Upper_Krust
Hero
Hey all! 
I have been thinking about the dynamic between the new standard 5 member PC Party and the 4E Monster Manual.
Now according to what we know so far, a monster level is roughly equal to a PC level.
So if you have five 10th-level PCs a group of five 10th-level monsters will be a good encounter for them.
But what of (the now less likely, but still viable) PC Group vs. Individual monster encounters (such as the recent Dragon example).
Obviously such a group will need to tackle monsters of a higher level to provide the same sort of challenge.
So the first question is: Are there any monsters in the Monster Manual that would be individual encounters for a 30th-level PC Party?
The second question is: What level would they be?
From my experience, an individual monster (or NPC) +67% greater than the average of a five player party is needed to balance things out (against five PCs).
e.g. To challenge a party of five 20th-level PCs you could use five 20th-level monsters, but if you wanted to challenge them with a single monster, then such an encounter would require a 33rd-level monster/NPC.
Therefore I conclude that to offer individual monster challenges to a 30th-level party you will need a 50th-level monster.
I wonder if any of these will be provided in the Monster Manual, Orcus and the Tarrasque spring to mind. Or whether it will be suggested to stack classes on top of monsters?
I have been thinking about the dynamic between the new standard 5 member PC Party and the 4E Monster Manual.
Now according to what we know so far, a monster level is roughly equal to a PC level.
So if you have five 10th-level PCs a group of five 10th-level monsters will be a good encounter for them.
But what of (the now less likely, but still viable) PC Group vs. Individual monster encounters (such as the recent Dragon example).
Obviously such a group will need to tackle monsters of a higher level to provide the same sort of challenge.
So the first question is: Are there any monsters in the Monster Manual that would be individual encounters for a 30th-level PC Party?
The second question is: What level would they be?
From my experience, an individual monster (or NPC) +67% greater than the average of a five player party is needed to balance things out (against five PCs).
e.g. To challenge a party of five 20th-level PCs you could use five 20th-level monsters, but if you wanted to challenge them with a single monster, then such an encounter would require a 33rd-level monster/NPC.
Therefore I conclude that to offer individual monster challenges to a 30th-level party you will need a 50th-level monster.
I wonder if any of these will be provided in the Monster Manual, Orcus and the Tarrasque spring to mind. Or whether it will be suggested to stack classes on top of monsters?
