Need help designing more interesting encounters

[LrdoftheRngs]

So, I've been having a problem lately with DMing. The encounters I run just aren't interesting. Combat devolves into a series of attack rolls with nothing to spice it up. My main problem is that my current campaign involves very few monsters, but it is for story reasons, and I would like to find a way to work around it. So, I'm asking for your help. What are some ways I can spice up encounters using mainly humanoid NPCs with class levels?

[SgtCarnage92]

Interesting locations. A fight on a narrow bridge slick with ice is more interesting than a fight on an empty road in the middle of spring.

Varying enemy tactics. Are the enemies going to ambush the party, lead them into traps with a false retreat? Do they make effective use of terrain and spellcasters? Do they have mounts? Why are they fighting instead of just retreating? Have them run away when it's obvious the fight isn't going their way.

Goals. Don't make the combat the focus of the encounter. Make retrieving the maguffin before the dungeon collapses the focus.

Be descriptive, don't be afraid to talk about who they're fighting...how they swing their swords...the looks on their faces as they take a hit. These little things can really make encounters more fun.

[Doorhandle]

Also, look into various P.C builds, and consider using them for inspiration for lieutenants and the like. Preferably, martial/combat maneuver types, as most casters tend to blend into one another eventually, from the player's perspective.

Maybe a different sort of encounter? Such as a chase sequence? pathfinder has good rules on those. Likewise adding a vehicle: Obviously, a steam titan is not useful for all campaigns, but simply refluffing a chariot into an elephant howdah will create a memorable fight.

[yougi]

I like to have reinforcements come in once every couple of fights, especially in a dungeon. It forces the PCs to change their tactics from "fighters in front, wizard in back" when a giant comes in from the door behind the wizard.

Using a three way fight is also a way to make things interesting: instead of having your PCs fight a clan of Ogres, have them fight a clan of Ogres while their Orc slaves rebel.

Something I've used for "boss fights" is a "stage boss", like in combat video games: the drow priestess casts until you kill all of her minions; then, she transforms into a demon, until she goes down to 10% of her HP; then, she teleports out of the room to heal herself while an alarm rings, calling other drow guards; when they're dealt with, they can locate the priestess and finally fight her face to face.

And I also agree with everything that was posted before me.

[LrdoftheRngs]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys! I have been trying to get enemies to use different tactics, but it kind of devolves over time. In the next dungeon, their goal is based on territory, not fighting, so that might make things cooler.

[J-H]

Throw them into a lake. Summon Monster & Nature's Ally has aquatic summons... change of pace, eh?
If you're nice, give them a couple of items of waterbreathing first.

[Kornaki]

Make enemies use all the weird magic items. Your fighter is going mano a mano with an archer when he throws down a feather token, tree underneath himself and is now sniping you from his treetop perch.

The grappling monk pins you while his buddy smears sovereign glue all over your back. You are now stuck to the floor. Or even more bizarre he just sticks his hand in the jar and grapples you, you are now stuck to the enemy monk.

I find that it's more effective to pick an item, and think of ways to use it in battle, than to pick a fight then figure out what the enemy can do that is interesting

[ZeroGear]

Oh dear god, a kindred spirit.
Consider giving the group alternative ways to destroy their enemies. Here are a few examples:
-Adding spikes to the walls gives people a reason to bull-rush their foes.
-Putting pots of oil in a room is interesting when combined with fireball.
-Cracked pillars could easily cause ceilings to collapse on the unwary.
-A practiced ranger could easily hit the rope holding up the spiked battering ram.
-Rivers can easily increase the effectiveness of lightning spells.
-That switch on the wall may very well trigger the pit trap to open.
-Two words: siege weapons. Especially against big opponents. (Like Catapults, Ballistas, Trebuchets, and [my favorite] CANNONS!)

[Jaquettie]

If you want a interesting mundane encounter, try having a battle occur in a large multiple story wooden house where all the wood is rotting. Fill it with bad guys and have fun as everyone is falling through the floor, being thrown through walls into rooms with more baddies and other shenanigans.

[ArcturusV]

Also don't forget relatively "benign" terrain features. Then reward people for using them. You might want to have enemies highlight this first to sort of prime the pump and get PCs involved in doing it. This can be anything from flipping over tables to have the advantages of Cover, to more esoteric things like kicking over a barrel and rolling it down the corridor as a ranged improvised trip and bull rush attack.

Just little details like that forces the characters to think less in terms of BAB, AC, Saves, etc and mechanical things and makes them ask for descriptions and make them think about what would be a cool thing to do instead?

Plus it just makes combat more fun when rather than say, "And the elf archer shoots at you" you can say something like, "The Elf warrior swings a grappling hook over to the bookcase you are standing in front of, hooking it by the top. He gives a mighty tug and brings the bookcase tumbling down on you, try to dodge. If not, you take damage and are prone and pinned."

Also since you're using mortals instead of monsters, it makes sense that they would do things like that. They're not unthinking brutes and a skilled civilized warrior (Or even a savage warrior) should be able to use the terrain to it's best advantage. And I don't just mean finding natural choke points and defensible positions, but I mean using terrain as weapon or altering terrain as needed.

[Seharvepernfan]

Cover/concealment - allows hide checks, makes targets harder to hit, negates attacks of opportunity. Using corners, furniture, upturned tables, pillars/trees/posts, your friends/enemies, a horse; all these things are cover. Don't forget that you can kneel for some extra AC, and if you are a spellcaster or crossbow user, drop prone for even more. Improved Cover is even better, if available.
For concealment, it's as simple as darkness/smoke/leaves/grass - even a little bit can ruin an attack and prevent sneak attacks.

Use varied terrain - have you ever played bioshock? Bioshock 2? Make your dungeons have several levels with plenty of openings between them, whether holes/collapses in floors, or just open area with balconies and ledges. Have some areas be honeycombs or "crossroads" of hallways. Throw in plenty of various types of "difficult terrain" - rubble, furniture, shallow water, slippery mud/oil/ice, holes in the floors, balcony railings. Make plenty of areas/situations where people can balance/climb/jump/swim/tumble. Have areas where the players can alter the terrain or use it to their advantage (like the aforementioned library bookshelf being pulled over).

Then make it dynamic - have stairways/walls/floors collapse on the party/enemies. Have some areas be on fire (creating heat/smoke/weakened structural integrity). Have a dungeon that slowly floods (or quickly floods in some situations). Have underwater fights (preferably unexpected ones, where somebody gets pulled in when they aren't ready...in darkness). Have battles start at long ranges, so that archery/cover/concealment is important, and mounts can be used, also long range spells. Even simple warriors can have trained riding attack-dogs, and can use intimidate to lower a players' saves against a spellcaster.

Make your encounters dynamic, don't just throw a group of the same type of enemies at your players. Mix it up. Not just between different types of races/species, but different classes, or even different tactics between members of the same classes (two orc barbarians, one uses a greataxe and throwing weapons with quick draw, the other uses a halberd and focuses on tripping).

Use complex tactics - Flanking/readied attacks-trips-grapples-overuns-counterspells-etc./height advantage/choke points/kill-boxes/trenches/roofs to fire down from. Have enemies lock doors the players have already been through, then ambush them. Decide a plan of attack for each prepared group of enemies. Have people kite the party towards a large unallied monster, or the large unallied monster towards the players.

Basically, don't just have the enemies rush in and attack, unless they are overpowering or just plain stupid. Slugfests should always be the last resort, because that's when injuries/casualties happen. If the enemy can defeat the players without ever subjecting themselves to an attack roll, they're doing it right.