Challenging the players - DM help please

[ddude987]

My group, you know who you are, go away.

Now then, I've been DMing a group and we are three sessions into the game, maybe four. Currently the players are going to by traveling via boat to an island that has six different island tribes on it. So far, the combats have not been challenging to the players. I am hoping for ideas to challenge them. Player info below.

Players - level 4, 32 pb
Warforged Fighter - high AC (24), decent to-hit (+9), low damage (1d8+5)
Human Swordsage - high AC (22), 20% miss chance, teleportation, good to-hit, good damage
Unseelie Fey Forest Gnome Barbarian - Flight, low AC (16), good to-hit, good damage
Human Archivist - heals, buffs, debuffs, damage via spiritual weapon (Jovar), low AC (18)

If I increase to-hit I always hit the barbarian and archivist and then they go down, especially the barbarian because frontliner. If I increase damage, I very rarley hit the warforged, if ever, same with swordsage. I could use magic, but something like glitterdust you're all blinded, tpk, is not something I want to do. Any suggestions?

[Kazudo]

You could try to overwhelm with sheer numbers. Go with creatures that have a half-decent to-hit and damage with decent AC. Spells may or may not be important. Massive quantities of undead can help with that, or goblins or kobolds. Are they going to be ridiculously easy to hit? Yeah. Will they go down fast? Mhmm. Will the wizards get to use the GOOD spells they love to use in AOE situations? You bet! But will it be challenging? If you up the numbers enough, yeah.

My favorite option to use when the players get too comfortable is to have a skirmish or two against pitiful (but overhyped) creatures. One or two in each skirmish, three or four, just enough to cause some discomfort, maybe needing a charge out of a wand or two to recover, but nothing serious. Then, when you have the PCs in a big wide open area with few bottlenecked entries, block off the entrances and exits and swarm in that same creature. Dozens at a time until the PCs are feeling the burn. Then cut the numbers out, fudge some rolls and let the PCs handle the situation.

[ddude987]

That is an option, but I'm looking for more ways to make the encounters dynamic and challenging, not just overwhelming. Sure being overwhelmed by mass amounts of enemies is taxing on resources, but it isn't necessarily challenging when it doesn't make the players think.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Use single-target tricks like Tanglefoot Bags, Cause Fear, and Electric Loop, or area crowd controls that can be moved out of like Wall of Smoke, Grease, and Ice Slick from Frostburn. Another good one is the Earth Devotion feat from CC, which can be used to automatically ruin a charge since it's an immediate action, plus they have to make a Balance check or fall down. Chill/Heat Metal on a metal weapon will usually cause it to be dropped if the player is smart, so it's a decent Will save-or-disarm. Sound Burst is also pretty decent if it can catch multiple characters, and remember stunned creatures drop everything they're holding.

[ddude987]

Use single-target tricks like Tanglefoot Bags, Cause Fear, and Electric Loop, or area crowd controls that can be moved out of like Wall of Smoke, Grease, and Ice Slick from Frostburn. Another good one is the Earth Devotion feat from CC, which can be used to automatically ruin a charge since it's an immediate action, plus they have to make a Balance check or fall down. Chill/Heat Metal on a metal weapon will usually cause it to be dropped if the player is smart, so it's a decent Will save-or-disarm. Sound Burst is also pretty decent if it can catch multiple characters, and remember stunned creatures drop everything they're holding.

Completely forgot about that one. These are all helpful spells, thank you.

In terms of to-hit, damage, and AC of my baddies, around where should they be? What is a good % chance to hit the average AC of a player and what is a good amount of hits, on average, to drop a player?

[hemming]

Have you tried mixing up the terrain and enemy types much?

Throwing in a squad of rogue archers on a ridge that target the others while the barbarian is meleeing away on another group of enemies - putting in enemies with varying classes and tactics to counter the dynamics of the party

Edit: If you can give the PCs some way to water breathe, an underwater adventure might be a good short-term solution. Water based foes have a lot of natural advantages in underwater combat

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Consider opponents with a mix of capabilities.

For example, use three or four Gnome Warriors with scale mail, heavy/tower shields, Stand Still (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/psionicFeats.htm#standStill), Dodge, and Titan Fighting from RoS (and Unreactive (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/buildingCharacters/characterFlaws.htm#unreactive) and Love of Nature (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=258440#30)). They aren't necessarily dangerous but can really get in the way, plus give each of them a Tanglefoot Bag and an Alchemist's Fire, along with a Spiked Gauntlet and a Longsword. Accompanying them can be a Spirit Shaman 3 with Dodge, Titan Fighting, and Earth Devotion (and Love of Nature), light armor and a heavy shield, who uses Sandblast, Wall of Smoke, and Flame Blade, and don't forget about catching on fire (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/environment.htm#catchingOnFire).

In that case, positioning and tactics and which opponents the PCs focus on first will be extremely important. If they just try to charge in they'll bounce off of a line of high AC warriors, then the warriors step out of reach and throw Tanglefoot Bags and Alchemist's Fire while the Shaman uses Wall of Smoke and moves around their side.