Matchup # 1:
4 10th Level PCs (Fighter, Cleric, Wizard, Rogue)
vs
1 Blood Fiend (Fiend Folio) CR 14
Too easy?
Too hard?
Just right?
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Matchup # 1:
4 10th Level PCs (Fighter, Cleric, Wizard, Rogue)
vs
1 Blood Fiend (Fiend Folio) CR 14
Too easy?
Too hard?
Just right?
Depends on your PC's. When they created 3ed, the idea was that a CR 10 creature would be a good match for four level 10 PC's(Ftr, Wiz, Rog, Clr). If your players are powergamers a CR 14 still might be too easy for them if they fight it alone, but really it depends on your group. I try not to have the party I DM face anything over a CR of 2+their level (I have 6 players), but I also include some lackeys that are about half the CR of the baddie.
If it's a "boss monster" go for it, otherwise just go with a group of weaker powered foes that add up to EL 14
as it is I'm that sadistic DM that your players wake up sweating and screaming in the night from:
I use the encounter table litterally and am not afraid to throw things Party level +7 at the characters for a BBEG. I am also infamous for completely shattering the 4 encounter a day approach. That said, I rarely lose characters; not because they are munchkins, but because they work very well as a team in overcomming challenges.
I'd say it really depends on your players and the situation. Do they know their going to fight it and will they have time to buff? Thats a huge advantage to the players. What's their point buy like or if no point buy how good are their stats? Along with this what books do they have access to when making their characters? The more books they have access to the more powerful they are - especially if they also have really good stats.
By 10th level a player can stack powerful abilities onto powerful stats. So if you have the ability to make smite evil attacks as many times per day as you have a Charisma bonus and your an Assimar with 26 Charisma you can use smite evil every single round and not worry about it running out - it won't in any single encounter. If you had to make the character with a 25 point buy then this sort of a trick is not so likely nor so good - and your players probably did not bother with a class like this in the first place as the attraction could be boiled down to - character that can make all the really super powerful attacks he could ever want in a day versus the much, much weaker - a few really good attacks per day. In the second case one might as well be something more mundane like a Barbarian.
