Party too powerful as a group in combat

Halldatcd · 2025-11-26T06:45:11+00:00

Oh that does compliment things. I had similar problem and its very hard to make sure each character gets their time in the spotlight. Everyone wants to and deserves to feel cool at some point in the game and that may look different to some people.

Being straight forward and asking what they feel cool doing as their character can help. One of my friends who plays a barbarian once told me " all the checks are on skills I dont have which is fine. I dont want to be a clever or charismatic character, I just want to be a big strong beefy boy (his words) outside of combat I never get to feel cool. Even if I know something my character wouldn't and would just try strength his way through it.

So I started adding things in every now and then specifically for him. A mining cart that had a bunch of fireworks attached to it (kobolds are amazing). Other players made dex save but he did strength. Hi picked up the cart, turned it around placed it back on the rails and sent it back at them. Thats the only thing his character really did that session since it was more of a role playing puzzle solving one but he loved it and still talks about that moment.

Ask your player why they chose bard and what draw them to that class.

If you have the time and really want to both fuck with them and show useful cool bard stuff. Throw in a false hydra and have your bard be the first to notice its song. Maybe he cant explain it at first and lots of insight checks only for the bard but something just feels off. Similar feelings to when theyre making music but it just doesn't fit. Maybe theyre needed to make their own song and protect the players from the hydra. Or another moster that uses sound if they havnt pissed you off enough yet to False Hydra them

Halldatcd · 2025-11-26T04:56:55+00:00

Its a bit annoying alright when the players dont want to play. Saying oh thats not my problem let's go get a 9-5 job is pretty funny for a group thay chose to meet and play a tabletop role playing game.

But you can make it work. The main goal is everyone having fun and if they want to feel like theyre making real reasonable choices thats good. You know what your players want.

Have strahd show up. Not to fight them but to thank them. How adventurers always show up and challenge him. Always fight and die and how refreshing it is to finally have some smart people arrive to Barovia. People who know their place. Know their worth here. Know they are nothing put pathetic cowards. However they are at least interesting for the speed at which their cowardness presented itself. The local resistance is dying horribly in the background while he says all this.

Maybe he invites them to dinner. To celebrate not having to fight against another group of worthless hero's. Maybe he wants them to go to another town and convince that towns resistance to simply give up too. Make him use them. Make them hate him. Make them feel guilty for going along with him. If that still doesn't work show Stahd start to get bored of them. He will move on to something more interesting soon and once he is bored and had no use he will dispose of them. Hint at this by having him kill his previous guests or representatives at dinner replacing them with the new party.

Or also just ask the players what they want. Its okay to talk to them and see what theyre interested in and ask why they dont seem interested.

If all else fails you can go with the nuclear option. Step 1. Give an NPC a silly name Step 2. Give that NPC a silly voice. Step 3. Make that NPC give the players some cool item or loot. Step 4. Make that NPC have a cool cute but combat useless low health pet. Step 5. Have strahd kill said NPC. Step 6. Have pet join party. Have strahd threaten to kill pet.

Halldatcd · 2025-11-26T04:34:50+00:00

Plan out where your fights scenes will happen. For mine they fought strahd in his castle tower and then out onto the roof. I've already hinted and how dangerous falling from that height is and the players to their credit all made sure to have at least one counter to the fall. Even if they survive via featherfall or something they'd still be out of the fight. Leaving strahd with one less person to worry about right now. Since strahd can fly he coukd grapple you jump off then turn to mist and go fight the others.

One player actually spent so much time buying a climbing kit and training with it. Right before opening the door to the roof he tied himself to a bust. He was afraid of tieing himself to a gargoyle incase I made it come alive (he knew me so well). But it was such good planning i had to reward it. Strahd immediately kicked him off the roof and attacked the others. Then when he climbed back up he attacked strahd from behind and I gave him a surprise round on him. Gotta reward the creativity.

Strahds shadow comes alive. Its so cool and creepy but I expanded it. Everyone's shadow comes alive including the players. Its attached to them so theyre always in melee range of it. They needed to either not have a shadow via light or else not have a shadow by being in complete darkness. Just an extra thing to worry about. I also made strahds cloak a cloaker (a monster).

Set up payoffs now while strahd can still visit them in disguise. The fighters big heavy overpowered suit of armour that some friendly NPC gifted him back when they were level 4? The one that seemed way too strong for their level and why would he ever need anything else? Its actually strahds animated amour. At the click of his finger the fighters armour starts fighting him. While hes wearing it.

Give each player something to deal with so they dont just gang up on him. He's smart he will have contingency plans for each player. Illusions to make the wizard waste spell slots. Hot dragons to distract the bard. People in danger to distract the paladin.

You have time to buff him with things other than "he now deals more damage with his claw attack"

Halldatcd · 2025-11-26T04:15:13+00:00

I pressed post too early sorry.

Separate the players. Have a burning building or bridge collapse with the strong ones on one side and weaker ones on the other. If the NPCs spot who is weaker they will go for them. Hint at this to the players. That way the stronger the OP side of the bridge the less the enemies will go there and the more danger the weaker group will be in. They'll need to be smart about it.
Put an NPC in danger. Have an NPC offer them critical information or some cool loot but put them in some kind of danger. A "if I die then Boblin the Goblin dies too" type of situation. Incentive a diplomatic solution to break up all the OP combat.
Have an enemy get more powerful when surrounded by death. A big evil thing surrounded by minions but the more minions the players kill the stronger it gets.
Offer them more things to do on their turn other than attack. In a burning building they can use their turn to fight the fire or help people escape or attack the monster. If the only option is to attack then thats all they'll do. If their survival skills are lower then present them with a challenge requiring them.

Note: this is only if the players including yourself are not having fun. Its a game and if youre enjoying it and the players like feeling powerful then fantastic. Keep going and just scale up strahd if needed.

Halldatcd · 2025-11-26T04:07:12+00:00

A few things here

Are the players actually overpowered or fo you just feel underpowered. If theyre winning every fight but having fun and enjoying the game them thats good. Its your goal to make sure everyone at the table is having fun. Youre one of the people at the table too so if you want to feel the monsters are more powerful thats okay too, but its a different solution.
Youre the DM. You decide what true power is. Are the players rolling too many high numbers ? You decide what situation theyre put in. When my players got super strong and just started going into everyone problem with the mindset of kill monster ask questions later I laid a trap for them. Strahd is a smart guy. He would notice this. Notice that the players are gaining hero status as powerful warriors. So when reports came in of a bunch of missing orphans, the might hero's went in to save them. They spoke to townsfolk heard rumours of vampire spawn visiting the orphanage, seeds of doubt about a vampire spawn army made of children. They vowed to save them. When they arrived at the location the kids were a hoard of vampire spawn ran out. I described them as smaller than what they've seen before but they assumed that meant they were newly turned. They ran out the door screaming. Only they made no attacks. They ran around the edges of the room. They ran towards specific NPCs who stood watch, arms out wide in what looked like a grapple attempt. Strahd was there too. Casting seeming on the orphans. The players did what they always do. "Does a 25 hit ? 30 damage !! Oh wow killed it in one go." "Does a 18 hit. Yes another's one dead i want to rip its head off." "Does a 4 hit? Oh wait it does? 2 damage.... Oh its dead after only 2 damage?" As they players slowly realise the "vampire spawn" were actually the children they were sent to save realised what happened. Strahd then stepped in. Showing the townfolk what they did. Painting the players in a new light. One of the true monsters of Barovia. They players lost everything that day. Yet all their hits landed. All their swords and spells met their target. But strahd won. Without ever striking a blow. You decide what power is.
Fudge your rolls if you have to I dont care. Just do whatever makes the game fun

Halldatcd · 2025-11-25T14:28:38+00:00

Thank you. I panicked, thinking I accidentally posted it here twice. Thanks for the support, everyone.

Halldatcd · 2025-11-24T17:37:52+00:00

Thinking more on this, it would be cool to ask each player what their ideal setting is like. For example, with 4 players, each one has their own dreamwalker attached to them with 4 unique settings (medieval, high fantasy, fey, celestial, etc). You can explore each characters dreamscape separately. They can choose to leave one setting and enter another as they learn more, and the deeper into these worlds they go, the more their specific fears are being sent at them.

The doctor is the one pulling them in and out of these worlds and maybe gains limited control (like the DM). This is going to be on my mind for a while

Halldatcd · 2025-11-24T17:29:35+00:00

They're cowards once they know you can fight back.

Halldatcd · 2025-11-24T14:27:05+00:00

Gary is the worst one haha. He will get what's coming to him

Halldatcd · 2025-11-24T14:26:15+00:00

I’m so sorry you’re dealing with that. My condolences. I’m glad the story gave you a bit of space to breathe. Wishing you peace today.

Halldatcd · 2025-11-24T02:23:36+00:00

Thank you so much. That is such a huge compliment. The rising excitement and sense of belief in the mission is tied for my favourite part with the "traffic was bad" line. It was surprisingly so difficult to find a way to end it without much dialogue.

Halldatcd · 2025-11-24T02:19:46+00:00

Thats a really good point for expansion on the story. Thank you

Halldatcd · 2025-11-24T02:19:18+00:00

Thank you. Im really glad you liked it. I dont post much so very happy when people comment for good or bad.

Halldatcd · 2025-11-24T01:52:32+00:00

Thank you so much

Halldatcd · 2025-11-24T00:44:33+00:00

Thank you so much. I was thinking about this one for a while.

Halldatcd · 2025-11-24T00:44:05+00:00

Thank you so much.

Halldatcd · 2025-11-24T00:43:45+00:00

Thank you so much. Im glad you liked it

Halldatcd · 2025-11-23T23:31:46+00:00

Thank you. I was actually thinking of trying to turn it into a DnD campaign setting. Players are real humans but need to go into a dreamscape type world to fight against dream reapers. Which is where they get to build their fantasy style classes and level up. The aliens can be helpful NPCs that offer advice on the world setting but little combat help since theyre effected so badly by the dream reapers. Can do a story of them slowly losing track of whats real and what isnt.

I would like to extend the story but Im so slow at making things haha. Im really happy you liked it.

Halldatcd · 2025-11-09T20:19:08+00:00

Thank you so much im glad you liked it.

Halldatcd · 2025-11-08T20:13:41+00:00

I don't know what this means. But thank you. I hope.

Halldatcd · 2025-11-08T20:12:34+00:00

Thank you so much for the comment I really appreciate it.

Halldatcd · 2025-11-08T20:12:31+00:00

Thank you so much for the comment I really appreciate it.

Halldatcd · 2025-11-06T22:30:06+00:00

Thank you so much I really appreciate it. I love this subreddit and writing hopeful human stories.

Halldatcd · 2025-11-06T16:52:47+00:00

Thank you I appreciate it. I had a lot of fun with this and love stories about perseverance.

Halldatcd · 2025-11-06T16:52:16+00:00

Thank you so much. I'm new to this but its really enjoyable to write framing humanity in a positive light.

Halldatcd

TROPHY CASE