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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mistwell" data-source="post: 7957280" data-attributes="member: 2525">There are some baseline assumptions built into the game expectations (sometimes hard to find, sometimes implied) which, if used, make 5e not easy at all.If you drift from those baseline assumptions too far, you will need to adjust something else to make the game as challenging as it was with those assumptions being used.If you don't make those adjustments, then the game can seem too easy. Because you removed some barriers and challenges it was assumed you would use, without replacing them with something else to compensate for the loss of challenge.Some examples of baseline assumptions:1) lots of encounters between short rests,2) lots of wandering monsters to make taking a rest more difficult, including wandering monsters which will wait outside your secured resting area or resting spell and ambush you as soon as you are done resting,3) the use of an array of challenge types between rests and the denial of player knowledge about monster strength (without a good knowledge roll) so they're unsure if each presented challenge is difficult or easy and they risk using resources on an easy encounter (this can include the assumption you will re-skin some creatures to look like something new the players have never seen),4) the use of legendary monsters and legendary lairs with lair actions sometimes,5) the use of traps and difficult terrain and terrain which the monsters are not encumbered by but the players do find challenging,6) the risk of alerting monsters in another area that you're fighting monsters in this area such that you can have one or more encounters combine unexpectedly,7) using monster intelligence and wisdom to go after more vulnerable members of the party first like the spellcasters,8) foes continuing to attack fallen PCs after they go down to finish them off rather than moving on to the next PC and leaving someone unconscious instead of dead,9) monsters running away to fight another day rather than always fighting to the death,10) a DM understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the party and sometimes attacking their weaknesses.There is nothing wrong with ignoring one or more of these assumptions, provided you replace that with something else. Like higher CR challenges.But if you just ignore those assumptions, which are not well spelled out in the rules sometimes but instead are scattered throughout the rules and sometimes just implied by rules or published adventures, then you are going to have to find something else to replace that aspect of expected challenges.And, as some of these are very old school assumptions which were not as prevalent in some more recent editions of the game, sometimes the more experience you have with 3e or 4e D&D, the harder it is to adjust to using these assumptions in your game as often as I think they were intended to be used. For instance, I think a lot of people ignore all those extensive wandering monster charts throughout the rules of 5e and the published adventures like they're wasted space. Or all those "this spell makes a thunderous noise" descriptions like they're just fluff. Or the Intelligence or Wisdom scores (and description of what they mean) of foes are treated as just an indication for saving throws as opposed to strategy and tactics (and morale). Or that the perception score for a foe is also to hear that thunderwave you just cast several rooms away, and their movement speed can be used to join that battle, perhaps from behind.</blockquote>

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