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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Oofta" data-source="post: 9165114" data-attributes="member: 6801845">So my thoughts on this are fairly simple.  If you only have 1 or 2 fights per day?  Of course casters are going to go nova on a regular basis.  Whether I like this aspect of D&D or not, a 5 minute work day has pretty much always been a mistake regardless of edition.  With 4E they sort of fixed that, but in a way that doesn't apply to 5E or other editions.So I use the gritty rest rules, a short rest is overnight a long rest is a week or more.  Further, long rests require actual downtime in someplace you can actually rest and relax.  Even before I started doing that (and I do a lot of non-combat stuff in my game) I figured out how to have, shall we say, interesting days.  Or even a couple of days with constant harassments.That doesn't mean you need 6-8 encounters, but even at higher levels I try to have at least 4.The setup:  <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Sword Wraiths are CR 3 monsters with a sword or longbow attacks, they can make 2 attacks with advantage because of Martial Fury.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">I'm assuming the monsters closed for combat because turn undead was used which only has a range of 30 feet.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Your fighter has no effective ranged attacks other than the wand of lightning bolt which is 100 feet.</li> </ul>Issues:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The sword wraiths are not taking advantage of ranged attack.  With martial fury they can attack with no penalty from 600 feet.  Very few spells have that kind of range.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">As far as I can tell they were all approaching in a clump that enabled AOEs.  Those kind of attacks are going to be incredibly effective against very low level opponents.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The cleric has turn undead which at their level with destroy CR 3 undead if they're within 30 feet.  Again, why are they getting within 30 feet?</li> </ul>Instead<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Have the sword wraiths show up in waves, approaching from all around. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The first clump should have been using ranged attacks, from as far away as possible.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Set up a situation where several are attacking the group from range, have other sword wraiths hiding under total cover to attack from multiple directions as the group closed in.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Imagine this fight if some of the undead had attacked from a high position 600 feet away and lured the group into a position where they were flanked and attacked from all sides as they got close?  Again, relying primarily on ranged attacks where possible only closing to melee when necessary.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Not sure what the environment was but how are you having multiple rounds to spam AOEs?  Have the fight take place in a forest, hilly terrain, ruins, anything other than a flat open field.  </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">As much as the numbers seem to indicate a tough fight, I rarely use monsters significantly lower in number unless I can set up a situation where the environment is set up to favor the monsters.  </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The undead should have at least had a sword wraith commander leading them and strategizing.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">If this happened in the dark and you wanted them to use melee, darkvision only has a range of 60 feet.  Have the sword wraiths move and dash to get within melee range of the party.  Use their bonus action to attack at the end of their turn.  Unless the casters are evokers, you are now completely surrounded by a mob and can't target the majority of them without also hitting allies.  I'd still have several out at 60 feet pelting the group with arrows through the crowd.</li> </ul>Hobgoblins are CR 1/2.  Against level 16 PCs, they aren't much of a threat no matter how many you throw.  Ettins? CR 4, also not much of a threat especially since there are only 2.  How is this supposed to be a tough fight?  Much of the same advice applies.  Hobgoblins still have longbows, they should have been popping out of cover and firing only to move back out of line of sight and effect on their turn.  Again, attack from all directions, etc.. The ettins? They have speed of 40 and should have just charged into the group and started pounding the casters.The issues here are not specific to 5E.  In any edition of D&D, casters and PCs with good ranged attacks would have dominated these fight.  It has nothing to do with 5E.  Especially if you have a 5MWD.The only house rule I have that would have modified this?  Longbows are versatile in my game so the strength based fighter types have a decent ranged attack option.  Other than that it's an issue of 1-2 fights per day, setting up enemies to be decimated at a distance by AOEs, and using really, really low level monsters compared to the PCs.I think I could have made either fight difficult through use of decent tactics and environment, but I rarely use D&D as a mass combat simulator, especially at higher levels. Even with a minimum of 4 fights, my fights are more difficult. A typical randomly selected fight against my 6 person level 16 group had a Storm Giant Quintessent (CR 16 legendary) and 3 Fire Giants (CR 9).  I set it up so the fight started in relatively close quarters so the fire giants could chuck boulders (60 foot range) while closing the first round.  The cloud giant was legendary but I left off the lair actions, it was a tough enough fight as it was.  Your DM needs to upgrade tactics and/or start using high level monsters.</blockquote>

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