D&D 5E How do you prepare/build encounters in 5e? (Poll)

[Quickleaf]

Hey, I have a quick poll for 5e DMs out there!

Simple question: How do you prepare or build encounters for your 5e games?

Select the one that matches your approach best.

Thanks for voting I am in the process of putting together a 5e DM cheat sheet / screen, similar to my 4e DM cheat sheet (link is in my sig), so I'd like to get a feel for how most ENWorld DMs are prepping encounters.

 

[iserith]

Hey, I have a quick poll for 5e DMs out there!

Simple question: How do you prepare or build encounters for your 5e games?

Select the one that matches your approach best.

Thanks for voting I am in the process of putting together a 5e DM cheat sheet / screen, similar to my 4e DM cheat sheet (link is in my sig), so I'd like to get a feel for how most ENWorld DMs are prepping encounters.

Though I will "check my work" with the DM guidelines after the fact just to see where the encounter difficulty has fallen, I chose "through some combo of DM intuition and feel."

I imagine the scene first and worry about the numbers later. If I find that the numbers make the scene a difficult battle, then I create goals for the monster or PCs that do not require a fight to the death. In addition, I might add a couple ways to even the score as a bonus for engaging in the exploration or social interaction pillars of the game.

As an example, in Monkey Business, I wanted to present a scene where two beasts were rampaging around fighting each other while the PCs did something else (rescue an NPC). The adjusted experience is 10,200 XP - about five times higher than "Deadly" for 4th-level PCs strictly by the numbers. However, since they are attacking each other and the PCs can "win" the scene simply by making away with the NPC, those numbers don't mean much. I also included a way to engage in exploration to gain an advantage over one of the monsters. The other monster can potentially be dealt with via social interaction. This all depends on how the players choose to deal with the challenge, of course. One never knows!

 

[pukunui]

Though I will "check my work" with the DM guidelines after the fact just to see where the encounter difficulty has fallen, I chose "through some combo of DM intuition and feel."

This. I've found that the guidelines in the DMG really aren't all that useful. I've had deadly+ encounters that the PCs have blown through easily and easy/medium/hard encounters that have proved quite challenging, if not actually deadly.

I think it's partly because the guidelines don't take into account things like terrain and other environmental factors. A seemingly easy group of kobolds, say, might prove to be especially challenging if encountered in their home turf, where they've got narrow tunnels and a multitude of traps to back them up. A seemingly tough encounter with an ogre might prove to be too easy if the PCs are able to gang up on it in the open.

 

[ExploderWizard]

I use a combination of intuition & feel. I look at the DMG guidelines as benchmarks but don't really stick to them. One of my groups has 8 players. Any large single monster is going to get pounded into the dirt, even if it is of a higher CR then the group should be able to handle for a given level. A medium to large group of semi-tough opponents is a much tougher challenge. Each opponent is tough enough to withstand some AOE damage and there are a lot more incoming attacks on the party.

Also with that many players, you kind of need to overwhelm them with monsters just to provide enough XP to be meaningful.

 

[Shiroiken]

I design what is appropriate for the world. The PCs are not meant to fight their way through everything, nor is the world built around their current level. If it makes sense for there to be 150 bandits in an area, then there are 150 bandits. Too many players have taken the "kill it" mentality in recent years, forgetting that running, sneaking past, and negotiating are all viable options.

 

[Hand of Evil]

I guess you can say I wing it but use information from the DMG as guidelines, over the years I don't see encounters as encounters but as challenges, and I got over monsters as EXP a long time ago. Challenges come in three flavors; simple, difficult and extreme. Players overcome those challenges and a lot of times it is not the way you see it played out in your mind.

 

[Nebulous]

Intuition and feel.

 

[meomwt]

I sort of look at what the DM Guidelines tell me, look at what the encounter opponents can do, see if there's wiggle room, then ignore the Guidelines and throw the number of monsters I first thought at at them.

They've mainly treated Deadly/ TPK encounters as Hard, with a couple of exceptions when they were saved by the Assassin (Rogue) and/ or Champion (Fighter).

 

[aramis erak]

I actually go by feel, then verify it with the DMG system, modifying as needed, except for random encounters.

 

[Warmaster Horus]

The TLAR (that looks about right) method.