Challenging Encounters[3.5]

[mr.fizzypop]

I am going to be DMing a DnD campaign. The players have all ready made their characters...and they seem to be pretty combat heavy. Pretty high stats and BaB. Instead of planning encounters several levels higher than they are, I was wondering if any of you know some combat encounters that are mentally challenging. Maybe enemies with a good strategy or something that needs to be solved in a way other than charging in and swinging your sword. It can be for any level, and any environment. Anybody have any ideas?

[Temet Nosce]

Well, this isn't something I'd use the stats in the book for but I've been toying with the idea of using a forest fire as a major encounter for some time now. Although this wouldn't be a combat encounter, so I'm unsure as to whether it'd work for you.

[Kylarra]

Wizards with lots of debuffs. They don't need to kill the players, just humiliate them.

[Akal Saris]

Any time the opponents are a mixed group you need better strategies to deal with them. Another adventuring party, for example.

Usually strategy in fights I design involves 1-2 quirks from an NPC, and 1-2 environmental notes, such as the presence of difficult terrain or a narrow bridge over a fast river.

[Yukitsu]

If they're all combat based, shouldn't that be taken as a sign that they feel like a combat heavy game? :smallconfused:

Anyway, strong use of terrain as a key part of enemy strategies is one of the first things that comes to mind for me. They see a kobold hurling rocks at the crest of a hill. On the other side are a few of his bugbear buddies... That your party just eagerly walked into melee range of.

I also use more alchemic items than the rest of my party in general.

Two kobolds with crossbows in a labarynth can do something annoying. One waits round a corner, and readies to fire when he sees a guy. He fires then moves behind the next corner. Party moves around and get hit by his buddy, who is at the next bend, who does the same. Add weight activated pit fall traps, and you'll have an encounter that has them pretty ticked off pretty fast.

[herrhauptmann]

Look at the module "Something cooking in the kitchen" on the WOTC website.
One monster gets tougher depending on the attacks the party uses. I won't specify in case someone here has a DM about to run the module.

But using the rules in the Monster manual, you should be able to easily upgrade the monster to whatever level your party is at.

[Keewatin]

One combat I have always wanted to do was a horde of zombies all trying to grapple.

Its always fun to use trip bullrush and grapple with monsters not super optimized for it. Nothing is more boring then both sides standing still taking swings at each other.

One of the most entertaining fights I ever did was in a trapped room with hobgoblins. Every tile you stepped on spikes shot up the next round and made an attack +10 vs anyone standing in the square for 1d6 damage, so you had to move at the begining of your turn and try to get to a square you wernt in last round and no one else had stepped in. It was fun when you could trick enemies into stepping on the wrong tiles or bullrush people places they didnt want to stand.

[mr.fizzypop]

Look at the module "Something cooking in the kitchen" on the WOTC website.
One monster gets tougher depending on the attacks the party uses. I won't specify in case someone here has a DM about to run the module.

But using the rules in the Monster manual, you should be able to easily upgrade the monster to whatever level your party is at.

I know of the adventure "Something's Cooking", on the WotC site, but I don't know what monster you're talking about.

[only1doug]

I know of the adventure "Something's Cooking", on the WotC site, but I don't know what monster you're talking about.

the golem in the basement?

[AslanCross]

Terrain is the key. The monsters don't need to be physically overpowering if they can use the terrain to their advantage.

[mr.fizzypop]

the golem in the basement?


but I don't see how it gets better as you attack it.

[herrhauptmann]

It gets better if your party uses the right attacks. Otherwise, it's a weak golem. Weaker than the standard ones. THough the fact that it's a new one, means even your min-maxers won't know what sorts of damage it ignores.

Piercing/slashing does damage to people adjacent to it because of the hot cheese and sauce.
Fire damage raises its AC by 1 for every 3 points of fire damage. If you ordinarily give brief descriptions after the party members attack, they won't think anything of you saying "The crust turns black like it's been in the oven too long". Well, they won't think anything about it until they've dealt 30 odd points of fire damage without it falling over, and suddenly the people attacking it with weapons can't hit it any longer.
I had a druid with call flame, and a pyrokineticist in the party when I ran it. Suddenly with 5 hit points left, they couldn't touch it without good rolls AND tactics.