Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Sergikins 08-09-06, 10:28 PM	So everybody, why don't you just add you advice in making a challanging encounter in here? I had an immesly challanging combat today, and thought I'd gloat :P 1) never use one creature alone. it'll get ********ed too easily, and die quickly. 2) NEVER use a creature three or more CRs higher than the parties level if he is alone. the chances of it being able to overwhelm the PCs (especially if it is large or larger) are far too high 3) never use more than 4 of the same creature. also, generally avoid using more than 9 creautres in a single combat total. 4) use mixed CRs. Have a BBEG of the parties level +1 or 2, his one cohort = to the parties level, and another two or three cohorts, parties level -2 5) versatility! with intelligent creautres like kobolds and goblins, orcs and giants, don't have all warriors. have a cleric, archer, rogue, anything that tickles your fancy. build their party like a PCs party
CryoSilver 08-09-06, 10:31 PM	6: Environment; cliffs, spikes, lava, acid, fog, etc. 7: Enemy battlefield control: telekinesis, holding, flight, etc
KurenaiYami 08-09-06, 10:36 PM	8: Add Tarrasque.
Drodain 08-09-06, 10:40 PM	variety, we got lucky on our first encounter with an AMF, and 5' wide bridges are fun to run, or floating platforms u have to jump on one to the other to attack and theyre only 10'x5' just make it different
JDubya 08-09-06, 10:49 PM	10. Read the feats chapter in the PHB. Reread it. Now give your enemies some of those feats and watch the PCs start screaming. Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, Improved Bull Rush, Mounted Combat, Rapid Shot, Two-Weapon Fighting...
Krusk 08-09-06, 11:17 PM	pcs love when the enemy has improved sunder.
DeWayne 08-09-06, 11:29 PM	11. Allow the monsters to use the tactics that their intelligence would allow. Orcs can work as a team very, very effectively. 12. When things are going against intelligent monsters have them make an orderly retreat, regroup, gather reinforcements and attack again from a position of advantage. Have the dumb ones run away rather than stick around to be killed. Either way it allows you to make the scenario more challenging because you get to 'reuse' your monsters - more fights with the same number of bad guys. 13. Use hit & run tactics. The little kobolds shoot their crossbows from hiding, then run away down there little tiny tunnels. Then they come back, shoot their crossbows from hiding and then run away down their little tiny tunnels. Then... The party will absolutely hate them but it'll really make the players happy when they finally take out the little SOBs.
Nived 08-10-06, 02:42 AM	14 "Can't go wrong with fire". Set whereever you are on fire. PCs can usually be blamed for the blaze anyway. Buildings go up, contents of a dungeon, deck of a ship... there's always something to go up. Fight in a burning building with fortitude saves to avoid non-lethal heat damage, with bull rushes into the fire proper. Eventually the room will fill with enought heat and flames to be just straight fire damage... unstable floors, smoke hazards.... trust me, you're players will remember it.
big_bluto 08-10-06, 03:31 AM	15. Use group tactics Shield walls, phalanxes, when used with Tower shields and spears or short swords can be pretty good, and can make it really difficult to hit your average hobgoblin or 20. Even better if you have archers behind them. 16. Appoint an enemy leader who controls the bad guys forces. Having an enemy leader standing behind the shield wall directing a group of archers to target specific PC's individually can really challenge the PCs. Especially if they're short of a fireball or two! 17. Ambush No more needs be said. Also, I can't reinforce enough that giving your bad guys some classes/levels can really make your PC's work harder.
stargate525 08-10-06, 03:39 AM	18. Play to the creature's strengths. If it's a sneaky sonofa, have him ambush. If he's a meatshield, get him blocking somewhere with the attack power safe behind him. etc. 19. flood the room. Nothing says fun more than slowly drowning rogues unable to use their throwing stars.
InkBlot 08-10-06, 03:47 AM	20. Deception: Things are not always as they appear. That wizened old man decked out in robes and shooting fireballs from the back row is actually a monk with use magic device.
Always-Late 08-10-06, 03:55 AM	21. Throw the CR system out the window. 22. Use home ground advantage. This means murder holes for conviently placed crossbows, places where you can't throw a fireball without incinerating yourself, and pits and holes and traps.
InterSilva 08-10-06, 04:52 AM	23. Have a BBEG Necromancer? Hand him some feats and loot from Libris Mortis, a couple Ogre Skeletons (or bigger baddies if he's high enough level), a floor covered in necrotic sludge that acts like negative energy damage alchemist's fire, and you'll have one heck of an encounter. 24. Dredge the rules on combat like a gold mining operation dredges a lake. There are tons of common hazards and things in here that, when combined, make for quite the encounter. 25. Illusions. That massive Hydra is really just a Kobold Sorcerer's riding dog, but the PCs don't know that.
ElIsRa 08-10-06, 04:12 PM	26: Fork the players. Make the Paladin chose between saving the girl being sacrificed to the dark gods and locking horns with the BBEG to keep him off the wizard. Make the Druid decide whether blocking the demonic war-machine of Doom from destroying his grove or healing his dieing comrades is more important. Force the greedy character to chose to fight the bad guys or save the loot. etc. 27: Divide and Conquer. Any time you can split the group up, things get harder. A good group works in synergy with each other, so when you take that away from them, they are suddenly a whole lot weaker.
thaylok 08-10-06, 04:58 PM	28) Know the bad guys abilities... study the monsters..Do the Dew, Feel the Dew.. Be the dew
Exquisite_Flopilidopilies 08-10-06, 04:58 PM	29. Don't confuse "irritating" with "challenging." Lamias can use mirror image three times per day. 'Nuff said.
LivingShadow 08-10-06, 05:40 PM	23. Have a BBEG Necromancer? Hand him some feats and loot from Libris Mortis, a couple Ogre Skeletons (or bigger baddies if he's high enough level), a floor covered in necrotic sludge that acts like negative energy damage alchemist's fire, and you'll have one heck of an encounter. 30. add this feat (of my own creation of course) Skeletal Fusion prerequisite: spell focus (necromancy), caster lvl 4+ benifit: You may fuse undead skeletons under your control into one larger and stronger one. All skeletons fused must be of the same type. The HD of the created skeleton is the HD of one of the origionals + 1 per skeleton added. size increases number and size of fused / size created 4 medium / 1 large 8 medium / 1 huge 12 medium / 1 gargantuan 16 medium / 1 colosal 2 large / 1 huge 4 large / 1 gargantuan 6 large / 1 colosal 2 huge / 1 gargantuan 4 huge / 1 colosal 2 gargantuan / 1 colosal normal: skeletons cannot be fused
Nived 08-10-06, 07:37 PM	31: An evil kilt wearing Dirgesinger with BAGPIPES OF THE DAMNED! *ahem* What I mean by this is clerics who take their turning checks for granted when facing undead will be smacked soundly when this BBEG adds a turn resistance of 4+dirgesinger level+bard level to all undead. And come on... you know you want to use the Bagpipes of the Damned.... all in Libris Mortis by the way.
Witchblade 08-10-06, 07:51 PM	32: Alternate monsters. Monsters with class levels, monster variants, you name it. 33: Be descriptive. 34: Enemy spellcasters. 35: Time pressure.
Daine_Salmalin 08-10-06, 07:55 PM	36. Make it so they arent supposed to kill the enemy, but capture them or subdue them. That definatly makes them have to think about their next move, instead of "slash/stab *roll*"
Comus 08-10-06, 08:03 PM	37. Take prisoners, then use them as hostages. 38. Summon Sherman Tank 39. Uranium swords.
Sergikins 08-10-06, 08:24 PM	30. add this feat (of my own creation of course) Skeletal Fusion prerequisite: spell focus (necromancy), caster lvl 4+ benifit: You may fuse undead skeletons under your control into one larger and stronger one. All skeletons fused must be of the same type. The HD of the created skeleton is the HD of one of the origionals + 1 per skeleton added. size increases number and size of fused / size created 4 medium / 1 large 8 medium / 1 huge 12 medium / 1 gargantuan 16 medium / 1 colosal 2 large / 1 huge 4 large / 1 gargantuan 6 large / 1 colosal 2 huge / 1 gargantuan 4 huge / 1 colosal 2 gargantuan / 1 colosal normal: skeletons cannot be fused that feat can get wayyyy out of hand I reccomend you post this on the feats boad to get it PEACHed
stargate525 08-10-06, 09:01 PM	21. Throw the CR system out the window. 21a. Then beat it with a large hammer. 21b. repeatedly. 22c. then bury it and chuck it into a volcano/launch it into space. 30. add this feat (of my own creation of course) Skeletal Fusion prerequisite: spell focus (necromancy), caster lvl 4+ benifit: You may fuse undead skeletons under your control into one larger and stronger one. All skeletons fused must be of the same type. The HD of the created skeleton is the HD of the weakest of the origonals + 1 per skeleton added. size increases number and size of fused / size created 4 medium / 1 large 4 large / 1 huge 4 huge / 1 gargantuan 4 gargantuan / 1 colosal normal: skeletons cannot be fused would this look more correct Sergikins? Bold is what I changed, making a colosal creature need a whopping 256 medium creatures. If you wanted to make it more interesting, you could make them even weaker in stats, then have 'em break into their original peices when the large one gets to 1/4 health or something. I might use this in my campaigns, come to think of it.
Ashok_Lal 08-10-06, 09:49 PM	40. Put a time limit on it. This will stop PC's from battling and napping. Spell users have to ration there spells HP have to be guarded. 41. Charicters always want magic items that they just won of the enemy. Make sure that the enemy uses said magic items.
ressurrector 08-10-06, 10:56 PM	36. Make it so they arent supposed to kill the enemy, but capture them or subdue them. That definatly makes them have to think about their next move, instead of "slash/stab *roll*" On the other hand, you can make it so there's a bonus if they manage to capture one or more of the enemies "alive". Some monsters may themselves be treasure when captured, like alchemy beetles (Secrets of Xen'Drik book) CR2 creature, explodes on death, worth 7,000 GP intact.
LivingShadow 08-11-06, 08:31 AM	that feat can get wayyyy out of hand I reccomend you post this on the feats boad to get it PEACHed Actually I did post it the only problem that was seen was the previous table was unfair to the larger sizes stargate: I wanted the colossal skeleton to be availible to chars under epic and there is no way your way is going to allow that (casters can only control undead equal to their caster lvl in hit dice so a colosal skeleton wouldn't be availible until well into the epics unless a combonation of spells is used)
X-Codes 08-11-06, 08:51 AM	40) A Ghast. Not just any ghast, but a Spellstitched ghast. With Blood Wind. 41) Anything of Huge size with the Fling Enemy feat. 42) Anything with the Knockback feat. 43) 41 + 42 + A Large Greatclub and a little coordination. XD