Making combat more interesting

[Rawk]

Hi!

Im a fairly new dm with fairly new players. So far the combat has been swarm the enemy and hit them until they die. I was wondering how to spice it up a little.

Thanks,

Ruairc

[Malifice]

Hi!

Im a fairly new dm with fairly new players. So far the combat has been swarm the enemy and hit them until they die. I was wondering how to spice it up a little.

Thanks,

Ruairc

Intresting terrain, a mixture of mooks, heavies and maybe a caster or leader type monster, ranged attackers, and environmental features.

[Occasional Sage]

Malifice has a great list. I'd add "Goals during the fight other than combat."

[Specter]

Three basic options:

- Diversify the functions/classes of enemies (one of them is the big hitter, the other is the debuffer, etc.);
- Add terrain hazards;
- Add emergency (rising water level, the princess slowly dying in the back, etc.);

[Ninja_Prawn]

Malifice has a great list. I'd add "Goals during the fight other than combat."

Quick thoughts:

Escape from a monster that's too strong for you.
Capture and interrogate a foe that's trying to flee.
Kill the guards before they can raise the alarm.
Break through the cultists before their leader can complete the ritual.
Rescue the captives.
Pick the lock to retrieve the holy artifact while holding off hordes of zombies.
Disabled the Dominated heroes without hurting them too much.

[Dr. Cliché]

You could let players try to attack specific parts of monsters, potentially hacking off limbs and such. Of course, some of the monsters might try to do the same...



[LIST] Escape from a monster that's too strong for you.

Granted, this might depend on your group and/or how you present it, but I'd be careful with this one.

In my experience, players will often try to take down a powerful monster anyway. And as their hp declines, they only become more determined to carry on the fight. :smalltongue:

One memorable example for me.
NPC - "...but you must avoid that field at night. The monster that dwells there is far too powerful even for you."
Dwarf - "Come on, lads - we can take it!"
Party immediately charges headlong into the field to fight the monster.

[Regitnui]

One memorable example for me.
NPC - "...but you must avoid that field at night. The monster that dwells there is far too powerful even for you."
Dwarf - "Come on, lads - we can take it!"
Party immediately charges headlong into the field to fight the monster.

TPK
DM - "you were warned."

A good idea is to think like the enemies; are you really going to stand around and let four crazy blokes with varying mental problems swarm you? No! You fly, attack from high ground, ambush, taunt them from behind a bulletproof window, draw insulting graffiti and run before they notice it's you, etc.

[Ninja_Prawn]

four crazy blokes with varying mental problems

Barbarian: "Hey! That's a (class) feature, not a bug!"
Cleric: "Yeah, and my God really does talk to me!"
Monk: "I'd hardly call high-functioning alcoholism a 'problem'..."
Rogue: "Ooh! Shiny!"

[Shaofoo]

Make enemies smart, do not make enemies rush in to melee all the time. Make sure enemies can be just as tactical as the players.

[gfishfunk]

Make enemies smart, do not make enemies rush in to melee all the time. Make sure enemies can be just as tactical as the players.

Tactical retreat to readily observable defensible grounds, such as a fort or other raised enclosure with sniping abilities.

[Mjolnirbear]

TPK
DM - "you were warned."

A good idea is to think like the enemies; are you really going to stand around and let four crazy blokes with varying mental problems swarm you? No! You fly, attack from high ground, ambush, taunt them from behind a bulletproof window, draw insulting graffiti and run before they notice it's you, etc.

I avoided the TPK in OotA by having the drow and quaggoths pulverise an NPC. Nothing says you're outclassed like an object lesson.

[Regitnui]

Barbarian: "Hey! That's a (class) feature, not a bug!"
Cleric: "Yeah, and my God really does talk to me!"
Monk: "I'd hardly call high-functioning alcoholism a 'problem'..."
Rogue: "Ooh! Shiny!"

The wizard has OCD, the fighter is a sociopath, the ranger has... fetishes... and the druid is a luddite.


I avoided the TPK in OotA by having the drow and quaggoths pulverise an NPC. Nothing says you're outclassed like an object lesson.

Well, we as DMs don't always have NPCs to hand. Though I suppose crushing an appropriate monster may give the same effect...

[Easy_Lee]

Non-combat goals, as said. Combat doesn't always have to involve killing everyone on the other side. In fact, historically that usually wasn't the goal.

[Dr. Cliché]

Non-combat goals, as said. Combat doesn't always have to involve killing everyone on the other side. In fact, historically that usually wasn't the goal.

That's somewhat true, but then people in RL also generally try to avoid getting injured at all (hence why virtually everyone in ancient battles carried a shield). :smalltongue:

[kellyda4]

Really good ideas so far :). I also try to sprinkle in new monsters from the monster manual from time to time to give them new things to fight. Plus sometimes the descriptions are cool enough to talk a little bit about the physical description of the monster when they see it.

Love using Hobgoblins for their very tactical combat nature.

Also weather elements can make things very interesting. Just did an encounter up a hill while it was thunderstorming and it basically turned into a slip and slide making it very hard for the adventures to get up while some bandits shot them with arrows and through boulders down the hill. j

[gfishfunk]

Also: provide the PCs some forwarning about an encounter with a large group, a map with features, and let them know that they have time to set up. That gives them time to do their own traps, set up their own terrain advantages, and the like. They might like that.

[Dr. Cliché]

Something I've quite enjoyed recently is having monsters that can summon/resurrect other monsters.

One involved 5 cultists (one was the leader) standing round a summoning circle with some guards. As the PCs fought the guards, the cultists summoned some minor demons. They then summoned increasingly stronger demons each round.

Another one was a Skeleton King, basically just a Skeleton Wizard who could resurrect a skeleton as a bonus action each round.

[LaserFace]

Yeah, I highly recommend against using the "run away from the monster" bit, unless you've given the players clear indication and at least a few paragraphs of expository banter that their weapons can't harm it and it regenerates its wounds and melts you with eye lasers. Otherwise, they get the signal that they're doing something cool and heroic by standing up to the challenge. Then slaughtering them because you failed to indicate that it was an unfair challenge to begin with will make them resent you.

I think making combat interesting often involves use of a variety of monsters in different contexts. Try to dream up unusual architecture or environments that force players to move around, climb over obstacles, or avoid falling into pits, and you'll be giving them a more memorable encounter. Maybe have the monsters use that terrain to their advantage; rolling boulders down cliffs, forming phalanxes that prevent movement through narrow walkways, or constantly relocating in ways that prevent the murderhobos from encircling them. Traps, magical or mundane can also restrict movement and behavior. Putting limitations on player behavior forces them to adapt, and I think if done in the spirit of entertaining the folks at the table, they'll probably enjoy it.

[Trum4n1208]

One thing that I've found works really well for 'boss' fights is to give the creature multiple rounds of action. I did that for the big bad of our 'tutorial' story arc and it made the fight fun and easy to run without having to introduce a ton of smaller, weaker mooks. Initiative went something kind of like this:

Monster
Player 1
Player 2
Monster
Player 3
Player 4
Player 5
Monster
Player 6
Monster

etc. etc. It made the fight feel more fast paced/fluid and let the monster really go after all of the party vs just the tank (it had low INT, so it tended to go after the thing that had hit it last).

[Laserlight]

Yeah, I highly recommend against using the "run away from the monster" bit, unless you've given the players clear indication and at least a few paragraphs of expository banter that their weapons can't harm it and it regenerates its wounds and melts you with eye lasers.

And even then, they may still go after it. :smallsigh:

Give the players incentive to move around: Small areas of fog pop up that give you -2 to hit. A gelatinous cube is coming down the corridor behind you. The boss monster teleports away from you. A pool of Web is flooding the room. You have to turn these four switches, one on each side of the room, in order, as an endless stream of monsters comes at you.

[BW022]

Lots of ways...

* Limit weapons/spells. A bar brawl, needing to capture someone alive, at a noble's dinner party, in a busy market, etc.
* Need to be quiet. You are sneaking into a crypt, some big monster is sleeping, and you run into another group of adventurers. Stealth missions, etc.
* Different locations limited weapons. Enemies in trees, mounted combat, fighting on ships, climbing on the edge of a cliff, etc.
* Timed Event. The building is collapsing and some undead are blocking the way out.
* Night Time Ambush. In their inn rooms, during their encampment at night, etc. PCs aren't in armor and maybe can't get to weapons.
* Visibility Issues. Darkness, fog cloud, etc.
* Bad Guy Keeps Coming Back. Bad guy has a teleporting ring, flying mount, teleport spell, etc. Repeatedly gets away and keeps frustrating the PCs.
* Prepared Defenses. PCs have to attack small tower, a thieves' guild with traps, or an elf encampment full of archers with entangles.
* Prepared Defenses (PC). Attack the PC with something normally overpowering, but have them in a fort or something to even the odds.
* Unusual Locations. Elemental plane of air, underwater, ethereal combat, etc.
* Disguised Enemies. Disguise self to make the enemy look like key NPCs or other PCs. Doppelgangers looking like PCs. Wizard disguises as a fighter. Pack of normal wolves with a couple of werewolves, or a vampire (in bat form) in the middle of a swarm of bats.
* Protection Missions. PCs are carrying a large magical glass vase, guarding a baron's rescued children, etc. while attacked.
* One-on-one combat. 50 trolls at a bridge, but they will allow someone to pass if they can defeat their leader in one-on-one combat. Or a group of knights, or a group of elven wizards, etc.
* New. Something the characters (and players) have no idea what they are fighting. NPCs with odd abilities, monsters from different sources, etc. Maybe it takes several attempts for them to figure out how to defeat it.

[Madbox]

It adds nothing mechanics-wise, but describing the combat beyond "You hit, roll damage" can add excitement.

For example...
Wizard: I cast firebolt on the wolf! *rolls* Does 15 hit?
DM: Yep, roll damage.
Wizard: *Rolls* Alright, 8 damage.
DM: Okay. The air is filled with the smell of burnt hair and roasted meat as the wolf whimpers in pain. It is still standing, but half of its face is charred horribly.

Also, let anyone who gets the final blow in decide how the last hit goes. Gives 'em a moment in the spotlight.

[Regitnui]

Also, let anyone who gets the final blow in decide how the last hit goes. Gives 'em a moment in the spotlight.

One of my groups was fighting giant centipedes in the sewers. The player who finished the encounter was attacking with a warhammer. I played a sound effect to say "you hit it and its dead", but it wasn't satisfying. So we found a sound that sounded more like he imagined the attack to have ended up. *squish*

[Kane0]

Some of these Encounter Enhancement (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qN7UQ7bPvk&list=PLTgwt_ewEFeMg6fegAXP4UdHDphhBkYYs) videos may help you out.

[Rawk]

Thanks for everyone's feedback!
I'm kinda trash at this game...

[Saeviomage]

Thanks for everyone's feedback!
I'm kinda trash at this game...

You'll get better. Very few people start anything being good at it.

[Regitnui]

Thanks for everyone's feedback!
I'm kinda trash at this game...

We all were/are at some point. You just have to figure out your strengths and roll with them. I'm not so good at combat either, but I try.

[Madbox]

Thanks for everyone's feedback!
I'm kinda trash at this game...

Just a matter of practice, same as anything else. Something that can help is if you know anyone who has DM'd before, get them to sit in and critique you afterwards.

If that's not an option, try watching videos of people playing, and keep an eye on how the DM handles things. Try Acquisitions, Inc. I'm sure others can recommend more.

[djreynolds]

We use an hourglass, basically you have less than 60 seconds or you take the dodge action. It makes combat fast and furious, pardon the pun, and you the DM plan ahead and draw up stuff on the battlemat. Why? rogues and monks shine with their speed, t makes people uses tactics and teamwork.

Plan some battles with theater of the mind, but spend the time drawing up mats for important battles. And enforce time.

Have everyone preset which dice are for what, say "blue's are my main hand and red is my off hand" "Blue is my first attack, and green in my second attack"

[RickAllison]

We use an hourglass, basically you have less than 60 seconds or you take the dodge action. It makes combat fast and furious, pardon the pun, and you the DM plan ahead and draw up stuff on the battlemat. Why? rogues and monks shine with their speed, t makes people uses tactics and teamwork.

Plan some battles with theater of the mind, but spend the time drawing up mats for important battles. And enforce time.

Have everyone preset which dice are for what, say "blue's are my main hand and red is my off hand" "Blue is my first attack, and green in my second attack"

We haven't done an actual hourglass yet, but this is how I run my combat. I figure 10X speed represents combat at a manageable, but hectic pace and it prevents the trap of players taking forever to look up spells.

Also, use your skills. Once, we were fighting a bunch of mummies in a crypt and my rogue wanted to exploit his stealth. I convinced my DM to let me attempt to roll over crypts with an Acrobatics check to conserve movement, and he agreed. Athletics is of course used extensively for grappling and shoving. Medicine can be leveraged to find weak joints, Animal Handling could get a beast to stop attacking you, and so on. It makes for much more engaging and varied combat when skills come into the mix.

[Argo]

Try having combat take place:


Inside a burning building.

On a crumbling cliffside.

Halfway across a frozen lake, with tiny cracks spiderwebbing out with every step.

Atop shifting sand dunes.

In a swamp, knee-deep in muck.

In a dense fog.

In a terrible thunderstorm.

In a storage room, jam-packed with knick-knacks and objects, tables and shelves, things to throw, and tip over, and hide behind.

Against a friendly NPC who has been temporarily mind-controlled.

Atop a series of floating logs moving downriver towards a waterfall.

Near a sleeping VERY HIGH CR monster that NEITHER side of the fight wants to wake up.

When everyone in the party is piss-drunk, but the ambushers are all stone-sober.

With the enemy being supported by Invisible Wiz / Cleric / Druid / Sorc who can cast Silently.

When a metal door drops in between two PCs, splitting off part of the party.