D&D 5E Double Monster Damage - Half Monster HP

[Zardnaar]

I've read multiple people now post that swingier combats favor the monsters as if that's a bad thing. 5e is very forgiving to PC's. The monsters need a few more favors than they currently get. And guess what, even if we change a few things to favor the monsters less and the players more, ultimately the players will still be very favored in combats.

5E already has fast combats. If you want tougher combats it's easier to ignore the encounter guidelines or cherry pick certain monsters like hellhounds. Four hellhounds is kind of nasty.

A 50 percent to monster physical damage might be a decent buff. I would not apply it to things like Dragon breath and spells.

Most damage won't do that much the real problem is to generous healing and lack of consequences for getting beat down and reaching 0 hit points.

 

[Hussar]

I'm not sure what the purpose of reducing monster HP is. 5e combats are already down to 2-3 rounds most of the time. How much faster do you really want them?

So, if you're looking to make combat deadlier, why not jack up HP? Give the monsters an extra two or three rounds of life in a combat and make sure that they get enough actions to make them deadly.

Seems a simpler solution to me.

 

[Harzel]

The other thing that I think the suggestion in the OP would do that I don't think anyone has mentioned is that it would make monster abilities that don't deal damage relatively less useful. As others have mentioned, 5e combats are already pretty short, which makes it difficult for monsters to get a chance to use special abilities as it is. Reducing HP just exacerbates that effect. I would consider that a disadvantage; you may or may not.