u/JaredWill_

Does anyone have quick tips to convert stat blocks from 5e to DS?

I want to add modules from Candlekeep to one of my Draw Steel sessions; while some things have a near 1 to 1 replacement others would involve basically creating brand new monsters.

I'm hoping there's a way to shortcut conversions from CR to EV, HP to Stamina, DC checks etc.

I'm running a series of duet sessions with my wife, and ran a one-off for a member of my 5-player party who's missing a session and wanted a sidequest rather than taking a respite. Last week, I asked folks for tips, and most of the tips were "don't do it." So, how'd it go?

What worked well:

• My wife doesn't love combat, so her session included a negotiation, a montage test, a puzzle, and 1 combat encounter. She loved the montage and the negotiation, enjoyed the combat, and I discovered she hates riddles after 18 years of marriage.
• My wife got a retainer for the encounters. They had different skills, so this helped during the montage and during combat.
• My party member ran 4 combat encounters. I included puzzles between encounters to give him healing potions and included mechanics in the combat to end combat early. (i.e., lizardfolk encounter had a way to block a stream, empty a pond, and reveal a clutch of eggs. Lizardfolk then beg off, and the fight can end with a victory)
• Minions: They love killing minions!

What needed work

• I packed too much into the encounter for my party member. He survived goblins, lizardfolk, and the undead before being absolutely wrecked by an Orc Juggernaut. Looking back, this feels like an obvious failure, but I had included some terrain features and consumables I thought would help, but it wasn't enough.
• Include roleplay in your combat. We spent a lot of time explaining our moves, but not roleplaying in the roleplaying game. Have the monsters talk, taunt, etc. You'll have more fun.

What I learned

• DS is way more than combat, so leaning on montages and negotiations made the game more fun and more interactive.
• Stamina is more important than EV. My player's Orc Conduit (I know, I know, putting a support class in 4 solo combats wasn't going to end well) averages around 7-8 damage per attack. Fighting anything with more than 30 stamina is never going to work. The Orc Eye of Grole and Orc Chainlock each have 20 stamina and would have been much better choices.
  • If you're looking at the Orc Eye of Grole in the manual, Elemental Discharge requires 3 Malice. I'm guessing this is a misprint because it gives them no on-malice abilities, and the PDF does not show it requiring Malice.

If you're thinking of running a duet and have questions, hit me up. My wife had a blast, and we're planning on this being a regular part of our week.

I'm writing a two player adventure to introduce my wife to TTRPGs. IShe has never played a TTRPG but loves boardgames, specifically cooperative games.

I would appreciate any tips if you've ever participated in or ran a two player session.

I'm directing my first Draw Steel session using The Delian Tomb, and I'm adding some original characters and homebrew stuff for my players. In session 0, I built a montage test to save a passenger train that features the devil Azkyria. This is a piece of short fiction that I wrote to flesh out the character and the backstory for the train sequence. It's free on my Substack.