Hannerdyn
Explorer
I'll offer a different tactic based on the party you have.
Some background: I never require or even request a party have a certain build. Play what you enjoy, I'll build encounter's and adventures around the party. I'm trying to tell a good story.
That doesn't mean I withhold challenges. My players are challenged, but those challenges are meant to engage their individual character concepts and abilities in-game.
Create encounters that require them to use their individual abilities more intelligently (you mentioned fly and greater invisibility on the thief, those are good places to begin). Give them a puzzle that only they can solve, but they only solve it if they really think and know their characters.
This is a kind of 'enzyme' approach to encounters and adventures; where you have a high-magic, strike from a distance party that can't heal, you send encounters that nullify magic and close distances quickly, but might be vulnerable to the secondary strengths of the party; raw damage, surprise or control abilities, etc.
If those encounters don't be them, they've likely learned something. If they do beat them, by all means roll at a lower level. I think that may be the root of most of your issues, though I hate recommending a TPK unless it makes sense story-wise or you have something in-game and irrevocably dysfunctional.
Some background: I never require or even request a party have a certain build. Play what you enjoy, I'll build encounter's and adventures around the party. I'm trying to tell a good story.
That doesn't mean I withhold challenges. My players are challenged, but those challenges are meant to engage their individual character concepts and abilities in-game.
Create encounters that require them to use their individual abilities more intelligently (you mentioned fly and greater invisibility on the thief, those are good places to begin). Give them a puzzle that only they can solve, but they only solve it if they really think and know their characters.
This is a kind of 'enzyme' approach to encounters and adventures; where you have a high-magic, strike from a distance party that can't heal, you send encounters that nullify magic and close distances quickly, but might be vulnerable to the secondary strengths of the party; raw damage, surprise or control abilities, etc.
If those encounters don't be them, they've likely learned something. If they do beat them, by all means roll at a lower level. I think that may be the root of most of your issues, though I hate recommending a TPK unless it makes sense story-wise or you have something in-game and irrevocably dysfunctional.
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