Design a Balanced Combat Encounter

A flat slugfest where everyone stands still and rolls is the encounter nobody remembers. Give it party size, level, system, and setting, and you get an enemy roster with roles, two hazards that shift the battlefield mid-fight, and an optional objective. A fight with decisions in it, balanced for your table, not just bigger numbers.

Design a tactically interesting combat encounter for a party of {PARTY_SIZE} players at {CHARACTER_LEVEL} in a {SYSTEM} campaign (e.g. D&D 5e, Pathfinder 2e). The environment is {ENVIRONMENT} (e.g. a burning tavern, a collapsing bridge). Provide: (1) a recommended enemy roster with roles (controller, brute, skirmisher), (2) two environmental hazards that change the battlefield mid-fight, (3) one optional objective beyond 'kill everything' that rewards creative thinking, (4) a suggested difficulty rating with brief justification, and (5) a dramatic opening beat to hook players immediately. Flag any potential balance issues and suggest adjustments for groups that skew aggressive or cautious.