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Message: <blockquote data-quote="reanjr" data-source="post: 1896088" data-attributes="member: 20740">I think you're playing the wrong game, but I'll try to add something constructive as well. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />Fighters are weak against spellcasters and vice versa.  If you want the spellcaster to fight the spellcaster and the fighter to fight the warrior, you have to get some sort of way to force it to happen that way.The players have a HUUUUGE advantage against opponents like this since bodyguard types are usually fairly weak and easy to dispatch.  Once the party outnumbers the villains, it's an easy matter to use that against the opponents, as your players did.Your players probably min/maxed themselves at least to a certain extent, so make sure you do the same with your villains, even going so far as to make the opponents have abilities tailored to the party (within reason).  D&D is highly skewed to the PCs favor and this type of thing is almost necessary to even provide a mild challenge.Your people should have used the aforementioned tactics against the players.  Spellcasters are the most dangerous opponent, especially early on in the battle.  Maybe you could have had the spellcaster move himself into a corner (or somewhere else defensible) and be guarded by the warrior.  Giving him a much tougher meat shield than the bodyguards and forcing (or at least nudging) the fighters in the party to attack him first to get to the spellcaster.Meanwhile, the bodyguards should have absolutely laid into the PC spellcaster.  No holds barred.  Drop him in a round if possible.  They'll do it to you, you should return the favor.  Bodyguards, as I said before aren't generally up to snuff to take on the fighter types in the party (they won't be able to hit and they'll drop like flies).  But their lower attack bonuses are fully sufficient for the unarmored spellcaster and the spellcaster can't do much once surrounded.  Even after making Concentration checks to cast spells defensively, he won't be able to target all of them with anything.Meanwhile, the enemy spellcaster works on anyone trying to take out the bodyguards.  The most devestating spells in the game are the ones that are negated by a successful save.  Minimize this problem with Spell Focus and by attacking the right opponent (don't try a hold person on the Cleric, it just doesn't work... ever; but the fighter should fail about half the time, if the spell is heightened).  Also, because combats are so short, give the spellcaster some good damage spells that are quickened.  Try using the damaging spells against the "other" members of the party (rogues or clerics; rogues are better due to low hp).  Magic Missile is great for this.Also, the PCs know approximately how many hp the villains have just based on CR and class type.  So your people should take advantage of knowledge of the PCs approx. hp.  If a magic missile would probably put the PC spellcaster over the edge (likely, due to low hp and guarenteed damage), use it on him.  Unless the enemy spellcaster heard from the underlings that the PC spellcaster has a shield spell up.Basically, plan every major encounter with one thought in your mind: I want to absolutely screw over the PCs.  I want them to crash and burn in the first round.  I want to immediately scrap all of their damage potential and make them useless.It may sound harsh, but as long as you stick to the appropriate CR, it won't happen no matter how hard you try.  But you might make an encounter last longer than 3 rounds, at least.</blockquote>

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