D&D General Is WotC's 5E D&D easy? Trust me this isn't what you think... maybe

[payn]

I remember one adventure where the book made a point about the heroes having to scavenge for food and other survival stuff like torches etc.

Ranger had an ability to basically do that free of charge. Made that whole aspect kind of pointless.

Because you let it.

 

[Micah Sweet]

This is my read of the situation.

The players seemed, according to the description, to be having fun.

The DM seemed to want the fight to be more challenging. By more challenging, I mean have a greater chance of using up resources, causing permanent damage to the PCs, and/or possibly threaten character death. Because the fight wasn't overly challenging, the DM had less fun.

It seems to me the simplest way to have the DM have more fun is simply to increase the potency of the challenges.

There seems to be an undercurrent of expectation that running the core rules in a standard adventure should provide a baseline higher challenge than the rules currently provide. I feel that expectation is controversial, but whether or not that expectation exists, the die is already cast in terms of what the rules actually provide.

As a solution, the DM could simply change their expectations about challenge level, and enjoy giving the players the challenge they seem to prefer. Or, they could change 5e to be more challenging. This can be done by changing player-facing rules, or by creating encounters that are significantly more deadly than the "standard" or pre-published adventures. Or, they could play another game where the default difficulty level is closer to the DM's expectations.

The question from the OP to my understanding was simply whether or not published WotC adventures default as written to a low or very low challenge level in general. The answer hereabouts, with some exceptions, seems to be "yes".

 

[TwoSix]

The question from the OP to my understanding was simply whether or not published WotC adventures default as written to a low or very low challenge level in general. The answer hereabouts, with some exceptions, seems to be "yes".

As an avowed module-disliker, I can't really say.

Going purely by the previous "gargoyle/drow/zombie" encounter posted above, which was labeled as a "boss fight", then it certainly seems to me to be aimed at a low level of player optimization and use of tactics.

 

[ezo]

which was labeled as a "boss fight"

Was it?? I must have missed that somewhere....

 

[Stormonu]

I remember one adventure where the book made a point about the heroes having to scavenge for food and other survival stuff like torches etc.

Ranger had an ability to basically do that free of charge. Made that whole aspect kind of pointless.

Perhaps A4 - Dungeons of the Slave Lords?

The Ranger's ability wouldn't make success in that adventure automatic due to its specific design. Though I could see the DM giving the player an edge or bonus in identifying or crafting the items the group would run across that could be useful to the group.

 

[TwoSix]

Was it?? I must have missed that somewhere....

Yep, right at the start.

I think a good example of the "combat ease" issue I have was last session.

The group arrives at the boss fight. 4 level 3s. Cleric, Ranger, Rogue, Wizard.

vs 3 ghouls. 2 drow. 1 gargoyle. 2 zombies.

 

[DarkCrisis]

Perhaps A4 - Dungeons of the Slave Lords?

The Ranger's ability wouldn't make success in that adventure automatic due to its specific design. Though I could see the DM giving the player an edge or bonus in identifying or crafting the items the group would run across that could be useful to the group.

A modern Underdark adenture I think. Demon something maybe. It was a few years back.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Why is "boss fight" medium difficulty and why the characters have all their resources going into it?

 

[DarkCrisis]

Why is "boss fight" medium difficulty and why the characters have all their resources going into it?

Is was actually the 3rd fight of the day. And as a lot of people may miss, this was a published adventure (though not a WotC offical).

And yes the DM can change things but that was kind of my point, it shouldnt have to be if playing with the books recommended # of players While this thread is focused purely on WotC products which I find to be worse in the challenge department.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Is was actually the 3rd fight of the day. And as a lot of people may miss, this was a published adventure (though not a WotC offical).

And yes the DM can change things but that was kind of my point, it shouldnt have to be if playing with the books recommended # of players While this thread is focused purely on WotC products which I find to be worse in the challenge department.

Yeah, I am not "blaming" you, I was just wondering why the adventure designer would write it like this. And presumably the earlier encounters were pretty easy too, if no significant resources were expended? Then again, this is just third level, so it might be OK to still softball things a bit at that point, if the assumption is that the players might have been complete noobs at the first level.