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Message: <blockquote data-quote="KarinsDad" data-source="post: 6678054" data-attributes="member: 2011">Big bosses do not work in 5E if they are solos, regardless of which special abilities the PCs have.Our group of 7 7th level PCs took on a solo Dragon Turtle last night. We crushed it (hard encounter according to Kobold Fight Club and the PCs took something like 120 total hit points in damage, less than 40% each on average and nobody went unconscious).Since I am no longer the DM, I do not know if Dragon Turtles can speak or not in the straight MM, but this one did. My PC did try to warn it that it didn't have a chance to survive if it did not stop fighting right away. It ignored the warning. 3 rounds later, it was dead.Many character concepts in 5E have spells or special abilities. Alone, these abilities rarely win a battle. But combined in synergies, they crush. In the case of Portent, it can take out a boss. But if the boss has helpers, it can just as easily result in nothing significant happening. It's the synergy of the PCs keeping the NPC helpers away from the boss combined with the portent/hypnotic pattern that results in such a strong overall effect; or in the DM not realizing that solos do not work in 5E and allowing such a combo to exist unhindered in his campaign. This combo becomes so potent if a DM does not see it coming and does not adjust his encounters accordingly (i.e. never run solos in 5E, and never run group leader battles where none of the NPCs can shake NPC leaders awake from Hypnotic Patter or Sleep, they are way too easy XP pound for pound except for a few unique ones).My PC has the Inspiring Leader feat. By itself, it has rarely won the day. But it has saved so many healing resources that it easily results in 1 to 2 extra encounters per day and/or the PCs saving so many resources that more difficult fights become easier.The power of effective PC combat in 5E is synergies. A few tricks like this Portent one exist, but they are also easily countered.</blockquote>

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