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<blockquote data-quote="Mengu" data-source="post: 5213751" data-attributes="member: 65726">In home games I've been either cherry picking high damage monsters (skirmishers with extra damage features, artillery, gnoll-type creatures that grant each other damage bonuses, swarms, multi-attacker, etc) or upping the limited damage expressions on my monsters, to be able to use lower level creatures as greater threats, making level and level+1 encounters typically difficult than a cake walk (though sometimes when they get initiative, the PC's can still destroy an encounter quickly).So for us, the problem never really has been the monster hit points, but more the lack of threat monsters pose on the offense. When monsters can open up with mass damage and control, it can quickly set a different tone for the encounter.I purposefully keep most monster basic attacks weak because I want PC's to feel a little more comfortable provoking opportunity attacks, and that's why I tend to increase the damage on their recharge and encounter powers. I found that sometimes those expressions in MM1 and MM2 weren't even up to the level of the DMG recommended damage.I'm really looking forward to playing with MM3 monsters, though I do have one fear. In low magic campaigns with underequipped PC's I fear MM3 monsters may be a little too lethal, or wear out the PC resources a little too fast, shortening the adventuring day. There's hoping DM's can fully grasp what playing with these various knobs and dials on monsters will impact in their games.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Mengu, post: 5213751, member: 65726"] In home games I've been either cherry picking high damage monsters (skirmishers with extra damage features, artillery, gnoll-type creatures that grant each other damage bonuses, swarms, multi-attacker, etc) or upping the limited damage expressions on my monsters, to be able to use lower level creatures as greater threats, making level and level+1 encounters typically difficult than a cake walk (though sometimes when they get initiative, the PC's can still destroy an encounter quickly). So for us, the problem never really has been the monster hit points, but more the lack of threat monsters pose on the offense. When monsters can open up with mass damage and control, it can quickly set a different tone for the encounter. I purposefully keep most monster basic attacks weak because I want PC's to feel a little more comfortable provoking opportunity attacks, and that's why I tend to increase the damage on their recharge and encounter powers. I found that sometimes those expressions in MM1 and MM2 weren't even up to the level of the DMG recommended damage. I'm really looking forward to playing with MM3 monsters, though I do have one fear. In low magic campaigns with underequipped PC's I fear MM3 monsters may be a little too lethal, or wear out the PC resources a little too fast, shortening the adventuring day. There's hoping DM's can fully grasp what playing with these various knobs and dials on monsters will impact in their games. [/QUOTE]

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