I think designing "encounters" for 5e will be pretty easy. Instead of using multiple versions of the same monster (First as a level 1* Solo, then as a level 4 elite, then as a level 7 normal monster and then finally as a level 11 minion), I can just use the same monster. It will actually have an ok to-hit chance and defenses.
I will probably go back to the style of just putting a lot of monsters into an area and let the players "create" and "balance" the encounters. It saves a lot of time and makes the adventure feel a lot less like a railroad.
I think one of the problems with 4e was that too many monsters had special abilities. Sure it creates some interesting encounters, but it's often enough with 1-2 special creatures and 3-7 simple. Running the simple monsters would then be really fast. Premade modules typically had three different monster types with 2-3 different forms of attacks, some with recharge and 1-2 special things. In total, it just bogs down the game.
From my last 4e game, my players actually mentioned that I was slow, and it was true. It's probably because I started showing the initiative with cardboard triangles so they always knew when they were up and actually planned what they wanted to do. When you have to learn three new monsters for every encounter it's actually the DM that becomes the bottleneck. I think 5e will actually fix this to a certain degree.
I don't think the regular monsters need to have lots of fancy stuff to create interesting encounters. It's the interaction with the PC's and the situation that makes it interesting, not so much that it can attack with it's sword in three different ways, or that a PC heals 3 hp less if it's within 5' of it.
*All numbers made up on the spot,
I will probably go back to the style of just putting a lot of monsters into an area and let the players "create" and "balance" the encounters. It saves a lot of time and makes the adventure feel a lot less like a railroad.
I think one of the problems with 4e was that too many monsters had special abilities. Sure it creates some interesting encounters, but it's often enough with 1-2 special creatures and 3-7 simple. Running the simple monsters would then be really fast. Premade modules typically had three different monster types with 2-3 different forms of attacks, some with recharge and 1-2 special things. In total, it just bogs down the game.
From my last 4e game, my players actually mentioned that I was slow, and it was true. It's probably because I started showing the initiative with cardboard triangles so they always knew when they were up and actually planned what they wanted to do. When you have to learn three new monsters for every encounter it's actually the DM that becomes the bottleneck. I think 5e will actually fix this to a certain degree.
I don't think the regular monsters need to have lots of fancy stuff to create interesting encounters. It's the interaction with the PC's and the situation that makes it interesting, not so much that it can attack with it's sword in three different ways, or that a PC heals 3 hp less if it's within 5' of it.
*All numbers made up on the spot,
