Higher Encounter Damage 101

alt textThink the threat level of your encounters is too low?  Specifically damage level and output?  These are some of my favorite ways to up encounter damage in 4e, to better challenge and threaten your adventurers:

Encounter Area Features

  • Offensive Terrain Features (i.e. Fonts of Power, Blood Rock; create “Greater” versions or new ones as desired for higher tiers of play or variety)
  • Global Encounter Elements, preferably resolved at start of each round (i.e. Elemental Storm Damage, Toxic Gas Damage, Burning Room or Ship, Rage-Blessing of Baphomet, etc.  )
  • Poison Access and Disease Inclusion (i.e. Befouled Fountain, Barrels of Poison; Moon Frenzy, Mummy Rot)

Disease inclusion amps up the encounter threat level, but it sometimes lacks that instant punch of the pure additional bonus damage or debilitating conditions that poison provides.  That said, both disease and poison are a more engaging layer of “damage” to add to your encounters, especially the monster-delivered ones, whether by coating weapons or delivered naturally or supernaturally.  Lather up those arrows, send out the werewolf packs, and awaken the mummies!

Monster-Specific

  • Trigger Redesign: replace unexciting, weak, complex or unlikely monster triggers and similar out-of-turn actions or abilities with flat damage bonuses to on-turn attacks
  • More Monsters, Not Tougher Monsters: classic advice from DMG2, as multiple threats to deal with is usually better than one or just a few
  • More Minions: easy execution – both kinds!
  • More Monster Waves: more threats showing up later, cavalry and backup-style, is always exciting
  • More Brutes and Artillery: the two most straightforward damage-dealing monster types in the game, best used together to present two distinct types of tactical threats

A special note on traps and hazards: I prefer to emulate these with Global Encounter Elements or effects since traps and hazards often come with that all-or-nothing challenge risk to them, similar to minions.

Magic Items

  • Alchemical Items: especially area-effect “bombs and grenades”
  • Daily Magic Item Powers: once again, especially area-effect magic

Though monsters don’t typically use magic items – especially ones with daily powers – since they’re not designed like PCs, rare use of this can be a fun surprise, a slight increase in threat level, and a dramatic preview of the treasure that awaits the party should they triumph.  For example, perhaps that bugbear figures out how to use that Sunblade greatsword and then uses it to blast the heroes that now surround him with its radiant light. 

Damage boosts from area-effect damage alchemical items and consumables are also highly recommended to amp up the damage dealing in an encounter.  In short?  Bring more bombs and grenades.  Once in a while, monsters packing some Alchemist’s Fire or Thunderstones are a nasty surprise, and they certainly make great treasure to be looted as well, adding more and unusual weapon options to your party’s arsenal.

Your Tips

What essential tips do you have for amping up the basic threat level and damage level of your encounters?  Which ones here or which ones of your own seem to make a better impact than others?

2 Responses to “Higher Encounter Damage 101”

  1. […] Roar wrote a basic primer on ways to increase an encounter’s challenge and damage.  While this may or may not be […]

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