Interesting encounters and resources for a DM?

[Bloodgruve]

Started a new campaign and I'm looking for some inspiration. I wouldn't consider myself a newbie DM but I haven't run a lot of games. I do however have an above average player in my group and I want to be able to keep stuff interesting for him and myself.

My goal is to give every encounter some environmental elements or interesting mechanics aside from just the guys they're fighting. Are there any good resources out there that I could pull from?

I really want to give my group encounters that challenge them but allow them to use their kool abilities. The group consists of a shapeshift druid, artificer, rogue/warblade/././.., sorc, rogue, ranger and bard. Five of the players are new to the game. I may be splitting the group in two.

DM's, how do you build interesting encounters? What is your thought process?

Thanks
Blood~

[Pilo]

It depends, for a planned encounter, i think of the place where it will happen.
I add some element that the pcs may use (but they don't do that often because they spend too much time looking at their character sheet to find an ability they want to use).

For exemple an old empty barrel which may be used as a cover or some windows to flee.

Sometime you can add some device to an encounter like an electric generator/artefact that electrocute a half-flooded room every 1d4 round.

You can use secret coridors with a sorcerer and the classic eyes moving behind an paint which will cast a silent summon monster while your characters are fighting. (Not every round but in some room just to raise the difficulty a little). In that case you have to be careful and add some other feathures to the room like candelabras or statue or wardrobe, to make the paint an other detail instead of the obvious trap.

An other fun thing are the phases. Imagine that your pcs kills a evil priest who was controling some undeads and have them in the other room. A round or two after they've kill the evil cleric, you can make the undeads rush in the room.

[Cespenar]

Either:

-A static battleground with lots of movable stuff: bookcases to knock down, shelves, tables to provide cover, even long curtains to provide concealment, etc.

Or:

-A dynamic battleground. A busy town street with horse carriages racing occasionally, a hilltop with sudden gushes of wind and the odd crevasse, a marsh with pockets of dangerous swamp gas and a few quicksands lying around, stuff like that.