D&D 5E Running High Level 5E is more fun than I thought it would be.

[Reynard]

I'll probably post a bit more in a couple hours when I take a longer break, but I agree that there aren't a ton of high level fey in the official products. I've used stuff from Tome of Beasts and found something on the DmsGuild for some ideas, but I'm just as likely to reskin existing monsters or create my own.

It also depends on how you want to depict The Feywild in your campaign. I represent it as "more" for a lack of a better term. That babbling brook is an entrancing symphony, cold is almost a living thing with a bitterness and hatred of warmth, even the trees seem to be more foreboding or more idyllic.

I tend to go with a weird, wild vibe that ranges in tone from whimsy to terror, like Wonderland or Oz.

 

[lkj]

How does it relate to Scry-Buff-Teleport or similar strategies that initiated my concerns about mitigating the tendency of high level parties being able to go Nova?

Just a note on the teleport-- As others have said, the limits on high level spell slots has really worked for us. After one very difficult 'incident' with a demon lord (where they had almost no means of escape), they have taken to trying to conserve a high level spell slot just to have an escape route. It's one of those cases where conserving resources is part of the tension and the fun.

And in the current climactic confrontation that is going on, the last thing that happened was a character casting a Wish spell to restore everyone from the brink of destruction. It was an awesome moment. AND it signaled a commitment to fight to the death because that was his last high level slot. And this was after Orcus walked into the fight (they'd only been dealing with Graz'zt and his minions so far).

I have Demogorgon waiting in the wings.

Have I mentioned that I've been loving DMing a high level game?

AD

 

[cmad1977]

I found out that when I design high level adventures a question often pops up in my head.
I think to myself..
“Is this scene... TOO metal?”
And then I think...
“Add more metal.”

Seems to work out well.

 

[NotAYakk]

I tend to use this as my reference for magic items. 5E - Analysis of "Typical" Magic Item Distribution

Basically, this is roughly the amount of items a PC would have acquired by level 20 in a standard distribution. Personally, I would check out most of the consumables (on the assumption they were used in previous adventures) and some of the uncommon and rare permanent items (on the premise that they probably used up or discarded items that weren't that useful for any of the party).

4 or 5 common consumables
5 uncommon consumables
5 rare consumables
4 or 5 very rare consumables
1 legendary consumable
2 or 3 uncommon permanent items
1 or 2 rare permanent items
1 very rare permanent item
1 legendary permanent item

Just to avoid a ton of analysis paralysis and overstuffed sheets, I would probably cut down to the following:

2 very rare consumables
1 legendary consumable
1 uncommon permanent
1 rare permanent
1 very rare permanent
1 legendary permanent

For extra fun, generate them randomly and make the party pick.

Let the players consume consumables for a reroll of a permanent treasure of the same tier.

Bwahahahaha.

 

[amethal]

I don't disagree that the BBEG is going to have defenses and such, I am just saying that in my experience a half dozen players with a broad array of high level PC abilities are generally pretty good at finding solutions when it's just me sitting on the other side of the screen.

My go-to in that situation is to turn the problem back on the players.

Have the NPCs constantly scrying on the PCs, and attacking them when they are vulnerable, and see what the player do about it. Then have your BBEGs copy it.

 

[TwoSix]

Let the players consume consumables for a reroll of a permanent treasure of the same tier.

Bwahahahaha.

That's cruel and evil; I approve.

 

[robus]

I tend to go with a weird, wild vibe that ranges in tone from whimsy to terror, like Wonderland or Oz.

It's a delicate matter, but the Book of Beautiful Horrors has some delicious monsters that would fit that bill. Edit: Specifically the "Wild Hunt" section and the "King of the Wild Hunt" as the boss.

 

[Reynard]

So my "boss fight" is the White Queen from Tome of Beasts, a frost giant, a white dragon and 4 winter Eladrin. Too much?

(I know, it isn't terribly creative but I am mostly interested in testing play, not my short notice adventure design skills.)

 

[CleverNickName]

Put the same level of thought into your boss and her henchmen, as the players put into their characters and the party. If you have the sort of players who like to carefully craft and optimize their characters so that they complement each other on the battlefield and offset each others' weaknesses, then your NPCs should do the same. Your players will probably appreciate the challenge.

If you have the sort of players who just slap-dash everything together because it "looks cool" without bothering with stuff like "optimization" and "synergy," then you should do likewise. Just go through the Monster Manual and pick a bunch of Whatever Looks Cool and slap it on the battle mat. Your players will probably appreciate the chaos and pandemonium.

 

[Reynard]

We ran the 20th level test yesterday afternoon over Fantasy Grounds. It had a very basic plot (the Snow Queen steals the newborn daughter of an elven noble and the PCs have to go get her back). The party consisted of a light cleric, a warlock, two rogues (one dipped in ranger) and a barbarian. No wizard?!? That's what I said. Anyway.

In a 4 hour session, including burning 45 minutes distributing magic items (everyone got to choose a legendary then I had a collection of randomly rolled items) and figuring out characters, they had 2 encounters.

The first was with 4 fomori and their 4 yeth hounds. This fight was kind of a slog because the players were saving their big guns for later. Evil eye is, well, evil.

The boss fight was the Snow Queen, a young white dragon, a frost giant and 4 winter eladrin. Execept they did not actually have to fight the queen or the dragon because the cleric used divine intervention to remove the former from the fight and the warlock banished the latter.

Also, spike growth plus warlock push and pull makes a heck an eladrin grater.