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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mustrum_Ridcully" data-source="post: 4584785" data-attributes="member: 710">Of course this is a problem with published adventurers, but if your only way to enjoy a combat is either: - It's fast.- It's important.Don't run flunkie combats. Or rather, run _real_ flunky combats. Send Minions,  maybe accompanied by one "real" monster. Don't care for "suggested XP by level". Go below that value. Maybe one variant might be to just use notable lower level monsters if you don't want too many one-shot-kills.In all other cases, make the combat important, cruicial to the plot or the goals of the campaign. If the PCs want to rescue the Princess from the Dragons Claws, don't have them run through a Kobold infested Dungeon to finally challenge the Dragon. If you want defenses for the Dragon, use one encounter, not 4.Keep on the Shadowfell could basically be reduced to maybe 4-5 cruicial encounters.[sblock=KotS Spoilers]1) The Excavation Site. This is where the PCs might for the first time get some solid info there is a threat beyond mere kobolds.2) The Kobold Lair. Another way to gather clues for a larger threat. The two encounters there could be replaced with fighting lots of Kobold Minions and Irontooth as a regular Goblin. 3) Entering the Keep. You might change the upper levels a little bit - the Goblins are not having a safe base there, they are actually in great trouble trying to contain that Water-Monster from the Blood Reavers.4) Interlude Combat with the Elven Spy, if you want too. 5) Final Combat against Kalarel.Of course, these are just the combats. There are certain aspects of the plot that are related to combat, but don't always require a combat.- How do the PCs figure out there is a spy (do they at all?)- What does Kalarel want?- What did happen to the Blood Reavers?[/sblock]In a way, not having long or many combats requires you to create more story ideas. This can be ... strenous, even for creative DMs. You need to be able to fill the time usually reserved for combat with advances to the story-line, vivid description, PC interaction with each other and the NPCs. If you don't like having too many or too long combats, then maybe you do not have a problem with that! And of course, many players like combat, even if the only goal is to kill your opponents and not to gather any information or advance the plot.</blockquote>

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