Making Combat More Entertaining

[ekarney]

So, I've found I've been getting incredibly bored during combat. To the point that I spend more time looking at facebook than my character sheet deciding what to do next turn.
And I think it's come down to lack of immersion, is there anyway I can make this more immersive?

Throwing out quips from my character?
Speaking to the DM?

[Extra Anchovies]

If you're into learning a new subsystem, the Tome of Battle system offers some ways to make melee interesting by encouraging you to vary actions round-to-round. If you're already using it, though, I'm not sure what to suggest.

[Deox]

Instead of saying something simple, try actually explaining your character's actions.

"Tordek clutches his waraxe, and begins to swing fervently, sweeping from left to right before raising the axe over his head to come down with a finishing strike." sounds better to me than, "I full attack the orc."

Watch television or movies involving the types of characters you're playing for ideas. For instance, I have a "Jackie Chan" style character who is not the best damage dealer, but can nearly infinitely deflect any attack or spell targeting him. I watched a bunch of his works again recently to see just how many ways he truly deflected or redirected attacks for descriptive combat actions.

If anything, you'll spice up combat for yourself and with any luck, encourage the other players to follow suit, thus bringing more texture to your combat.

[Diovid]

Use Perform (Weapon Drill).

[defiantdan]

it's funny how everyone assumed he was a mundane melee class. If you are, why not just try more challenging classes to play?

[Deox]

Well, that is the default I go to when I hear combat is boring. Lack of options and casters are not short in that department.

In regards to the OP:
Should you not be playing a martial class, the same things can be applied to a caster easily.

An example for a warlock: "A flicker of black and red eldritch energy emanates from Tordek's hands. He points a finger towards the orc and the small flicker quickly turns into a concentrated beam of baleful power."

This sounds more interesting than, "I shoot an eldritch blast with brimstone applied."

[HighWater]

To the point that I spend more time looking at facebook.

The attention-problem may have arisen before you started doing this, but this is likely to have made things worse: doing something else during combat will further remove you from immersion and the group experience, which will degrade your interest in the combat even more, which will cause you to look more at facebook, which will further decrease immersion... etc. People not paying attention are also likely to cause the DM to stop trying to engage them too. Ever tried to hold a presentation or speech while everybody is doing something else? It's really demotivating.

So tip nr1: Put away the smartphone and start paying attention again.

Why are you bored by combat? You have given very little information on what combat is like at your table, or what your role in that combat is. If you're a melee character (as many have assumed), combat can get pretty dull mechanically if all you say is "I full attack". Livening up your actions with a more descriptive account can improve the experience somewhat, giving you at least a larger chunk of combat time as your own spotlight moment. The same can be true of a caster that has developed a standard combat routine (first the Nerveskitter, then the Glitterdust, then the Buff, then the...). Find a way to have more options in combat: magic items with interesting 1/day or 3/day effects that will occasionally come in handy can break the routine. Sometimes taking the suboptimal but fun route can also enhance your experience. Vary your tactics.

What are the others doing? Is combat boring because it takes forever for them to finish their turns? Is one of them forever on the fence as to what to do? Do the wizards' spells take FOREVER to resolve? Is the DM so meticulous in getting every effect exactly right that a lot of the time is spend rules-lawyering? Are there too many PCs, NPCs and opponents? Speak to the DM and the other players to address this (be as non-confrontational as possible).

Is combat even dangerous? An important reason combat can get dull is if victory is assured and nothing is really riding on it. If the DM is making things too easy for your group, you may want to inform him/her. The DM doesn't even have to make a kill, it just has to be believable that if you are not trying hard, your opponents will off someone.

Is combat too lethal? Have you lost 12 characters in the last dozen sessions and do you therefore not care if Grumpy McAxetoface the Third lives or dies? Hyperlethality can also greatly reduce investment and interest in combat ("even if he lives through this one, the next he is surely dead so why care? I fullattack...")

There are many other things that can make combat dull. Do you have any further information for more tailored advice?

[ekarney]

Whilst I do have attention span issues, I've been in a few combats, usually more intense ones, such as that time me and a couple other members here fought like 100 rats. At level 1.
My Artificer didn't even level up. Anyway, in intense combats I'm often found drilling over my character sheet religiously only touching my phone if someone calls.

For the record, I generally play casters

For lethality in the current campaign I'm referring to, I personally have had no problem surviving, we've had a lot of deaths and near deaths in the party though. But then again, everyone else is a first time player, I have a little more experience under my belt. I'm also a horrible little munchkin, so I'm quite okay with combat not being too challenging because it means I'm succeeding.

Classwise though, I'm in the process of rerolling, probably going to go sorcerer though if you guys have any suggestions I'm open!

Is there any variant rules regarding the hacking off of limbs to enemies? Me and my current DM had a campaign where I DMing (Both of us were very new to the game at that point so we didn't knwo better) and would often allow combat bonus for calling your blows, and trying to do something such as hack off an arm. I just spoke to the DM and he's thinking about reintroducing it.

The others are doing the following,
"I *vague stabbing motion* him." followed by a half shrug and a grunt.
"Oh man, what can I do? What's this? Can I use that? *Referring to AC*" On a level 1 fighter. *Spends the next 10 minutes arguing about realism and another 5 shaking the dice*
The others are just kinda there, getting their turns done quickly.

I spoke to the DM about it, and he seems pretty keen to keep me in the session, since we've spent that last 6 sessions in full combat, and there's barely been any RP the whole campaign, so I've been pretty committed to quitting that campaign for a while now.

[Harlot]

Well... The phone shouldn't be at the table at all. That said, I am pretty much with you on this one. My current DM is disorganised, combat is slow and I tend to fidget with books, sheets and phone (yes, yes, I admit it!) because I am bored.
One thing I can meaningfully do, is use that time looking up ideas and stats and gadgets for a campaign I'll soon be running, but admittedly that is almost as bad as checking facebook. My attention isn't where it should be.

I think the problem is sort of universal; that it is just part of the game mechanics, part of combat, that you have to wait your turn. Players who do not have their turn and who knows (more or less) what they intend to do next time it's their turn, get bored and easily distracted.

The only real solution I've ever found to solve this issue, is using more or less 'real time' turn during combat, that is each player has six seconds to act ('I'll do this and this') and then a little extra if they roll for damage. Next player, 6 seconds, damage, third player, 6 seconds, damage.
If you don't act or state what you do within that time, you 'do nothing'.

It's hard to learn to do consistently, but if it's DM-ruled hard and fast, people WILL PAY ATTENTION during combat because if they don't, they might die.
I recommend that your group tries it. It'll solve your problem, but might create problems for players who can't 'think on their feet'.

If you can't do this, you could ask the DM to run an NPC for him or simply a second character, possibly something that you've never tried your hand at before (for me, that'd be Psionics, but the idea is just something really, really different that you have to spend some time learning how to play) so that you have more to do in the game overall.
Good luck.

[nakedonmyfoldin]

Talk to your PCs and try to encourage more roleplay. As for the questions for "is this realistic", nothing is unrealistic in the world of D&D. While it's unrealistic for a level 1 fighter in heavy armor to do a backflip and behead a hobgoblin. But he can certainly try by rolling first for jump and then for attack if he succeeds. Also, I don't know how interesting an encounter with 100 rats is going to be. Unless you're hacking through many of them at once.

[Just to Browse]

There is a lot of worth to making quips to other players in combat. For every ability you have or your enemy has, there are maybe 3 one-liners you can bust out at any given time. Mix them up. In addition, coordinating with allies keeps things interesting (if you help a character, their player will also like your jokes more. Trust me). Tell someone what your plans are and ask them to back you up, or vice versa. Even if you're in a boring slugfest, turn it into something more for your friends and you'll do great.

[ekarney]

Not, "Full backflip at level 1 in full plate" realism, like
"I'm using a mace, if I hit that rat, it should be dead!
It's not even wearing armour! Kind of realism discussions.
But the DM said he's going to do some 1 on 1 sessions with the players, and that should encourage them to be a little more proactive, and intradasting.

I think I might go Kobold Sorcerer this time around, - NOT THAT KIND OF KOBOLD SORCERER, I don't wanna get kicked out.
It should allow me to conjure up a few quips.

I usually have my phone with me so that we can check out spell effects quickly, or resolve a dispute if we forget books or whatnot.

Funnily enough, the DM had a DMPC that he now wants to retire, since most of the players are leaning on it so solve all of the out of combat encounters.

[Extra Anchovies]

I think I might go Kobold Sorcerer this time around, - NOT THAT KIND OF KOBOLD SORCERER, I don't wanna get kicked out.
It should allow me to conjure up a few quips.

Oooh! Oooh! You should take Dragonwrought, but instead of the normal Loredrake shenanigans, take the Child of Eberron sovereign archetype so you can learn spells from the druid list! It also gives you Druidic as a language for free, but since nothing bad happens when you teach it to others, you could theoretically just offer lessons in Druidic and live off the buckets of cash you make from that :smallbiggrin:

[Killer Angel]

Well, that is the default I go to when I hear combat is boring. Lack of options and casters are not short in that department.


Funnily enough, to me one of the more boring characters in combat is the healer. The fun part, is that the healer basically lives for the combat part, where its skills are used.

[Yahzi]

If combat is boring, you shouldn't be doing it. There's absolutely no reason you can't look 100 rats in the eye and make a Fort + BAB save and have the DM say "OK, all the rats are dead/you retreat in disorder/your characters are eaten alive, roll new ones." You don't have to model every interaction at 6 second intervals.

That said, if you find combat boring, it's probably because you just don't care that much about the outcome. If all your character is fighting for is XP and treasure, then the combat is never going to be interesting; all that matters is how much XP and treasure you get at the end.

On the other hand, if every dead rat means your character's little sister lives another day, then every dead rat matters.

The point of the game is not interesting tactical combat scenarios. If you want to play that kind of game, there are far better systems out there. The point of the game was originally exploration - finding impossible treasures and unique monsters. 3.5 kinda smoothed that out into a less weird and unpredictable thing; on the other hand 3.5 is more suited to role-playing (IMHO) so it's a trade-off.

[Andreaz]

Move around. Make your enemies chase and flee. Fight in the middle of the street and use the bystanders as props. They ARE props. If you're on a tall building or climbing a vertiginous mountain pass, use the heights. Push people around, attack from above, close entire pathways. Ramparts have quite the view! It's even better when your foe is looking up to it as it falls to certain death.

And if you're at a level where fall damage does not kill. Remedy that by becoming the fall damage, landing weapon-first on the bastard.

[Slipperychicken]

Do combats actually have purpose and meaning in your games?

Do you play music for them?

Do you describe actions in more detail than "I swing and deal 14 damage"?

[Fax Celestis]

Try a character outside your normal box. Stick with a concept and make it work. I decided once to do a wilderness Dungeoncrasher feat rogue, and it was an amazing amount of fun because not only was I having to work to make my concept function, but when it did work I felt vindicated and talented. I couldn't play Damocles on autopilot: every turn i had to think about how I was going to handle the changes on the battlefield. Being very highly mobile helped with that too. I took Nimble Charge, Acrobatic Charge, Hampering Strike, Running Ciecles, and Shock Trooper, which basically meant I could turn up to 90° when I charged, could charge over difficult terrain and up stairs, could steer people wheni shoved them, and if I damaged them they took a -10' penalty to all move speeds for 1 round. Oh, and if I started my turn in a creature's threatened area, I didn't provoke AoOs from movement from them that turn. And if I shoved one dude into another, I got to trip them both! And and I took Expeditious Dodge so Iwouldn't lose AC when I charged.

I eventually multi classed into swordsage for some maneuvers (primarily charging Minotaur but also some setting sun stuff), but I could've stayed single-classed and never has it be an issue. It wasn't the highest op thjng I could have played, but it kept me involved because I had to know what was going on or I couldn't make my character's abilities work.

[Threadnaught]

If combat is boring, you shouldn't be doing it. There's absolutely no reason you can't look 100 rats in the eye and make a Fort + BAB save and have the DM say "OK, all the rats are dead/you retreat in disorder/your characters are eaten alive, roll new ones." You don't have to model every interaction at 6 second intervals.

I cast Mount to act as a tank... Then got super bored at every rat having their action announced in slow and plodding detail.

Then I killed some, while still super bored. I'm looking forward to beating up and torturing to death the guy in charge. Not the DM, the NPC controlling the rats.



As DM of another campaign, I'll be the first to admit that my own combats have been kinda boring. Though the PCs haven't yet had the chance to rest since being in the dungeon and most of the encounters are safely behind a wall of force. Difficulty scaling from trivial to impossible.

[Nousos]

... Then got super bored at every rat having their action announced in slow and plodding detail.

That sounds like a bad dm problem. Anyone would get bored if their dm decided to roll individualy for one hundred rats every turn, no matter how fast each turn took. Why the hell wasn't he using swarm rules?

As a dm, I find that larger combats do tend to sometimes get drawn out and boring. What I found helps is having them do different things beyond "goblin a attacks player x with spear" and instead have them use their numbers and make 2 of them aid another on a third's attack. Readied actions also cut down on the dice rolls, making combat go faster.

On the player end, everyone elses advice seems better than anything I can think of.

[Threadnaught]

That sounds like a bad dm problem. Anyone would get bored if their dm decided to roll individualy for one hundred rats every turn, no matter how fast each turn took. Why the hell wasn't he using swarm rules?

As a dm, I find that larger combats do tend to sometimes get drawn out and boring. What I found helps is having them do different things beyond "goblin a attacks player x with spear" and instead have them use their numbers and make 2 of them aid another on a third's attack. Readied actions also cut down on the dice rolls, making combat go faster.

On the player end, everyone elses advice seems better than anything I can think of.

It wasn't literally 100 rats, closer to two dozen, with some Dire Rats. It took the majority of out daily abilities though, for level 1 characters facing 3-5 Dire Rats and a dozen or so regular Rats.

It felt like 100 Rats, once each Rat got close enough they had their actions described individually, they were killed off individually because we lack crowd clearing attacks.
We're hoping the DM has something other than Rats for later and that at higher levels, my Wizard will no longer be in charge of tanking duties.