Trevalon Moonleirion
Explorer
I'm whipping up some encounters for my next session (so my players stay out!), and while I realize we've got some guidelines from the basic DM rules (and the very cool asmor online generator others have been linking of late-- http://asmor.com/5e/monsters/#/encounter-builder ), I'm curious to see how well others have been faring.
For example, my supposedly hard BBEG from last session was basically a cakewalk for my 6 4th level PCs. (Admittedly, my group does have rather high ability scores, as I let the group keep the scores they originally had as 1st level 4e characters):
2 cultists - CR 1/8 each
2 skeletons - CR 1/4 each
1 priest - CR 2
1 modified vampire spawn - CR 4 (a lot of guesswork here in making the CR 5 into a CR 4, so perhaps this was the issue. )
By the numbers, it was a Hard encounter...but it really didn't feel that way.
So, that said...what has your experience been like with encounter building in 5e, DMs? Does the math seem to hold up for larger (6+) groups? Is it okay to use a a creature with a CR of one higher than the group's average level?
If we want to get really specific, I'm looking for feedback on throwing the same party against one CR 5 and four CR 1/2s...but that's coming up as well beyond deadly. Am I setting myself up for a TPK, or just a really tough fight? (Mods feel free to move this if it's more appropriately put in a different forum, but this seemed as good a place as any to discuss some of the general mechanics of encounter design vs. customizing a specific monster or character)
For example, my supposedly hard BBEG from last session was basically a cakewalk for my 6 4th level PCs. (Admittedly, my group does have rather high ability scores, as I let the group keep the scores they originally had as 1st level 4e characters):
2 cultists - CR 1/8 each
2 skeletons - CR 1/4 each
1 priest - CR 2
1 modified vampire spawn - CR 4 (a lot of guesswork here in making the CR 5 into a CR 4, so perhaps this was the issue. )
By the numbers, it was a Hard encounter...but it really didn't feel that way.
So, that said...what has your experience been like with encounter building in 5e, DMs? Does the math seem to hold up for larger (6+) groups? Is it okay to use a a creature with a CR of one higher than the group's average level?
If we want to get really specific, I'm looking for feedback on throwing the same party against one CR 5 and four CR 1/2s...but that's coming up as well beyond deadly. Am I setting myself up for a TPK, or just a really tough fight? (Mods feel free to move this if it's more appropriately put in a different forum, but this seemed as good a place as any to discuss some of the general mechanics of encounter design vs. customizing a specific monster or character)