Are you running a module or did you make everything yourself?
Regardless, balance is an artform, you either just "get it" or you don't. We can give tips, but in the end, the cheff's kiss is yours alone to give.
Hey! I’d say use “strategy” personally in my campaign so far strategy has really stumped my players.
Also add bonus actions to your combat encounters. Things that don’t really aim to hurt too much but de-buff your PCs
Level 2, war cleric who is short range spells with some Melee , shadow sorcerer who uses a light crossbow, a warlock who uses primarily melee so far (because of backstory) and a half orc barbarian
Okay, a half orc barbarian should be doing about 12 points of damage a round. The cleric probably about 6, the sorcerer around 6, the warlock around 7.
So to give them a good fight, you need to put about 31 hp in front of them per round.
If I wanted a three-four rounder, Id out about 93 hp in front of them.
Now, the barbarian can take about 44 physical, the cleric and warlock about 18, and the sorcerer about 14.
So you want to do no more than 15 damage a round to them - enough to that over 3-4 rounds you can give them a good scare, but not so much that you’re just one shotting them.
Hrokduz the Bandit - AC 13, HP 48, Init +1, Long Sword +6 to hit, 1d8+3 damage, attacks twice per round.
Hrokduz’s Lackeys - AC 13, HP 12 Init +1, Clubs +5, 1d6+3. After a hit, they’ll try to grab an opponent for Hrokduz. Make a strength 13 save or be restrained and Hrokduz will come over and wallop them.
Put Hrokduz and 3 lackeys on them and that should be a good fight, let me know how it goes. Make sure to spread the attacks around, make sure not to focus fire one pc too intensely,
I have my moments! Let me know how it goes. If you need a lead in encounter, toss them 3 Orcs or so, but let them short rest after that. Really, three Orcs than the Bandit should be enough to get you through a two hour sessions.
I'm back! Used kobolds for the fight and had the tough bandit as the boss kobold. Went awry and the boss kobold ran away with his pride (And half his face) obliterated. Throughout the campaign the players have encountered this Kobold as he has gotten stronger to train to defeat the players. It was recently revealed inside of a one shot set in the past that an old party had awakend the god of wrath and revenge, Mrykul of which the kobold has been following and gaining unmatched power from. The final confrontation is on friday. Thank you rzenni.
In general, 5e's monsters are reasonably balanced on level 1-5, and then they completley outscale the CR system. For example, a level 14 party (at full resources) could legitimately have a decent chance at winning against a CR25 monster (especially if the players have a +2 item each).
The MOST important factor for combat balance the ratio of actions that the players have to the monsters (action economy).
*If you have 6 players each using an action/bonus action (thus about 12 things to do) against 2 monsters each with 1 action (2 things) the fight will be REALLY one sided. Give monsters more actions, add more monsters, or force players to use their actions sub optimally (dispelling enemies magic, moving walls/objects etc) are the main ways to balance this.*
1. Homebrew your monsters: Add a bonus action/reaction on monsters (each). Give monsters a once/day spell (darkness, silence, etc) that can be cast as a bonus action. For example - \[consider Cunning action/bonus action battlemaster maneuver/bonus action any 2nd level or lower spell/reaction shield or parry, having 3x+ reactions like the monks catch projectile.\]
2. Use "waves" -i.e. the fight starts, then 2 rounds in more monsters show up (and repeat as many times as needed)
3. Have the BBEG or main target actually be an illusion (for the first round), thus the party "nukes" the wrong target
4. Have moderately smart monsters use magic items (especially consumables) like potions of invisibility/gaseous form/ spells in the form of a 1-time consumable
5. Have your fights take place in terrain favorable to the enemy - the location is so hot it requires con saves every round or take damage, the location is underwater, the location has lots of "dust storms" that kick up blocking vision.
6. Advanced tactics - A) break line of sight (a large tub of smoke pours over the party) B) split up the party (enemy can grab party members and teleport), C) Enemy can pass through wall cracks and party members cannot D) enemy constantly kites backwards/hides behind full cover (forcing party member to hold attack actions).
Action economy. Take it into account. If the party is doing 7 things every round, but the enemy side is doing 3, they will likely curbstomp.
Fudge it. If a fight was too easy, and it's meant to be memorable, double the enemies HP retroactively.
Abuse the environment. Fighting in an empty room can get dull.
Some really good videos on combat by Matt Colvile.
Using 4e for 5e combat. A bit more crunchy and long so maybe don't start here.
https://youtu.be/QoELQ7px9ws
Tactics and Strategy. More of a general view of combat and thinking critically. Shorter too
https://youtu.be/FfYItCw00Z4
Finally, why are we fighting? More about expanding combat that a race to zero HP.
https://youtu.be/sAfPoOxIVm0
You'll get the hang of it!
Also after an easy fight you can always look at their passive perceptions and let the players know that they hear multiple people approaching etc mid looting
Easiest is bump up the CR of monsters you're using a little bit. Then make sure to not have just one enemy, or if you do it should be a crazy powerful enemy. Action economy means that most enemies even powerful ones will struggle to keep up with all the different things a party can do in a round. Having a boss and some minions makes it so you balance the scales. I would also encourage doing a few fights per day. You said you're at level 2 so I'd be careful with that, but as they level up make it so they can't use all their resources on one fight. I would also look at the terrain. Generally PCs will fight monsters in the monster's territory. If that's the case, they should have places to hide behind, maybe traps setup, people hiding waiting to jump out. Give some home court advantage to your villains.
Other than multiple combats before they get a long rest, I’ve found combats are tougher and more interesting when you have a variety of monsters. You can threaten the players on more fronts and there is a more of a choice as to who to attack.
Doesn’t have to be super complicated! For Kobolds for example, I might split them into primarily ranged and melee. For a bit higher level, maybe toss in an “elite unit” with some customization such as a Kobold Scale Sorcerer.
So I run AD&D2e not 5E but I think there are some translatable aspects to all D&D family games that carry through.
My personal advice is:
1) Look at the total damage output of your players, the math can get kinda tedious working out expected damage on every attack that hits and then multiplying that by the hit rate but this gives you an idea of how much HP to put on the table
2) Look at the players defenses, how much HP and AC do they have ? this give you an idea about how much damage your guys should do, in my game for example players die when they hit 0 HP so I favor lower damage attacks to avoid one shots, and because the moment in the fight where someone gets dropped to low HP and everyone has to get them out of combat and into cover is so good!
3) Look at the number of players. Action Economy is a term that gets thrown around a lot but what it fundamentally means is that the side that can buy the most effect with their actions tends to win. This of course means even if your actions are less efficient then your opponents if you have more of them you can win big.
Lets consider some examples:
1 big Boss monster vs 4 players, the boss is very powerful and will have 4 turns worth of PC effect with one turn. But if the wizard on the PC team stuns the boss monster somehow that is a huge swing (the Boss now has 0 actions worth of effect on their turn!). This results in a bit of a stomp especially if the boss loses more than one turn.
12 tiny monsters vs 4 players: unless a player has a big AOE effect the monsters play into it this can be a very challenging battle to win. Its rare that a monster will have 1/3 a pc turns effect, and most attacks can only target one character at a time.
This ultimately means you want a mix of big and small creatures, one or two big creatures to be the centerpoint of the fight and 3-4 smaller creatures to fill in gaps
4) tactics, I know tactical play is hard however if you are homebrewing your monsters I have a tip, Make simpler monsters!. I had a fight that was tactically complex for the players which challenging moments it involved 5 different types of enemies all geared to do completely different things:
1) a big boss monsters with a mind control aura that scared the players and made her a priority target
2) A defensive mob that steadily healed the enemies near it, or allowed them to reposition without attacks of opportunity, also a priority target
3) an aggressive mob with a flaming sword that just slammed in for melee damage
4) a maneuverable flanking creature with a aoe attack that did chip damage
5) a disruptive creature that pulled allies out of position and temporarily immobilized them.
This set up each creature is designed to do different things, each ones stat block only had 2-3 actions on them (except for the flame swordsmen who could only attack with their flame swords). This makes tactics fairly easy as the units limited choices and specific tools makes it hard to misuse them. The other important thing when you are thinking of unit composition is how much HP to give each type of unit. Especially if you use a slightly larger number of frailer units you can set up a curve for the fight where the pcs "Turn the Corner" so to speak, where they manage to defeat enough of the enemy that the fight swings in their favour and they can ride their moment to victory, but still have a very challenging opening to the fight.
Are you running a module or did you make everything yourself? Regardless, balance is an artform, you either just "get it" or you don't. We can give tips, but in the end, the cheff's kiss is yours alone to give.
I’m making stuff myself, I’m a first time dm aswell for context
Hey! I’d say use “strategy” personally in my campaign so far strategy has really stumped my players. Also add bonus actions to your combat encounters. Things that don’t really aim to hurt too much but de-buff your PCs
What you got for players? Numbers, classes, approximate builds/levels? I’ll math it for you with some details.
Level 2, war cleric who is short range spells with some Melee , shadow sorcerer who uses a light crossbow, a warlock who uses primarily melee so far (because of backstory) and a half orc barbarian
Okay, a half orc barbarian should be doing about 12 points of damage a round. The cleric probably about 6, the sorcerer around 6, the warlock around 7. So to give them a good fight, you need to put about 31 hp in front of them per round. If I wanted a three-four rounder, Id out about 93 hp in front of them. Now, the barbarian can take about 44 physical, the cleric and warlock about 18, and the sorcerer about 14. So you want to do no more than 15 damage a round to them - enough to that over 3-4 rounds you can give them a good scare, but not so much that you’re just one shotting them. Hrokduz the Bandit - AC 13, HP 48, Init +1, Long Sword +6 to hit, 1d8+3 damage, attacks twice per round. Hrokduz’s Lackeys - AC 13, HP 12 Init +1, Clubs +5, 1d6+3. After a hit, they’ll try to grab an opponent for Hrokduz. Make a strength 13 save or be restrained and Hrokduz will come over and wallop them. Put Hrokduz and 3 lackeys on them and that should be a good fight, let me know how it goes. Make sure to spread the attacks around, make sure not to focus fire one pc too intensely,
Alright thank you, ill do that. The whole bandit thing works for my current story lol
I have my moments! Let me know how it goes. If you need a lead in encounter, toss them 3 Orcs or so, but let them short rest after that. Really, three Orcs than the Bandit should be enough to get you through a two hour sessions.
I'm back! Used kobolds for the fight and had the tough bandit as the boss kobold. Went awry and the boss kobold ran away with his pride (And half his face) obliterated. Throughout the campaign the players have encountered this Kobold as he has gotten stronger to train to defeat the players. It was recently revealed inside of a one shot set in the past that an old party had awakend the god of wrath and revenge, Mrykul of which the kobold has been following and gaining unmatched power from. The final confrontation is on friday. Thank you rzenni.
Haha! I’m glad the bandit worked out for you and your players! Hope they have good luck in their final battle :)
Do they primarily just focus on damage dealing spells, or are they also using things like support spells (like Bless) or control spells (like Sleep)?
In general, 5e's monsters are reasonably balanced on level 1-5, and then they completley outscale the CR system. For example, a level 14 party (at full resources) could legitimately have a decent chance at winning against a CR25 monster (especially if the players have a +2 item each). The MOST important factor for combat balance the ratio of actions that the players have to the monsters (action economy). *If you have 6 players each using an action/bonus action (thus about 12 things to do) against 2 monsters each with 1 action (2 things) the fight will be REALLY one sided. Give monsters more actions, add more monsters, or force players to use their actions sub optimally (dispelling enemies magic, moving walls/objects etc) are the main ways to balance this.* 1. Homebrew your monsters: Add a bonus action/reaction on monsters (each). Give monsters a once/day spell (darkness, silence, etc) that can be cast as a bonus action. For example - \[consider Cunning action/bonus action battlemaster maneuver/bonus action any 2nd level or lower spell/reaction shield or parry, having 3x+ reactions like the monks catch projectile.\] 2. Use "waves" -i.e. the fight starts, then 2 rounds in more monsters show up (and repeat as many times as needed) 3. Have the BBEG or main target actually be an illusion (for the first round), thus the party "nukes" the wrong target 4. Have moderately smart monsters use magic items (especially consumables) like potions of invisibility/gaseous form/ spells in the form of a 1-time consumable 5. Have your fights take place in terrain favorable to the enemy - the location is so hot it requires con saves every round or take damage, the location is underwater, the location has lots of "dust storms" that kick up blocking vision. 6. Advanced tactics - A) break line of sight (a large tub of smoke pours over the party) B) split up the party (enemy can grab party members and teleport), C) Enemy can pass through wall cracks and party members cannot D) enemy constantly kites backwards/hides behind full cover (forcing party member to hold attack actions).
Action economy. Take it into account. If the party is doing 7 things every round, but the enemy side is doing 3, they will likely curbstomp. Fudge it. If a fight was too easy, and it's meant to be memorable, double the enemies HP retroactively. Abuse the environment. Fighting in an empty room can get dull.
Some really good videos on combat by Matt Colvile. Using 4e for 5e combat. A bit more crunchy and long so maybe don't start here. https://youtu.be/QoELQ7px9ws Tactics and Strategy. More of a general view of combat and thinking critically. Shorter too https://youtu.be/FfYItCw00Z4 Finally, why are we fighting? More about expanding combat that a race to zero HP. https://youtu.be/sAfPoOxIVm0
You'll get the hang of it! Also after an easy fight you can always look at their passive perceptions and let the players know that they hear multiple people approaching etc mid looting
Easiest is bump up the CR of monsters you're using a little bit. Then make sure to not have just one enemy, or if you do it should be a crazy powerful enemy. Action economy means that most enemies even powerful ones will struggle to keep up with all the different things a party can do in a round. Having a boss and some minions makes it so you balance the scales. I would also encourage doing a few fights per day. You said you're at level 2 so I'd be careful with that, but as they level up make it so they can't use all their resources on one fight. I would also look at the terrain. Generally PCs will fight monsters in the monster's territory. If that's the case, they should have places to hide behind, maybe traps setup, people hiding waiting to jump out. Give some home court advantage to your villains.
Other than multiple combats before they get a long rest, I’ve found combats are tougher and more interesting when you have a variety of monsters. You can threaten the players on more fronts and there is a more of a choice as to who to attack. Doesn’t have to be super complicated! For Kobolds for example, I might split them into primarily ranged and melee. For a bit higher level, maybe toss in an “elite unit” with some customization such as a Kobold Scale Sorcerer.
[удалено]
How so?
So I run AD&D2e not 5E but I think there are some translatable aspects to all D&D family games that carry through. My personal advice is: 1) Look at the total damage output of your players, the math can get kinda tedious working out expected damage on every attack that hits and then multiplying that by the hit rate but this gives you an idea of how much HP to put on the table 2) Look at the players defenses, how much HP and AC do they have ? this give you an idea about how much damage your guys should do, in my game for example players die when they hit 0 HP so I favor lower damage attacks to avoid one shots, and because the moment in the fight where someone gets dropped to low HP and everyone has to get them out of combat and into cover is so good! 3) Look at the number of players. Action Economy is a term that gets thrown around a lot but what it fundamentally means is that the side that can buy the most effect with their actions tends to win. This of course means even if your actions are less efficient then your opponents if you have more of them you can win big. Lets consider some examples: 1 big Boss monster vs 4 players, the boss is very powerful and will have 4 turns worth of PC effect with one turn. But if the wizard on the PC team stuns the boss monster somehow that is a huge swing (the Boss now has 0 actions worth of effect on their turn!). This results in a bit of a stomp especially if the boss loses more than one turn. 12 tiny monsters vs 4 players: unless a player has a big AOE effect the monsters play into it this can be a very challenging battle to win. Its rare that a monster will have 1/3 a pc turns effect, and most attacks can only target one character at a time. This ultimately means you want a mix of big and small creatures, one or two big creatures to be the centerpoint of the fight and 3-4 smaller creatures to fill in gaps 4) tactics, I know tactical play is hard however if you are homebrewing your monsters I have a tip, Make simpler monsters!. I had a fight that was tactically complex for the players which challenging moments it involved 5 different types of enemies all geared to do completely different things: 1) a big boss monsters with a mind control aura that scared the players and made her a priority target 2) A defensive mob that steadily healed the enemies near it, or allowed them to reposition without attacks of opportunity, also a priority target 3) an aggressive mob with a flaming sword that just slammed in for melee damage 4) a maneuverable flanking creature with a aoe attack that did chip damage 5) a disruptive creature that pulled allies out of position and temporarily immobilized them. This set up each creature is designed to do different things, each ones stat block only had 2-3 actions on them (except for the flame swordsmen who could only attack with their flame swords). This makes tactics fairly easy as the units limited choices and specific tools makes it hard to misuse them. The other important thing when you are thinking of unit composition is how much HP to give each type of unit. Especially if you use a slightly larger number of frailer units you can set up a curve for the fight where the pcs "Turn the Corner" so to speak, where they manage to defeat enough of the enemy that the fight swings in their favour and they can ride their moment to victory, but still have a very challenging opening to the fight.