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Making Challenging Combats?
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<blockquote data-quote="Quickleaf" data-source="post: 8747838" data-attributes="member: 20323"><p>Hi Retreater, yeah I do have my own rules-of-thumb...</p><p></p><p>First, "deadly" does not mean what you think it means, especially if the party is not having 6-8 encounters per adventuring day (IME most of us don't have that many). Don't be afraid to use Daily Adventuring XP Budget as a guideline or even just your "DM feels." I've routinely seen PCs hit above what the rules would have you believe is their "weight class", such as four 10th levels taking on a CR 16 star spawn larva mage with Lair Actions and a magic item. And I saw that same 10th level party – after being severely taxed – flee a goblin ambush.</p><p></p><p>Second, I make sure that I'm playing my monsters effectively. Sometimes this means dissecting a stat block before running, and noting down the tactics of maximum effect for the monster. Other times it means staging the scene to facilitate that monster's unique kind of ambush. And other times it means pairing the monster with a suitable terrain hazard/trap or complication. Even just mentally noting "these ghouls ALWAYS attack dying characters and attempt to drag them away to feast on them" or "a shallow layer of water causes anyone knocked unconscious to begin drowning" can add a lot of peril to a scene.</p><p></p><p>Third, I include ~1 complication, twist, or development <em>per tier of play </em>in most of my serious combats. For a small or newbie group I'll lower this total by 1, while for a large or highly experienced group I'll increase it by 1. So say you have a party of 4 or 5 PCs of 13th level – I'd aim to include ~3 complications, twists, or developments in most of the combats you want to be challenging.</p><p></p><p>EDIT: I'll address your concern about this being exhausting or un-fun. Obviously, you don't want to use this approach 100% of the time. Variety is the spice of life. Sometimes a lone kobold is exactly what they need to encounter. However, I adopted this rule something like 66-75% of the time, and it really increased player enjoyment and engagement during combat. At least for my group. YMMV.</p><p></p><p>I can run through an example of this latter point if you have a specific encounter on your mind, maybe one you ran and wish were more challenging, or one you're planning for an upcoming session?</p><p></p><p>EDIT EDIT: Ah, found my old 10 Dials of Combat Difficulty...</p><p></p><p>[SPOILER]</p><p> 1. Don't let the players always be in control over when they rest, particularly when they get a long rest. For example, if they're on a time sensitive mission, taking even a single short rest before the mission is over could spell disaster.</p><p></p><p> 2. If the party does take a long rest after beginning an incursion on a monster lair/dungeon, have the inhabitants spend those 8 hours bolstering defenses and making appropriate preparations.</p><p></p><p> 3. Define party goals in combat besides "kill all monsters" which offer a different way to use resources/actions. For example, defend an emissary from assassins. The great thing about this approach is that it immerses the players in the game and makes victory independent from hit points.</p><p></p><p> 4. Use tactics suiting the monster types, their Intelligence, and any recon they have on the party. For example, goblins are well known for retreating out of line-of-sight into an area where a lot more goblins lurk with readied attacks...potentially killing a foolhardy PC in pursuit. Whereas cunning NPC mercenaries might use the player's own tactics against them. Keith Ammonn's <a href="http://themonstersknow.com/" target="_blank">The Monsters Know</a> is a good starting point.</p><p></p><p> 5. Attack unconscious PCs when it makes sense for the monster in question. For example, an intelligent gladiator who realizes the party has access to healing magic...when he KO's a PC with one attack, he'll use another of his Extra Attacks to stab the PC while they're down, causing 2 failed death saves, and upping the pressure on the PCs to heal that PC immediately.</p><p></p><p> 6. Create scenarios where the PCs may end up out of reach of buffing/healing spells. For example, a chasm with enemy guards watching a wall on the far side who can be easily assassinated by the rogue, but doing so puts him out of range of the cleric.</p><p></p><p> 7. Make the environment favor the monsters. For example, salamanders (immune to fire & able to "swim" in lava) near streams of lava emanating intense heat. Alternately, you can come up with Lair Actions shared by an entire tribe of monsters.</p><p></p><p> 8. Make the environment dangerous. Opportunities to fall seem to be the #1 killer in my games. Kobolds don't stick around to fight unless they have traps. When fighting in a mine, spells like <em>thunderwave</em> or <em>shatter</em> or <em>booming blade</em> might run the risk of triggering a collapse.</p><p></p><p> 9. Increase the number of lower CR enemies, but introduce them in waves. However, be prepared with a way to quickly & clearly track their hit points/conditions. If there are truly a lot, consider using the Handling Mobs rules in the DMG.</p><p></p><p> 10. Don't be afraid to use monsters of significantly higher CR if it makes sense for your story (and you're foreshadowing the monsters). I had four 6th-level PCs (all were fresh) just barely take down a CR 12 titanoboa (from Kobold Press' <em>Tome of Beasts</em>) without any casualties, but they came very close.[/SPOILER]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Quickleaf, post: 8747838, member: 20323"] Hi Retreater, yeah I do have my own rules-of-thumb... First, "deadly" does not mean what you think it means, especially if the party is not having 6-8 encounters per adventuring day (IME most of us don't have that many). Don't be afraid to use Daily Adventuring XP Budget as a guideline or even just your "DM feels." I've routinely seen PCs hit above what the rules would have you believe is their "weight class", such as four 10th levels taking on a CR 16 star spawn larva mage with Lair Actions and a magic item. And I saw that same 10th level party – after being severely taxed – flee a goblin ambush. Second, I make sure that I'm playing my monsters effectively. Sometimes this means dissecting a stat block before running, and noting down the tactics of maximum effect for the monster. Other times it means staging the scene to facilitate that monster's unique kind of ambush. And other times it means pairing the monster with a suitable terrain hazard/trap or complication. Even just mentally noting "these ghouls ALWAYS attack dying characters and attempt to drag them away to feast on them" or "a shallow layer of water causes anyone knocked unconscious to begin drowning" can add a lot of peril to a scene. Third, I include ~1 complication, twist, or development [I]per tier of play [/I]in most of my serious combats. For a small or newbie group I'll lower this total by 1, while for a large or highly experienced group I'll increase it by 1. So say you have a party of 4 or 5 PCs of 13th level – I'd aim to include ~3 complications, twists, or developments in most of the combats you want to be challenging. EDIT: I'll address your concern about this being exhausting or un-fun. Obviously, you don't want to use this approach 100% of the time. Variety is the spice of life. Sometimes a lone kobold is exactly what they need to encounter. However, I adopted this rule something like 66-75% of the time, and it really increased player enjoyment and engagement during combat. At least for my group. YMMV. I can run through an example of this latter point if you have a specific encounter on your mind, maybe one you ran and wish were more challenging, or one you're planning for an upcoming session? EDIT EDIT: Ah, found my old 10 Dials of Combat Difficulty... [SPOILER] 1. Don't let the players always be in control over when they rest, particularly when they get a long rest. For example, if they're on a time sensitive mission, taking even a single short rest before the mission is over could spell disaster. 2. If the party does take a long rest after beginning an incursion on a monster lair/dungeon, have the inhabitants spend those 8 hours bolstering defenses and making appropriate preparations. 3. Define party goals in combat besides "kill all monsters" which offer a different way to use resources/actions. For example, defend an emissary from assassins. The great thing about this approach is that it immerses the players in the game and makes victory independent from hit points. 4. Use tactics suiting the monster types, their Intelligence, and any recon they have on the party. For example, goblins are well known for retreating out of line-of-sight into an area where a lot more goblins lurk with readied attacks...potentially killing a foolhardy PC in pursuit. Whereas cunning NPC mercenaries might use the player's own tactics against them. Keith Ammonn's [URL='http://themonstersknow.com/']The Monsters Know[/URL] is a good starting point. 5. Attack unconscious PCs when it makes sense for the monster in question. For example, an intelligent gladiator who realizes the party has access to healing magic...when he KO's a PC with one attack, he'll use another of his Extra Attacks to stab the PC while they're down, causing 2 failed death saves, and upping the pressure on the PCs to heal that PC immediately. 6. Create scenarios where the PCs may end up out of reach of buffing/healing spells. For example, a chasm with enemy guards watching a wall on the far side who can be easily assassinated by the rogue, but doing so puts him out of range of the cleric. 7. Make the environment favor the monsters. For example, salamanders (immune to fire & able to "swim" in lava) near streams of lava emanating intense heat. Alternately, you can come up with Lair Actions shared by an entire tribe of monsters. 8. Make the environment dangerous. Opportunities to fall seem to be the #1 killer in my games. Kobolds don't stick around to fight unless they have traps. When fighting in a mine, spells like [I]thunderwave[/I] or [I]shatter[/I] or [I]booming blade[/I] might run the risk of triggering a collapse. 9. Increase the number of lower CR enemies, but introduce them in waves. However, be prepared with a way to quickly & clearly track their hit points/conditions. If there are truly a lot, consider using the Handling Mobs rules in the DMG. 10. Don't be afraid to use monsters of significantly higher CR if it makes sense for your story (and you're foreshadowing the monsters). I had four 6th-level PCs (all were fresh) just barely take down a CR 12 titanoboa (from Kobold Press' [I]Tome of Beasts[/I]) without any casualties, but they came very close.[/SPOILER] [/QUOTE]
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