Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
The
VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX
is LIVE! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
State of D&D
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Ilbranteloth" data-source="post: 6793502" data-attributes="member: 6778044"><p>Well, this has been a tough thread for you, huh Mistwell? <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p>I'll just speak to what you were originally trying to comment about. I've seen a number of threads complaining that a solo monster against a party of adventurers isn't too much of a challenge any more. I've also seen a couple of attempts to fix this, mostly by using a multiple-personality variant that resets the monster when it 'dies', sometimes multiple times.</p><p></p><p>I don't know. I've ended a few encounters early because we got stuck in an endless number of rounds where nobody was getting anywhere. The PCs missed, the monster missed, etc. Some of it was the 'Night of the Bad Dice' but I've also had few solo monsters that proved almost too tough a challenge as well. The PCs are 6th level now, so we haven't gotten to the higher levels yet.</p><p></p><p>Having said that, it often feels that a single monster isn't much a challenge individually. I guess what would be helpful is an actual comparison. What was it like to fight a single ogre, a single troll, a single bone devil, etc. in each edition? Is there really a difference, or is it a perception thing? If it's real, is it a bad thing?</p><p></p><p>I know you weren't specifically talking about the boss fight, but on the other hand I find the boss fight kind of contrived. Wouldn't it be more realistic if a single monster was at a disadvantage when fighting a group? 4 attacks against 1, and a single miss by the monster means a missed round against a single miss by the PCs still means 3 hits? Is this a design flaw, or is it a scenario flaw?</p><p></p><p>I have considered using the Lair Actions concept for any significant creature in their lair. Even a wizard in his tower would have a number of defenses prepared to allow escape, and they would also know their lair better than the PCs and take advantage of it. So tactics are a big part of it as well. I'm not a big fan of 'gamey' solutions like the multiple-personality thing, or new abilities that appear only when 'bloodied' and things like that.</p><p></p><p>I guess from my perspective it would be good to see some actual data. But you are definitely not the first to comment that a party against a solo monster is unevenly balanced. Maybe if I have time I'll run a mock-combat between the same group of adventurers against the same monster in different editions. Don't know if there's an easy way to do that...</p><p></p><p>Ilbranteloth</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Ilbranteloth, post: 6793502, member: 6778044"] Well, this has been a tough thread for you, huh Mistwell? :) I'll just speak to what you were originally trying to comment about. I've seen a number of threads complaining that a solo monster against a party of adventurers isn't too much of a challenge any more. I've also seen a couple of attempts to fix this, mostly by using a multiple-personality variant that resets the monster when it 'dies', sometimes multiple times. I don't know. I've ended a few encounters early because we got stuck in an endless number of rounds where nobody was getting anywhere. The PCs missed, the monster missed, etc. Some of it was the 'Night of the Bad Dice' but I've also had few solo monsters that proved almost too tough a challenge as well. The PCs are 6th level now, so we haven't gotten to the higher levels yet. Having said that, it often feels that a single monster isn't much a challenge individually. I guess what would be helpful is an actual comparison. What was it like to fight a single ogre, a single troll, a single bone devil, etc. in each edition? Is there really a difference, or is it a perception thing? If it's real, is it a bad thing? I know you weren't specifically talking about the boss fight, but on the other hand I find the boss fight kind of contrived. Wouldn't it be more realistic if a single monster was at a disadvantage when fighting a group? 4 attacks against 1, and a single miss by the monster means a missed round against a single miss by the PCs still means 3 hits? Is this a design flaw, or is it a scenario flaw? I have considered using the Lair Actions concept for any significant creature in their lair. Even a wizard in his tower would have a number of defenses prepared to allow escape, and they would also know their lair better than the PCs and take advantage of it. So tactics are a big part of it as well. I'm not a big fan of 'gamey' solutions like the multiple-personality thing, or new abilities that appear only when 'bloodied' and things like that. I guess from my perspective it would be good to see some actual data. But you are definitely not the first to comment that a party against a solo monster is unevenly balanced. Maybe if I have time I'll run a mock-combat between the same group of adventurers against the same monster in different editions. Don't know if there's an easy way to do that... Ilbranteloth [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
State of D&D
Top