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General Tabletop Discussion
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Making Challenging Combats?
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<blockquote data-quote="Retreater" data-source="post: 8748568" data-attributes="member: 42040"><p>Yeah, I know. But there's only so much a DM can do when their group wants to return to 5e after having tried several other systems and found it to be their "sweet spot."</p><p>To the antithesis of this example, I'm also running a game for another group (with 2nd level characters) that manages to feel challenging, exciting, and varied each session. It's just that the very principles of the encounter design are already so different by 6th level. </p><p>Examples: </p><p>Assassin is poised on a shadowy rooftop. Monk does a shadow step up there as a bonus action, grapples the guy. Paladin grows wings for a minute, flies up there and smites the guy repeatedly until he's paste.</p><p>A crowd of enemies stand between the ranger and his quarry. A quick bonus action of Zephyr Strike, and the ranger can do laps around the foes for no consequence and can easily get to the boss.</p><p>Want +10 to Stealth, that's Pass Without Trace. Need to see in the dark without a torch? The monk can spend a ki point (which she gets back in a short rest) and see for 8 hours. </p><p>Magic weapons make (nearly) all damage resistance pointless.</p><p>The PCs in my group typically have 18-19 AC (with the exception of the wizard). Monsters rarely hit and can't keep up with the damage output of ki flurries, paladin smites, and the ranger's two longbow attacks a round.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Retreater, post: 8748568, member: 42040"] Yeah, I know. But there's only so much a DM can do when their group wants to return to 5e after having tried several other systems and found it to be their "sweet spot." To the antithesis of this example, I'm also running a game for another group (with 2nd level characters) that manages to feel challenging, exciting, and varied each session. It's just that the very principles of the encounter design are already so different by 6th level. Examples: Assassin is poised on a shadowy rooftop. Monk does a shadow step up there as a bonus action, grapples the guy. Paladin grows wings for a minute, flies up there and smites the guy repeatedly until he's paste. A crowd of enemies stand between the ranger and his quarry. A quick bonus action of Zephyr Strike, and the ranger can do laps around the foes for no consequence and can easily get to the boss. Want +10 to Stealth, that's Pass Without Trace. Need to see in the dark without a torch? The monk can spend a ki point (which she gets back in a short rest) and see for 8 hours. Magic weapons make (nearly) all damage resistance pointless. The PCs in my group typically have 18-19 AC (with the exception of the wizard). Monsters rarely hit and can't keep up with the damage output of ki flurries, paladin smites, and the ranger's two longbow attacks a round. [/QUOTE]
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