D&D 5E +What Tricks and Shortcuts Do You Use To Make Monsters and other Hazards More Challenging?

[doctorbadwolf]

Overly long title says it all, really, but to get more specific, I'm wondering what people do in their games to make the game more challenged, specifically without changing PC abilities at all.

Just "DM side", what are your tricks and shortcuts? Do you use enemies from 3pp, have you built a set of templates to give monsters combat roles, do you add special events to certain points in initiative to represent things like backup, or terrain hazards, etc?

Please don't crap on anyone's ideas, though. It's a sharing thread, not a harangue people who play differently than you thread.

 

[billd91]

More hit points is one place I start. A little more to stats to improve a bonus here or there. Companions (adding black abishai to an encounter with an adult black dragon, for example) is something I use a LOT because I have up to 11 players in one game if they all show up.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

More hit points is one place I start. A little more to stats to improve a bonus here or there. Companions (adding black abishai to an encounter with an adult black dragon, for example) is something I use a LOT because I have up to 11 players in one game if they all show up.

OH wow! 11 is wild!

I like giving legendary creatures a collection of mooks, as well, and I add legendary actions tothem that lets them command all their mooks, making them move, or attack, or activating some bonus or other either representing a magic boon or a different tactical approach they're adopting on their bosses command.

 

[Smackpixi]

Give them abilities they don’t have. My baddie MUers can summon stuff if needed. Like maybe they have some Orb that can bring in a Demon. The Monsters Know What They’re Doing is an obvious reference so you know the full potential of your monsters, whether you use or not. I prefer more surprises than more HP, but if I was billd91 with 11 players, might change my tune there. Reinforcements is another big one, let’s not pretend the whole dungeon isn’t woken up by the first encounter...so I’m often having to justify reasons the first fight in room one of dungeon isn’t and endless Oldboy style scrolling fight. I have to back that off in my logic, if you need it worse, don’t.

New and varied monsters, as many books as you can get, there’s a 100 takes on orcs out there, you can theoretically have each enemy one as unique as an adventurer in weapons and techniques with just indie published stuff Before you even have to get creative on your own.

 

[dave2008]

It depends, I don't really need to much. Here is what I do:

1. For fights with multiple monsters: a variety of monsters works best. Have some ranged, some melee, and some magic. Also, have them spread out.
   1. A range of CRs for the monsters is good too.
2. For fights with solos: High CR legendary monsters is the way to go. Depending on how difficult / dramatic you want it to be, and whether or not it has helpers, it should be lvl +5 to +10. +10 if it is a true solo (and your group is level 7-8 or more).
3. Any fights: terrain actions. Think lair actions for everyone. I don't do this a lot, because it takes some work and I tend to improvise a lot. But give the battleground "terrain actions" that both the monsters and the PCs can use (with an action, bonus action, or reaction). The only limit is your imagination!

 

[pogre]

I tend to use waves of monsters. I also use challenging terrain - I have added a lot of vertical spaces to my game lately. The manticore comes out of its cave fires tailspikes from the ledge and then retreats back into the cave. Archers firing from behind a portcullis. Invisible magic-users that cannot be countered. That kind of stuff.

 

[billd91]

I also give boss monsters and solos legendary actions a lot. Even at relatively low levels.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I also give boss monsters and solos legendary actions a lot. Even at relatively low levels.

Legendary actions are a great resource. If I’ve got, say, a martial enemy that has a bunch of attacks and is supposed to be an expert combatant, I’ll reduce the multi-attack a bit and give them legendary actions, or even just add the legendary actions without taking anything away, to make a combatant that is at ease fighting 5 people by themself.

Also actually using the full action economy for enemies. Anything with a speaking role has bonus and reaction abilities.

I also changed Dodge to make it more attractive, and it helps the enemies as much as the PCs, at times.

When you Dodge, you can move up to 5ft any time an attack misses or you succeed on a dexterity or strength saving throw. The movement doesn’t use your movement or trigger OAs. This makes it possible for enemies to get out of tight spots, and turn the tables.

 

[cbwjm]

I've made some bad guys elite. This gives them max hit points, the ability to make 1 attack at the end of a player's turn (like a legendary enemy) and grants advantage on some saves. Basically it just makes them a bit more of a threat for the players. I might also combine other templates with it that I have made up, based on the 4e roles.

 

[Ondath]

Overly long title says it all, really, but to get more specific, I'm wondering what people do in their games to make the game more challenged, specifically without changing PC abilities at all.

Just "DM side", what are your tricks and shortcuts? Do you use enemies from 3pp, have you built a set of templates to give monsters combat roles, do you add special events to certain points in initiative to represent things like backup, or terrain hazards, etc?

Please don't crap on anyone's ideas, though. It's a sharing thread, not a harangue people who play differently than you thread.

This is an area on which I tried a lot of approaches, primarily because... to be compeltely frank, I'm not good at tactical combat. I run games to create interesting stories and explore strange new worlds, and I do enjoy a good setpiece battle, but most of the time I won't be able to run monsters to their full efficiency. That said, here are some things that worked:

• Stealing 4E's monster roles to design monsters with specific combat roles which then allow them to use some basic tactics. Things like a Guardian monster blocking the way for the players while glass cannons in the backlines harangue the players with annoying missile attacks/spells.
• Adding some sort of puzzle element to the encounter. At some point I tried reworking Legendary Resistances so that they weren't just a limited "I succeed the save" button, but instead allowed a monster to succeed all saves until the puzzle element in the encounter was handled. For a fight with a Green Dragon, for instance, I said that the green dragon had an aura of poisonous clouds surrounding him, and the players either needed to find a way to disperse the cloud (any wind-creating spell would do), or break the green dragon's power as the embodiment of betrayal by making a coordinated attack and make their teamwork metaphysically rattle the creature. The need to find a different gimmick for every boss battle got a bit tiring though, so I returned to the usual LRs for now. I saw MCDM add a new spin to this by adding in-fiction explanation for the monster's LR (their not-beholder sacrifices an eye anytime it succeeds on a save, for instance), so I might try that.
• Either designing a monster with a specific tactical algorithm or using monsters that have that has also been helpful. For instance, A5E's Lich entry in their Monstrous Menagerie has a Tactics section that explains how the Lich would fight, which spells it would select given the circumstances and so on. Having a set algorithm like that for the monster to follow during the encounter is usually really helpful.