D&D | High Level Gameplay | DM Tips & Tricks

[@VitorRedes]

I usually change creatures mechanics, like instead of 2, 3 stone golens, I put a chain linking them, they share damage and their attack is charging with that giant chain to put enemies to the ground. An illusionist Wizard that can bend illusion in a way PC's can't. The wizard can create a perfect image of him as a legendary action, can trade places and cast spells with the image and there is no way to tell who is the real wizard. I think running bad guys as a PC and follow the rules just don't add much because a experienced group just knows everything they can do or not do. Bending a little is fun, unexpected and challenging for the players.

[@theophrastusbombastus1359]

I make them run gauntlets. Rather than have the odd monster appear that they swat easily, I have a series of monsters that don't allow for rests in between. I try to say their resources as much as I can before they come to the bad guy - and then the big fight is a lot more interesting when they are at their suboptimal. I also implement exhaustion as much as I can. Once they reach a high enough level I have them incur a level of exhaustion for every time they are reduced to death saves but are restored to their feet; the anguish of being downed takes its toll in the heat of battle until they can get somewhere safe and rest up. And every time the d12 round counter resets. If a fight goes 13 rounds then its safe to say they take a level of exhaustion. If you're getting tired playing 13 rounds then your character is tired swinging a sword for 78 secs or so lol Or Hank's d4 timer of doom. Every d4 rounds something happens - and not often good! Room begins to fill up with gas, lava begins to avalanche, skeletons rise from the ground to surround them, etc. Different things like that

[@tylerdurden639]

If you extend the amount of time necessary for long and short rests, this can have the same effect as putting them through a gauntlet.

[@axelperry7822]

I used tip 2 with 2 fire giants-easy, but they had torture devices. The fighter died, but the wizard had revivify.