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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Oofta" data-source="post: 7198359" data-attributes="member: 6801845">I hit the same type of problems, so what I did to challenge my characters<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">I switched to the alternate rule where a short rest is overnight, a long rest is several days (a week or more).  This makes it easier for me to get in the 5-8 fights with 1-2 short rests.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The bad guys regularly do other types of damage.  Poison/fire/acid and so forth.  Really helps cut the barbarian down to size; their resistance is still cool but not as overpowered.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Opponents regularly get advantage on their attacks.  Whether it's evil pixies spreading dust, dire worg mounts that knock them prone, pack tactics or just plain blessing of a dark god.  I don't necessarily advertise they are getting advantage.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Opponents play smart.  Ranged hit and run tactics, traps to slow down pursuit, ranged ambushes in the dark, splitting the party and so on.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Beef up monsters.  This is something I've done in most editions, but I just add monster levels to my bad guys.  If I bump up by 4 levels or more, I sometimes add special abilities borrowed from other monsters (e.g. enemies giving bonus attacks to their allies, etc) or give them the equivalent of feats.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Target the squishies.  Not having much luck taking out the barbarian?  Ignore him.  Have all the opponents rush the wizard trying to hide in the back.</li> </ul>You do have to be careful of course.  I want my PCs to feel like the bad-asses that they are, so I throw in a mix of combats.  In a recent combat, I kept the healers on their toes and they healed several hundred HP worth.  Other fights?  They blow away the opponents with barely a scratch.  Which is fine.I don't do published mods, so I can't give you much advice on how tough they are.  From what I have seen they do seem to be designed for a non-optimized 4 party team with minimal magic and a 27 point buy.  Throw any of those factors off and the DM has to compensate.</blockquote>

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