Designing Combat Encounters

There are several ways to create balanced combat encounters. Keep in mind that all combatants in Ilisara use the same rules. There are no separate stat tables for monsters.

 

Simple Method

• If the level values of all allies and all enemies are equal, the fight is a moderate challenge

• This rule only functions until about level 8. Beyond level 8, creatures become much tougher because they gain access to Tier 1 abilities.

  • Example: two level 3s versus one level 6 is balanced

  • Example: two level 5s versus one level 10 is challenging

 

Advanced Method

• Compare the hit point (HP) totals of all allies against all enemies.

• Compare the average Defense of all allies against all enemies.

• Compare the average Basic Attack damage of all allies against all enemies.

 

If the numbers are equal, it creates 50/50 mathematical odds of winning. 
 

Tips for Increasing Encounter Difficulty:

• More targets (this prevents a team from dog-piling a single target, and action economy is powerful)

• T3, T2 abilities that lock down targets (stuns/sleeps) or inflict debuffs

• "Smart" enemies that use tactics, cover, and environment, or who have movement abilities to evade melee or ranged damage dealers

• Healers

• Equip enemies with rare or epic weapons, but beware that the party can loot them afterward

• Equip enemies with items. Items can be used with a Minor action and can provide powerful benefits in combat

 

Tips for Decreasing Encounter Difficulty:

• Single target fight (allows party an advantage via action economy)

• Beneficial environmental effects

• The enemy starts the battle wounded already

• Balance enemies to have lower damage output than the party before shifting any other stats to be unequal

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Designing Your Own Creatures

All creatures in Ilisara, from levels 1-10, are designed according to the exact same rules as character creation. Because character creation is simple, monsters/enemy creation is also simple. There are a few shortcuts that can be taken when designing foes for adventurers to fight, however.

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• Stats can (usually) be ignored. Unless a character is trying to grapple an enemy, the enemy's stats won't matter.

• Combat Passives can be ignored. They are hard to track when Storytellers are controlling several enemies at once.

• Use the Level Up Cheat Sheet. This sheet provides all of the information about hit points, stats, abilities, and what levels they're gained at in one place.

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In the Bestiary, you will often see notes like "Defense 2 or 3", and blank spaces where Combat Passives would appear. This is by design. Enemies are meant to be chosen, tuned, and tweaked based on the relative power level of the party they are facing. Stats are provided as suggestions. Damaging abilities are balanced and tuned exactly as character abilities are, and so is health.