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When Fiends Attack: Are Balors, Pit Fiends and Ultraloths too weak?
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<blockquote data-quote="mpwylie" data-source="post: 7007709" data-attributes="member: 6802655"><p>Ugh, this again. The game is written to work "out of the box" for the lowest common denominator and they gave us the tools to tweak monsters and design encounters that work for the table each of us is at. No 2 tables are the same. What is difficult for 1 group is not what is difficult for every group so the game was written with a very low bar and then we are able to easily adjust that bar upwards to fit. The game is 1 size fits all and to make that work it is the DM's job to adjust for a perfect fit. Aside from that, a Balor solo against a fully rested party and a Balor against a party that is several encounters in that doesn't have all of their resources is 2 entirely different fights. You can dislike it all you want but the simple fact is that D&D is a resource management game and is designed for multiple encounters to siphon off resources so a monster is significantly weaker if it is put against a party that can nova.</p><p></p><p>Step 1: Assess you group.</p><p> </p><p> Look at your group, consider their skill level and play style. Consider their build choices and the party composition. Consider what optional things you are using. Consider magic items. </p><p></p><p>Step 2: Assess your playstyle.</p><p></p><p> Do you prefer short adventuring days or do you run 6-8? How tactically do you run monsters? Do you like to build and use terrain?</p><p></p><p>Step 3: Define your game.</p><p></p><p> Look at what you learned in assessing your group and playstyle and define what effects it may have. What does the DPR and action economy look like for this game/group?</p><p></p><p>Step 4: Apply what you have learned to your encounter design. </p><p></p><p> If your group is larger than standard, optimized, tactical? Account for it by adjusting the monsters HP/AC/abilities, add class levels, add in a few lower monsters. Will your PCs have full resources? Add in extra monsters and legendary actions. All of these things are easy to do and will allow you to adjust the difficulty to match YOUR table.</p><p></p><p>Step 5: Have fun!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="mpwylie, post: 7007709, member: 6802655"] Ugh, this again. The game is written to work "out of the box" for the lowest common denominator and they gave us the tools to tweak monsters and design encounters that work for the table each of us is at. No 2 tables are the same. What is difficult for 1 group is not what is difficult for every group so the game was written with a very low bar and then we are able to easily adjust that bar upwards to fit. The game is 1 size fits all and to make that work it is the DM's job to adjust for a perfect fit. Aside from that, a Balor solo against a fully rested party and a Balor against a party that is several encounters in that doesn't have all of their resources is 2 entirely different fights. You can dislike it all you want but the simple fact is that D&D is a resource management game and is designed for multiple encounters to siphon off resources so a monster is significantly weaker if it is put against a party that can nova. Step 1: Assess you group. Look at your group, consider their skill level and play style. Consider their build choices and the party composition. Consider what optional things you are using. Consider magic items. Step 2: Assess your playstyle. Do you prefer short adventuring days or do you run 6-8? How tactically do you run monsters? Do you like to build and use terrain? Step 3: Define your game. Look at what you learned in assessing your group and playstyle and define what effects it may have. What does the DPR and action economy look like for this game/group? Step 4: Apply what you have learned to your encounter design. If your group is larger than standard, optimized, tactical? Account for it by adjusting the monsters HP/AC/abilities, add class levels, add in a few lower monsters. Will your PCs have full resources? Add in extra monsters and legendary actions. All of these things are easy to do and will allow you to adjust the difficulty to match YOUR table. Step 5: Have fun! [/QUOTE]
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When Fiends Attack: Are Balors, Pit Fiends and Ultraloths too weak?
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