Quickleaf
Legend
So
I'm running the module "Gates of Firestorm Peak" which is converted from 2nd ed. Some of the monsters are converted in 5e already (gibbering mouther, trolls) and some are not (but thankfully, I found a decent 3rd party conversion on DMs guild). The thing I've noted while converting from 2nd ed is that there is a significant HP inflation in 5e, while the ACs tend to be worse -in some case much worse.
The party, in the damage dealing department, consists of a warlock (EB wih the Cha damage boost, Hex), a monk (order of the fist, spear +1), a cleric (knowledge) and a paladin (oath of the ancient, shield and board, viscious tulwar (a one handed only D8 weapon), all level 6. So there is not greater weapon twink build, but they can dish it out.
... and well, they feel like they are wailing on giant bag of hitpoints. They are almost always hitting, but the 5e versions of monsters have so much HP that it feels like it's taking forever. The paladin player loses patience, novaes with smithing, then he can't keep going because he's out of juice etc etc.
This was particularly noticeable in a fight vs 3 gibbering mouthers (AC 9, HP 67) and a living wall (HP 207 (!) AC 12). The living wall at least was interesting because it could cast spells at them. The gibbering mouther fight was just a chore.
Has anyone else noted this?
Yes, it's why I have burned the following things into my DMing style:
1. Not all fights are a race to 0 hit points. Half or more of the fights in an adventure should involve more interesting goals / means of victory.
2. Something changes each round. Without resorting to fiddly rules, my imaginary battlefields get full of arrows (that might be used by a climber later), swinging booms of sailing ships, changing enemy tactics, and other dynamic elements.
3. Average HP are only a guideline. For example, if PCs are on a stealth mission attempting to silently kill a bunch of 5d8 hit dice gnolls, I as DM can facilitate that by making the gnolls have below average hit points for their HD. Conversely, I can have an "elite" NPC have above average hit points for their HD so they can last long enough to do something interesting.
Generally, as long as you address 2 of these 3 points, you'll avoid "the grind."
For example, I'd treat a living wall as an obstacle/challenge to overcome with creative thinking & in-game resources, rather than a monster.