A couple encounters

[Quixotic1]

A brief explanation: one session, 4 hours, five lvl3 characters.
They will most likely have to deal with 1-3 of the following, depending on their actions.
The rest of the game will include up to 1-3 other combats (one with a single and extremely powerful foe, one with a mob and one with two fairly powerful foes) and 1-2 high stakes primarily social encounters, along with a smattering of navigation, discovery, escape, etc.

5e is very new to me, and the way it differs from 3rd or Pathfinder 1st has me doubting a few things.
I want to challenge them but give them a reasonable chance at success. If a couple of them don't make it, that's fine. But overall, they should be able to pull through if they're attentive and make smart choices.

I mostly just looked at what I thought were staple monsters from the Manual and tried to stat up something that felt in the same ballpark.

And of course, there's no such thing as a "combat encounter"; combat is just one of the ways they can resolve the conflict. So there are very few instances where they have to fight, and none where they have to fight to the last if they'd rather try a different approach.

Into the Brambles (encounter)
Setting: a thorny hedge
Question: can they continue on their journey safely?
Establishing shot: "the moon filters through the dead, thorny vines above you. You push your way through the thicket, but then you hear it. A low, snuffling breath and a deep grunt. There is something here."
Conflict: there is a foul-tempered black boar with piglets nearby. There are pale, bloated spiders in the thicket.
Decision Points: combat, the hedge versus open ground, the piglets
Goals/outcomes: they continue on their journey, are injured or drained or they perish
Exit points: the Pinetar Swamp, on the hilltop, the black grove

The boars are protecting their young (nature DC12 or perception DC16 to notice them) and will not enter the thicket. The spiders have advantage on anyone in the thicket and will not leave it.

Black boar (2): AC14, 34hp, 35ft, Str +2, Dex +1, Con +4, Int -4, Wis +1, Cha -3, perception +3 (advantage with scent), tusks +4 (1d8+2 slashing), charge (Str save DC12 or knocked prone, +1d8 damage), 450xp

Piglets (5), 0xp

Ghost spiders (9): AC13, 1hp, 15ft, perception 13, Str -5, Dex +3, Con +0, Int -5, Wis +1, Cha -5, Stealth +5 (advantage in thicket), bite +5 (1 piercing and poison- DC10 or disadvantage on two ability checks* for 1 hour. Each failed save adds one hour), 5xp

*Str and Con or Dex and Wis, depending on the path they're on

The Pinetar Swamp (encounter)
Setting: the Pinetar Swamp
Question: can they continue on their journey safely?
Establishing shot: "the light from your lanterns glances off the surface of still, cold water. The drone of flies grows louder. This must be the Pinetar Swamp."
Conflict: the howler eels are hungry. And the midges, too.
Decision Points: combat, finding solid ground, getting out of the water.
Goals/outcomes: they continue on their journey, are injured or drained or they perish
Exit points: into the brambles, on the hilltop, the black grove

The eels hide in the murk and observe, hoping someone will fall in with them. If the PCs seem to be making good progress, the eels begin howling in an attempt to draw them in. Int (nature) DC14 reveals areas with saw grass are marshy (difficult terrain) and ares with pinkish-white flowers are not ground at all (Dex save DC16 or fall in).

Howler eels (6): AC13, 15hp, swim 30ft, perception 13, Str -1, Dex +2, Con -1, Int -3, Wis +1, Cha +1, bite +4 (2d4-1 piercing) or howl (Wis DC11 or disadvantage on Dex and Wis checks for 1 hour. Each failed save adds one hour), 100xp

On the Hilltop (encounter)
Setting: a small clearing
Question: can they continue on their journey safely?
Establishing shot: "the trees give way to a small clearing, the ground rising steeply before you. There is a hill in the center of the clearing, a ring stones at it's top jut from the grass like teeth in a broken grin."
Conflict: the spirits buried here are restless and envy the hot, steaming blood in their veins.
Decision Points: combat, the riddles and the barrows
Goals/outcomes: they continue on their journey, are injured or drained or they perish
Exit points: into the brambles, the Pinetar Swamp, the black grove

There is ancient writing on three standing stones, if any can read them:

- "Cold gleam of gold entombed, we shall guard it from light of sun, star and moon."

- "For as long as my bones lie here, we shall stay. When they are gone, we must away."

- "Undying, unchanging, unending are we, 'til stout hearts and true shall come set us free."

If the seals are broken (Str DC15 or disable device DC13), the spirits are banished.

Carin wraiths (3): AC11, 16hp, 20ft, vulnerable to radiant, resistant to non-magic, immune to necrotic and poison, darkvision 120ft., perception 10, Str -5, Dex +1, Con +0, Int -3, Wis +0, Cha +3, fell blade +3 (2d6+1 necrotic and 2d6 cold), 100xp

The Black Grove (encounter)
Setting: a grove of ancient, gnarled trees.
Question: can they continue on their journey safely?
Establishing shot: "the trees here are different. Black and gnarled, like bitter old men. Maybe there was a fire? It's quiet here. No nightbirds, no crickets. Even the air feels still and heavy in this place."
Conflict: the trees are hungry. Their roots are strong and their leaves are sharp.
Decision Points: combat
Goals/outcomes: they continue on their journey, are injured or drained or they perish
Exit points: into the brambles, the Pinetar Swamp, on the hilltop

The wicked spirit within the Hungry Tree can influence root and branch nearby (nature DC14 or perception DC16 to detect where the presence is coming from). The rooks are cruel and love eyes, but they will flee if reduced to half health.

Hungry tree (1): AC13, 59hp, 0ft, vulnerable to fire, resistant to piercing, slashing, necrotic and poison, perception 15, Str +4, Dex -5, Con +2, Int +0, Wis +3, Cha +2, root or branch +6 (1d6+4 bludgeoning and grappled DC14), reach 50ft. or sleep charm (Cha DC12 or fall asleep), 450xp.

Parliment of rooks (3): AC12, 24hp, fly 50ft, Str -2, Dex +2, Con -1, Int -4, Wis +1, Cha -2, perception +5, resistant to physical damage, beaks +4 (2d4 and Dex save DC12 or disadvantage on Dex and Wis checks for 1 hour), 50xp each

[Psyren]

Are you using Boars or Giant Boars for that first one? I ask because the stats you're using are much closer to the former, but the 450XP you have them giving is for the latter. Note that both kinds of boar are in the Basic Rules (https://dnd.wizards.com/what-is-dnd/basic-rules) so you don't need to buy any books to check them out or make anything up.

[Keravath]

A lot of the creatures are inflicting disadvantage on dex and wis checks for an hour after the encounter. Unless there is a lot of traveling, these effects are likely to still be in effect for most of the encounters. The result is that several of the alternate approaches to these encounters will be prevented because the party is unlikely to make the ability checks.

e.g. perception is a wisdom check - they will miss seeing things (like the safer path in the marsh), stealth is a dex check making it significantly more difficult to bypass things.

The Carin wights might be tough. They do an average of 15 damage on each hit (max 25). A crit could do a maximum of 49 damage (unlikely). However, a typical level 3 character (d8 and 14 con) would have 24 hit points on average. A fighter 28 and a wizard 20. Depending on initiative, to hit rolls - basically luck - the difficulty of this encounter could vary significantly. In addition they are resistant to non-magical damage which effectively doubles their hit points since there are few level 3 characters with magical weapons (blade pact warlock) unless the DM gives them the weapons, making them much more difficult to take out.

You don't mention how long the sleep caused by the tree lasts or how it can be ended. Also the grappled condition only sets a creature's movement to zero. It doesn't do anything else. You also don't mention how many creatures the tree can grapple at once and whether it can be damaged by hitting the roots doing the grappling.

It looks like an interesting series of encounters but how easy or difficult they are will really depend on the players and their characters. Some parties might not have much trouble while others might find themselves in dire straits.

[Quixotic1]

Are you using Boars or Giant Boars for that first one? I ask because the stats you're using are much closer to the former, but the 450XP you have them giving is for the latter.Oh I see. I don't have the 5e MM just yet, but I suppose at least the first one is a necessary investment.
I was thinking they'd just be medium-sized animals for various reasons, but I wanted them to be bigger and beefier (porkier?) than the wimpy basic ones.
I'll use the giant one's stats as a starting point and update them. Thanks!


A lot of the creatures are inflicting disadvantage on dex and wis checks for an hour after the encounter. Unless there is a lot of traveling, these effects are likely to still be in effect for most of the encounters. The result is that several of the alternate approaches to these encounters will be prevented because the party is unlikely to make the ability checks.There will be quite a bit of traveling, yeah.
The penalties are meant to affect the skills The PCs will be using to navigate the forest itself, but yeah I suppose those other things will prove more difficult as well.



The Carin wights might be tough.Yeah, I thought they might be. But I also feel like the clues are fairly obvious, especially taken all together (I know at least one of the characters will be able to read them), and then it's just a matter of a pretty easy check to break the seals and banish the spirits. I was also thinking that their bonus to hit is pretty low, so that would help a bit too. Do you think they're in need of being scaled down a touch? I was planning on playing them as slow and ponderous. Sort of a empty-shades-from-a-forgotten-time kind of feel. No popping in and out of full cover and focus-firing on one target or anything. They're...not dumb, just...almost like pre-recorded messages. They're not efficient.


You don't mention how long the sleep caused by the tree lasts or how it can be ended. Also the grappled condition only sets a creature's movement to zero. It doesn't do anything else. You also don't mention how many creatures the tree can grapple at once and whether it can be damaged by hitting the roots doing the grappling.Oh sure. I was thinking it lasts quite a while. Like falling asleep for the night. And you can wake them up the same way you wake up the average sleeping person from an unusually deep but still normal sleep.
I think...it can grapple as many targets as it can reach and hit, and that only attacks on the tree itself (versus roots or branches of other trees in its influence) matter.


...how easy or difficult they are will really depend on the players and their characters. Some parties might not have much trouble while others might find themselves in dire straits.Alright. Thank you for your input and questions. They've helped me clarify things a bit.

[ReallySeamus]

I highly recommend running these encounters through DnD Beyond's encounter builder (https://www.dndbeyond.com/encounter-builder) to get a sense of difficulty. (It also has stats for the "default" monsters like boar if you're interested, though I don't see any issue with customizing.) Even if the exact creatures aren't there, you'll be able to get a sense of what you're dealing with - finding a CR/xp value match is the most important thing for the system's arithmetic.

For the first encounter, the two boar are a pretty hard fight on their own. That's a lot of HP to get through, and a single attack could potentially knock an average wizard or sorcerer unconscious. The spiders are more of a nuisance than anything, but could make strength checks against the boar dicey or even kill a player that falls unconscious in the thicket with auto death save fails. I think that's a stiff, but reasonable challenge, especially if fleeing or some kind of non-combat solution (maybe a druid can soothe them?) is available.

The second encounter is very cool. I like the way the the eels interact with the navigational challenge. There's a good chance somebody falls in given the dex DC is fairly high, but it should be manageable even if it may be taxing if a low HP or low AC character gets swarmed.

Third encounter is also nice; I enjoy combats that can end via puzzle. If the wraiths are just knocked to 0 HP, do more rise or is breaking the seals just a shortcut rather than a necessity? It's not clear to me where the seals are (are the stones sarcophagi?), but in general I think it's an appropriate challenge as long as the PCs have a reasonable opportunity to read the clues and figure out where the graves/seals are located. I'm sure you've got that handled ("broken grin" is a good line, btw). Edit: I missed that the wraiths deal 2d6 necrotic AND 2d6 cold. That significantly ups the threat level. If I was to scale it down, I'd probably just convert to 1d6 of each, or at least make sure the players had a chance to read before combat began.

Fourth encounter, the first thing that caught my eye is that resistance is slashing is unexpected for a tree. I don't believe that's typical for awakened tree types, but it could make for a dramatic moment if somebody's axe is ineffective. (The sleep charm is interesting - why that effect? I like the idea of a charm, but I would think a nightmarish wood would go for the frightened condition instead. Though I suppose you could flavor it as the person dreams of a nightmare.) The swarm of ravens is a good atmospheric touch, and combined with the tree make the encounter challenging enough without necessarily being deadly as long as the players aren't super unlucky or foolish.

All in all, I think all four are good challenges. How many of those and how many of the bigger encounters they can handle overall will largely depend on whether they can take a short rest (I'm assuming a long rest is out). 5e is generally balanced for 6-8 encounters per day, with 2 short rests typical (so after 2-3 encounters). Without a short rest and the possibility of 2-3 higher level challenges, 4-5 encounters is the limit unless you beef up their characters a bit with some extra healing potions or magic items.

Looks like a lot of fun! Honestly, my biggest thing is fitting all that into a single session would be a great accomplishment. I'm lucky if I can get my players through three dungeon chambers most nights.

[Quixotic1]

I highly recommend running these encounters through DnD Beyond's encounter builder (https://www.dndbeyond.com/encounter-builder)I ran them through that, yeah. I figured that's a good place to start, but all the CRs and XP allowances and stuff can only account for so much.


For the first encounter, the two boar are a pretty hard fight on their own. That's a lot of HP to get through, and a single attack could potentially knock an average wizard or sorcerer unconscious. The spiders are more of a nuisance than anything, but could make strength checks against the boar dicey or even kill a player that falls unconscious in the thicket with auto death save fails. I think that's a stiff, but reasonable challenge, especially if fleeing or some kind of non-combat solution (maybe a druid can soothe them?) is available.That's interesting, since the Giant Boars are CR2 and are substantially more dangerous than what I have currently. I was actually thinking of pumping them up a bit.
The spiders will probably be pretty lazy and unmotivated; they'll approach and attack anyone nearby, but more as a "get out of my yard" reaction than seeking outright murder. It's not like a 6" spider could even attempt to eat a person.
If the PCs notice that the boars have piglets (by either seeing the babies or by noting the boars' behavior and inferring there must be young nearby), it'll be pretty easy to back off and avoid further conflict. The boars won't go chasing after them. They're on defense only.


If the wraiths are just knocked to 0 HP, do more rise or is breaking the seals just a shortcut rather than a necessity? It's not clear to me where the seals are (are the stones sarcophagi?), but in general I think it's an appropriate challenge as long as the PCs have a reasonable opportunity to read the clues and figure out where the graves/seals are located. I'm sure you've got that handled ("broken grin" is a good line, btw).Thank you!
Breaking open the tombs will just be another way to end the encounter. Or they could run away; the spirits can't leave the hill. But I figured I could leave them some cool stuff inside the barrows, if they're brave and clever enough to get it
The ancient script will be on three big ol' standing stones and the actual tombs will be just as obvious. I'll just be like, "you see three tall pillars of stone with strange runes caved in their sides...at the center of the ring of stones are three carins, marking ancient graves" or some such.


Edit: I missed that the wraiths deal 2d6 necrotic AND 2d6 cold. That significantly ups the threat level. If I was to scale it down, I'd probably just convert to 1d6 of each, or at least make sure the players had a chance to read before combat began. Yeah, the wraiths won't be jumping out and starting combat right away. It'll probably take a couple rounds (maybe one of the wraiths will appear through the standing stone as they finish reading the last clue).
I based them mostly off the Shadow. Those do 2d6+2 and 1d4 Str and have a higher movement and AC. What if I dropped their AC and to Hit by 1? Or maybe 2d6 necrotic and 1d6 cold?


Fourth encounter, the first thing that caught my eye is that resistance is slashing is unexpected for a tree.Woops. Yeah that's not right. Piercing and bludgeoning only.

(The sleep charm is interesting - why that effect? I like the idea of a charm, but I would think a nightmarish wood would go for the frightened condition instead. Though I suppose you could flavor it as the person dreams of a nightmare.)Exactly what I was thinking. It's really just a nod to Tolkien's Old Man Willow.


How many of those and how many of the bigger encounters they can handle overall will largely depend on whether they can take a short rest (I'm assuming a long rest is out).1 to 3 of these. Almost definitely just 1 to 2.
And yeah, no long rest. 1 short rest, mmmaybe 2, but unlikely. And I think they'll each get a cool custom magic item before we start.


Looks like a lot of fun! Honestly, my biggest thing is fitting all that into a single session would be a great accomplishment. I'm lucky if I can get my players through three dungeon chambers most nights.I hear that! I'm really gonna be pushing them along to squeeze it in. Even so I'm still looking for ways to streamline the rest of the game.

[Psyren]

If the PCs notice that the boars have piglets (by either seeing the babies or by noting the boars' behavior and inferring there must be young nearby), it'll be pretty easy to back off and avoid further conflict. The boars won't go chasing after them. They're on defense only.

You should ideally allow a check to notice this detail even if the players don't specifically ask. A variety of proficiencies could apply here - Nature, Animal Handling, Perception, Insight etc. Doubly so if there's a nature-focused character in the party like a Ranger or Druid.

[Quixotic1]

You should ideally allow a check to notice this detail even if the players don't specifically ask. A variety of proficiencies could apply here - Nature, Animal Handling, Perception, Insight etc. Doubly so if there's a nature-focused character in the party like a Ranger or Druid. That's the plan. A passive Nature/Perception check. Animal Handling...yeah, I could see that. Same with Insight.

I think it's important to be fairly open with what skills could potentially apply where, because there's a lot of overlap.
The only thing I don't like is when players yell me they're going to roll X to do Y. That can quickly turn into a game of "how can I shoehorn in an excuse to use by Best Numbers?" and it too often ignores *how* they go about their attempt, which should influence how difficult a task is nearly as much is what skill they end up using.
Asking if they can use A instead of B or C is another thing, though. That's fine.

Thanks for the additional options!

[ReallySeamus]

Yeah, the wraiths won't be jumping out and starting combat right away. It'll probably take a couple rounds (maybe one of the wraiths will appear through the standing stone as they finish reading the last clue).
I based them mostly off the Shadow. Those do 2d6+2 and 1d4 Str and have a higher movement and AC. What if I dropped their AC and to Hit by 1? Or maybe 2d6 necrotic and 1d6 cold?
I should have caught the similarity to the Shadow - I used one last month! One of my favorite scary low-level guys. They're not super hard to take down, but an unlucky set of rolls that lets them linger for an extra round or two can seriously mess some PCs up. As you mentioned with the Encounter Builder tool, CR numbers alone don't capture everything - shadows are always a huge threat. I don't think I've ever used more than one in an encounter, come to think of it.

I think just dropping the cold damage down to 1d6 is probably enough if the wraiths are not going to be ambushing the players. Average damage of 16 on a hit to 3rd level players is no joke - cutting it to 12.5 is probably enough to make a tangible difference in terms of the HP arithmetic without making it noticeably less tense for the folks at the table.