hello! first time posting here, sort of looking around for some advice. within the last few months, i took over a campaign from our previous dm who decided to step down and focus on being a player. that being said, the previous dm was rather lax with a lot of things, such as very generous starting stats, an open door to homebrew content, etc. i've elected to keep those things in play(though homebrew is a case-by-case basis, since it can get a little wild) because i don't want to take away from the enjoyment of my players/friends, but in doing so it's created a unique challenge to balance for.
i've seen suggestions of what to do with slightly bigger parties, and suggestions of what to do with powerful characters - but what if you're facing both of those concerns at once? most of my questions are primarily in two things:
one: how should i balance combat encounters for this? we are currently only level six and have six players in our group, but all of the characters have good stats+are built well and tend to mow through most combat encounters. is that okay? currently one of my blanket solutions has been to build humanoid mobs as if they were player characters, which so far the players have had a lot of fun with due to how challenging it was, but i know i won't be able to do that for every enemy. the other thing i've done is give enemies more health or adjustments to their AC so it takes more than a single hit to mow through them - to great success, it's kept the players very engaged when battles last long enough to get to everyone's turn more than just a single time, but aren't so challenging that i feel unwinnable.
two: how should i reward my players? they're already quite strong - i want to reward them with things but don't want to just give them a payment of gold each and every time, particularly right now since they're doing some questing in a poor farming village that's fallen on hard times. i've tried giving fun or quirky items before but i seem to miss the mark - there's not as much enthusiasm about trinkets unless they contribute to the strength of the character. most of the rewards so far have been allies since my players are very into the roleplay aspect, but i really want to mix things up. i'm just worried about off-setting the balance and creating the very issue i'm trying to prevent
thank you preemptively for any help! i can answer more questions if anyone needs more info. the campaign consists of several of my close friends so i'm just interested in giving the best campaign i possibly can
Difficulty-wise, it's pretty easy to adjust combat challenge. If you build encounters as if they're 6th-level... and that's too easy for them, start building encounters for them as if they're 7th level. If that's too easy, keep going up in difficulty until it's not too easy anymore. Obviously you can do this by building humanoid enemies with class levels, but you can also use monsters that are tougher than expected for that level.
They are a bit low level to start building strongholds/attracting follwers/etc., but if they are based out of certain area you may consider moving them in the direction of creating their own stronghold. If the idea has merit, there's a "pay what you want" item in DM's Guild that might be worth checking out as it expands upon the Downtime Activities section of the DMG: Fortresses, Temples, & Strongholds, rules for building and customizing player-owned structures!
Encounters... the action economy with 6 PC's vs 4 PC's is big. That alone may require beefing up the encounters. Playing the mobs smarter and having more of them might be all you need. That said, I like your idea of using PC stats for NPC's. Might suggest creating PC based statblocks and using the upgraded template for all encounters. Also, I like to use wave attacks. If the group is mowing through an encounter in 3 rounds, have reinforcements show up in 2 (arrival heralded with a blowing horn), normal size reinforcements show up 2 rounds later with a big group 2 rounds after that.
Adopting an idea from another thread: The group is probably over confident by now and ripe to get themselves in over their heads. Take them through a series of increasing-in-difficulty mini adventures that have them ripe for the picking when they encounter a mini boss. Stripped of their gear, imprisoned, and possibly tarred and feathered before being paraded in front of the town and mocked publicly would get their attention. Granted, that is a very strong handed tactic, but the idea in presenting it is to create ideas.
Adding mob HP, AC and to hit/damage pluses (essentially increasing mob CR) are available options as well.
If you really want to nerf the magic items, FR has an example... Time of Troubles and the Spell Plague. Can always incorporate something similar that turns how magic works upside down, not work, works unreliably, etc. I have been known to use null magic areas and wild magic areas to shake things up/equal the playing field. Be creative!
Magic items.... instead of coming up with something to give them, have them go through the process of having something upgraded, or made. Again, recommending looking for something at DMS Guild. Crafting Magical Weapons is another "pay what you want" item and there are a few others that might be worth taking a look at. The idea is to make magic items expensive and harder to get (not to mention taking time to create). Having lots of good stuff so early doesn't make your job easy. Once had a character that spent years collecting components for a sword he had in mind. Most blacksmiths aren't going to be able to upgrade magical items either.... quest to find someone who can? Good chance they have simply reached the pinnacle of what's available where they are, which gets them to think in terms of finding someone who can create items.
I agree with Shalrath that they're too early to start building a stronghold, but they could start working toward it (I guess Shalrath said that, too 😊). But for slightly more detail on that, something like, the Duke gives them a plot of land on the edge of the wilderness, and if they can clear the monsters from it, and keep them off, they can use it as they see fit -- building a stronghold, inviting farmers to come and settle, etc. You could even include some other steps in between, like they hear the Duke is looking for someone to settle the land, and is just waiting for someone to impress him before he gives his blessing. Its a cool reward, but it doesn't really give them any new gear they can use in fights.
And while the civilized races think its the edge of the wilderness, the orc tribes, or whoever, think of it as the edge of their territory.
Difficulty-wise, it's pretty easy to adjust combat challenge. If you build encounters as if they're 6th-level... and that's too easy for them, start building encounters for them as if they're 7th level. If that's too easy, keep going up in difficulty until it's not too easy anymore. Obviously you can do this by building humanoid enemies with class levels, but you can also use monsters that are tougher than expected for that level.
i will try this! one of my primary concerns was going into something too overtly difficult - though i think maybe it's just my own anxiety holding me back, given i'm completely comfortable with adjusting difficulty on the fly, ie our most recent battle was against three trolls that i wound up having to beef up on the spot / behind the scenes because of how quickly the players were mowing through them even with their regenerative ability, so i threw some mechanics at them like the trolls jumping and stomping onto the spaces they were in and the party having to make dex saving throws or else take bludgeoning damage from stinky feet. maybe adding flavor like that on the spot is just something i should capitalize on?
They are a bit low level to start building strongholds/attracting follwers/etc., but if they are based out of certain area you may consider moving them in the direction of creating their own stronghold. If the idea has merit, there's a "pay what you want" item in DM's Guild that might be worth checking out as it expands upon the Downtime Activities section of the DMG: Fortresses, Temples, & Strongholds, rules for building and customizing player-owned structures!
I agree with Shalrath that they're too early to start building a stronghold, but they could start working toward it (I guess Shalrath said that, too 😊). But for slightly more detail on that, something like, the Duke gives them a plot of land on the edge of the wilderness, and if they can clear the monsters from it, and keep them off, they can use it as they see fit -- building a stronghold, inviting farmers to come and settle, etc. You could even include some other steps in between, like they hear the Duke is looking for someone to settle the land, and is just waiting for someone to impress him before he gives his blessing. Its a cool reward, but it doesn't really give them any new gear they can use in fights.
And while the civilized races think its the edge of the wilderness, the orc tribes, or whoever, think of it as the edge of their territory.
to address these both at once (and forgive me if quotes are obnoxious! i haven't used forums in a very long time) - re: strongholds, i do have some ideas in mind as to how they can eventually get a stronghold, though it is admittedly a mechanic i'm not overly familiar with so i appreciate the reading material! the essential idea i was mulling over was like... for context, there is a DMPC in the party because i didn't have the opportunity to detransition him as a party member before i took over. he is a noble and after they've gained a few levels he's going to request the party aid him with some Unfinished Business(tm) to take care of at his home - if the PCs choose to help, then they'll be able to use or upgrade his home as a base. but i also wonder if that might be too easy and 'handing' them a stronghold so to speak, rather than having them earn it at the hands of another NPC such as, like xalthu says, the duke (of which there is one in my campaign offering work to the party!) so far they were interested in the Unfinished Business when the DMPC mentioned it several sessions ago, so i don't think it will be anything necessarily left up to chance.
Encounters... the action economy with 6 PC's vs 4 PC's is big. That alone may require beefing up the encounters. Playing the mobs smarter and having more of them might be all you need. That said, I like your idea of using PC stats for NPC's. Might suggest creating PC based statblocks and using the upgraded template for all encounters. Also, I like to use wave attacks. If the group is mowing through an encounter in 3 rounds, have reinforcements show up in 2 (arrival heralded with a blowing horn), normal size reinforcements show up 2 rounds later with a big group 2 rounds after that.
Adopting an idea from another thread: The group is probably over confident by now and ripe to get themselves in over their heads. Take them through a series of increasing-in-difficulty mini adventures that have them ripe for the picking when they encounter a mini boss. Stripped of their gear, imprisoned, and possibly tarred and feathered before being paraded in front of the town and mocked publicly would get their attention. Granted, that is a very strong handed tactic, but the idea in presenting it is to create ideas.
Adding mob HP, AC and to hit/damage pluses (essentially increasing mob CR) are available options as well.
If you really want to nerf the magic items, FR has an example... Time of Troubles and the Spell Plague. Can always incorporate something similar that turns how magic works upside down, not work, works unreliably, etc. I have been known to use null magic areas and wild magic areas to shake things up/equal the playing field. Be creative!
Magic items.... instead of coming up with something to give them, have them go through the process of having something upgraded, or made. Again, recommending looking for something at DMS Guild. Crafting Magical Weapons is another "pay what you want" item and there are a few others that might be worth taking a look at. The idea is to make magic items expensive and harder to get (not to mention taking time to create). Having lots of good stuff so early doesn't make your job easy. Once had a character that spent years collecting components for a sword he had in mind. Most blacksmiths aren't going to be able to upgrade magical items either.... quest to find someone who can? Good chance they have simply reached the pinnacle of what's available where they are, which gets them to think in terms of finding someone who can create items.
and to dig more into the bulk of this - the action economy is my primary concern. our combat can already drag on if i add too many enemies - so striking the perfect balance of 'challenging, but not so bloated that the characters get bored' has been one of the things at the forefront of my mind. not to disparage our previous dm, but one of the biggest complaints was how combat wasn't engaging - so far my way of alleviating this has been to keep up a continuous narrative flow, which the players have been really enjoying. (ie, 'bobert swings his mace, and as the goblin staggers, rose sees her chance to act - what does she do?') so i'm constantly interested in figuring out new ways to keep combat fun and engaging. i have been working on tactics - the monsters know what they're doing has been a resource i've been mulling over since i took up dming i do think the idea of wave attacks is maybe the best of both worlds - staggering out the number of enemies means that the turn order won't become too bloated but will still give a nice chunky roster of enemies to fight against. thank you for the suggestion! i think it could add a fun sense of urgency to things as well
re: over-confident suggestions -- i have tried something like this and it was not a huge success LOL but that could have been due to me mishandling it. when the group was on their way to visit this old wisewoman in the woods, they were ambushed by bandits -- ex-military bandits who were acting in tactical ways (protecting their spellcaster, having a very mobile/slippery ranger, etc.) the combat wound up spanning two sessions, and two of the PCs went down at the start of the 2nd session (with their consent/knowledge - neither was able to attend the session) to add to the drama. many of the bandits were also dead by this point, and one of the two minibosses (an assassin and a ranger, in this case the ranger) fled to get back to the bandit base just to even the playing field. at this point, the assassin and the single remaining very basic foot soldier wound up wiping the floor with the remainder of the party, looted them, and then left them for dead - only for the party to be rescued by the very same old wisewoman they'd set out to meet! for the most part this was neutrally or positively received, but one of my players had fought tooth and nail to survive and was pretty salty when they wound up going down anyway and had felt like i had angled the encounter far too harshly against them all esp with my decision to down two of the PCs - even if the players of those PCs wanted it to happen. they're not mad about it anymore, but i'm hesitant to try something like that again -- though maybe it's a moot point, given i do think that served its lesson in humbling the group and letting them know that even though they're strong, so are the enemies they're up against. now they're amassing a small army to storm the bandit stronghold :p
re: nerfing magic items - i've definitely thought of and considered some spell plague/ToT things in my campaign, but i worry that may overcomplicate the story - i'm already playing with some concepts that are a bit complex so it'd add another layer to keep track of. that being said - i love the idea of null magic and wild magic zones, and i think i'd definitely love to play with that.
re: crafting magic items - i appreciate the reading material once again! so far most of their upgraded armor+weapon rewards were a gift of goodwill from a powerful npc who wants the party to work for him in the future, but i didn't want to go beyond a +1 or get into any crazy effects/enchantments without them in some way earning it. i definitely have a small roster of NPCs who are able to provide niche services to the party if the party undertakes quests for them, so you'd think some upgrade NPCs would have occurred to me already LOL but alas. thank you very much! it's definitely stuff i will mull over
To mix up the mob combats, you could have mini-bosses of a CR a couple levels above the party's average level (I'd suggest 3 CR up so 9 to begin) and give them minions that they have to go through to get to the mini-boss. They have to start worrying about their skills/abilities and whether they're going to have enough juice by the time they get to the mini-boss. Don't give them a chance to rest between the minion fights and the mini-boss. Buff the baddies. I've homebrewed a group of dragons who are working together and given them "pack tactics" that increase the save DCs against their frightful presence based on how many are present, etc. Give your bosses legendary resistances, lair actions, or legendary actions. There are a lot of ways you can change up combat encounters for an OP party that will make the combat interesting and challenging without turning it into a slog.
Personally, I've found it pretty easy to just up the stats, esp the HP, on the fly. I had a 4 player party drop to 2 for a sesh, the villain's champion got dropped a few levels and then the ranger pulled some ish where he did 20 dmg on his first shot and I just added some more hp to the enemy immediately.
I did a balance because I wanted my players to be fantastic in a stat but also had to be the worse in a stat. So They had 18 and 9 but the 9 had to stay that way and couldn't be changed by any means. As far as combat I would toy around doubling hp add an extra damage dice or two and see how that goes until you kinda get a perfect challenge for them. I wouldn't do that all the time though since they are strong. Kinda let them be level 100 in a level 10 area lol. As for gear be very careful magic swag can make your perfect balance go back to square one. Best of luck.
First, I would avoid any direct character nerfs. You can limit the homebrew content going forward, but taking away parts of a character can really change the identity of the character to the player. If possible, I'd avoid this because it will help make the DMing transition smoother and avoids a DM vs. Player arguement.
This may be better advice, once you've gotten comfortable running encounters, but I rarely "build" encounters as prescribed in the DMG. Throw what you want at them within reason, and adjust stats on the fly. Most importantly, hit points. If your party is running roughshod over your encounter, just double the bad guys hit points. Matt Colville has a great video about making 5th edition encounters more interesting by using 4th edition, and it's good. You can use 4th edition bonus abilities to enhance your 5e monsters.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
hello! first time posting here, sort of looking around for some advice. within the last few months, i took over a campaign from our previous dm who decided to step down and focus on being a player. that being said, the previous dm was rather lax with a lot of things, such as very generous starting stats, an open door to homebrew content, etc. i've elected to keep those things in play(though homebrew is a case-by-case basis, since it can get a little wild) because i don't want to take away from the enjoyment of my players/friends, but in doing so it's created a unique challenge to balance for.
i've seen suggestions of what to do with slightly bigger parties, and suggestions of what to do with powerful characters - but what if you're facing both of those concerns at once? most of my questions are primarily in two things:
one: how should i balance combat encounters for this? we are currently only level six and have six players in our group, but all of the characters have good stats+are built well and tend to mow through most combat encounters. is that okay? currently one of my blanket solutions has been to build humanoid mobs as if they were player characters, which so far the players have had a lot of fun with due to how challenging it was, but i know i won't be able to do that for every enemy. the other thing i've done is give enemies more health or adjustments to their AC so it takes more than a single hit to mow through them - to great success, it's kept the players very engaged when battles last long enough to get to everyone's turn more than just a single time, but aren't so challenging that i feel unwinnable.
two: how should i reward my players? they're already quite strong - i want to reward them with things but don't want to just give them a payment of gold each and every time, particularly right now since they're doing some questing in a poor farming village that's fallen on hard times. i've tried giving fun or quirky items before but i seem to miss the mark - there's not as much enthusiasm about trinkets unless they contribute to the strength of the character. most of the rewards so far have been allies since my players are very into the roleplay aspect, but i really want to mix things up. i'm just worried about off-setting the balance and creating the very issue i'm trying to prevent
thank you preemptively for any help! i can answer more questions if anyone needs more info. the campaign consists of several of my close friends so i'm just interested in giving the best campaign i possibly can
Difficulty-wise, it's pretty easy to adjust combat challenge. If you build encounters as if they're 6th-level... and that's too easy for them, start building encounters for them as if they're 7th level. If that's too easy, keep going up in difficulty until it's not too easy anymore. Obviously you can do this by building humanoid enemies with class levels, but you can also use monsters that are tougher than expected for that level.
Not sure about the rewards piece though.
They are a bit low level to start building strongholds/attracting follwers/etc., but if they are based out of certain area you may consider moving them in the direction of creating their own stronghold. If the idea has merit, there's a "pay what you want" item in DM's Guild that might be worth checking out as it expands upon the Downtime Activities section of the DMG: Fortresses, Temples, & Strongholds, rules for building and customizing player-owned structures!
Encounters... the action economy with 6 PC's vs 4 PC's is big. That alone may require beefing up the encounters. Playing the mobs smarter and having more of them might be all you need. That said, I like your idea of using PC stats for NPC's. Might suggest creating PC based statblocks and using the upgraded template for all encounters. Also, I like to use wave attacks. If the group is mowing through an encounter in 3 rounds, have reinforcements show up in 2 (arrival heralded with a blowing horn), normal size reinforcements show up 2 rounds later with a big group 2 rounds after that.
Adopting an idea from another thread: The group is probably over confident by now and ripe to get themselves in over their heads. Take them through a series of increasing-in-difficulty mini adventures that have them ripe for the picking when they encounter a mini boss. Stripped of their gear, imprisoned, and possibly tarred and feathered before being paraded in front of the town and mocked publicly would get their attention. Granted, that is a very strong handed tactic, but the idea in presenting it is to create ideas.
Adding mob HP, AC and to hit/damage pluses (essentially increasing mob CR) are available options as well.
If you really want to nerf the magic items, FR has an example... Time of Troubles and the Spell Plague. Can always incorporate something similar that turns how magic works upside down, not work, works unreliably, etc. I have been known to use null magic areas and wild magic areas to shake things up/equal the playing field. Be creative!
Magic items.... instead of coming up with something to give them, have them go through the process of having something upgraded, or made. Again, recommending looking for something at DMS Guild. Crafting Magical Weapons is another "pay what you want" item and there are a few others that might be worth taking a look at. The idea is to make magic items expensive and harder to get (not to mention taking time to create). Having lots of good stuff so early doesn't make your job easy. Once had a character that spent years collecting components for a sword he had in mind. Most blacksmiths aren't going to be able to upgrade magical items either.... quest to find someone who can? Good chance they have simply reached the pinnacle of what's available where they are, which gets them to think in terms of finding someone who can create items.
I agree with Shalrath that they're too early to start building a stronghold, but they could start working toward it (I guess Shalrath said that, too 😊). But for slightly more detail on that, something like, the Duke gives them a plot of land on the edge of the wilderness, and if they can clear the monsters from it, and keep them off, they can use it as they see fit -- building a stronghold, inviting farmers to come and settle, etc. You could even include some other steps in between, like they hear the Duke is looking for someone to settle the land, and is just waiting for someone to impress him before he gives his blessing. Its a cool reward, but it doesn't really give them any new gear they can use in fights.
And while the civilized races think its the edge of the wilderness, the orc tribes, or whoever, think of it as the edge of their territory.
i will try this! one of my primary concerns was going into something too overtly difficult - though i think maybe it's just my own anxiety holding me back, given i'm completely comfortable with adjusting difficulty on the fly, ie our most recent battle was against three trolls that i wound up having to beef up on the spot / behind the scenes because of how quickly the players were mowing through them even with their regenerative ability, so i threw some mechanics at them like the trolls jumping and stomping onto the spaces they were in and the party having to make dex saving throws or else take bludgeoning damage from stinky feet. maybe adding flavor like that on the spot is just something i should capitalize on?
to address these both at once (and forgive me if quotes are obnoxious! i haven't used forums in a very long time) - re: strongholds, i do have some ideas in mind as to how they can eventually get a stronghold, though it is admittedly a mechanic i'm not overly familiar with so i appreciate the reading material! the essential idea i was mulling over was like... for context, there is a DMPC in the party because i didn't have the opportunity to detransition him as a party member before i took over. he is a noble and after they've gained a few levels he's going to request the party aid him with some Unfinished Business(tm) to take care of at his home - if the PCs choose to help, then they'll be able to use or upgrade his home as a base. but i also wonder if that might be too easy and 'handing' them a stronghold so to speak, rather than having them earn it at the hands of another NPC such as, like xalthu says, the duke (of which there is one in my campaign offering work to the party!) so far they were interested in the Unfinished Business when the DMPC mentioned it several sessions ago, so i don't think it will be anything necessarily left up to chance.
and to dig more into the bulk of this - the action economy is my primary concern. our combat can already drag on if i add too many enemies - so striking the perfect balance of 'challenging, but not so bloated that the characters get bored' has been one of the things at the forefront of my mind. not to disparage our previous dm, but one of the biggest complaints was how combat wasn't engaging - so far my way of alleviating this has been to keep up a continuous narrative flow, which the players have been really enjoying. (ie, 'bobert swings his mace, and as the goblin staggers, rose sees her chance to act - what does she do?') so i'm constantly interested in figuring out new ways to keep combat fun and engaging. i have been working on tactics - the monsters know what they're doing has been a resource i've been mulling over since i took up dming
i do think the idea of wave attacks is maybe the best of both worlds - staggering out the number of enemies means that the turn order won't become too bloated but will still give a nice chunky roster of enemies to fight against. thank you for the suggestion! i think it could add a fun sense of urgency to things as well
re: over-confident suggestions -- i have tried something like this and it was not a huge success LOL but that could have been due to me mishandling it. when the group was on their way to visit this old wisewoman in the woods, they were ambushed by bandits -- ex-military bandits who were acting in tactical ways (protecting their spellcaster, having a very mobile/slippery ranger, etc.) the combat wound up spanning two sessions, and two of the PCs went down at the start of the 2nd session (with their consent/knowledge - neither was able to attend the session) to add to the drama. many of the bandits were also dead by this point, and one of the two minibosses (an assassin and a ranger, in this case the ranger) fled to get back to the bandit base just to even the playing field. at this point, the assassin and the single remaining very basic foot soldier wound up wiping the floor with the remainder of the party, looted them, and then left them for dead - only for the party to be rescued by the very same old wisewoman they'd set out to meet!
for the most part this was neutrally or positively received, but one of my players had fought tooth and nail to survive and was pretty salty when they wound up going down anyway and had felt like i had angled the encounter far too harshly against them all esp with my decision to down two of the PCs - even if the players of those PCs wanted it to happen. they're not mad about it anymore, but i'm hesitant to try something like that again -- though maybe it's a moot point, given i do think that served its lesson in humbling the group and letting them know that even though they're strong, so are the enemies they're up against. now they're amassing a small army to storm the bandit stronghold :p
re: nerfing magic items - i've definitely thought of and considered some spell plague/ToT things in my campaign, but i worry that may overcomplicate the story - i'm already playing with some concepts that are a bit complex so it'd add another layer to keep track of. that being said - i love the idea of null magic and wild magic zones, and i think i'd definitely love to play with that.
re: crafting magic items - i appreciate the reading material once again! so far most of their upgraded armor+weapon rewards were a gift of goodwill from a powerful npc who wants the party to work for him in the future, but i didn't want to go beyond a +1 or get into any crazy effects/enchantments without them in some way earning it. i definitely have a small roster of NPCs who are able to provide niche services to the party if the party undertakes quests for them, so you'd think some upgrade NPCs would have occurred to me already LOL but alas. thank you very much! it's definitely stuff i will mull over
To mix up the mob combats, you could have mini-bosses of a CR a couple levels above the party's average level (I'd suggest 3 CR up so 9 to begin) and give them minions that they have to go through to get to the mini-boss. They have to start worrying about their skills/abilities and whether they're going to have enough juice by the time they get to the mini-boss. Don't give them a chance to rest between the minion fights and the mini-boss. Buff the baddies. I've homebrewed a group of dragons who are working together and given them "pack tactics" that increase the save DCs against their frightful presence based on how many are present, etc. Give your bosses legendary resistances, lair actions, or legendary actions. There are a lot of ways you can change up combat encounters for an OP party that will make the combat interesting and challenging without turning it into a slog.
My Homebrew Backgrounds | Feats | Magic Items | Monsters | Races | Subclasses
Personally, I've found it pretty easy to just up the stats, esp the HP, on the fly. I had a 4 player party drop to 2 for a sesh, the villain's champion got dropped a few levels and then the ranger pulled some ish where he did 20 dmg on his first shot and I just added some more hp to the enemy immediately.
I did a balance because I wanted my players to be fantastic in a stat but also had to be the worse in a stat. So They had 18 and 9 but the 9 had to stay that way and couldn't be changed by any means. As far as combat I would toy around doubling hp add an extra damage dice or two and see how that goes until you kinda get a perfect challenge for them. I wouldn't do that all the time though since they are strong. Kinda let them be level 100 in a level 10 area lol. As for gear be very careful magic swag can make your perfect balance go back to square one. Best of luck.
-Sol
First, I would avoid any direct character nerfs. You can limit the homebrew content going forward, but taking away parts of a character can really change the identity of the character to the player. If possible, I'd avoid this because it will help make the DMing transition smoother and avoids a DM vs. Player arguement.
This may be better advice, once you've gotten comfortable running encounters, but I rarely "build" encounters as prescribed in the DMG. Throw what you want at them within reason, and adjust stats on the fly. Most importantly, hit points. If your party is running roughshod over your encounter, just double the bad guys hit points. Matt Colville has a great video about making 5th edition encounters more interesting by using 4th edition, and it's good. You can use 4th edition bonus abilities to enhance your 5e monsters.