Good encounters for mainly melee-type PCs?

[dreaded_beast]

I have a party of 3 PCs who specialize in melee attacks and can tackle monsters and NPCs with CRs 2 or 3 higher than their party with only a little bit of sweat.

The PCs are:

6 Paladin/3 Marshall - Uses Large Greatsword to do good damage

6 Swashbuckler/3 Favored Soul - Whip and Trip Specialist, and good damage from high intellegence

9 Fighter - Half-Orc, Specializes in Orc Double-Axe

The Half-Orc, using the Leadership feat, recently has acquired the services of a 7th level Wizard Cohort, who buffs them during combat and lends some magical firepower.

The Paladin, using the Leadership feat, has gained the services of a Dire Wolf mount.

Any suggestions on what would make balanced encounters for such a party?

 

[Voadam]

Higher CR melee beasts.

Lower CR missile fire or magical enchanting encounters, things with range and either reflex or will saves.

 

[diaglo]

things that are immune to criticals. and have d12 for hps like Undead. maybe a wight or 5 would be nice.

also things that dissolve weapons and armor like Oozes.

 

[Voadam]

Traps.

Fly by attackers.

 

[jmucchiello]

Put them on a ledge with a ravine between them and a large number of bowmen. For added fun, make sure there are deadfalls the bowmen can trigger on either side of the party to trap them on the ledge. For still more fun, use about 50 1st level goblin warrior archers with no archery feats so that when they are killed, you can tell them what they were killed by. (Spread the archers out so the mage cannot fireball them all at once.)

 

[Jolly Giant]

The obvious answer would of course be melee-type NPCs...

 

[Lord Zardoz]

Tactically intresting combat

You can often get alot more milage out of basic low CR opponents (Orcs, Hobgoblins, etc) by varying their gear and by varying the encounter environment, and specifically applying the situational modifiers.

One trick I often resort to is to put a pit trap just in front of some cover that opponents are using while firing missiles. Players like to close into melee, and they fall into the pit. You can then do intresting things like dump the object the opponents are using for cover in after the players. Being in the pit and climbing out should remove the victim from melee for a few rounds.

Another thing is to take a good look at the non-standard attacks, like Disarm, Trip, Sunder, etc. Having one opponent disarm, and a lackey delay thier action until after the disarm means you can have that lackey pick up the dropped weapon before the player reclaims it.

Mounted opponents using Lances is a fun way to create another sort of tactical challenge. You can attack and keep moving past the player, so you dont stay locked in melee. And charge attacks do x2 damage. And the mounts can lay on some hurt also.

As a general rule, its easier to tweak an encounter with numbers of small CR opponents then it is to tweak a single opponent encounter. Also, single encounter opponents tend to be dogpiled. So if your players are stomping past a hill giant, throw in some Orcs or Bugbears or something to distract the players.

You can also just plan the encounter around the re-enforcements. Having an extra few Orcs or Ogres show up half way through the battle can let you catch the players after they used their Big artillery spells or other limeted use powers / abilities. If you always let the players rest fully between fights, then most fights are very easy to win.

END COMMUNICATION

 

[Gwarok]

Well I have always been a big fan of the pirate genre. Big adventure and whatnot. Your guys seem like a really fun grp, lotsa room for action but not so high level they can treat normal people and local authorities like ants.

Perhaps have them sign on to protect a ship's cargo. This might make things fun for the swashbuckler as the Paladin and Half-orc will likely need to stow their armor if they are fighting on water. It will definitely make the fights seem more real as even lower level guys will be able to hit them. Make the cargo or the ships mission something that will appeal to your guys.

I would prolly suggest a pirate ship boarding action, viciously repulsed thanks to the aid of your boys. However the ship is rammed or otherwise damaged. From here i suggest you shipwreck them on an island. If the crew and cargo are largely intact perhaps the PC's would be co-erced to scout the island while the crew repairs the ship. The crew will need fresh water, lots of wood, a place tall enough they can rig for new masts, and fresh food supplies. The PC's are hired fighters and expendable as opposed to the trained seamen needed to run the ship. Perhaps the captain can make some references to buried treasure they can keep, which the crew will laugh at.

The Pally and Orc get to slap their armor back on which should make them happy. Populate the island with your ubiquitous cannibals, raptors, and Ziggaurat lost temples. Perhaps they can gain the trust of a local tribe and succeed in making their supply gathering easier.

Cheesy, yes. Formulaic, yes. But fun.

 

[Kormydigar]

I have a party of 3 PCs who specialize in melee attacks and can tackle monsters and NPCs with CRs 2 or 3 higher than their party with only a little bit of sweat.

The PCs are:

6 Paladin/3 Marshall - Uses Large Greatsword to do good damage

6 Swashbuckler/3 Favored Soul - Whip and Trip Specialist, and good damage from high intellegence

9 Fighter - Half-Orc, Specializes in Orc Double-Axe

The Half-Orc, using the Leadership feat, recently has acquired the services of a 7th level Wizard Cohort, who buffs them during combat and lends some magical firepower.

The Paladin, using the Leadership feat, has gained the services of a Dire Wolf mount.

Any suggestions on what would make balanced encounters for such a party?

The CR system assumes a party of 4, specifically Jozan, Tordek, Lidda, and Mialee. If your group of players has statistics well above the 28 point buy range and decent magical gear then they will be able to handle things much tougher than thier actual level indicates. I am running a group of super powered 14th level characters with WAY too much magic gear through encounters featuring multiple CR 18+ foes. The party is having a wonderful time of things and I can make up whatever I want to challenge them. If the group gets a good fight and appropriate rewards they don't really care if I take an iron golem, give it 40 hit dice, give it a more damaging weapon, and throw in a hardness of 10 or so, just to make the fight tough enough.

Balance is really achieved by feel for each individual group. Some groups would scream bloody murder if the DM just made up stats to make a creature tougher. Take a look at your Pc's stats. If they are significantly higher than those listed for the iconic characters then think about using encounters with higher CRs.

 

[hong]

Meet them head-on. Most melee brutes have CRs lower than their raw hit dice would suggest, because it's assumed the PCs won't just try to slug it out with them. A group of 4 frost giants should prove quite a handful, and because it's also exactly what the PCs are built for, it should also be a lot of fun for your players.