When diving into a classic homebrew quest or an official Dungeons & Dragons module, you might find that modifications are necessary to cater to your group’s size or experience level. As a Dungeon Master, figuring out where to begin can be a challenge.
Additionally, when adjusting an adventure, it’s crucial not to overdo it, which could lead to either an overly simplistic or excessively difficult experience. Below are some helpful strategies to help you rebalance your adventures.
When to Modify an Adventure
As a DM, you may be asking yourself, when is the right time to tweak an adventure? Many published modules provide recommended party sizes and levels right in their introductions.
For instance, modules like Curse of Strahd suggest a party of three to five players who advance from levels one to ten.
If you’re using a prewritten module, make adjustments whenever your party exceeds the suggested size or level. For a homebrew adventure, consider the following before making any changes:
| Adventure Features | Details |
|---|---|
| Roleplay vs. Combat? |
First, determine whether the adventure leans more towards roleplay or combat. If it focuses on roleplay, adjustments may not be necessary. Conversely, for combat-heavy modules, carefully evaluate all encounters to ensure balance. |
| Party Composition |
Consider the classes within your party and how they will engage with the adventure. Some classes shine in specific scenarios—for example, clerics and paladins thrive in Curse of Strahd but struggle in scenarios like Tomb of Annihilation. |
| Type of Players |
Lastly, think about whether your table is mainly composed of newcomers or seasoned players. You may wish to maintain a less challenging experience for newer players, while ramping up the challenge for more experienced groups. |
When it comes to balance, the focus should be primarily on combat encounters. While you can make adjustments to roleplay and traps, spend the bulk of your efforts on combat balance.
How to Modify an Adventure for Party Size
When adjusting either a prebuilt or homebrew adventure to accommodate party size, keep action economy in mind. This term refers to the number of actions, bonus actions, and reactions your party can perform in a single round of combat.
Be sure to note which characters possess abilities like multiattack, as they can take multiple actions in one turn.
For example, if a party consists of four characters, they could collectively manage up to 12 different types of actions in a single round, sometimes before the enemy even has a chance to react.
This is especially crucial for boss encounters, where the party likely faces a solitary foe.
Here are several ways to calibrate combat and overall adventure difficulty based on party size:
| Party Size | How to Adjust |
|---|---|
| Fewer Players Than Expected |
|
| More Players Than Expected |
|
These are just a few strategies to enhance or diminish the power of enemies based on party size. When your group exceeds the expected count, consider granting enemies extra abilities or actions.
Conversely, for smaller groups, removing these advantages can create a more balanced action economy.
How to Modify an Adventure for Party Level
If your party’s combined level significantly surpasses the expected level for an adventure, you’ll need to take a different approach.
As before, if the adventure involves mostly roleplay or exploration, adjustments might not be needed.
Here are a few considerations for tailoring an adventure to your party’s level:
| Adventure Adjustments | Details |
|---|---|
| Challenge Rating |
When assessing combat encounters, swap out creatures of one challenge rating for another that fits the new level. This is the simplest way to ensure encounters are suitable for higher-level players. |
| Available Spells |
Check which spells your party has access to. For instance, resurrection spells can complicate lower-level combat significantly. Ask players to submit their spell lists in advance so you can adjust any necessary encounters and equip enemies with tools like Counterspell. |
| Class Features |
Finally, examine your party’s higher-level class features. Some can be excessively powerful against lower-level foes. For example, monks at level 13 can deflect various types of damage, which can be problematic for weaker enemies relying on ranged attacks. |
Ultimately, balancing encounters in 5e isn’t an exact science. Keep an eye on combat difficulty through challenge ratings, fine-tune roleplay encounters according to available spells, and modify NPCs based on action economy.
