I think 4e allows you to easily convert the encounters to be valid for 4-5 characters even without lessening the enemy numbers.
Be liberal with minions. You don't have to stick with 4 per standard monster XP equivalent. I recommend more like 6. Even more with high levels.
With that I mean that you can easily just use 6 minions instead of the one standard monster and the players will manage ok. At low levels just avoid starting all the enemies close to the PC's so that they are not overwhelmed fast.
Also, adjusting monster levels up and down 1-2 levels is going to work fine. If you need a level 1 goblin warrior and the one in the MM is level 2, just subtract 1 from attack bonus and defenses and subtract about 6-8 hp from the max. Same in reverse for adding a level. Damage bonus goes up 1 every two levels, so you can usually leave that unmodified.
Be liberal with minions. You don't have to stick with 4 per standard monster XP equivalent. I recommend more like 6. Even more with high levels.
With that I mean that you can easily just use 6 minions instead of the one standard monster and the players will manage ok. At low levels just avoid starting all the enemies close to the PC's so that they are not overwhelmed fast.
Also, adjusting monster levels up and down 1-2 levels is going to work fine. If you need a level 1 goblin warrior and the one in the MM is level 2, just subtract 1 from attack bonus and defenses and subtract about 6-8 hp from the max. Same in reverse for adding a level. Damage bonus goes up 1 every two levels, so you can usually leave that unmodified.
