Help me to adjust my encounters for this

[Foxdie13]

Hello everyone,

Here is my question of the day: I'm doing a brand new game starting level 10. So Here is my new team: Melee paladin, urban ranger (archer) and a witch.

So my first game was more a test, since I never played creatures cr 8-9-10 and the players never played more than lvl 6. Add to that the fact that its the first time we see a witch at my table.

We discovered 3 things today:

1-for the witch: hex is unlimited times per day (except max 1 per creature for certain type of hex)...wow
2-Slumber is VERY strong
3-An archer can dish a **** tons of damage.

So here is the big question: whats your best suggestion so that all of my monsters are not getting destroyed by slumber except just using undead and construct? + What is the best way to give a challenge to a ranger lvl 10 that can mostly ignore anything less than total cover (he also took the ranger kit that is not using spells but trick so that he can shoot in melee)

DISCLAIMER: I'm not trying to counter the player so they do nothing (I've placed different encounters so that some of my players have their shining moments....flying creatures for my archer, demon for the paladin and....stuff to kill for the witch) I simply like to challenge my players in a different way so they accomplish something.

Thank you

[Skamp]

1)Remember spells and hex's can be interupted, then the caster needs to make concentration checks, spell resistance monsters,mess with the witch's familar, silence spells, counterspell,feebleminds
2)Keep your monster out of the spells range or have monsters that can strike from a distance or sneak attacks...remember invivibility is your friend.
3)Protection from normal arrows, snatch arrows feat, or items that mimic these abitlies.

It's always remember if your players are enjoying themselves then you r running a good session, but sometimes you might need to be a little hard on them, raise the encounter level up just a little bit and make them work a little bit harder for it... :)

[Turin the Mad]

Are you playing with a 'theme' or 'motif'? Build encounters along that motif. The critters resulting from that theme/motif will largely take care of the rest just by CR.

They're entering the range of some seriously nasty encounters. Groups of well-hidden ropers with a penchant for talking with 0 STR meat snacks, for example...

[Rynjin]

For the Witch:

1.) Enemies with good Will saves. Other casters, Monks, maybe even an Anti-Paladin for something with some real weight behind it (a bos/mini-boss perhaps).

2.) Things immune to sleep. Not just constructs and Undead, I believe there are a few other creature types (and some specific creatures) immune to it.

3.) Cannon fodder. Add a few more enemies to the field, rather than one big one. That way one Slumber won't ruin the whole encounter.

Sure I can think of other stuff later.

For the Ranger:

1.) Other archers.

2.) Anyone with Deflect/Snatch Arrows. I've always thought Monks were actually one of the best PC classes to give an NPC, they're pretty good at countering common PC tactics IMO.

3.) Casters with anti-arrow measures.

4.) Anything that pops out right in front of him. Make him choose between eating an AoO or losing a full attack, hopefully. Unless he has Point Blank Master.

5.) General Ranger advice: Stuff that is not his Favored Enemy. Instantly, anywhere from 2-6 to-hit and damage lost on each arrow.

[Foxdie13]

Thanks a lot everyone.

So far this is what I have: creatures immune to sleep, cannon fodder, deflect arrow and maybe raise the CR.

@Rynjin: Yeah my ranger don't have any spells but got some tricks, one of them is the equivalent of point blank master. He can use that 7 times a day so even melee him is not that much of a problem for him.

Question to all of you: any monsters you know that is good with stuff like deflect arrow? monk is not the kind of encounter that would fit well in my game right now. It's kinda like a good vs evil classic. Evil monk would be ok, but can't really go all out monk for a whole game let's say :P

[Turin the Mad]

Anything with a shield, Shield Focus and the Missile Shield feat fills in just fine for a monk with Deflect Arrows. This opens up lots of possibilities without totally raining on the archer's parade (1 deflection/round/mook with a shield and those two feats).

[Kydeem de'Morcaine]

Enemy group (not just one big and mooks). With everyone disguised as everyone else. Until the enemy start acting, they don't know which is the squishy caster and which is the armored tank. Who has the great will save and who doesn't.

Low level casters using true strike and poisoned arrows.

Low level casters using vanish to get close to the witch and archer.

Heavy forest (or twisty tunnels) so archer and witch don't have long line of sight.

[Ravingdork]

Almost all hexes are supernatural or extraordinary in nature. That means they cannot be disrupted like spells or spell-like abilities unless they specifically say otherwise (and I have seen no such passage).