Unexpected Difficulty
When a fight runs far harder or easier than planned, options range from a villain's bargain to accepting a graceful anticlimax.
Parent page Setting the Scene
What do you do when an encounter ends up being far more or less challenging than you anticipated? If the encounter is unlikely to kill all the characters, it might be best to roll with it, unless the fight is so frustrating that no one really wants to continue. If it's likely to kill everyone, strongly consider ways to end the encounter differently. The villain might offer the PCs the chance to surrender, consider their task complete and leave, or use their advantage to get something else they want. If the worst does happen, suggestions for dealing with a total party kill can be found on page 30.
If a battle is too easy, it's often best to let the players enjoy their victory. However, if you intended this to be a centerpiece battle, that might feel anticlimactic.
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