D&D 5E How to defeat creatures with legendary actions?

[aco175]

You can hire some henchmen to stay in the rear with the casters. It would not be bad if it was some time, but all the time- meh.

 

[TheSword]

Mirror image is your friend. Almost all legendary action attacks involve attack rolls.

 

[Iry]

Out of curiosity: Is your DM attacking your spellcasters because of something they did (in his mind) to justify that aggression? Or is this a manifestation of the nearly ubiquitous "Geek The Mage" combat policy?

 

[Nefermandias]

Note that he did say the PCs were not optimized. When PCs are not optimized, or players are still relatively new (first few years) to the game, the suggested level of Deadly encounters can remain a challenge all the way through.

Further, as a DM, when a player says something like this, I like to remind them not to take anything for granted. I promise you that any 9th level 'by the book' party can be TPKed by an encounter that isn't even deadly if the DM really runs the right bad guys cleverly.

I'm skeptical about this. It's virtually impossible for a single attack to take a lvl 9 PC HP all the way down to negative maximum. And it's very unlikely for s PC to bleed to death with failed death saves.
5e is too lenient.

 

[tetrasodium]

Note that he did say the PCs were not optimized. When PCs are not optimized, or players are still relatively new (first few years) to the game, the suggested level of Deadly encounters can remain a challenge all the way through.

Further, as a DM, when a player says something like this, I like to remind them not to take anything for granted. I promise you that any 9th level 'by the book' party can be TPKed by an encounter that isn't even deadly if the DM really runs the right bad guys cleverly.

not so much...

Spoiler: phb197

Massive damage can kill you instantly. When damage reduces you to 0 hit points and there is damage remaining, you die if the remaining damage equals or exceeds your hit point maximum.
....
If damage reduces you to 0 hit points and fails to kill you, you fall unconscious (see appendix A). This unconsciousness ends if you regain any hit points.
....
The number of both is reset to zero when you regain any hit points or become stable.
....
The best way to save a creature with 0 hit points is to heal it.

It is a very high bar for enough of these conditions tocoexist in a state that allows a player to die even while deliberately trying to die

 

[Stormonu]

I'm skeptical about this. It's virtually impossible for a single attack to take a lvl 9 PC HP all the way down to negative maximum. And it's very unlikely for s PC to bleed to death with failed death saves.
5e is too lenient.

Kill a 9th level PC in one blow? Unlikely, but I wouldn't want to play that game anyway. TPK over several rounds? Not hard at all.

 

[Coroc]

Note that he did say the PCs were not optimized. When PCs are not optimized, or players are still relatively new (first few years) to the game, the suggested level of Deadly encounters can remain a challenge all the way through.

Further, as a DM, when a player says something like this, I like to remind them not to take anything for granted. I promise you that any 9th level 'by the book' party can be TPKed by an encounter that isn't even deadly if the DM really runs the right bad guys cleverly.

This ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[Coroc]

I'm skeptical about this. It's virtually impossible for a single attack to take a lvl 9 PC HP all the way down to negative maximum. And it's very unlikely for s PC to bleed to death with failed death saves.
5e is too lenient.

A dragon, flying, applying his breath and then diving to one of the weakened characters to apply his claw claw bite tail (wings) routine, does this count as a single attack?

In other words, do you mean single attack in the first round or single attack after one or more PC are not at max HP?

 

[Nefermandias]

A dragon, flying, applying his breath and then diving to one of the weakened characters to apply his claw claw bite tail (wings) routine, does this count as a single attack?

In other words, do you mean single attack in the first round or single attack after one or more PC are not at max HP?

It won't take the character all the way down to minus max HP. They won't die unless the DM deliberately attack the downed character.

 

[MarkB]

It won't take the character all the way down to minus max HP. They won't die unless the DM deliberately attack the downed character.

Which can happen - even without targeting them. If the BBEG has a breath weapon or area-effect spells, they're not going to deliberately avoid the downed character with them.