D&D 5E Beefin' Up Monsters!

[Zak S]

Just a quick topic here, but I notice that a common mistake in the group I play with: There's this tendency, coming from 3.5 and then 4e and then Pathfinder, to look at the monsters in the MM and think, "Gee, these guys are kinda weak and stupid. I think I'll give them a little boost." And then, during fights, people start dropping like flies.

I did that, with an encounter with Gargoyles(luckily I gave them a temporary ally during that encounter, a rock guy called a Galeb something, that I decided ate stone and rocks and thus was a Gargoyle's natural predator.), and then this game another DM did it with Orcs, giving them a +5 to hit and not thinking anything was wrong with that until everyone but the second Fighter dropped like dead flies.

Has anyone else done this?

I beef them up all to hell. I'm giving them like d30 damage as standard (players are 12th-17th level). The players adapt pretty quickly, but it makes them play a lot smarter.