boss?" bruisers. So I thought, "Hmm, +2 Strength bonus, Improved Unarmed Strike, and not much else." They wouldn't really have much WIS bonus, unless I gave it to them *just for AC purposes. I stand by my conclusions that A) They weren't really worth the CR for two fully-loaded LVL 1 Warriors, and 2) D&D isn't well equipped for events like a barroom brawl.

Quote from: RedFoxAsk him specifically what he means by "special."  Is it how they're rewarded?  What they're used for?  Rarity?  Those are all different things that could mean "special."

If he wants them to be rewarded for special behavior and you're reticent to do so, that'll be a problem.

Not so much reticent about rewarding them for behavior per se, just that I need to figure out a clear guideline for doing so. "Get a point when you make the GM happy really isn't where I'd like to draw the line.

Eriks' idea for the criteria seemed to be, when a player does something completely unexpected. For example he referred to the incident with me asking Shirley if she wanted the Druid to heal the wolves. Eriks suggested that if, say, some other character healed the wolves, they'd get an Action Point.

I have two problems with that; first, me trying to decide what constitutes a surprising action still seems pretty arbitrary. It would seem to involve me determining beforehand, "OK, the Druid healing the wolves is what's 'supposed' to happen; if someone else steps forward and does it they get a prize." It's just unfeasable (and to my mind, undesirable) for me to come up with those kinds of if-then conditions for every freakin' event in the game.

The second problem is, it rewards players for acting against type, which in moderation is good, but it leaves players that act within their PCs expected behavior out in the cold. Healing the wolves could be a cool moment for the animal-loving elf, but that player gets nothing for it, whereas the out-of-left-field possibility of the trickster gnome doing it gets rewarded. In other words, the players get shafted for playing in character.

Hmm.

Maybe I could, riffing off the "goal-based Experience option in the DMG, allow players to set their own character goals, and earn AP on their completion, reserving XP for the indidual challenge awards. The question is, how broad or narrow do you allow the goals? F'rinstance, "survive this fight" is gonna be a continual AP bank, whereas "Depose the Elven Usurper" doesn't pay off for maybe months. Maybe if you had to wager AP on a goal, so if you failed, you lost one? And still veto something like mere survival? Hafta think about that.

Thanks for the input! This is all really helping me get my bearings.

Peace,
-Joel

Quote from: MelinglorWhen I gave out the EXP at the end, I tried to go pretty much by the book. The wolves were easy--CR2 divided three ways. However, the barfight was trickier. I awarded Erik 300 for besting a CR 1 challenge (2 level 1 warriors, AKA the bouncers, CR 1/2), but then felt bad because Shirley and Eriks didn't get anything, even though they both contributed equally to making the scene enjoyable. In fact, most of the cool p-lot ideaswere Shirley's. I gave them both a "Roleplaying award," but the DM guide says to keep those to 50 points a session, which still felt like a gyp. I feel like Eriks and Shirl got the shaft merely because they stayed out of a fight they had no strong IC reason to join. Leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Thats 50XP per character level, each. So actually it should have been 100xp as an individual bonus. That doesn't sound like a lot, but considering that a typical CR 1 encounter is worth 300xp, divided 4 ways (to be 75XP), it's actually worth more than a combat encounter.

The difference is, you are only supposed to get one roleplaying bonus per session, and its an individual award.

Here's the easy way to fix your XP situation: Don't do individual awards. Just total everything up, split 4 ways and hand it over at the end of every session. If you really want to, throw the indivisual roleplaying award on the top of whatever the split is. Character level X 50xp.

QuoteThe other issue is Action points. Erik brought his Ebberon book and I took a peek; I decided (and Erik and Eriks both agree) that AP would be a cool addition to the game. However, it looks like Ebberon AP are only awarded as a flat "so many per level" bonus. I'd like to make them more special, earnable by certain actions, but Ican't come up with anything less arbitrary than "when I think you deserver one," which is the kind of standard I'd like to avoid. Anyone know of any alternate means of generating them?

Action Points in Eberron renew every session. Your level just determines how many you can spend in a session. I (personally) don't really like the idea of "earning" them rather than just treating them as any other resource, but if you think its a good idea I don't see anything wrong with it. In my experience, players generally don't seem to use more than 4 or 5 per session at any level. And often less.  

QuoteThanks for your time. I'm working hard on making this experience of D&D and roleplaying in general enjoyable for new and old players alike.
-Joel

I am kinda surprised at another issue. In previous conversations I got the impression (maybe this is my mistake) that you felt like D&D had ruined your roleplaying experiences  or something, but here it seems your'e actually totally new to it. Did I somehow get the wrong impression?

How to handle NPC classes*: warriors and such are treated as a half a CR lower than what their level is. So if you had to come up with the EL of a 2nd level warrior, it would be equal to a CR 1. You also need to assign appropriate gear. Gear is part of the CR. If you just have a 2nd level warrior but with no armor and no weapons, you might consider chopping the award down somewhat.


You should re-read the section on Noncombat encounters if that's important to you (DMG page 40). The main deal is, you assign a CR to whatever scene you want to award during the game (or after it), and award it. If you think "that scene at the bar" was award-worthy - just assign a CR and award it.

There's two simple rules:

1) No noncombat encounter gets a CR higher than the average level of the party.

2) If there's nothing really going on, it probably shouldn't be awarded.

For a group of 2nd level characters, that basicly gives you 2 choices.

A significant 'scene' type encounter would be worth a full award of 300 xp (this is the standard award for 1st-3rd level parties- see page 38 DMG). Anything less that still deserved an award somehow should be worth a percentage of that. So maybe 150 or 50 XP.

...

* NPCs are very useful to you as a DM. When you design encounters here is a DMs trick:

A single NPC level does not equal an entire challlenge rating. This can be used as a buff.
 
Let's say you make an enemy NPC-- A 4th level Ranger or something. But you think he needs just a bit more hit points and skill points. Just throw on a single level of (NPC) warrior or expert. It doesn't affect the encounter level, and gives just a bit more beef without breaking it.

Quote from: MelinglorThing is, they weren't "Monks" in any conceptual sense--they were bouncers--big wall-of-muscle "This guy bothering you, boss?" bruisers. So I thought, "Hmm, +2 Strength bonus, Improved Unarmed Strike, and not much else." They wouldn't really have much WIS bonus, unless I gave it to them *just for AC purposes. I stand by my conclusions that A) They weren't really worth the CR for two fully-loaded LVL 1 Warriors, and 2) D&D isn't well equipped for events like a barroom brawl.

Okay, maybe I just need more detail here.  If they're envisaged as bouncers in a no-weapons-expected tavern, they should have decent armor for their level, Improved Unarmed Strike, and Improved Initiative for their second human feat, if they're humans, to get the drop on trouble before it happens.  Wall-o-muscle types are likely to have Toughness and a high Con instead of Improved Initiative.  With multiples, you'll have the big bruisers and the quick-intercessionists.

However, keep in mind that a 2nd level Monk is going to wipe the floor with 1st level Warriors like Jackie Chan going to town on the staff at a car-wash, even if they're armored.  Monks are supernatural badass fighters.  Fighters themselves are no slouches, even with no Improved Unarmed Strike and no weapons themselves.  There's a serious power disparity between NPC Classes and PC Classes, and that's a feature not a bug.  The CR for a non-EL+ race with 1 level of Warrior is probably closer to 1/2 CR than 1 CR.  i.e. they're about as terrifying as your typical goblin, kobold, or dire rat.  Less so, without a proper weapon (spiked gauntlets for Improved Unarmed Warriors, frex).  Pure fodder for your party of 2nd Level adventurer PCs with full Class levels.

Again, this will just come with experience and giving things the ol' hairy eyeball.  If I were wanting something closer to a CR 2 threat, I'd have about twelve of those guys.  Or (more reasonably) I'd build two or three of them as Warrior 3s (Making them around CR 1 individually, since NPC Class levels are always unassociated), with the extra feat selection and NPC gear that entails, giving them good armor and the trifecta of feats I mentioned above (Improved Initiative, Improved Unarmed Strike, Toughness).

My advice would be to take your PCs' character sheets and run through some mock battles for a round or two by yourself as you design encounters.  It's slower, but if you're not used to the system it's the best way to judge how tough or easy things will be.

Quote from: MelinglorMaybe I could, riffing off the "goal-based Experience option in the DMG, allow players to set their own character goals, and earn AP on their completion, reserving XP for the indidual challenge awards. The question is, how broad or narrow do you allow the goals? F'rinstance, "survive this fight" is gonna be a continual AP bank, whereas "Depose the Elven Usurper" doesn't pay off for maybe months. Maybe if you had to wager AP on a goal, so if you failed, you lost one? And still veto something like mere survival? Hafta think about that.

Tough one.  Just some ideas to throw at you here:

Scion of Alignment Award The PC receives an Action Point any time the PC acts in accordance with their Alignment, if it has direct negative consequences for him/herself.

Bad Things Happen Award The DM can bribe the PC with an AP to accept some negative happenstance, such as being captured, losing a precious item, or the like.  The PC can always veto the bribe.

Quote from: MelinglorThanks for the input! This is all really helping me get my bearings.

Peace,
-Joel

Glad I could help.

Quote from: Abyssal MawAction Points in Eberron renew every session. Your level just determines how many you can spend in a session.

Wait, what?  Really?  I need to check my ECS book again on that one.  :raise:

Quote from: RedFoxWait, what?  Really?  I need to check my ECS book again on that one.  :raise:

Thats the way it works in the RPGA-sanctioned Eberron campaigns! I totally could be wrong about the ECS, since the Xendrik Expeditions campaign is  based on an expectation of episodic rather than campaign play... but it seems like the only smart way to handle them.  How would you bookkeep it otherwise?

Quote from: Abyssal MawThats the way it works in the RPGA-sanctioned Eberron campaigns! I totally could be wrong about the ECS, since the Xendrik Expeditions campaign is  based on an expectation of episodic rather than campaign play... but it seems like the only smart way to handle them.  How would you bookkeep it otherwise?

Ah, well the RPGA has all sorts of funny rules.  For one thing, character gear doesn't accumulate from session-to-session.  You find something in-game, it's useful for that game session and vanishes before you play the next (unless it's a character card or something).

As to bookkeeping, I thought it was the following (again, I haven't checked the ECS):

You get X number of AP per level.  That's the most AP you can have.  It's a finite resource that does not refresh until you level, at which point you get the full amount of AP for your new level.  Old AP do not accumulate.

I suppose its a moot point if he isn't playing Eberron.

You could do it either way! I definitely think its better if it renews every session, but thats just my opinion.

Quote from: RedFoxIf I were wanting something closer to a CR 2 threat, I'd have about twelve of those guys.  Or (more reasonably) I'd build two or three of them as Warrior 3s (Making them around CR 1 individually, since NPC Class levels are always unassociated), with the extra feat selection and NPC gear that entails, giving them good armor and the trifecta of feats I mentioned above (Improved Initiative, Improved Unarmed Strike, Toughness).

Well, I guess it depends if the encounter was meant to be fightable...(EL 2) or 'fightable, but not a good idea' (EL 4?).

I guess it seems realistic to have 1 or 2 bouncers at a tavern. If you had 12 guys crowding in there, there would be no room for the patrons!

Game sounds cool. Some advice:

Anyone who's in the fight and participating somehow should get a divvy of the XP. To do otherwise makes for bad blood OOC and kill-stealing. You want to encourage PCs to do more than just jump in and hack away at foes as part of an XP race. Anyone who works to resolve the situation, whether violently or not, should get XP. Anyone who doesn't, shouldn't.

Ignore the DMG's limitations on roleplaying experience. 50 per character level isn't bad from session to session, but use XP as an incentive to get characters to do things that they might not otherwise. Make those small, flat awards and hand them out frequently. "Oh, you challenged the baron to a duel? 50XP." If you do use Eberron's APs or Arcana Unearthed's Hero Points, hand them out instead.

When designing encounters, it's important to note that an encounter with a CR equal to the PC's level isn't strictly speaking an equal challenge. Instead, it means that the encounter should use up about a quarter to a fifth of their resources. If your PCs are only getting into one fight a day and you want it to be a tough one, shoot for a CR that's between three and five points higher than the PCs' levels (so if they're 5th, they should be fighting something between CR 8 and 10).

Quote from: PseudoephedrineGame sounds cool. Some advice:

Anyone who's in the fight and participating somehow should get a divvy of the XP. To do otherwise makes for bad blood OOC and kill-stealing. You want to encourage PCs to do more than just jump in and hack away at foes as part of an XP race. Anyone who works to resolve the situation, whether violently or not, should get XP. Anyone who doesn't, shouldn't.

Ignore the DMG's limitations on roleplaying experience. 50 per character level isn't bad from session to session, but use XP as an incentive to get characters to do things that they might not otherwise. Make those small, flat awards and hand them out frequently. "Oh, you challenged the baron to a duel? 50XP." If you do use Eberron's APs or Arcana Unearthed's Hero Points, hand them out instead.

When designing encounters, it's important to note that an encounter with a CR equal to the PC's level isn't strictly speaking an equal challenge. Instead, it means that the encounter should use up about a quarter to a fifth of their resources. If your PCs are only getting into one fight a day and you want it to be a tough one, shoot for a CR that's between three and five points higher than the PCs' levels (so if they're 5th, they should be fighting something between CR 8 and 10).

Umm, at level 2 there's the very real possibility that will slaughter them, though.  I'd honestly put an encounter at one to two CR (or EL) above the average party level until they're about level 3 or above, then go with the 3-5 levels above thing.