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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mustrum_Ridcully" data-source="post: 4457551" data-attributes="member: 710">I think one thing that 4E is changing - there are no unimportant combats. Where you might have considered running one encounter against two, one encounter against one, and one encounter against three monsters in earlier editions, each of them draining a few resources but none of them relevant overall, you have to re-think in 4E. These 6 monsters are actually one encounter. They do not necessarily cooperate in that encounter, but for example - one of them might be some kind of Lurker monster (maybe a Darkmantle?) stalking the PCs, looking for a moment of weakness. The two monsters might be some Goblins chatting about the recent raid while standing watch. If the PCs encounter them, they shout for help, alerting a Hobgoblin and his two goblin guards to their aid. The Lurker will use this moment to lash out at the party, looking for the most isolated foe (probably the Wizard or an Archer standing in the back). The Keep on the Shadowfell encounters in the Kobold Cave is an interesting example. It it is a very difficult encounter that covers a wide area. The enemies are expected to arrive in two waves - the foes at the entrance behind the waterfall, and Irontooh and the Wyrmpriest as a second wave.In 3E, you might have expanded the cave a little bit, and made the first wave one encounter, and would possibly have split the second wave into two encounters. (You certainly wouldn't be able to run 10 Kobolds against a 1st level party). If you really want an unimportant combat in 4E, don't pick a full selection of enemies that make up an encounter of their level. Don't use 4 regular Goblins for an inconsequential encounter - use 4 Minions. No, you won't achieve tapping out the expected encounter budgets this ways, but if you were doing that, you're no longer talking about an inconsequential encounter.</blockquote>

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