D&D 5E How do you create your encounters?

[werecorpse]

I use donjon encounter size calculator, plug in the number of characters and levels and find out how many CR x creatures equal a deadly or hard fight. Say it’s 3 CR 5 or 4-6 CR 3 or whatever.
Then I look at the list of monsters and look at the CRs around the ones suggested. In the above example I might decide to use two CR 5 as 2/3 the value and 2 CR 3 as the other 1/3. I know there’s some math about multiple monsters = higher danger but I don’t worry about that.
So I got a Hill Giant a troll (2xCR5) & 2 Bugbear chiefs (2 x CR3)
Once I have the cast of bad guys I come up with a story. Why are they there? The Bugbears have been sent by their tribe to pay a tithe to the Hill Giant clan. They sent a couple of chiefs because they were a cunning pair and they heard adventurers were in the area and they want to get them to attack the Hill Giants. They will try and surrender immediately a fight starts or try and do whatever they can to give the impression the Giants are rich and poorly defended (they arent). Them I look at that and decide the Bugbears aren’t really a threat to the PCs given they will surrender so I give the hill Giant an ogre slave and a couple of dire wolf Pets.

So it starts out looking at the numbers then goes off on a tangent focussing on the story.

 

[Larnievc]

DMs and adventure writers, when you've got to make a combat encounter, what is your process to do so? If you've used different tools, which do you find most helpful?

I just wing it. If the baddie side could down the goodie side’s tank in three rounds or less it’s too hard.

 

[Blue]

First couple of encounters for the campaign, I start with DMG (though I'll try Xanathar's next campaign) and see how the party does. I get an idea of what's a fair fight for the party, and then use that knowledge (to give them unfair fights). i reference it as they level up and we go from fantasy Vietnam to heroes, but actually use it less and less.

I get rather good ad judging what this specific party is good at dealing with and what they are not and adjusting - instead of winging it, call it "extensive practice tailoring to this group". I won't say that any encounter will be reasonable for another party, but that's not my goal. Might be too easy, too hard, have elements another party can't deal with, etc.

 

[cbwjm]

When I first started playing I used the DMG encounter guidelines. 2nd session I think I dropped them and just went with whatever felt right for an encounter.

 

[Tonguez]

I use the 5 room dungeon structure to design encounters around a ‘theme’. I’m not so concerned about power levels (some monsters will slaughter the PCs in a fight - the challenge is for the PCs to NOT fight them)

Anyway the Encounter structure goes
1 Intro -Skill or Social Challenge that foreshadows the threat and sets the theme for the rest of the Encounter (even if its just a perception check, or a climb over the outer wall of an abandoned orchid)
2 Guardian - use a minion or pet of the BBEG, a Trap or a Red Herring
3 Set back - whatever wasnt used in 2 with the intention of wasting PC resources
4 The Boss Lair - take account of the ‘Boss’ Threat AND Lair Terrain AND Tactics (Lair Actions). The Boss can always be overcome in multiple ways (PCs dont have to kill it To beat it)
5 Cliffhanger - Reward, Revelation and Plot twist that leads to the next ‘Entrance’

 

[Flamestrike]

Sometimes there's a Gnome Paladin.

Probably shockingly effective.

 

[Fenris-77]

Probably shockingly effective.

It's the helmet with the long spike on top...

 

[Flamestrike]

It's the helmet with the long spike on top...

 

[Fenris-77]

It's what's under that warm and snuggly wool that really gets the tall folk's knickers in a twist...

 

[Todd Roybark]

I’m a bit surprised at how prevalent an answer “Wing It” is.

From the DMG, I like to have an idea of what the XP budget is for the Adventuring Day, and also the XP budget for Hard and Deadly Encounters.

I have this information typically on post it notes, or written in my DM notebook as a guide in case I have to “Wing It” due to unexpected events.

The other DMG formulas I typically ignore, but consider the impact of terrain and other circumstances.

Quickleaf’s process sounds very similar to my own.

For Medium and lower encounters I just use the XGE tables. Past 3rd level, a Medium combat encounter is pretty easy, unless you have monsters ideally suited to the situation.

Due to this, a Medium encounter for me is often a Roleplay challenge, Riddle, Puzzle or other oddity.....something that is solvable by the players using clever play, but something that could also be bypassed or solved by 1-2 spells.

in 3e and 4e,(RAW 4e), I felt that Encounter curation was required to around 14th level, and then after that the PCs could handle anything, even if that meant fleeing.

5e, is more forgiving.....I find at around 9th level, a modestly effective group can handle most reasonable encounters.

Reasonable, however is going to be dependent on multiple variables, of course.