So, I've followed someone's advice to bulk monster hp up to about 80% of max (from 55%) in order to give 'Pathfinderized' Characters a more enjoyable/reasonable level of challenge.
This has worked well with minions and even bosses so far. But I am worried about the skeletal t-rex however: my formula boosts its hit points up to about 160 and this looks...ridiculous.
So, for people out there who have dm'd this bit, how much of a difference to the fate of your party would this 25% extra hit points have made?
what's the CR (or at least what average level party of what classes are you planning to throw) of the skeletal T-Rex?
If this helps, in 3.5 I always maximized the hit dice of the creatures I used, and player deaths were rare. The only TPK was an encounter the party wasn't supposed to be able to beat at their current level (But the enemy couldn't persue them if they'd been smart enough to run away)
the t-rex is CR 8. It is appearing just after a combined CR5 (two ogre zombies) and CR 8 (two spawn of kyuss) encounter. The party cleric hoped to group all of the undead together in order to maximize the effectiveness of his 'channel energy'.
This is definitely one the party should run from (especially at this stage) but they've come at the encounter from an unfortunate angle and may not realize they have the option to retreat.
160 hp isn't really all that much for an 8th level party, especially considering exactly what it is. The thing's going to have pretty shizzy saves all around.
The party might do well to run, depending on how much HP and spell reserves they've got left, but I know a good number of the groups I've ran could have handled it.
If your concerned about the HP, here's what you do. Record the 55% hp down on paper, and the 160 below it. If they have to fight it and they break the 55% and seem pretty well intact, let them have to fight it all the way. If it seems they are breaking under the assault, perhaps one or more are unconscious or dead, then call the thing vanquished.
oh poop, the party is 5'th level:
one ecl 6 warmage4/wererat
and 4 5th level characters
and 1 fifth level character about to turn into a spawn of kyuss.
So it's a weakened fifth level party about to take on a CR 8 monster. Anyway, sounds like good advice. Now as long as it doesn't score a nasty crit while it is in the 'could be dead' stage!
one ecl 6 warmage4/wererat
and 4 5th level characters
and 1 fifth level character about to turn into a spawn of kyuss.
So it's a weakened fifth level party about to take on a CR 8 monster. Anyway, sounds like good advice. Now as long as it doesn't score a nasty crit while it is in the 'could be dead' stage!
The nice thing about that though, is this is the kind of beasty that only gets one shot per turn, so if it gets that crit it very likely will kill some poor sap, but if the party's gotten it to that window between the two points (which is what, 45 hp maybe?) without sufferring major losses then even with the critikill they should manage to polish the thing off.
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