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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Flamestrike" data-source="post: 6975312" data-attributes="member: 6788736">Sigh.'As you walk down the hallway, a shimmering fills the air as a rip in reality forms around you. Through the tear you see the fires of some hellish realm, everchanging and the stuff of nightmares. Suddenly, emerging from the hole is a large winged demon carrying whip and sword; a lordly Balor, screaming in rage! Roll initiative.'(Now set up your minis with the Balor adjacent to the archer, and smack in the middle of the party. Ensure that as each PCs turn comes around they get no more than 2 seconds to declare actions, or they take the dodge action and their turn ends)That wasnt that hard was it? I didnt change anything mathmatically. The thing just got plane shifted in there by (a Demon lord who is pissed at the party, an ancient trap, the PCs Imp betraying the party, or whatever other macguffin is appropriate).From there go nuts. If you also want to make it a solo challenge for high level PCs kitted out with artifacts and similar, I suggest bumping its CR up by 3-4 and adding 10 HD, 125 HP, +1 natural armor, legendary actions of [teleport] [whip or sword] and [20d8 fireball, costs 3 actions] and 3 legendary saves. This also adds +1 to its Prof bonus. Name it as well (Grolthamak). Increase all damage die by 1 step per die.Solo creatures wiithout legendary saves/ actions suck badly. Thats why they're there. Use them.You (the DM) can play them as smart as you want to. You have no problem with several Int 8 PCs (everyone barring the Wizard) running as a well oiled tactical emotionless killing machine. Run your Int 20 emotionless killing machines smarter.For example, they dont sit in rooms waiting for the PCs. They come and get them. Using better tactics designed (by you and them) to beat the PCs tactics.Because you designed and run the encounter, and you designed and ran it that way.You're the DM, and instead of having the dragon sit in its lair waiting for the PCs, you can simply say:'As you wind along the narrow mountain path in your approach to the dragons lair, you hear a terrible roar from behind you. Looking around you notice a large winged lizard like creature with red scales diving down to attack from your blind spot, swooping around from the cliffs you have just traversed. It's about 120' away on a 90' degree angle from the ground, flames billowing from its mouth. Roll initiative'(You the DM have determined the dragon noticed the PCs coming with its Perception +16, network of spies, magical sensors on the path, and whatever other macguffin you need. It sneaks up on the party (flying around the cliffs to engage them on the path... as planned - thats why it lairs in this area) with its Stealth +7 - rolling as arbitrarily high a number on its Stealth check as you the DM think is appropriate... lets go with a roll of 15 for a total result of 22. Anyone without a passive perception of 22 is surprised on round 1).This is totally cool as well. I do the same thing (mix it up, add abilities to monsters etc).For a solo creature, I strongly suggest adding legendary resistances and actions if it doesnt already have them (as suggested above). Solo creatures havent worked well for a while (due to the action economy).Drop one of them in the middle of your party of PCs and see how they like it.</blockquote>

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