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General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
Tier 2 and 3 combats
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<blockquote data-quote="GuardianLurker" data-source="post: 9217458" data-attributes="member: 786"><p>As your party enters 10th level, you can expect sapient opponents to be (at a minimum) aware of their presence in the area. If their opponents can reasonably expect to <em>be</em> their opponents, you can expect them to actually plan and prepare to counter well-known party abilities. (In short, the parties opponents can use the "research the monster" tactic on the party!)</p><p></p><p>Likewise, it becomes a <em>LOT</em> more important to pay attention to monster immunities and resistances. Forgetting these can make a DRAMATIC impact on the combat. For that matter, you can tweak the encounter by giving them these (see Countering, above).</p><p></p><p>Finally, a small increase in stats (i.e. use the elite stat block) can be justified fairly easily.</p><p></p><p>Also, your party is entering the levels where a lot of the lower-level terrain effects just won't matter to them anymore, whether because they can just power through them, or because the counters are low enough level that they can finally spare the resources to use them. For example, <em>endure_elements</em> basically shuts down environmental damage from weather. When their highest level spells are 2nd or 3rd, that's expensive enough that the party isn't likely to use them unless its critical. When they're casting 4th and 5th level spells, it's now cheap enough to use for safety. If it becomes a recurring issue, the party's likely to have acquired a permanent item to deal with it (or at least a large supply of consumables).</p><p></p><p>You'll have to start thinking less in terms of small-scope tactical problems and complications, and more higher-level, larger-scope, and even strategic complications.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="GuardianLurker, post: 9217458, member: 786"] As your party enters 10th level, you can expect sapient opponents to be (at a minimum) aware of their presence in the area. If their opponents can reasonably expect to [I]be[/I] their opponents, you can expect them to actually plan and prepare to counter well-known party abilities. (In short, the parties opponents can use the "research the monster" tactic on the party!) Likewise, it becomes a [I]LOT[/I] more important to pay attention to monster immunities and resistances. Forgetting these can make a DRAMATIC impact on the combat. For that matter, you can tweak the encounter by giving them these (see Countering, above). Finally, a small increase in stats (i.e. use the elite stat block) can be justified fairly easily. Also, your party is entering the levels where a lot of the lower-level terrain effects just won't matter to them anymore, whether because they can just power through them, or because the counters are low enough level that they can finally spare the resources to use them. For example, [I]endure_elements[/I] basically shuts down environmental damage from weather. When their highest level spells are 2nd or 3rd, that's expensive enough that the party isn't likely to use them unless its critical. When they're casting 4th and 5th level spells, it's now cheap enough to use for safety. If it becomes a recurring issue, the party's likely to have acquired a permanent item to deal with it (or at least a large supply of consumables). You'll have to start thinking less in terms of small-scope tactical problems and complications, and more higher-level, larger-scope, and even strategic complications. [/QUOTE]
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