Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="GrayIguana" data-source="post: 1305928" data-attributes="member: 7265">I may be misunderstanding the question, but the guidelines I use are on pg. 101 of the DMG (3.0).  It has been amazing how accurate the CR ratings have been with my games.  The rule of thumb that I especially stick to is that a CR should burn about 20% of the groups resources.  When I want a really tough fight for the group, I will throw them against a lair with 5 encounters that are at or near their challenge rating.  This way the group should be able to pick apart the enemy if they are smart.  On the other hand if the enemy is alerted, the group is in for a very tough fight, but one in which they have a chance to survive.  The fights are often very close calls when I design them this way, which adds a level of excitement/uncertainty for the players.   I don't know why but it took me a long time to stick to these rules.  I guess I was still clinging to something from the first editions where there really wasn't much in the way of CRs.</blockquote>