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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Fanaelialae" data-source="post: 4939415" data-attributes="member: 53980">Yeah, I was just pointing out that while you kept referring to minions the PCs aren't really meant to fight, my original point was about a solo they are intended to fight.IME, Solos can be great and terrifying opponents, but usually only if they have support.  4e is a very team-oriented game and that applies as much on the DM's side of the screen as it does for the players.  Using an elite boss just means that you can use more non-elites than you could using the solo (IMO it's a matter of what fits the scenario/fight dynamic best).I've only once had success with using a lone solo and I believe the unusual terrain had a lot to do with that fight being a success.The solo I used was a bulette which I'd upgraded to solo status.  The terrain was a crumbling stone rampart that abutted the cavern wall on one side and surrounded a boiling lake on the other.  On the far side of the rampart was the PC's goal- a portal that would take them where they needed to go (it wasn't necessary to kill the bulette assuming the party could reach the portal).The fight was very tense as the party made a break for the portal but were slowed by the plate wearing fighter.  One of the bulette's upgrades allowed him to burrow through stone and collapse portions of the rampart, so it was able to drop the fighter into the scalding mud below.  The party fired back with some forced movement that slid the bulette into the burning mud as well, forcing it into a momentary withdrawal that allowed the fighter to scramble back onto the rampart.  From there on it was a very cat and mouse battle, with the bulette doing its best to divide and conquer.  The PCs won, but half the party was unconscious (including the fighter) and the other half was bloodied.  Did I mention that the fighter was a pre-errata Battlerager?  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" />Nonetheless, I would describe all of my other attempts at using a lone Solo as bland at best.  I've found they work well with support, but otherwise you need to go out of your way to tailor the encounter to the solo to make it fun.</blockquote>

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