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DM Tricks to Challenge Tough PCs with Weaker Enemies
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<blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 3470997" data-attributes="member: 4937"><p>If your goal as a DM is to bury the CR of your monsters so that by the book, the CR is as low as possible relative to the real challenge of the encounter, it is almost always better to advance monsters rather than add class levels. Because of flaws in the CR system, PC class levels are overrated in comparison to many or most monster HD. You can almost always add 2-3 HD to a monster for each level of PC class you add to it and get the exact same CR by the book. In many cases, adding monster HD is actually more synergistic as well because it effects the DC of the saves versus the monsters special abilities.</p><p></p><p>The exception is when a few levels of a class plug a major hole in the monsters defences, for example adding a few levels of class with good fort or will saves to a monster which is weak in these areas. A good example of this is troll clerics, who gain far more from having levels in cleric than the CR would indicate, because gaining resistance to fire and acid attacks (via defensive spells) renders trolls far tougher than a few level of a PC class would indicate. </p><p></p><p>Another good way to bury CR in a monster is to enhance the monster's abilities and equipment below the level that would warrant a full CR adjustment under the current rules, but which is still significant. For example, under the current rules as written, an default Ogre has the same CR as the same Ogre with a +2 bonus to STR and DEX and wearing platemail rather than hide and wielding a large masterwork two-handed sword rather than a greatclub. Backed up by goblins with tanglefoot bags or some other nastiness, and suddenly the encounter is by the CR estimate much easier than it actually would be.</p><p></p><p>Finally, keep an eye out for templates that plug critical weaknesses in a monster. Many templates are far more useful in particular situations than the estimated CR. Look for templates that add mobility to monster thats main weakness is poor mobility, ranged attacks to monsters that lack them, spell resistance to monsters with poor saves, resistances to monsters with particular vulnerabilities, and so forth.</p><p></p><p>One other important factor in making low CR monsters effective is terrain. As an obvious example, low CR monsters with the benifit of arrow slits (for 90% cover) and the high ground (granting for example a +1 circumstance bonus to hit) and with some obstacle which makes them difficult to reach can be a real pain if they have a decent ranged attack, especially when backed up by a few lower level spell casters which might otherwise be of little threat to the PC's. Or similar alternative is monsters attacking from behind trees or within ditches from upslope of the characters, where the interveening terrain between the PC's and the attackers is very difficult (briar patches, broken rock, small cliffs) and thus requires both time and skill checks (balance, climb) to traverse. Encounters like this are not only challenging, but often provoke lengthy tactical situations especially if you scatter the monsters out so that no one charge or area of effect spell can get them all, or if there are traps along the line of obvious approach.</p><p></p><p>Another thing to keep in mind is the limits of PC senses. A long darkened corridor in which the PC's enter on the lightened side (burning torches in sconces) provides a perfect killing ground for archers placed behind cover and out of the range of darkvision on the darkened side. The base of a roaring waterfall or any other loud continious can hamper characters dependent on hearing and mess with spell casters.</p><p></p><p>In the reverse, spells like obscuring mist and darkness dropped on the PC's position (or physical effects duplicating them, like a blinding snow storm) allow monsters with poor ranged attacks but strong melee or grapples to get in close where it counts. </p><p></p><p>Another way to do this is confining and difficult terrain. Your characters should face squeezes, vertical shafts, slippery and uneven floors, and so forth, and if you particularly want to polish your RBDM rep, they should do so when these features don't trouble the monster in question at all (such as squeezes with oozes, swarms, or small monsters, vertical shafts with incorporeal monsters, and slippery floors with flying monsters). Forcing the players to fight in the water, in deep snow drifts, in an avalanche prone area, or from boats, on narrow ledges, while climbing, and so forth only adds to the fun.</p><p></p><p>I think it goes without saying 'Play to the monster's strengths', but many DM's just don't play the monster well. This is justified in the case of unintelligent or low intelligence foes, but against high intelligence foes you could be pulling out every devious trick you can think of.</p><p></p><p>Ultimately though, what I've found to be the leading cause of character death is player confusion, particularly when it leads to a lack of party cohesion. What makes an encounter easy is the player knowing what he is up against and therefore what the creatures weaknesses and strengths are. When players can't recognize the monster, or doesn't know what the source of the attacks are, or doesn't understand why his currect approach isn't working, they tend to start acting irrationally, and the party cohesion breaks down so that an encounter which is difficult but well suited to 4 characters suddenly transforms into an encounter where 1 character is bearing the brunt of the ill will. Do your best not to give out meta-game information without in game reasons. Use home brews and variants and templates that disguise the creatures nature (savage species templates are good for this). Anything that you can do to shake player confidence is going to pay huge dividends in the actual difficulty of the encounter.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Celebrim, post: 3470997, member: 4937"] If your goal as a DM is to bury the CR of your monsters so that by the book, the CR is as low as possible relative to the real challenge of the encounter, it is almost always better to advance monsters rather than add class levels. Because of flaws in the CR system, PC class levels are overrated in comparison to many or most monster HD. You can almost always add 2-3 HD to a monster for each level of PC class you add to it and get the exact same CR by the book. In many cases, adding monster HD is actually more synergistic as well because it effects the DC of the saves versus the monsters special abilities. The exception is when a few levels of a class plug a major hole in the monsters defences, for example adding a few levels of class with good fort or will saves to a monster which is weak in these areas. A good example of this is troll clerics, who gain far more from having levels in cleric than the CR would indicate, because gaining resistance to fire and acid attacks (via defensive spells) renders trolls far tougher than a few level of a PC class would indicate. Another good way to bury CR in a monster is to enhance the monster's abilities and equipment below the level that would warrant a full CR adjustment under the current rules, but which is still significant. For example, under the current rules as written, an default Ogre has the same CR as the same Ogre with a +2 bonus to STR and DEX and wearing platemail rather than hide and wielding a large masterwork two-handed sword rather than a greatclub. Backed up by goblins with tanglefoot bags or some other nastiness, and suddenly the encounter is by the CR estimate much easier than it actually would be. Finally, keep an eye out for templates that plug critical weaknesses in a monster. Many templates are far more useful in particular situations than the estimated CR. Look for templates that add mobility to monster thats main weakness is poor mobility, ranged attacks to monsters that lack them, spell resistance to monsters with poor saves, resistances to monsters with particular vulnerabilities, and so forth. One other important factor in making low CR monsters effective is terrain. As an obvious example, low CR monsters with the benifit of arrow slits (for 90% cover) and the high ground (granting for example a +1 circumstance bonus to hit) and with some obstacle which makes them difficult to reach can be a real pain if they have a decent ranged attack, especially when backed up by a few lower level spell casters which might otherwise be of little threat to the PC's. Or similar alternative is monsters attacking from behind trees or within ditches from upslope of the characters, where the interveening terrain between the PC's and the attackers is very difficult (briar patches, broken rock, small cliffs) and thus requires both time and skill checks (balance, climb) to traverse. Encounters like this are not only challenging, but often provoke lengthy tactical situations especially if you scatter the monsters out so that no one charge or area of effect spell can get them all, or if there are traps along the line of obvious approach. Another thing to keep in mind is the limits of PC senses. A long darkened corridor in which the PC's enter on the lightened side (burning torches in sconces) provides a perfect killing ground for archers placed behind cover and out of the range of darkvision on the darkened side. The base of a roaring waterfall or any other loud continious can hamper characters dependent on hearing and mess with spell casters. In the reverse, spells like obscuring mist and darkness dropped on the PC's position (or physical effects duplicating them, like a blinding snow storm) allow monsters with poor ranged attacks but strong melee or grapples to get in close where it counts. Another way to do this is confining and difficult terrain. Your characters should face squeezes, vertical shafts, slippery and uneven floors, and so forth, and if you particularly want to polish your RBDM rep, they should do so when these features don't trouble the monster in question at all (such as squeezes with oozes, swarms, or small monsters, vertical shafts with incorporeal monsters, and slippery floors with flying monsters). Forcing the players to fight in the water, in deep snow drifts, in an avalanche prone area, or from boats, on narrow ledges, while climbing, and so forth only adds to the fun. I think it goes without saying 'Play to the monster's strengths', but many DM's just don't play the monster well. This is justified in the case of unintelligent or low intelligence foes, but against high intelligence foes you could be pulling out every devious trick you can think of. Ultimately though, what I've found to be the leading cause of character death is player confusion, particularly when it leads to a lack of party cohesion. What makes an encounter easy is the player knowing what he is up against and therefore what the creatures weaknesses and strengths are. When players can't recognize the monster, or doesn't know what the source of the attacks are, or doesn't understand why his currect approach isn't working, they tend to start acting irrationally, and the party cohesion breaks down so that an encounter which is difficult but well suited to 4 characters suddenly transforms into an encounter where 1 character is bearing the brunt of the ill will. Do your best not to give out meta-game information without in game reasons. Use home brews and variants and templates that disguise the creatures nature (savage species templates are good for this). Anything that you can do to shake player confidence is going to pay huge dividends in the actual difficulty of the encounter. [/QUOTE]
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