Bullshit players

Character building is cancer, play games where the interesting development happens through play and not just picking shit from huge lists on levelups.

>I'll assert a moronic false dichotomy and feel smug about it!

so on one hand, yeah. I've only had one session so far but I've had things like:

>party attempts to surprise goblins with an illusion of a dragon which they promptly ignore because they aren't stupid enough to think a dragon snuck up on them
>wild wolves surround and separate the party from the NPC's wounded that the party is trying to retrieve and attempt to bring the wounded wolf into the pack and have him join their attack on the party
>rats that die in 2 hits but are covered in a mold that jumps into the air when that rat is struck, requiring a CON saving throw

I felt like I was doing ok at creating some encounters that were more interesting than "we rolled to hit, and then won" but that pdf was some crazy shit

>I'll greentext and feel smug about it!

It's rare that people describe what they're doing in the act of doing it.

no its not people explain what they are doing all the time m8

>hey Veeky Forums, I allow literally anything players bring to the table and can't handle it
If you are going to allow UA Warlock patrons multiclassing with Paladins that then claim they get +CHA on their smites then that's your own damn fault.

You have the tools to drain their resources and present a challenge, so drain their long rest resources and keep them on their heels. It's more fun for everyone, but requires homebrew as DM to adjust to allowing multiclassing and feats.

This is when you run Jackie Chan kobolds instead of SWAT kobolds.

They still retreat, hide, gang-up, and use the environment to their advantage. But they also use tactics to pull off wacky hijinks. They spring elaborate traps that tar and feather the victim. They roll barrels of flaming garbage down a sloped hallway. They don't just throw molotovs, they throw random potions brewed by their half-crazed alchemist that might polymorph you into a crab or turn your skin permanently blue.

Now that sounds amazingly fun. I might have to try it some time.

Practice practice practice.
And acknowledge that no one is truly unmanageable unless you ALLOWED the bullshit in.
I've got a Cavalier in my party that can singlehandedly round 1 pretty much any corporeal enemy his CR and most in his CR range on a low roll charge and without activating all of his abilities. The obvious solution is throw incorporeal, but that's a tiny fraction of the real answer. Maybe one boss is behind a door too small for his mount. Maybe there's an encounter in difficult terrain or water where he can't charge or has to carefully set up his ride-by. Maybe the enemy has an aura which forces melee to back off, take damage, or get creative. Target his mount's worst save. If all else fails and he's still hogging the show fudge the hp so someone else gets the killing blow for once. Environmental effects. Terrain features. Steal some Lair or Legendary actions or if your system doesn't have cool stuff like that make it up.
Of course not every combat has to be this intensive for you to make and them to play. Chances are if they're making bullshit it's because they want the game to suck their dick during combat. That's fine, give them the by-the-book encounters and easy modes in between the cool ones, it'll give you a break. Also Challenge Rating is bullshit in and of itself. Good to understand bad to stand by.