D&D: How I Run Better High-Level Encounters By Borrowing From This Past Edition

For a game where combat is the central pillar, battles in 5e can become somewhat monotonous, but drawing from past editions has let me rebalance high-level encounters and add some spice to all tiers of play. Creating interesting and appropriately crafted combat is certainly a balancing act with the current rules. Until the revised releases in 2025, DMs like me wait to see if antagonists have more interesting abilities or if they properly scale for the level of the heroes they face. With six or more battles per «adventuring day,» 5e encounter design can be challenging.

The 2024 drops later this year, but the revised is not scheduled to launch until next year. It’s confirmed the will contain some new monsters, but it remains unclear how much guidance it will give DMs on how to plan interesting and dynamic encounters that are appropriately balanced. I had to understand the 5e combat design paradigm before I could identify the areas where it works, and where it falls apart a bit. Now ten years into the edition, I’ve found some easy fixes that improve 5e combat by borrowing from 4e .

While 4e was a divisive system, even most of its critics agree that 4e delivered tactically rich and tightly balanced combat encounters. I recall being extremely resistant to 4e when it was released, but giving the system an honest try and experiencing it in action certainly won me over. While 5e is far from the precision-balanced masterwork that 4e was by the edition’s end, it does already have many undeniable 4e elements in its design. By adding a few more, I was able to smooth out the rough edges of high-level combat in 5e and make battles more compelling.

New Dungeons & Dragons core books are starting their launch. The 2014 books made learning D&D easy on new players. 2024 D&D needs to cater to new DMs.

There are some high-level campaign headaches inexperienced DMs struggle with, but most veterans prefer the epic storytelling and stakes the higher tiers of play offer. One thing that has