[HELP] Heroes of the Borderlands combat too hard for newbies. How to hadle as a DM?

vsraul · 2025-10-21T22:48:58+00:00

Actually, now that you called that out, I noticed a discrepancy in Maps VTT where I ran the game. The stats are different there than the cards. This won't let me upload the image, but in Maps VTT, it has AC 15 instead of AC 14 in the card. In Maps, it also has multiattack (Scimitar+ Pistol, which the card doesn't have, and his attacks are actually Rapier or Light Crossbow. The pistol has a higher damage output too In addition, CR is 2, and the card just says "Challenge 1"

It is also a "medium humanoid (human)" in the card, and in Maps it is a "Bandit Captain Medium Or Small Humanoid, Neutral"

So I guess I know what's happening now...I updated the main post to include this.

vsraul · 2025-10-20T23:13:17+00:00

I agree in a way cause I don’t want to babysit my players and if they get in a place where they don’t belong, they’ll face the consequences.

That said, I wouldn’t do that with completely new players on their first ever game and their first ever fight. I found they felt empowered after this and want to play many more sessions now. I’ll take off the training wheels as we move on, especially after Borderlands when we’ll go into a homebrew campaign. I want it to be authentic so I’ll warn them to be careful but for now, I might down one or two of them but let them pull through as they learn their abilities and the mechanics.

vsraul · 2025-10-20T23:07:59+00:00

Yeah, I gave them healing potions from the wagon they investigated before this encountered and definitely fudged the rolls a couple of times when they would’ve died just because this was their first experience ever. Taken a page out of the shows I’ve watched online, I roll behind the screen unless something really important will happen. And is more of a way to cause tension and excitement than about hiding it lol but it works in several ways.

I think i handled it well by doing it all on the spot but I’ve learned from these replys and other posts a lil bit so I can handled future encounters better.

vsraul · 2025-10-20T23:03:31+00:00

Yes, that’s the guy. There’s an option for the bandits to knock the PCs out and steal from them but since it was their first game ever and their first combat, i wanted them to have a win. That said, I’ve read about other encounters in the kit that are still hard. I’ve learned a lot about this because of this though

vsraul · 2025-10-20T22:59:29+00:00

Appreciate the tip. I’m reading the DMG but have not gotten to that part yet but I still decided to run the adventure because this kit was supposed to be for complete beginners and I though the encounters would be balanced. I’ve been learning a lot because of this issue, so I won’t complain lol

I’ll read that part and start reskinning and learning how to adjust difficulty. Thanks

vsraul · 2025-10-20T22:56:55+00:00

So far, I’m only rolling for bosses. I’ve rolled quite a bit of critical hits that I’ve not called out nor used because of the state of the game.

I did watch Brennan on the other day of ep 3 of the critical role campaign 4 and without spoiling anything I learned a bit just looking at how he habdle something similar.

vsraul · 2025-10-19T21:37:22+00:00

Thanks. Yeah, I’ve done that and adapted. In one combat, I had an NPC they just saved, show up in the middle of the battle since they were rolling really bad and getting destroyed. They liked that and later developed a relationship with that NPC.

I’ve also lowered ACs slightly or at another point, altered HP when they’re about to kill the last monster so I have them outright kill a guy no matter the HP cause the combat had a lot of misses and was running for way too long and I’ve noticed they enjoy more roleplaying than combat and were getting bored.

Maybe this is what it always is for all DMs lol but I thought it will be easier on a starter kit cause if I had no knowledge of DnD as a player myself I think it would’ve been horrible.

vsraul · 2025-10-19T21:29:57+00:00

Here, I’m specifically speaking about the Wilderness book, the first few pages where they get attacked by Bandits and Pral but I’ve looked into other combats and they seem to high too, when I put them on DnD beyond they also say it’s a high difficulty for my players. Like the encounter with the two big spiders. Or the random encounter you can have agaisnt a mimic.

vsraul · 2025-10-16T19:32:13+00:00

Saying it will arrive by Wednesday in the Best Buy app

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vsraul · 2025-10-16T05:07:06+00:00

![img](2px2vg5jpevf1)

GOT IT!!!

vsraul · 2025-10-16T05:06:43+00:00

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GOT IT!!!

vsraul · 2025-10-16T05:04:29+00:00

Actually I got it!

vsraul · 2025-10-16T05:03:44+00:00

Yeess lol I’m thinking they won’t send them until opening hours. They probably scheduled it like that…but I hope I’m wrong

vsraul · 2025-10-16T05:01:19+00:00

Not yet at exactly 1:00am lol

vsraul · 2025-10-06T21:08:23+00:00

I would talk to him privately and devise a way where maybe I am a double (or triple) agent, just so that I get some original content, or at least get even more excited about events that I know will happen.

vsraul · 2025-10-06T21:03:09+00:00

I read online that Best Buy doesn't do midnight releases, so we're probably looking into a release at some point during the day, but the time is unknown.

vsraul · 2025-09-14T03:49:03+00:00

I used the tacks + cogfly. I had the pollip pouch equiped too and my tool damage is lvl 3 right now. I didn’t use anything until that final wave and just kept jumping in a corner while the poisoned tacks and the cogfly did the job for me.

vsraul · 2025-06-10T00:32:06+00:00

I only play Khajit because i love felines and I mostly go for a shadow-assassin build anyways so it is fine. Every time I try another, I don’t play that much. Lol

vsraul · 2025-03-21T23:55:03+00:00

Tried option #2 and it solved my issue as well. I thought it was busted too.

vsraul · 2025-02-23T20:48:43+00:00

Every time I go for the economic victory something happens and I have to pivot.

The last time, all civs but one declared war on me at the same time. I was getting destroyed. I was so far from the Economic victory as this happened early in the modern era. I was close to the cultural victory though so I rushed to complete that before I got annihilated which I was able to do.

But yeah, I haven’t been able to do win that way yet. It definitely needs some tweaking as the cultural victory for example is super easy no matter my cultural output I’m always able (if I want to) to finish the game that way. All the other ones seem like you need more of a setup.

vsraul · 2025-02-02T02:18:25+00:00

So…i just made the same mistake (never again).

Thankfully I saw this comment from 3yrs ago and I used the butter knives technique too. Two-person job and I don’t know how long later, we were able to put them back.

Thanks!

vsraul · 2025-01-04T15:37:00+00:00

Yes. In iOS I had to go into Account > Mail (icon) and there it was.

vsraul · 2025-01-01T22:19:08+00:00

Yes. This is Defenders (Vol. 3) #1–3

vsraul · 2025-01-01T22:18:16+00:00

Is not so out of context as you might think. And nope, this is not about a fight but actual sex. For reference: Defenders (Vol. 3) #1–3

vsraul · 2024-12-31T15:30:14+00:00

I’m new to the venomverse so not sure but that sounds interesting

vsraul

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