I'm having issues making fights memorable for my players because they're just a bit too efficient at killing...
The party:- 5x level 10 characters , an evoker wizard, war cleric, paladin, ranger/rogue, monk. They don't really min/max (except the cleric).
The issue:
The party have figured out a combination of "stealth & focus fire" tactic. So if they feel they are about to meet a BBEG the ranger will cast Pass Without Trace and the party will attempt to stealth. They are generally pretty good at this, with just the cleric and pally letting the team down on occasion with their clanky armour.
Once they stealth in, they tip toe into the BBEG's room/lair and initiative is rolled (the it's not-a-surprise-round round). They are generally rather well DEX based and can often do pretty well in initiative. But that's almost besides the point (I think) because:- they can deal A LOT of damage in that round.
They focus on the BBEG and unleash armageddon. Silence or Spiritual Guardians might get laid down around the BBEG. If the BBEG survives the ranged attacks, the Pally will lay the smack down with highest level smites available. Legendary BBEG's fair a little better since they can use legendary actions/saves. However, if the wizard or pally get a crit... dead BBEG. With the BBEG dead, they mop up the mooks easy peasy.
This is worst if they use the stealth tactic, but even if they fudge that, they can pretty easily one-round a 200HP creature.
It's really cool that the party can get to be bad-ass, but unfortunately it's also a total anti-climax for them. The party love it when they get through by the skin of their teeth - they talk about it for weeks afterwards. When they one-round the foe they've been chasing down for the past 3 months (human time), it's a forgettable and disappointing experience.
Has anyone got any tips to provide the challenge and entertainment without negating/nerfing their tactics?
The party:- 5x level 10 characters , an evoker wizard, war cleric, paladin, ranger/rogue, monk. They don't really min/max (except the cleric).
The issue:
The party have figured out a combination of "stealth & focus fire" tactic. So if they feel they are about to meet a BBEG the ranger will cast Pass Without Trace and the party will attempt to stealth. They are generally pretty good at this, with just the cleric and pally letting the team down on occasion with their clanky armour.
Once they stealth in, they tip toe into the BBEG's room/lair and initiative is rolled (the it's not-a-surprise-round round). They are generally rather well DEX based and can often do pretty well in initiative. But that's almost besides the point (I think) because:- they can deal A LOT of damage in that round.
They focus on the BBEG and unleash armageddon. Silence or Spiritual Guardians might get laid down around the BBEG. If the BBEG survives the ranged attacks, the Pally will lay the smack down with highest level smites available. Legendary BBEG's fair a little better since they can use legendary actions/saves. However, if the wizard or pally get a crit... dead BBEG. With the BBEG dead, they mop up the mooks easy peasy.
This is worst if they use the stealth tactic, but even if they fudge that, they can pretty easily one-round a 200HP creature.
It's really cool that the party can get to be bad-ass, but unfortunately it's also a total anti-climax for them. The party love it when they get through by the skin of their teeth - they talk about it for weeks afterwards. When they one-round the foe they've been chasing down for the past 3 months (human time), it's a forgettable and disappointing experience.
Has anyone got any tips to provide the challenge and entertainment without negating/nerfing their tactics?