D&D 5E (2014) Ideas for Slight Level Adjustment?

[Retreater]

So I found an adventure for 5th level characters I'd like to GM. My party is 4th level.
With bonded accuracy, is it necessary to adjust the opponents' abilities (lessen the damage, HP, etc.)?
We probably won't have time to level up the PCs before the session, but if that's the best solution, we can do that.

 

[J-H]

What specific enemies is the party facing, and in what number?

You want to look out for numbers that are at the high end of the spectrum. Key examples:
1. Monsters with AC 18+ where the lack of Extra Attack means the martials aren't hitting most turns.
2. Enemies with a lot of HP vs. the party's average DPR of maybe 40-50/rd total at that level if everything hits.
3. Enemy abilities that deal a large amount of damage, particularly Fireball or Lightning Bolt. Nobody has Evasion yet, and character HP may be in the 25-40 range vs. a 25-30 damage spell that hits the entire party at once.
4. Enemies with a high number of attacks. They are going to die slower, so they will have more turns to pump out huge #s of attacks. I'm thinking specifically of any enemy with 3+ attacks in a turn, or more than 2 enemies with multiattack.

 

[aco175]

You should be fine to run as is. This is especially true if your players are more optimized than normal since most modules are set for a 'normal' party. Keep in mind that 5th level is a big bump in PC power with extra attacks and 3rd level spells and such. You can always fudge some monsters and powers as you go if needed.

 

[Charlaquin]

The difference from 4th level to 5th is much more significant than 3rd to 4th or 5th to 6th. 5th level is when martial characters gain extra attack and casters gain access to 3rd level spells, so it’s a huge DPS spike on the players’ side. An adventure written for 5th level characters is going to be expecting them to be able to output something like 60% more damage than a 4th level party is going to be capable of. So, if you’re adjusting it for a 4th level party, consider reducing all the enemies’ HP by a good amount. Half is probably overdoing it, but maybe shave off a quarter to a third.

 

[Stalker0]

The difference from 4th level to 5th is much more significant than 3rd to 4th or 5th to 6th. 5th level is when martial characters gain extra attack and casters gain access to 3rd level spells, so it’s a huge DPS spike on the players’ side. An adventure written for 5th level characters is going to be expecting them to be able to output something like 60% more damage than a 4th level party is going to be capable of. So, if you’re adjusting it for a 4th level party, consider reducing all the enemies’ HP by a good amount. Half is probably overdoing it, but maybe shave off a quarter to a third.

100% agree. For most levels I wouldn’t bat an eye, but 4th -> 5th is one of biggest jumps in the game. I do think care needs to be taken here

 

[payn]

Not as stiff as PF2 should be fine.

 

[GMMichael]

Don't bother with adjusting hit points. You can fudge the changes - the amounts given in adventure modules / monster manuals are just recommendations, anyway.

The important question is: what powers does the adventure expect? Do the opponents have any powers that will ruin a level-4-party's day (but not a 5th)? Does the adventure assume any 5th-level powers that the 4th-level party won't have? You might need to sprinkle in some magic items if there are any such issues.

With the bonded (bounded?) accuracy, you can probably reduce all static DCs by 1 point and be fine. Even that might be a bit much.