Up next in 10
Challenging high-level characters in DnD is notoriously difficult. Sometimes the answer is to just let be good at stuff.
#dnd #dmadvice #dnd5e #2024dnd
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
Challenging highle players in D and D
0:02
who are wellbuilt, well optimized is
0:04
really, really hard. It's really hard in
0:07
D and D. You're not wrong to have
0:09
trouble here. Players have so many
0:12
options for boosting their ability
0:14
checks, their skill checks, expertise,
0:17
guidance, enhancability, reliable
0:20
talent, BIC inspiration. Like the
0:22
potential bonuses stack insanely high.
0:25
Like I I have an example build on
0:26
rpgbot.net net that can add just a whole
0:30
stack of bonus dice on ability checks
0:32
and get like an average plus 20 bonus
0:34
without proficiency. So yes, challenging
0:37
highle players is very very difficult
0:40
with ability checks, but I don't think
0:43
that's actually a problem. Your players
0:45
have invested a ton of resources, a ton
0:47
of decision points to make themselves
0:49
good at those things, to make themselves
0:51
good at that given ability check. So
0:53
like your rogue with reliable talent and
0:56
expertise and maximized dexterity and a
0:58
cloak of elven kind or whatever. They're
1:00
really good at stealth, like impossible
1:03
to stop at stealth, but they have put in
1:06
a ton of resources to get to that point.
1:10
Let them have it. If they have built
1:12
their character to be unstoppable at a
1:14
given thing, you kind of just have to to
1:17
some degree, but you can lean into that.
1:20
you don't need to worry about that
1:21
character successfully sneaking around
1:23
things. And when they don't, it's a big
1:27
deal. Like your rogue goes to sneak up
1:29
on the big bad. They've got like plus a
1:31
million to stealth. They roll a 30 on
1:33
their stealth jack. They're unstoppable.
1:35
They're undetected. And the big bad
1:38
turns around and looks them in the face
1:41
and says, "I was wondering when you
1:42
would get here." Like those moments of
1:45
unexpected failure can be really
1:48
interesting story beats. Also, you need
1:50
to find a way to make those make sense
1:51
cuz like if the player's invisible and
1:54
running non-detection and they've done
1:56
all the things, like yes, again, let
1:58
them have it to some degree. Sometimes
2:00
you want to put difficult challenges in
2:02
front of them so they feel like they're
2:04
being challenged to reward their
2:07
investment in those things. Cuz if
2:09
they're a master of stealth and you just
2:11
never make them roll stealth ever again,
2:13
that's deeply dissatisfying. So
2:15
sometimes you just have to let the
2:17
players win and look for other ways to
2:19
challenge them beyond just the things
2:22
that they're good at. And a lot of those
2:24
resources like bic inspiration and
2:26
guidance and things like that, those
2:28
frequently have usage limitations or
2:30
costs of some kind. Like even guidance,
2:32
sure it's a cantrip, but it takes
2:34
concentration, which means dropping
2:36
concentration on probably a much higher
2:38
level spell to use it. So continuously
2:41
putting those small challenges in front
2:43
of players and forcing them to spend
2:44
resources can also make those challenges
2:47
more impactful. Even if normally those
2:50
players are really really good at it,
2:51
they might still fail simply because
2:53
they can't afford the resources to
2:54
automatically pass an ability
#Roleplaying Games