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Message: <blockquote data-quote="jollyninja" data-source="post: 1597862" data-attributes="member: 3208">apply templates to familiar creatures. just when they think they know what's coming, the half red dragon troll pops up and nails em with a firey treat. seriously though, an encounter i loved using in my last campaign was a 16 of the level five hobgoblin fighters out of the dmg npc section accompanied by a pair of level 9 sorcerors. ray of enfeeblement, haste, invisibility sphere. you only get one shot but if the first round takes out the wizard (6-8 flat footed flank attacks) and the tanks can't carry thier shiny magical platemail after two rounds because they have lost 12 pts of str. the encounter stays tough, the cleric can't keep up with two casters with improved invis. every once in awhile i threw in a lev 13 caster to freak them out.for more generic advice, take terrain and environment into account. flying creatures swooping in areas where the warrior types have to make balance checks every time they want to attack, bridges of ice being pelted with fireballs from below while the party are assaulted from both sides. have enemies use dimensional anchor, if the party wizard uses a cone of cold, it's not a stretch for a 4000 year old creature with a 10 int to know they might have some magical means to evade capture or teleport. if they've got any kind of detection spells, they would use them. if they are hunting the party they would be pausing every few rounds to reuse their at will ability to see invisible for sure.  that's not metagame, they've got it and know they've got it. they would use it. in high level games, the monsters have to act a little more cohesively. even the chaotic neutral and not all that bright ones are going to do simple things like flank party members whenever possible, you don't have to come close to killing all of them, but i consider my job not done if i do not get every character into single digit hp at least once per month no matter the party level. the high powered monsters are assumed to not be ambushed every time because they know what they are doing. they have probably fought off adventurers before, unless your players have some unusual advantage or tactic, your standard grey slaad has probably see it fifty times.</blockquote>

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