Increasing damage (or reducing hit points)

[Vicar In A Tutu]

I've come to believe that one of the most frustrating points of 4E IMHO, is the huge number of hit points certain monsters have (most notably solo monsters, but also, to a certain degree, elite monsters). Fights against such creatures tend to be fast and furious for the first few rounds (as everyone uses their encounter and daily powers), but tend to degenerate into boredom and frustration as all the cool stuff are spent and the number of rounds increase, increase and increase.

I'm not a rules-lawyer, so I need some input from the community. How about allowing the 1/2 level bonus also apply to damage rolls? Would that unbalance the game? (Maybe it should just apply for the player characters?) In any event, even this bonus seems negliable (+5 damage at 10th level, seems puny). Maybe reducing the hit points of enemies by 25%?

What do you think?

 

[tombowings]

Whatever you do, do it to both monsters and PCs.

 

[mattdm]

The other DM in our group and I also have this suspicion based on our little playtests, but are holding back judgement for now. It may be that when players are more familiar with what they can do, the damage is stepped up significantly.

That said, encounter design needs to match the party. If there's no strikers in the party, be sparing with brute monsters — particularly solo brutes.

 

[keterys]

The other DM in our group and I also have this suspicion based on our little playtests, but are holding back judgement for now. It may be that when players are more familiar with what they can do, the damage is stepped up significantly.

That said, encounter design needs to match the party. If there's no strikers in the party, be sparing with brute monsters — particularly solo brutes.

All solos have the same hp - solo brutes are actually easier to hit, so take damage (and die) faster than other solo types.

More solo brutes, less soldier solos, says I.

Or just more elites and normals, no solos at all.

 

[Samurai]

If you wanted, you could say that Elites get 150% of normal HP instead of 200%, and Solos get 300% instead of 400%.

 

[fissionessence]

Hm. My players haven't gone up against any solos yet, but in a fight with some elites, the elite monsters went down much more quickly than I had thought/hoped. They'll be going against a solo this next session, though, so I'll be on the lookout for anything like this happening.

Then again, it could be party makeup, as someone else suggested. My group is a ranger, a rogue and a fighter.

~

 

[WhatGravitas]

Hmm... the DDM statcards have lower than expected hp, much more in the range of PCs.

I guess if somebody reverse-engineers these numbers, you'd get a combat closer to your expectation.

Cheers, LT.

 

[Revinor]

Easiest solution is to avoid solo monsters.

They are meant to be a challenge for the party and they need a lot of rounds to dish out enough damage to be comparable with 5 normal monsters hitting at the same time. On the other hand, just increasing the damage dealt by solo monsters (so they can be same threat, just in shorter amount of rounds) will seriously nerf ability of players to use the healing/regeneration/etc.

As another point, maybe problem is with your players? Are their strikers playing properly? Do they apply the debuffs, make sure that rogue is getting his CA, that they have not made weak characters because of 'roleplaying' reasons? All this can suddenly make fights a LOT longer.

 

[mattdm]

As another point, maybe problem is with your players? Are their strikers playing properly? Do they apply the debuffs, make sure that rogue is getting his CA, that they have not made weak characters because of 'roleplaying' reasons? All this can suddenly make fights a LOT longer.

It's like people who play the money-for-free-parking house rule in Monopoly, and then complain that the game lasts forever.