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Message: <blockquote data-quote="AtomicPope" data-source="post: 7853326" data-attributes="member: 64790">I've been running the same campaign since 2016, going on 4 years.  The PCs are all level 20 and have boons, artifacts, and legendary equipment.  They still have to worry about dying because combat can be deadly.  Right now they're hunting down some fiends and trying to get rid of them before they corrupt anyone else.  They're fighting corrupted Giants, basically Giants with an ability or two.  Even at 20th level with ACs over 20, three or four Giants can still be dangerous.  The last encounter there were only two Giants.  During the fight there were two Nat 20's, the only attacks that hit fully.  It was over 100 hit points damage.  The fighter was pushed against the wall (Fire Giant special ability from SKT) and trapped.  They beat the crap out of him.  Sure everyone survived but even two Giants with some special powers can put up a real fight.The standard for DMing is knowing your PCs and players.  I throw trash mobs that they cannot lose to because it makes them feel like super heroes (think of Jedi wading through Droids).  It's good to puff them up.  The nice thing about 5e is Bounded Accuracy keeps trash mobs like Hobgoblins relevant.  They're not completely harmless, but they're not going to win unless the PCs are utterly careless.  Then I mix it up with some brick walls, something that stops them dead in their tracks.  Deadly fights are Boss fights, using Lair Actions, Legendary Actions, and exotic terrain.  Tying it together thematically is part of the storytelling. Keeping it challenging and exciting is just DMing.  The PCs have to be challenged, and that means they could fail, either by dying, making the wrong choice, or simply running out of time.</blockquote>

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