D&D 5E Encounters and NPC/Monster Strategy Thread

[Rhenny]

Hi all,

I'm not sure if one of these threads already exists, but I thought it would be a good place to compile ideas to help out DMs.

Basically, what are ways to build encounters or utilize monster strategy to challenge PCs? Add your ideas to help this thread grow. Keep in mind, challenge does not necessarily mean combat, so feel free to add anything that you like to do to add challenge to any type of encounter.

*****

To start it all off, one of my all time favorite strategies or encounter design decisions is to use reinforcements that arrive on the scene in X rounds. This idea is often mentioned in pre-written adventures too. It is a very simple, yet effective way to make any encounter more challenging and also create a "living" environment where player action has consequences. For example, the Orcs at the front door engage with the PCs as when they arrive. As they are fighting, the noise or even a scout that breaks away from the group to get help, draws other monsters into the fray. Sometimes the foes even have horns or a gong set up to call for reinforcements. To make it even more challenging, the reinforcements can arrive from different directions, which will force the party to fight on multiple fronts.

(I could add more, but I'll let you guys fill it out and then I'll add later as the ideas continue to grow)

Have fun with it.

 

[SuperZero]

If monsters actually call for reinforcements instead of them just hearing the sounds of fighting, that could give the PCs a chance to stop them.
Do I deal with the goblin actively trying to kill me, or go for the one running for the big gong?

 

[the Jester]

One of my favorites, and something I really learned to use from 4e, is terrain. If some of the bad guys are up a cliff while others are where the pcs are, if there's a field of jagged stones between you and the enemy archers, if the forest is on fire and the fire is moving swiftly with the wind, if you're in a downpour that limits visibility and missile fire, if you're in a tower that's starting to collapse... oh yeah.

 

[iserith]

Countdowns and escalation. In X rounds, things get worse, the goal the PCs set out to achieve is out of reach, or Team Monster achieves its goals. A countdown can make a relative easy challenge by the numbers much more difficult without necessarily increasing risk to the PCs' hit points.

Some examples I have created include:

• Finding a particular book in a burning library before it's too late.
• Fighting an orc chef and trying not to draw the attention of nearby orcs.
• Trying to save a dying NPC while gigantic monsters battle each other in the area.

 

[Rhenny]

Good ones!! Thanks SuperZero, Jester and Iserith.

Here's another...

Let the foe (especially if it is a big bad or special monster/NPC) offer the PCs a deal or try to recruit them to his/her side. During the conversation the foe could have minions setting up in defensive positions around the PCs (hidden behind obstacles or brush or arrow slits/murder holes, etc.). The PCs now have a much more interesting choice. If they accept the NPC offer, well...that could be an interesting development. If they refuse and attack, arrows or bolts or magic spells will rain down upon them and they will find that the situation is much more dire than they had first believed.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

Hi all,

I'm not sure if one of these threads already exists, but I thought it would be a good place to compile ideas to help out DMs.

Basically, what are ways to build encounters or utilize monster strategy to challenge PCs? Add your ideas to help this thread grow. Keep in mind, challenge does not necessarily mean combat, so feel free to add anything that you like to do to add challenge to any type of encounter.

Quick comment: I love 3D terrain, whether it is pits, trees, or cliffs. Monsters trying to push PCs off cliffs or out of trees makes me happy. I also like monsters that can both grapple PCs and fly, such as gargoyles and air elementals.

I also love darkness and stealth contests.

 

[Rhenny]

[MENTION=6787650]Hemlock[/MENTION]...Thanks for the quick comment and adding to the thread. Your comment and the others gave me another more specific idea to add.

As for terrain, have a battle take place on a sheet of ice that begins to crack, slowly at first, but as the rounds go on, perception checks will reveal the growing danger. When will it crack? What will the PCs do? What will the monsters do? Add some stronger flying creatures so that if they see the crack growing, they can pick up boulders or other heavy objects (even PCs), fly up and drop them on the weakening ice.

(The glass bridge in China - came to mind as I started thinking about this) -- This terrain feature (Crumbling floor/roof/ground can be used in many other locations too).

Frayed rope bridge....burning rope bridge....unstable roof top...weak floor in an abandoned home, etc.

Keep the ideas flowing!

 

[Rhenny]

Here's another one, a variation on the get reinforcements motif.

If the foes know that there is a threat, they can send out skirmishers to harry the group, but soon after, those skirmishers should turn tail and run. Many adventuring parties will worry that those fleeing foes will get reinforcements or sound an alarm, so they will pursue. When they pursue, the enemy (through prior planning) can stage an ambush, or lead the party through a deadly trap that the fleeing foes knew how to circumvent.

I combined both of these elements in one extended encounter during a 6th level session I ran a while ago. The group entered a stronghold to fight nearly 15 Orcs, but then some of them ran to the north and to the southeast. The group wanted to stop them so they split and gave chase. As soon as the split party to the north rounded a corner, they were met by Orcs who were waiting for them. To the southeast, the split party ran over a covered pit that was activated by a lever. Luckily, they made their Dexterity saves to avoid falling in, but they still had to contend with 4 Orc archers, 2 brutes and a shaman who were waiting for them.

The combination of run, ambush, reinforcements really scared the group.

 

[Kabouter Games]

What everyone else said, plus:

A common DM mistake is to play monsters and villains as though they are little more intelligent than a pudding. Even kobolds know to target the obvious spellcasters first. "Him in bathrobe! Hit with sling stone!" Create a battle plan for the party's foes. Hell, do what your players would do: Balance the enemy in terms of classes - have at least one shaman (preferably one for healing and one for offensive spell use) and a mix of ranged and melee damage specialists.

 

[juggerulez]

I liked a lot how encounters ran in 4th edition: you had a bunch of cannon fodder who is directed/exploited by some "high profile" challengers, such as a second liner strategist/damage dealer.

Use terrain to your advantage, especially if the party is raiding a camp or "non stupid" challenger(s) hunker down to exploit cover.

Don't be afraid to mirror the party behaviour: if they have bulky first liners, put some bulky first liners on the other side too, then pin them down hard with artillery. Cover should be a must in any encounter, for both sides, and then, when they rely exclusively on the cover at hand, break it! Your rangeds should level the field if they can't level the party :v

If you have the "single monster" encounter, don't feed it to the party (unless it's a mindless monster) because even animals have survival instincts! Run to cover, pounce at them from the shadows, disengage into cover or bull rush through first liners and get to the tasty glass cannons! If the party don't adapt to get a Sentinel first liner or starts using controlling spells, it's their demise.

I'm awfully cruel to my players, especially if they enjoy minmaxing and the "regular" encounters start getting underchallenging