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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Kordeth" data-source="post: 4183224" data-attributes="member: 5036">I count one initial guard, two more he pulls in from the adjacent room, "some reinforcements," and two trolls. That sounds like 5-8 monsters in total--and as vladbat pointed out, if a couple of those guards are minions, that's a perfectly-balanced encounter assuming everything's equivalent level.It's not an all or nothing proposition: you needn't say either all monsters are in the room when the PCs kick in the door or the new monsters only "spawn in" when the first wave is all killed. It sounds from the description like the players get a round or two for each "wave" before the next batch notices and comes to investigate. If they're really efficient and drop each group with SWAT-like proficiency, good for them. They have, through good tactics or lucky dice, made this particular encounter a bit easier. If they waste time or roll poorly, the fight will be tougher, but still balanced for their level.Which is why the DM should be keeping an eye on the fight and bringing in new foes at moments that are dramatically appropriate and will keep the energy of the fight up rather than just letting the PCs always clear each room before moving on.</blockquote>