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<blockquote data-quote="MonkeyWrench" data-source="post: 7701466" data-attributes="member: 20730">At this point I'd rather they stop trying to write a guide for building encounters. All these tables and charts gives the appearance of a system, when in fact there is nothing remotely like a system in place. Just be honest - CR is an occasionally useful guideline for determining the relative power level of a monster, but there is no formula or method for building the perfect encounter for any given party. The DM needs to know the capabilities of their players and the abilities of the classes in play (like many have said), and must have the freedom to experiment from there to see what works for the group. I wonder if part of the problem is the idea of &quot;building&quot; an encounter in the first place? The idea carries connotations of D&amp;D encounters (in almost all cases combat encounters) being a carefully curated experience designed to strike the perfect balance for the players - not too hard, not to easy, but just right. That's a lot of pressure to put on DMs, even veteran ones. Better to throw out the idea altogether.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="MonkeyWrench, post: 7701466, member: 20730"] At this point I'd rather they stop trying to write a guide for building encounters. All these tables and charts gives the appearance of a system, when in fact there is nothing remotely like a system in place. Just be honest - CR is an occasionally useful guideline for determining the relative power level of a monster, but there is no formula or method for building the perfect encounter for any given party. The DM needs to know the capabilities of their players and the abilities of the classes in play (like many have said), and must have the freedom to experiment from there to see what works for the group. I wonder if part of the problem is the idea of "building" an encounter in the first place? The idea carries connotations of D&D encounters (in almost all cases combat encounters) being a carefully curated experience designed to strike the perfect balance for the players - not too hard, not to easy, but just right. That's a lot of pressure to put on DMs, even veteran ones. Better to throw out the idea altogether. [/QUOTE]

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