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<blockquote data-quote="Keldryn" data-source="post: 5890143" data-attributes="member: 11999">Perhaps the best guideline for advancing/improving monsters in 5e is simply that the DM should be able to do it at the table, without slowing down play.This allows the DM to advance a monster or two in an encounter that he just rolled on a table, or to adjust the difficulty of a planned encounter.&nbsp; The game is always going to run a bit more smoothly with an encounter designed and written up in advance, but it shouldn't take the DM more than about 30 extra seconds to adjust a handful of monsters during play.For example, make a typical humanoid monster into a champion or leader:&nbsp; attacks at +2, add 8 hp, improve AC by 3, +2 to damage rolls.&nbsp; Done.If the game is using 4e-style powers or what have you, add an ability from a fixed list of PC abilities (like Tide of Iron, or the fighter's Combat Challenge).&nbsp; This avoids the &quot;hey, why can't I do that&quot; issue and demonstrates the good side of developing a degree system mastery: you don't have to think about it anymore.&nbsp; I don't want to read a monster writeup with an ability called &quot;Mystical Bolt&quot; that is functionally the same as Magic Missile.&nbsp; Keep the description of the ability in the stat-block (I love not having to look it up in the Player's Handbook), and don't re-use names (i.e. &quot;Evil Eye&quot; on 4e Cyclops).</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Keldryn, post: 5890143, member: 11999"] Perhaps the best guideline for advancing/improving monsters in 5e is simply that the DM should be able to do it at the table, without slowing down play. This allows the DM to advance a monster or two in an encounter that he just rolled on a table, or to adjust the difficulty of a planned encounter. The game is always going to run a bit more smoothly with an encounter designed and written up in advance, but it shouldn't take the DM more than about 30 extra seconds to adjust a handful of monsters during play. For example, make a typical humanoid monster into a champion or leader: attacks at +2, add 8 hp, improve AC by 3, +2 to damage rolls. Done. If the game is using 4e-style powers or what have you, add an ability from a fixed list of PC abilities (like Tide of Iron, or the fighter's Combat Challenge). This avoids the "hey, why can't I do that" issue and demonstrates the good side of developing a degree system mastery: you don't have to think about it anymore. I don't want to read a monster writeup with an ability called "Mystical Bolt" that is functionally the same as Magic Missile. Keep the description of the ability in the stat-block (I love not having to look it up in the Player's Handbook), and don't re-use names (i.e. "Evil Eye" on 4e Cyclops). [/QUOTE]

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