D&D 5E Looking for Campaigns for 14+ level PCs

[Zardnaar]

I thought one of the advantages of the bounded accuracy approach was that you could use (say) 12 CR 3 monsters to challenge a high level party. A band of CR 3 monsters doesn't need a world-shaking agenda (although they will presumably be doing more than stealing cows).

I've no idea if it works in practice, since I don't play 5e, but it seems to work for S'mon.

Can be brutal, hell hound and cr 3 spellcasters pack fireball and lightning bolt.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Glad that's working for you. With the amount of damage my players seem to dish out, if my monsters didn't win initiative they'd pretty much be done by the time their turn came round. I given my rolls they rarely win initiative...

That's soluble. Get critters with huge initiative bonuses, lair actions, and other tricks to make sure they go first instead of relying on the dice roll. No reason the bad guy can't be a swashbuckler with a Sword of Warning, the Alertness feat and a dexterity of 20.

 

[cmad1977]

So I ran RoT through to level 16-17 and the heroes had a great time, danced with death on multiple occasions and ultimately triumphed with but 3 rounds left in the ritual of Tiamat. My advice is weird... but it worked for me.

When you think to yourself..
“Is this too Metal?”
The answer is “No, needs just a touch more.”

 

[Matrix Sorcica]

When I run 5e my rule of thumb is that a non-legendary monster of CR X can provide a moderate challenge to ONE PC of Level X. ie it runs a lot like 4e, not 3e.

So, five 5th lvl pcs match up with five CR5 trolls? Or does it vary depending on the party level? Also, that's only moderate?

 

[S'mon]

So, five 5th lvl pcs match up with five CR5 trolls? Or does it vary depending on the party level? Also, that's only moderate?

Well I was thinking of high level, certainly by level 17+ it works like that. I think probably 2 CR 5 trolls is typically a moderate challenge to 4 5th level PCs, if it's a reasonably balanced party. For a Bard-Rogue-Monk-Warlock party I could see one troll being a challenge.

Edit: At level 17+ I'd peg that as a moderate to hard challenge. I've seen a Barbarian-19 defeat a tough CR 25 solo, I'd put the start of dangerous at level +2 equal numbers, deadly at level+4 equal numbers.