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<blockquote data-quote="Caliban" data-source="post: 7449691" data-attributes="member: 284"><p>Most editions of D&D have had very little support for high level play. Most campaigns peter out around mid level, high level encounters tend to be really complicated and time consuming to design, and high level PC's can have a widely divergent level of power and durability depending on the campaign. </p><p></p><p>It's really up to the DM to handle high level play - they need to design the encounters and challenges with their group in mind, generic ones will either be easily bypassed or end up as a TPK. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>If you allow feats, multi-classing, and more than a couple of magic items...the baseline CR ratings don't work. As a DM, I just kind of wing it, based on my understanding on the party and their abilities. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Don't rely on attacks to challenge the PC's. Use monsters that have a variety of abilities (or add abilities to existing monsters - but don't increase the CR). AoE attacks, Con saves, Dex saves, grapple checks, trip attacks. For monsters that have both powers and melee attacks, allow them to use their powers as a bonus action and still attack. </p><p></p><p>Use "waves" of monsters - have new enemies show up every round or so. This really lets you scale the challenge up while avoiding a TPK. It also allows you to use lower CR monsters that the PC's can chew through and feel like they are doing something. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>It's a balancing act. You really have to know your party and their abilities and tailor the challenges to them. Even when using official products. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Nothing works out of the box, and you shouldn't expect it too. Every group is different, different people want different things out of the game. As much as possible, adjust the game so that you reach an acceptable compromise between your players expectations and your own goals for the game. Don't be afraid to adjust things on the fly so they better fit the game you want and can enjoy. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>I pretty much ignore the encounter math, other than avoiding using creatures with a CR significantly higher than the party (and sometimes I even break that guideline).</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Caliban, post: 7449691, member: 284"] Most editions of D&D have had very little support for high level play. Most campaigns peter out around mid level, high level encounters tend to be really complicated and time consuming to design, and high level PC's can have a widely divergent level of power and durability depending on the campaign. It's really up to the DM to handle high level play - they need to design the encounters and challenges with their group in mind, generic ones will either be easily bypassed or end up as a TPK. If you allow feats, multi-classing, and more than a couple of magic items...the baseline CR ratings don't work. As a DM, I just kind of wing it, based on my understanding on the party and their abilities. Don't rely on attacks to challenge the PC's. Use monsters that have a variety of abilities (or add abilities to existing monsters - but don't increase the CR). AoE attacks, Con saves, Dex saves, grapple checks, trip attacks. For monsters that have both powers and melee attacks, allow them to use their powers as a bonus action and still attack. Use "waves" of monsters - have new enemies show up every round or so. This really lets you scale the challenge up while avoiding a TPK. It also allows you to use lower CR monsters that the PC's can chew through and feel like they are doing something. It's a balancing act. You really have to know your party and their abilities and tailor the challenges to them. Even when using official products. Nothing works out of the box, and you shouldn't expect it too. Every group is different, different people want different things out of the game. As much as possible, adjust the game so that you reach an acceptable compromise between your players expectations and your own goals for the game. Don't be afraid to adjust things on the fly so they better fit the game you want and can enjoy. I pretty much ignore the encounter math, other than avoiding using creatures with a CR significantly higher than the party (and sometimes I even break that guideline). [/QUOTE]
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