challenging encounters

The number one discussion I have with other GMs is balancing encounters. Several systems try to do this by using some sort of mathematical equation that involves player levels versus monster levels. Often these equations just don’t work…well, not the way most GMs try to use them anyway.

I have discovered that if I use these equations and actually give several combats to the players before they can recover, then it works. However, I generally only have my players do one combat. When following the guidelines, these combats are super easy for my players. They lose interest quickly when fights are simple, and quick. They are not using their resources to any great degree, so how do I fix this?

When I am planning an encounter, I find a monster (or bad guy) that makes sense to be in the area, and triple its given hit points. Then I check its attacks. If it has minimal attacks, or only one type of attack, I like to add other enemies to fill out the attacks, making sure I have some melee and some ranged attacks. If this is supposed to be a major bad guy, I might give them legendary actions to impress the imminent danger.

My general rule of thumb is to try to make the encounter last at least three rounds, but not more than ten if possible. I want it to be challenging without becoming a “slugfest.” If it lasts too long, the players will fall into taking the same action on every turn. When that happens, they will check out and just roll the dice, the battle becomes monotonous.

Full disclosure: I will fudge my roles, I will alter the enemy’s stats…and I will even do this mid-battle. I do these things for my players’ enjoyment. It is never a “me vs. them” mentality, I actually want my players to win (otherwise the story ends). I just want them to feel challenged and am trying to learn where the line is for making an encounter feel deadly without actually killing the characters.

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