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<blockquote data-quote="Manchu" data-source="post: 6552389" data-attributes="member: 6791825">I have no idea why you are talking about monster creation rules given the subject is encounter design. But here's how simple 5E encounter design is: Pick some monsters. I expect that could fit on a business card. YMMV. The reason why you don't require any formula whatsoever to design an encounter in 5E is because 5E is not designed around the conceits of Tactics-style video games. As in days of yore, 5E PCs may stumble across situations that are beyond their abilities. But given the big tent aspirations of 5E, there is still a notion of CR; 4 PCs of level X should get a good fight out of a monster of CR X. No XP budgets, no moster rolls, no boolean commands in the monster stat blocks; in short, no board game scenario design options. Perhaps too simple for the tactically-inclined but certainly simple.A 4E encounter is perforce a miniatures skirmish scenario. You need to know not only what monsters are present but also how their abilities synergize. That in turn means relative starting location is important, as between the monsters themselves as well as between the monsters and the PCs. Then there's terrain. If you want a really memorable set-piece, terrain should also be interactive or at least dynamic. All of this entails a lot discrete design decision points. Considering and &quot;solving for&quot; each of them creates value, even if the conclusion turns out to be generic. 5E, at least in its default form, doesn't assume any of this stuff.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Manchu, post: 6552389, member: 6791825"] I have no idea why you are talking about monster creation rules given the subject is encounter design. But here's how simple 5E encounter design is: Pick some monsters. I expect that could fit on a business card. YMMV. The reason why you don't require any formula whatsoever to design an encounter in 5E is because 5E is not designed around the conceits of Tactics-style video games. As in days of yore, 5E PCs may stumble across situations that are beyond their abilities. But given the big tent aspirations of 5E, there is still a notion of CR; 4 PCs of level X should get a good fight out of a monster of CR X. No XP budgets, no moster rolls, no boolean commands in the monster stat blocks; in short, no board game scenario design options. Perhaps too simple for the tactically-inclined but certainly simple. A 4E encounter is perforce a miniatures skirmish scenario. You need to know not only what monsters are present but also how their abilities synergize. That in turn means relative starting location is important, as between the monsters themselves as well as between the monsters and the PCs. Then there's terrain. If you want a really memorable set-piece, terrain should also be interactive or at least dynamic. All of this entails a lot discrete design decision points. Considering and "solving for" each of them creates value, even if the conclusion turns out to be generic. 5E, at least in its default form, doesn't assume any of this stuff. [/QUOTE]

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