Dungeons & Dragons offers some truly wild and interesting monsters to pit against a party. From the (now famous) Gelatinous Cube to the brain-eating Mind Flayer, there's something for every encounter. But to truly strike the right notes for a game, sometimes it's necessary to use these enemies a little differently than how they're written. Here are some strategies for scaling monsters for any campaign.

The most straightforward way to modify the difficulty of a monster is to scale its challenge rating. Wizards of the Coast has established CRs for all of its monsters, providing a simple guide for determining whether a party is ready to face a certain enemy; if the party's level matches the CR of the monster, they may be ready to take on this encounter. But setting a static CR for each monster means that, effectively, WotC has limited monsters to certain levels. Luckily, it also provides an easy guide for upgrading monsters by increasing hit points or incorporating damage resistance, allowing Dungeon Masters to throw these monsters at a party at any level.

Related: D&D: Who Are The Gods In The Pantheon Of Theros?

Orcus from DnD, a giant skull-headed demon looming over some mindflayers

Modifying the CR may the the most straightforward option for scaling monster difficulty, but it's also the least interesting. Rather than increasing the CR of one enemy, consider increasing the sheer number of enemies. One low-CR monster on its own may pose no threat, but an entire heard can be a real challenge. The size of the monster group touches on what is often called the "action economy" -- the more enemies, the more actions they'll get each turn against the players and the less overall impact a player's action will have against the entire group. This can be an effective strategy for increasing the difficulty of the encounter, but can also be punishing, drawing battles out over a long time and making players feel ineffective. Luckily, it's not the only alternative for scaling encounters.

No fight takes place in a void, even if it is just an imaginary fight. Monsters and players alike are battling in a particular environment that the DM can use to modify the difficulty of a monster. Low CR creatures can be made more difficult by paying attention to surroundings -- placing them in an environment they know well can trigger things like advantage on particular rolls and environmental benefits. A water elemental, for instance, is much more dangerous underwater than in a desert, drawing on the location as a source of its power. So too is a nest of Kobolds more dangerous in their home than out on the plains.

Related: Dungeons & Dragons: How To Create A My Little Pony Campaign

Using the environment to scale difficulty shows a focus on the encounter as a whole rather than just on the enemy. A difficult encounter may absolutely wreck a party, but not all of that damage has to come from an individual enemy. Difficult terrain and aggressive weather can also make a fight interesting and potentially deadly.

Encounter design also involves paying attention to party attributes. This can mean providing both players and monsters with magical items that can tip the balance of a fight. Armed to the brim with magic swords and healing potions, players may be able to tackle higher CR enemies. It also means playing against party attributes. Laying traps against a party without a rogue can be debilitating, while enemies with ranged attacks are much more effective against a melee heavy party. Using lower CR monsters in high-risk environments with attacks the party is weak against creates a compelling and difficult encounter.

Related: Dungeons & Dragons 5e: How To Run A Dark Souls-Themed Campaign

Another component of encounter design is paying attention to the different expectations of a fight at different levels. Lower level parties wouldn't expect any player to go down during combat, and getting close to death is enough to encourage them to run. At higher levels, however, death saving throws and even resurrections may become common or expected. Having enemies that can kill a player may be fine at higher levels.

Scaling enemies in D&D goes beyond the CR -- numbers and variety, environment and full encounter design all work together to make different enemies approachable in battle. Effective combat design requires more than just selecting the right monster; it also means that any monster can become a compelling enemy in a well-designed fight.

Keep Reading: D&D: Fan-Created Combat Wheelchair Establishes Baseline Inclusivity