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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Asmor" data-source="post: 3427375" data-attributes="member: 1154">D&D 3.x is heavily balanced with a 4-man party in mind. Going significantly over this number creates some interesting problems for combat encounters; you obviosuly can't throw a CR 4 at a party of eight 4th-level characters and expect the same challenege you'd get from a party of four 4th-level characters. Less intuitively, however, is that you can't just toss commensurately higher CR critters at them... Something 3 or 4 CRs higher than the average party level will often have something-- whether a high AC, powerful attack, or nasty saving throw-- which will rip any number of people too low for the challenge to shreds.The best option, I think, is to just throw more things at them. I don't know exactly how you should work it out, but if you've got an 8-player party I think it should be sufficient to take an appropriate challenge for a 4-player party and double it. 5 zombies? 10 zombies! A harpoon spider? 2 harpoon spiders! Etc. Obviously, when the chance arises you should try to modulate the makeup a little to add some variety to the combat. In the latter case for example, sure, you could just throw 2 harpoon spiders at them... But instead, you could change one of the harpoon spiders into an ettercap and a 1st-level drow warrior.But this presents a unique problem... If you're always doubling encounters, then how do you get an encounter with a single creature? I'm not saying single-critter encounters are always good-- in fact, they usually suck compared to fighting a group-- but sometimes for whatever reason you really want to or it's a good idea or whatever...So how can you adjust a single critter to be an appropriate challenge without ramping it up to the point where it can rip the party to shreds? I can think of two options... Up the HP, or increase the actions. Hell, possibly both.The first is the simplest, and also sort of stays within the confines of the D&D rules set. Just double its HP. In theory, this should double its staying power.The other option requires that you be comfortable with screwing with the rules a little... Have the baddie roll initiative twice, or just let it roll once and then it gets a second set of actions at 10 counts lower. One of the biggest hurdles a single creature faces is the severe deficit in number of actions it gets.So what do you all think? Any insights in running combats for large groups?</blockquote>

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