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Message: <blockquote data-quote="fireinthedust" data-source="post: 4920931" data-attributes="member: 51930">So I'm trying to get a handle on designing a killer encounter.  My group has been sailing through everything, for 4 levels.  Suddenly we switch DMs so I can take a break, and the new guy levels our troop with a band of goblins!   One hexer, a bunch of skirmishers, nothing really fancy.  We don't have the teamwork or skill I think we should have, but there you go.       Basically, my barbarian got pinned down, and the Wizard was hiding and pinging with his MMs, and *not using his dailies (last fight of the night).  We nearly died.  I went down.ANYWAY:  now that I'm going to pick up another session for my game, I want to run a killer encounter.  I need to know how.[sblock=My scenario in a nutshell]SCENARIO:  the PCs have returned to a town taken over by an army of Hobgoblins and their Red Dragon cohort, in the employ of a cartel of Tiefling Nobles/warlocks.  The party wants to go in and poke around, as they have a feud vs. the Tieflings.COMPLICATION: everyone is looking for these magical children, two of whom are with the party right now.  The Tieflings want them, but so does the general of the Hobgoblins (a powerful brute not unlike Darkseid from DC comics; not yet encountered).  The PCs are aware of the kids' strangeness, but are still going in.COMPLICATION 2:  Two members of the party are Divine: a cleric and a paladin.  The divine PCs in this campaign are part of an underground church (the only church left) that hunts undead and infernal magic users (ie: the Tiefling cartel = Wolfram & Hart).  COMPLICATION 3:  The PCs' last visit caused the upset that allowed the cartel to excuse their taking-over the town, enslaving the thieves' guild, etc.  Townsfolk may or may not know this or them on sight.  Also, the PCs have succeeded in returning the natural order to the seasons, but that means it's winter/snowing.IDEA 1:  a fellow Paladin, a Tiefling Paladin, has been outed by his peers and caged in the middle of the \market Square.  The PCs can tell he's one of their order.  However, there are 4 Ogres stationed in the square, and some normal guards.  Their fellow will die if they don't save him somehow.Idea 2:  The Hobgoblins don't care about other dangers, and the PCs hear that some child has been pulled into the sewers by Undead.  They must go in and save her: sewer skirmishes using my dungeon tiles.Idea 3:  The haunted Temple has been taken over by a group of Cthulhu cultists (well, Star Spawn cultist warlock types); I bought the "bag of Cthulhu" and I was thinking of making some horrific stats using the Monster Builder.  Maybe the PCs can rescue some ghosts from sacrifice?  What kinds of combat powers would various statues of Cthulhu have (erected by the cultists)?  Or what should I focus on for the fight?Idea 4:  dinner party of powerful Tieflings.  Interesting array of villains, or villainous types.  Probably exposition rather than combat.  Still: vampire tieflings, fiendish tieflings, gelatinous tieflings, etc.[/sblock]What are things that make a combat vicious yet fun?   High damage?  Pinning PCs down?  strange terrain?  By-standers?</blockquote>

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