challenging low op players

[drack]

Hello. As a GM I like to challenge my players, though I tend to run more of the High op games working to balance tippy players who think they should be able to crush the world with their pinky at epic levels. So I come seeking advise as to how one might make a challenging encounter that a lower op player might survive, yet feel challenged by. And ways to use higher level characters so they still gain xp. I figure I can use more NPC classes, but that only works for so many encounters before it gets boring from a mechanical standpoint. If it helps I'm thinking of more urban guards/thieves guild type adversaries. :smallbiggrin:

[Glimbur]

One thing that low op players might not be so good at is dealing with variety in their combat. Battlefield control, debuffs, traps, environmental hazards, and so on. These can make a fight more interesting while still letting you control the lethality. So, throw in some guys with nets or lassos. Have them be jumped in a dark alley with boxes and rogues with saps (who can see in the dark). Have an enemy wizard drop a fog spell or a wall, and then leave. Pull in a few tricks which are mid to high op, but only a few, and try to avoid the directly lethal. Get them thinking about their different options and being creative; this will also help them build more effective characters (maybe).

[cakellene]

There's always kobolds.

[Spore]

Use the environment and ambushes. Surprises give your unoptimized creatures an advantage, if they are on a higher point, they get attack bonusses, maybe sneak attack and cover. Use several creatures and spread them through the landscape. Give them chances to prepare and notice the ambush. Perception checks, Survival for tracks, Knowledge Local, Dungeoneering or Nature for known hiding spots.

If you're thinking rogue and unoptimized, think no more. Just tell them that the thieves' guild has the city in their grasp because common folk can't prepare for robbery and ambushes like the heroes can.

[Flickerdart]

If you look carefully, you can see a pattern emerge within stock monsters - big fat piles of HP with relatively poor defenses, and weak but accurate attacks. Find monsters that exemplify this and field them against the PCs, making sure to spread the love instead of focus-firing. Unoptimized players are probably still learning the game, so giving them more protracted combats to get their footing isn't a bad idea. This also lets them turn tail and flee if things get bad - the difference between four guys at 10/40 HP and one full health guy dragging three corpses behind him is massive, even though it's the same amount of damage.