How do you handle Easy and Hard for monsters?

question

#1

I am curious about how others handle the Easy/Hard mechanic for monsters attacking the PC’s. I have liked the Advantage and Disadvantage mechanic and have used that in the past, but I also like the Easy/Hard rule and use that a lot for PC’s attacking monsters or accomplishing tasks in the encounter. I was wondering if you also apply that rule to the monsters attacking PCs, so if a monster is trying to attack a PC who has cover, do you add 3 to the PCs Defense/AC? Likewise, if a PC is stuck in goo and can’t move, do you subtract 3 from their Defense/AC?

Does anyone use both Advantage/Disadvantage and Easy/Hard? How do you decide when to use each?


#2

if a enemy is in advantage i would make the hit an automatic success maybe let Players roll DEF hard?


#3

I’m strictly easy/hard instead of advantage/disadvantage, which I think breaks down with extremes. As for monsters, yes, I do allow monsters to have easy/hard adjustments as one of my DM tools. The examples you provide are spot on. I don’t use that tool often, but in the right scenario, it’s the right tool.


#4

Splitting hairs, but total cover only hits on a 20. Gotta give them a chance. :slight_smile: “The arrow hits the wall! Bounces back and sticks in your neck!”

Similar to concealment, definitely hard but you still have a chance to hit them through a tree, shadow, etc.


#5

I don’t have monsters roll. Ever. In fact, I even encourage players rolling the damage they take on their own instead of me doing it, so I don’t ever need to touch dice other than the ocasional timer roll xD

I don’t use AC either, armor subtracts damage in my ICRPG games. I always do player facing rolls in a pretty much carbon-copy way to dungeon world (or world of dungeons to be more precise). So if you’re in reach to a monster and he can attack you, you MIGHT get a save or just receive the damage. whatever makes sense in the fiction.

There’s also the possibility to have monsters roll UNDER the target (relevant forum thread link). I have done this in the past to great success, it’s super fast and keeps GM mechanics simple by eliminating monster stats and letting you just play around with the Target and adv/disadv or easy/hard.


#6

I have used advantage /disadvantage for Effort as well as just reducing the Effort dice rolled against a particular enemy…2 hearts at D4 provides the same effect as 5 hearts with d10s, but less variable…but there is always something someone has that does normal damage….iron, holy item, silver bullet….

Honestly, effort is so much more interesting to me than the action roll.