Henry
Autoexreginated
OK, I have a few suggestions, and they all fall under two headings:
1. KNOW YOUR PARTY:
Having a handle on the capabilities means you have a handle on what can challenge them. DM's who get bored by the PC's are usually I think hampered by not knowing what the characters COULD do, and so either plan too much or not enough for this. Sometimes it helps to shake things up by planning a fight that it takes the BAREST SKIN of their teeth to win - or sometimes even better, a fight they LOSE and have to retreat from! I've never seen a bored party that just won a fight with 10% of their hit points and spells left.
Also, use this knowledge to invent new challenges. Are the party short on clerics? Undead are much more challenging. Short on area-effect spellcasters? Hordes of little guys can be a real pain. Is a party member a champion of the god of goodness and light? Then having a town succumbed to shadows can make a compelling reason to go someplace.
2. KNOW YOUR PLAYERS:
Beyond challenging your PC's, it helps to know what kinds of things the players enjoy, so you can challenge THEM, too. Got someone who wants nothing but to have a stronger character? Rumors of mighty weapons and artifacts will set their radar off, even if it's not true. Every once in a while, MAKE it true, so they don't think they're just chasing wild geese all the time.
Have a puzzler? Have a tactical person? Set up a REAL problem, like a superior force, or a 100-year old mystery, that the adventure is dependent on solving. Watch their mind-gears turn as they sink their teeth in, and figure out how to save the day. Make the puzzle winnable, and they really DO save the day with their obscure puzzle-knowledge or their tactical prowess. LET the tactical person set up "trip phalanxes," or "kill zones" or whatever their demented little heart dreams up! Got a roleplayer extraordinaire? Then he is the one who comes to the fore when the town's government breaks down and there is a secret civil war between the guild and the law, or between the sheriff and his officers, or between the judicials and the town council.
Find out what kinds of adventures light their fires, and try to cover every base you can. The more you do it, the more practice you get.
Look to Piratecat's current Nacreous story arc as inspiration. You can tell who the tacticians are who gave plans for the assault, who are the ones to call on when roleplaying or intimidation are called for, and who are the ones with the best one-liners.
Good luck, and please know that there's MILES of material out there, but only you can make it work for your group.
1. KNOW YOUR PARTY:
Having a handle on the capabilities means you have a handle on what can challenge them. DM's who get bored by the PC's are usually I think hampered by not knowing what the characters COULD do, and so either plan too much or not enough for this. Sometimes it helps to shake things up by planning a fight that it takes the BAREST SKIN of their teeth to win - or sometimes even better, a fight they LOSE and have to retreat from! I've never seen a bored party that just won a fight with 10% of their hit points and spells left.
Also, use this knowledge to invent new challenges. Are the party short on clerics? Undead are much more challenging. Short on area-effect spellcasters? Hordes of little guys can be a real pain. Is a party member a champion of the god of goodness and light? Then having a town succumbed to shadows can make a compelling reason to go someplace.
2. KNOW YOUR PLAYERS:
Beyond challenging your PC's, it helps to know what kinds of things the players enjoy, so you can challenge THEM, too. Got someone who wants nothing but to have a stronger character? Rumors of mighty weapons and artifacts will set their radar off, even if it's not true. Every once in a while, MAKE it true, so they don't think they're just chasing wild geese all the time.
Have a puzzler? Have a tactical person? Set up a REAL problem, like a superior force, or a 100-year old mystery, that the adventure is dependent on solving. Watch their mind-gears turn as they sink their teeth in, and figure out how to save the day. Make the puzzle winnable, and they really DO save the day with their obscure puzzle-knowledge or their tactical prowess. LET the tactical person set up "trip phalanxes," or "kill zones" or whatever their demented little heart dreams up! Got a roleplayer extraordinaire? Then he is the one who comes to the fore when the town's government breaks down and there is a secret civil war between the guild and the law, or between the sheriff and his officers, or between the judicials and the town council.
Find out what kinds of adventures light their fires, and try to cover every base you can. The more you do it, the more practice you get.
Look to Piratecat's current Nacreous story arc as inspiration. You can tell who the tacticians are who gave plans for the assault, who are the ones to call on when roleplaying or intimidation are called for, and who are the ones with the best one-liners.
Good luck, and please know that there's MILES of material out there, but only you can make it work for your group.
