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[+] How do you make 5E more challenging?
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<blockquote data-quote="Retros_x" data-source="post: 9301041" data-attributes="member: 7033171"><p>I try to avoid most homebrews that are just there to make the combalt more difficult. The more special rules me and my players have to remember the more complicated the game gets + they are often not playtested well enough. To run more difficult combat I do the obvious I am surprised to have not read a lot in this thread: I make the encounter itself more difficult? Either by design (environment, tactics etc.) or by math (calculate CR against a virtual party level that is higher than the actual party level). Works quite fine for me.</p><p></p><p>Some stuff I do doesnt effect difficulty directly: Increase monster dmg, but lower HP. In my games many fights take too many rounds because monsters are often hp bloated while making not a lot of damage. Easy fix I do on the fly is adjust both by 20-30% rate, whatever is easier to calculate in my head as a rough estimate.</p><p></p><p>Also I like to try out different resting rules, like gritty variant or safe haven. They are not affecting difficulty per se, but make the adventuring day actually viable outside of dungeons.</p><p></p><p>I never saw the need to adjust difficulty outside of combat except setting the DC of a check itself. I set the DC dependent of narration and the world, but indiependent of players abilites (wizard has the same DC to open a door like the barbarian). its 5=trivial, 10=easy, 15=moderate, 20=hard, 25=very hard, 30=almost impossible.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Retros_x, post: 9301041, member: 7033171"] I try to avoid most homebrews that are just there to make the combalt more difficult. The more special rules me and my players have to remember the more complicated the game gets + they are often not playtested well enough. To run more difficult combat I do the obvious I am surprised to have not read a lot in this thread: I make the encounter itself more difficult? Either by design (environment, tactics etc.) or by math (calculate CR against a virtual party level that is higher than the actual party level). Works quite fine for me. Some stuff I do doesnt effect difficulty directly: Increase monster dmg, but lower HP. In my games many fights take too many rounds because monsters are often hp bloated while making not a lot of damage. Easy fix I do on the fly is adjust both by 20-30% rate, whatever is easier to calculate in my head as a rough estimate. Also I like to try out different resting rules, like gritty variant or safe haven. They are not affecting difficulty per se, but make the adventuring day actually viable outside of dungeons. I never saw the need to adjust difficulty outside of combat except setting the DC of a check itself. I set the DC dependent of narration and the world, but indiependent of players abilites (wizard has the same DC to open a door like the barbarian). its 5=trivial, 10=easy, 15=moderate, 20=hard, 25=very hard, 30=almost impossible. [/QUOTE]
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[+] How do you make 5E more challenging?
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