If the goal is to make the tough monsters even tougher, how about giving
them the 'blessed soldiers' power, ie. each successful hit has only a
% chance of actually killing it. Make this chance a function of the
creature's defensive value, 60% at 100 defense, 40% at 200, 30% at 300, etc.
This could be specific to non-player controlled units.
Of course, this only increases the need for cannon fodder, but it does make
monsters tougher.
On an old subject, what was the resolution of the discussion about making
safe haven resources available to newbies?
Nazgul