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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MyISPHatesENWorld" data-source="post: 4600958" data-attributes="member: 65684">I'll add that dynamic terrain that adds to an encounter doesn't include:"Random bad thing happens to PC when they step on random square."That just adds annoyance to the grind. A dynamic environment should be interactive, something that can work both for and against the players and the monsters. To give an example, the previous encounter in the cathedral (which isn't the same as the situation above because the players could see where the negative terrain was) works occasionally, but if every time the environment comes into play it is detrimental to the players, but not the monsters, it exacerbates the grind. To change it up, the players could be able to attack the cathedral windows with ranged weapons, creating areas of light which deal radiant damage. This puts things on an even footing, with both the players and monsters choices being disrupted randomly. Too much random disruption, even if it affects both sides, can still get frustrating quick.I've played games with DMs who construct the entire map (static or dynamic) to the detriment of the PCs all the time. It really takes the fun away when you see a detailed map and your first thought is, "I wonder what penalties we're taking this time?"For individual classes, I play a lot of rogue, I like minions (collateral damage on Blinding Barrage and Cloud of Steel - along with the nifty new Downward Spiral), and stealthing up to take out the enemy artillery/controller is a rogue specialty. Standing in the open on a bad map while the artillery blasts you makes an unhappy rogue (along with everyone else), but generally, taking out enemy artillery, or at least disrupting it enough that it isn't able to focus fire is one of the high points of the game for me when I play. I vastly prefer using stealth for combat advantage to just standing there locked on a monster like a fragile fighter, though I'll dart in and unload when the rest of the map is clear. I'd say: Happy Rogue: Cover/Concealment and/or Superior Cover/Total Concealment, Monsters that can be dropped quickly.Unhappy Rogue: Wide open spaces. Environment/effects that restrict movement. Waves in conjunction with a lack of terrain that allows them to do something other than flank for combat advantage.Melee clerics like hitting anything but minions, which limit their use of their rider abilities. They dislike things that do damage to them just for standing there, as they can't move as well as the rogue or ranger and can't take sustained damage like the fighter.Fighters, at least heavy armor fighters, are kind of immune to a lot of encounter design. A lot of boring design actually favors the heavy armor fighter, so he can pe perfectly happy in something that is a drag for other party members. More agile/mobile fighters can be hindered somewhat like rogues, but to a lesser extent. Swordmages are really somewhat immune to a lot of things, especially if they add a little wizard multiclass to grab an encounter ranged attack and another teleport (and if they're eladrin or water genasi their racial). But, as mentioned, solos and brutes can be a bit of a slog.Playing or DMing, I'm not a big fan of encounters that run along the lines of the party clusters together in one part of the map while the monsters do things to them until the melee monsters are dead, at which point the party goes after the artillery/controllers (which have been pounding them all the while), or the variation in which the party clusters together, and slowly creeps forward, engaging enemies as they go. I like things to spread out a bit, with people ducking into and out of hiding, charges, teleports, mobile attacks, etc.</blockquote>

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