Two Spells That Ruin Encounter Design - What DMs Get Wrong @TenkarsTavern
Two Spells That Ruin Encounter Design - What DMs Get Wrong  @TenkarsTavern
Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
There are exactly two walls every B/X campaign hits: the Magic-User getting Fireball and Lightning Bolt at level 5, and one level later, the Cleric getting Cure Disease, Remove Curse, and Striking at level 6. Both moments change the math behind every encounter you've already built — and most DMs get caught flat-footed because nobody frames it as a design milestone instead of a balance problem. In this one I break down exactly where these walls sit, what they do to your monster math, your corridor geometry, and your cursed-item plot hooks, and how to redesign past them instead of taking spells away from your players.

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Two Spells That Ruin Encounter Design - What DMs Get Wrong

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