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Hey All:
I ran my first Pathfinder game in quite some time last week. The group is level 5 consisting of a bow-fighter, paladin, saurian druid, and a wizard. I followed the CR guide and set-up the first encounter; needless to say they blew through the encounter in less than three rounds. Now, as they progress threw the campaign I'm left with some rethinking of my encounter building.
Our next game will take them from one city to another, which they will travel through an underground cave system that sits at sea-level. I'm trying to figure out which hazards I should include in the cave system that will pose a challenge. Can you all suggest a few for me? Thanks in advance.
What was the encounter you put them through?
One thing to consider in your encounters is altering tactics, using terrain and playing to your monster's strengths instead of the party's strengths.
A level 5 archer is pretty easy to nullify with a single caster and a single spell. Difficult terrain is going to make it hard for the saurian druid to charge-pounce-multiattack-grapple-rake. Minions will hold up the party allowing big guns a chance to position themselves.
A time-honored way to deal with a party like this is to bleed their resources with deliberately easy encounters, waiting until they have used up spells, healing and items before you spring the real encounter on them.
Our next game will take them from one city to another, which they will travel through an underground cave system that sits at sea-level. I'm trying to figure out which hazards I should include in the cave system that will pose a challenge. Can you all suggest a few for me? Thanks in advance.
That sounds cool. A cave that fills up and empties with the tide could be a drowning hazard. They may have to time their movement or get swept away. You don't want to just drown them, but some scary moments could be had.
Of course, there could be sharks or whatever that come in there, too. Maybe some sahuagin barbarians they have to fight in the water, where they're at a disadvantage.
Flip through and look at monsters that could be found either underground or in the ocean. An aboleth might be too deadly, but it wouldn't be as nasty with the young template. Maybe a chuul.
There could be undead (like lacedons), aquatic or normal plants and fungi, mephits, elementals, nagas, etc. A sea hag with a gang of kobolds making traps for her could be living there.
Drier parts of the caves could have rust monsters, cloakers, etc. It's dark and hard to navigate, with loose stone from recent cave-ins making difficult terrain in places. Almost anything that lives in or near the ocean or lives underground could have reasons to be there.