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<blockquote data-quote="Rhenny" data-source="post: 6383005" data-attributes="member: 18333">Like the post above, I'm finding that mixing in high CR monsters into some encounters is teaching/conditioning players to think more and not take combat for granted.&nbsp; Players are learning how to run, negotiate, use other alternatives to circumvent or influence the situation, etc.&nbsp;&nbsp; I love that.I think many of the WotC adventures so far (Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle, Lost Mines of Phandelver and Hoard of the Dragon Queen - ones I've read, currently run or play) are using higher CR monsters to encourage alternatives to combat. For the most part, most creatures that are CR 3 or 4 above the party can be fought if they fit within the XP budget and don't become a deadly encounter.&nbsp; The ones that become most deadly are the ones with area of effect attacks or spells, and ones that have effects that can dominate others, hold, paralyze, turn to stone, etc.With the right strategy, lower level parties can survive and even kill the higher level threats, but I love when the party sees that they are in trouble and they have to retreat or try to talk their way out of a situation.Just a few nights ago, the 3rd level rogue in my game touched a rune that teleported him to another location.&nbsp; He was alone.&nbsp; He poked his head out of an alcove, trying to be stealthy, to see what was out there.&nbsp; Unfortunately, he was not stealthy (bad roll) so a flesh golem and a medusa heard him and looked right at him.&nbsp; Lucky for him he had an inspiration point, so when he made his con check vs. medusa, he made it at advantage.&nbsp; He rolled one fail and then a save.&nbsp;&nbsp; But, he also rolled low on initiative so he got hit with two arrows from the medusa's longbow and then the golem smashed him, missing once and hitting a second time.&nbsp; This brought him down to 4 hit points.&nbsp;&nbsp; He clearly realized that he needed to touch another rune in the alcove to try to teleport back to where the rest of the party was.&nbsp;&nbsp; He did that and the monsters were unable to follow (well, the golem was too big to fit into the alcove - The medusa was just not interested in leaving her chamber).After the rogue told the others, they could have prepared and teleported back to attempt the fight, but they decided that it wasn't worth the risk.&nbsp; &nbsp; On my side of the screen, I think with full spells and other resources, the party would most likely defeat the Golem and the medusa, but it would be a risk.&nbsp;&nbsp; I love the way the CR 7 creatures function for the level 3 players in this case.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Rhenny, post: 6383005, member: 18333"] Like the post above, I'm finding that mixing in high CR monsters into some encounters is teaching/conditioning players to think more and not take combat for granted. Players are learning how to run, negotiate, use other alternatives to circumvent or influence the situation, etc. I love that. I think many of the WotC adventures so far (Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle, Lost Mines of Phandelver and Hoard of the Dragon Queen - ones I've read, currently run or play) are using higher CR monsters to encourage alternatives to combat. For the most part, most creatures that are CR 3 or 4 above the party can be fought if they fit within the XP budget and don't become a deadly encounter. The ones that become most deadly are the ones with area of effect attacks or spells, and ones that have effects that can dominate others, hold, paralyze, turn to stone, etc. With the right strategy, lower level parties can survive and even kill the higher level threats, but I love when the party sees that they are in trouble and they have to retreat or try to talk their way out of a situation. Just a few nights ago, the 3rd level rogue in my game touched a rune that teleported him to another location. He was alone. He poked his head out of an alcove, trying to be stealthy, to see what was out there. Unfortunately, he was not stealthy (bad roll) so a flesh golem and a medusa heard him and looked right at him. Lucky for him he had an inspiration point, so when he made his con check vs. medusa, he made it at advantage. He rolled one fail and then a save. But, he also rolled low on initiative so he got hit with two arrows from the medusa's longbow and then the golem smashed him, missing once and hitting a second time. This brought him down to 4 hit points. He clearly realized that he needed to touch another rune in the alcove to try to teleport back to where the rest of the party was. He did that and the monsters were unable to follow (well, the golem was too big to fit into the alcove - The medusa was just not interested in leaving her chamber). After the rogue told the others, they could have prepared and teleported back to attempt the fight, but they decided that it wasn't worth the risk. On my side of the screen, I think with full spells and other resources, the party would most likely defeat the Golem and the medusa, but it would be a risk. I love the way the CR 7 creatures function for the level 3 players in this case. [/QUOTE]

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