Tabletop Games Thread

[Deathhappens]

Short question: How much would you adjust the pre-planned difficulty of an encounter to account for your players' preparations?

Slightly longer version with more context (mild spoilers for Lost Mines of Phandelver):
So my players got the ruins of Thundertree, met with the druid there, and were told he would guide them to the orc fortress if they could help him deal with Venomfang (small green dragon). Now, my party at the time consisted of only 3 players, all newbies, so despite my attempt to hint that the dragon was injured during the conversation (was planning on halving his hp and making him leave at a quarter hp), they walked, or rather ran after saying something rather insensible, convinced that they were absolutely no match for it. Now, about two weeks later in-game and several months outside, they return after going to Neverwinter and recruiting twice as many adventurers as their original number, including another permanent party member that joined us in the interim. Two weeks is a reasonable timeframe for the dragon to have healed significantly, but even at full health I doubt little Venomfang can so much as scratch ten adventurers working together (fortunately no wizards or sorcs, but they have a Cleric, Warlock and Bard), all level 3.
I've been toying with "while you were gone, the paranoid dragon enlisted some of the orc bands roaming around the countryside", but I'm not sure if it would be "fair" of me to increase the difficulty just because they thought of something clever.

[Zurvan]

Aren't there dragon cultists as well? I'd think you can increase/buff their numbers/people, I feel like there are other things you can do as well
Make the dragon set up an ambush, buff some stats, different environment, tactics.

I'd probably buff the encounter since the party buffed themselves, and you'd probably want to reward them with a fun/good battle (and victory)
most important is probably that they're having fun and that what you do makes sense, personally I don't think adding in orcs makes the most sense, but hey if you can get it to work.

[Deathhappens]

The party spent a couple full sessions trying to figure out a way to use the cultists against the dragon(meanwhile the cultists were trying to sacrifice the party to the dragon, as per the module). They eventually settled on a half-hearted attempt to convince the cultists eating the dragon would also grant them powers and then sneaking away, so I ruled that in their absence the cultists further pissed off the dragon one way or another and got annihilated (anticipating trouble with the party, I'd fluffed most of them as noble kids playing at cultists with a bunch of horrendously inaccurate books and only two pr three combat-capable members).

Making the dragon strike first, buffing him up and giving him various minion types (I initially planned on giving him control of the giant spiders and twig blights in the area, but rejected that on the premise that they can't be reasoned with and I really didn't want to give him spellcasting) are all options I've considered,my question was more along the lines of whether I should do it rather than how. I agree that a curbstomp battle would probably be boring after months of preparing for it, but some people seem to like that sort of thing, and I don't want to make the game feel like Skyrim where no matter how you level enemies scale with you.

[SpoonyViking]

It seems like you've answered your own question, actually.

[Deathhappens]

I can see arguments for either scenario, that's why I'm asking here to get a second (and third and fourth) opinion.

[SpoonyViking]

Honestly, unless there are story- or character-related reasons otherwise, I wouldn't change the encounter.

[Ratman]

(I initially planned on giving him control of the giant spiders and twig blights in the area, but rejected that on the premise that they can't be reasoned with and I really didn't want to give him spellcasting)

Maybe the dragon has a magic item in his hoard that lets him summon things?

[Deathhappens]

That's a nice, fluffy option, although if I go through with it I'm probably going to go for the local orcs (bugbears, hobs etc) to link the whole thing back to what was supposed to be the main quest of the module.

- - - Updated - - -

Plus, if Reidoth the druid bites it (he'll be fighting with them), I need someone to give them the coordinates to the orc stronghold without having them go on another tangent. They've certainly earned it.

[Sesto]

I feel like the dragon still stands a fair chance? Dragons are smart, in a situation like that he has no reason to ever touch the ground. With the party still only being level 3 his breath would still likely be instant down for anyone who touches it. If he just stayed in the air doing breath strafes he would still be tough.

But if they have a way to ground him, giving him minions is an option. I see it less as buffing the encounter and more the dragon being wary. Surely the dragon knows about the druid, and would be suspicious if the party starts working with him. Personally I had Venomfang actually (attempt to) manipulate the players into ridding the druid for him. So in your case I think Venomfang making some preparations in case the party returns makes sense.

For the record the module also mentions Venomfang isn't particularly attached to his tower and will leave if seriously injured.

[Saiga]

Okay, so checking the interest in my LMOP game:

Zurv (has played)
Spoony
Sesto (has played)
Trubo
McJon

Do I have that right?

[Trubo]

Barring scheduling conflicts, yeah.

[mAc Chaos]

Trubo is in a Groundhog's Day of LMOP games. Will he finally break free from the cycle.

[Zurvan]

Okay, so checking the interest in my LMOP game:

Zurv (has played)
Spoony
Sesto (has played)
Trubo
McJon

Do I have that right?

Yeah but like timezones suck so maybe but me at the bottom

[Trubo]

Trubo is in a Groundhog's Day of LMOP games. Will he finally break free from the cycle.

All I really know about LMoP is it's pretty much Goblin Slayer episode 1.

[mAc Chaos]

LMOP came out in 2014. Goblin Slayer started in 2016.

Coincidence??

[Five_X]

That's two years apart; Goblin+Slayer is two words. And both years are even numbers, with a 20 in front - can't be coincidental.

[Saiga]

Yeah but like timezones suck so maybe but me at the bottom

Thats was just the order of people who responded lol

Okay can everyone let me know their timezone, and rough availability?

[Zurvan]

At the bottom of the list people you want to put in the game
as in low priority

GMT+2, depends but mostly weekends/friday

[Deathhappens]

You know what's funny

You guys have probably gone farther in LMoP than my group, because they STILL haven't gotten to the dragon.

Scheduling is such fun.

[Kirby]

ITT: Goblin Slayer