Tryna play DnD like a Big Ol' Badass

question
#1

So, I DM’ed some ICRPG as a one shot, which was super cool. There is a chance that when you fight a big monster, someone is going down in one hit, which is cool and tense. Now I’ve got to go back to 5e (Not Hardcore :disappointed:) …at least for a bit.

Here is my question… I don’t want to ask the DnD facebook group. They are weaklings:
I think the monsters are preposterously underpowered in this game. But I think if I just straight-up doubled their damage output, things would be more even. I would double the monsters, but then that just makes the fight take longer, and is not inherently more fun.

Is that too wack? Got any better ideas that will keep the DM’s turn quick, deadly, and fun?

#2

Honestly, just maxing their damage and bringing them to, idk, 1/3 max life (what is “set” in the MM is the average) would make for a much more savage and fast combat experience in 5e.

That said, I’m… kinda working on something? It’s not for those that want to stick to CR and XP. I’m going whack on some monsters to make them more fun, inspired by ICRPG.

#3

What is your aim? If you want deadly, something that generates fire in a cave full of gun-powder should do the trick. Or the ceiling to the cavern is barely held up by an old, rotting wooden frame. One attack from the baddie could knock it all loose and kill them all.

Most of it could be accomplished through narrative, ie. yes, it’s a Bugbear but there is some strange glyph scar on its chest that glows when in the presence of magic users. Freshly scattered corpses also add to the tension. Maybe even a dying powerful magic user whose dying words are to flee before the entity senses them.

Just some thoughts.

#4

The aim is always fun. But if combat is too easy, or too slow paced, it’s not fun. I know, because the most fun my table ever had in combat was when they legit thought everyone was going to die, which has not happened since.

#5

Check out @Runehammer Patreon episode “Mainframe 46: Deadly”. In short, Hankerin stresses that dangerous encounters are quick, with extreme spikes in damage.

Don’t give monsters high HP, but increase their damage potential by double or triple. The Monster Roller tables towards the back of ICRPG Core are good for adding lethal mechanics to your foes. Also, remember the environment itself can be interesting and dangerous (flowing lava, choking smoke, poisonous vines, etc).

#6

watch the challenge tuning video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfO1GWbA1MA . The monsters are not the most deadly thing in dnd, the environment is! Doubling damage with some cool “the monster transformed” explanation is also a good one to tune difficulty.

#7

I’m going to pluck this out of my… well thin air as that smells better. I think what you are looking for is player engagement.

Let that sink in a tad. Roll it over in your head.
Death defying action…that’s effing cool as…well it’s really cool. Until it gets old.

You need to know your group, when combat is going to have consequence, it’s important, when it’s going to fill a 30 minute play time, skip it.

Endless high death defying combat gets old after five deaths or so. I stop valuing my characters and am interested in finishing the story.

Understand what you are playing and who you are playing with.

In a very lethal game I played in, one player just brought a new character with a different first letter constante to his name. Bob, cob, dob, fob, gob, hob… well it wasn’t bob, but that is my generic player facing NPC and Jim is my bad guy generic NPC. But you get the idea.

Lethality does not equal fun. Sense of accomplishment does, encountering something novel and overcoming it by your intellect make you feel cool.

Giving your players that!!! Is what makes them wanting to play. Not that we almost died just now, and oh that was almost the 4th time I died in the last 6 sessions.

It’s about making each player feeling special and that they contribute to the greater good. In their uniquely special way.

Adding lethality just adds to the Damage per round Arms Race.

But you are on to something, consequence…sacrifice. Those have lasting value if the players feel them. But imposing them to harshly…looses the escapism of most groups.

Not wanting to be a kill joy, just offering some perspective. If you go from losing 10 hit points is recovered in 5 play minutes to where loosing 5 hit points is a permanent wound on your character that changes movement or hit capacity…it changes the nature of the game.

ICRPG offers unlimited 3~5 session play. But much more thought needs to be given for 40 session play. What is your group interested in playing?

If lethality is increased and it has long term consequence on fun… players avoid heroics.

If experienced players know it is a one shot…we can dive in and play bigger than life.

If this is my character for the next 30 weeks…I’ll be more conservative with them.

All that said, if your players are enthralled with super lethal, play that…but know it is not the end all be all.

#8

Might I recommend my own thread How to run Dark souls-esque bosses? The info here can work for smaller enemies as well. my main takeaway I can recommend is the reactions as a price of failing a roll. sometimes it’s just a move, other time it’s a free swing on THEIR turn, or something worse for a crit fail. It makes things quicker and more fun than just deadly fun for you but nobody else if their character dies. in any game outside a one-shot you want the threat to be shown, but not necessarily making good on that promise if you want the game to stay fun.

If you’re souls’n it up, remember the DEATH isn’t what made it fun in the end (that part was pure tedium redoing things till you got it perfect that you can’t do on tabletop because the story moves on), it was BEATING the CHALLENGE and the ACCOMPLISHMENT they get from that.

#9

You are not a kill joy. You are right. And you took the time to write a thoutful response, not a dismissive one.

It’s good to bear all this in mind. And, I think as my players are growing and getting more comfortable with the group, they are getting more into the non-combat stuff, but their starting point was to make very tough PC’s, which is cool.

I’m actually very concerned with the drama , character choices, and fidelity of the world. I want to make sure I have a handle on the danger component, is all. I am not a character killer. But I know it is my solemn duty to create some situations which are indeed dire, and to vary what that looks like.

#10

Hey @Danny_Lugo, here’s some practical advice based on my general experience.

I like it when characters are ragged at the end of a session: out of hero coins, surge used up, special abilities tapped out, and everyone sitting on one or two HP. I get there in a session as follows:

  • I use lots of little enemies early. Guards. Goons. Minions. 5 to 10 HP. But if they keep coming, players must deal with them and will expend resources, even though they’ll feel awesome mowing through all these guys. Some characters will take 4 to 5 damage.
  • In the second room, there’s always a mini boss of sorts. Someone with more hit points, a higher bonus to hit, and higher hit points (but note, not a ton of HPs, because you don’t want tank and spank). Also, generally by this time, I want some type of dilemma (oh crap, the enemies from the first room are still chasing us, so we can’t slow down). Maybe a bridge is out, so movement is curtailed. Here, players will treat this fight like a boss fight.
  • For the final room, my trap has sprung. Now, the players have some serious environmental obstacle, some serious lieutenants, and the real boss of the night. That boss still might be a bit of a glass cannon, but now it’s anybody’s guess who will win for the evening. They are low on HPs and hero coins and all that Jazz. If they’re feeling pressure or adrenaline, you know you have your hooks in. This boss uses special attacks, healing, barriers, or even a puzzle-like buff that makes players think. They can’t just run up and wail on him. Once they prevail, players should feel like they’ve been through the ringer.

After beating them up for a session like that, then I back off and run three or four easier rooms, slowly letting the players feel like badasses again. Then, for the next session, it’s time to hammer down on the accelerator and make them sweat. One of the things I do as a DM is always manage this pacing, so players ride this roller coaster of feeling awesome and challenged throughout the length of a campaign.

Generally, though, if enemies in ICRPG feel too weak, you can always: add more of them; add a high damage bonus to their attacks (my snake mages were +10); make them roll Ultimate, every round; double their dice (1d6 is now 2d6); give enemies a unique ability (you face 1d6 plus 1d4 poison every round for four rounds); give the enemies flat damage (make a Dex save or take 6); or make enemies confounding in some way (invisible, invulnerable until the mcguffin is removed/destroyed, multi-attack, grapple or drown attacks, spells from afar, or surrounded by pesky minions that sap them, etc.). In short, there are a ton of ways to challenge players. You just have to be a little creative about it. And, you can always create enemies of your own. Reskin something else or invent your own.

#11

You are totally on the right track!!! Honesty of rolls adds integrity. So roll in the open.

Using @Alex ‘s advice of adding more weak enemies is great.
Sometimes players just want to kill something.
Sometimes players want the minutia of political influence.
Often some want both at the same time, at the same table.

There is no perfect table. But I agree that starting with competent characters, that allows forgiveness for bad rolls or some such…hero coins, bennies, bribe the GM with brownies or his favorite libation typically gives a decent table. And ultimately that is the goal!

Everyone having fun.
Trust, Truth, and the allowance to fudge things at a cost. Be it food, libations, laughter, making you think…just don’t show favorites and accept that sometimes dice roll against the players. But if everyone is enthralled they will probably help you move when you need their help ;-p

#12

Look to Five Torches Deep for the monster builder: it makes efficient monsters with not too many HPs so they are definitely more interesting! I strongly recommend after struggling so much with the Monster Manual of 5e and monster building myself.