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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MNblockhead" data-source="post: 8641535" data-attributes="member: 6796661">Wow, big topic. I'll just summarize. Many of these could be (have been) their own threads.<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Increase the action economy for big bad.  Legendary, lair, and mythic actions. <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Also, I really like "villain actions" from the MCDM's upcoming Flee! Mortals book.  They work like legendary actions, but less powerful and are good to use for low level boss fights or to make a big boss's lieutenants more challenging without trying to turn everything into a legendary monster.  Basically, there are three actions that can be used after another actor's turn.  You can only use one. And you can use each only once per an encounter. You can see what this looks like in the free 24-page preview MCDM makes available for free at <a href="https://mcdm.gg/FleeMortalsPreview" target="_blank">Flee Mortals Preview PDF</a> </li> </ul></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Increase the action economy with multiple enemies.  Avoid slogging things down with minions (one hit and dead), swarms, and gang rules<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">For gangs/mobs I don't use RAW, there are some good threads on gang/mob rules that I think work better than whats in the DMG. Basically they are all individual so not as easy to take out their influence on the action economy as a swarm, but far simpler ways of resolving how many hits, how much damage,etc.  Also they all go as a group on the same turn and have some special features like overrun while their numbers are high enough. </li> </ul></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Give more boss and mid-manager creatures reactions like the Goblin Boss's redirect-attack ability. There are differen't abilities, both official and from third-party publishers that allow certain creatures to redirect attacks, sacrifice a minion to regain hit points or powers, and other abilities that keep the boss in the fight longer. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">If you have the time, think through how creatures can more strategically use their powers and how they would act in a combat. A really good book to help with this, especially for more common, standard monsters is: The Monsters Know What They're Doing: Combat Tactics for Dungeon Masters, by Keith Ammann. He has two more books, the second for player tactics, and the third with tactics for more monsters. I've only read the first but it is very helpful, both as a good read and even more as a reference to read for a specific monster or similar monster to one you plan to use in an upcoming session. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The hardest, for me, is to know the characters abilities and create encounters that will challenge them. But for me this is just spice on a campaign. Especially in my current campaign, which is a sandbox.  I let the chips fall where they may and just try to play the monsters in a what that makes sense to me in how they would act. But where a villain is aware of a party and has the means to gather intel on them, you better believe that villain is going to be prepared for them. For very important fights I will actually run through a simulated combat on Foundry and write up encounter notes with strategy and tactics, because I'm awful with remembering all the abilities in play and making good tactical decisions off the cuff. But this can be time consuming, esp. at higher levels, so I only do it for the real important encounters. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Terrain. Everyone says this, because they are right. It can make a huge difference in making combats challenging and interesting. But it can be hard to remember to call for checks, give the locals the advantages they may have, etc.  The VTT I use has a GMs view and a Players view.  I just outline areas with text on the map explaining what checks or effects those areas have. Make the map messy looking for me, but it really helps to not forget hazzards, areas of difficult movement, cover, traps, etc. Google "Tuckers Kobolds" on how terrain and well planned defenses can make even a group of lowly, bog-standard kobolds deadly to even high-level parties. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Tweak powers, resistances, and advantages of well-known monsters. Nothing like a "troll" to come walking out of a fireball blast unaffected to keep players on their toes.  Again, I keep this a spice to be used sparingly. Putting aside the player knowledge vs. character knowledge debate, player do enjoy recognizing iconic monsters and knowing how to handle them. Also, it makes the monsters who deviate from tradition and expectation more impactful if they are rare. Beside, I still find it more fun to take a bog-standard, low-level group of monsters and using them to their fullest.  Its fun to see a group of 10th-level characters get worried about goblins. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Raise the stakes with dillemas and timed-events. If players have to take risks to save the children or stop the ritual, it makes things more interesting. But not everything has to be a high-stakes fantasy version of an episode of 24.  This can tie into terrain features. The tide is comming in, the area is flooding, there are loose rocks, boiling oil that some minions can drop on you after two round of effort, you only have a couple rounds before the minions set up or reload the hwacha. Make it hard for players to always just focus fire on the big boss. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Make it harder for players to just sneak up to an encounter.  I many situations it makes absolute sense that the bad guys know the players are coming. Maybe they don't have time escape or get reinforcements, but they often should have time to set up defensive positions, cast buffing spells, cast area control spells, etc. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">To make combat more interesting, make what happens outside of combat more interesting. Make higher level spell casters have to make tough decisions on their use of spell slots. Traps, wards, and wandering monsters are classic waits of preventing short rests and forcing the use of some spell slots outside of battle. You are trying to rescue someone?  Maybe they are found in a state that needs a greater restoration. Maybe on your way to the big boss you find stores of dangerous artifacts to be used for evil that can only be destroyed by magic means. And intelligent, magic using bad guys, are going to have ways to prevent detection and access by non-magical means. <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">That said, I don't like to make every high-level encounter a "no, you can't do that, because magic."  For example, it can be frustrating with higher level parties being able to teleport in and out of dangerous areas.  Sometimes, yes, the evil cleric will has forbiddance permanently cast, but usually I find it more interesting to handle this with timed events, allowing enemies to relocate, increase defenses, etc. depending on the time available (smart, powerful enemies can do a lot in 24 hours).</li> </ul></li> </ul>Always fun to read how other DMs make encounters interesting and challenging. I always get new ideas reading these kinds of threads.</blockquote>

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