How do I make combats more tactical?

[ericgrau]

I noticed 5e seemed to limit grappling, tripping, readied actions to disrupt casting, etc., etc. Monsters tend to have 1 or 2 special abilities and, other than area damage, crowd control spells & debuff spells seem to be nerfed pretty hard. What are some ideas to make combats more tactical and/or fun? They can be special attacks/special spells that still exist, terrain, or other things. I noticed there are some "push" spells and effects. So for those... add random pits to the battlefield?

Thank you ahead of time.


List from posts below, for my own reference: (I appreciate the other ideas too, not listed because already in use)
Pit traps in combat
Regroup
Tight spaces in dungeon
Moving dungeon (e.g.,1/round)

Weaker creatures that: Help action, nets
Mage: AoE control, counterspell
Melee dodge to buy time for archers

Caltrops
Narrow tunnels to slow movement
Sharpened sticks stuck in the ground to slow horses
Wooden spiked frames also for horses
Ditch(es)/moat(s). Desert: natural rocky mini-mesa. Closely spaced towers.
False weakpoints / "safe" places with traps / AoE target.
Silent image wall repairs, conceal pits, fake obstacles

Plot:
Assassin taking out prime targets. PCs to take out.
Necromancer.
Ally trapped behind his own wall of force and a swarm of enemies.
Escort
Survive for X time.
Be a decoy.
Macguffin grab.

[MaxWilson]

Use pre-existing placed caltrops, ranged weapons and enemies with partial cover (improvised or from fortifications) night attacks and stealth (because darkvision has limited range), vertical terrain features (giant throwing boulders from on top of a cliff, bridges over things and tunnels under them), mounted enemies (on regular or flying mounts), weak creatures like kobolds which help stronger ones by Helping or by throwing nets to restrain PCs for advantage, tunnels too small for PCs to move easily through (c.f. PHB Squeezing Into Smaller Spaces rule), pit traps which are designed to damage enemies AND leave them prone (automatic when you take falling damage) so they can be more easily attacked (follow up with a Net attack to keep them prone longer), etc.

Players will hopefully start using smarter tactics themselves in response once they see that it is possible. Sometimes they don't, but sometimes they do.

[Sigreid]

The main thing to remember is tactics is largely about forcing or tricking your enemy into fighting you at a time and on a ground of your choosing that either maximizes the use of your abilities or minimizes the use of theirs.

The beauty of good tactics is they aren't reliant on particular powers or equipment but are formed from what you have available.

[MoiMagnus]

I usually make even less powerfull my monsters, by ignoring any complex ability they have (like reducing their spellcasting ability to 2 different spells), this allow me to speed up the turn of "non-relevant things", getting me time for the "big things" of the fight:

A unique things, that can be complex, and has to be "countered" or avoided by some way.
Ex:
- An group spellcaster (on tops of the usual monsters) that spam "counterspell" (or another game-changing spell)
- A huge terrain effect (like the tower of the archmage, that just use blast the zone every turn with some, doing damages equivalent to a 5th level spell)
- A group of cultist starting to summon a VERY BIG DEMON, so they have to be killed before.
- A big tactical advantage for the enemy, like a castle
- At the contrary, a big tactical advantage for the PC, but an encounter out of their level without those advantage.
- A unique enemy that has game-changing capacities (like a general with "Action: chose a target, each of the soldier can make an attack against the target", or a mage with a beholder eye, ...)

Of course, adapt this to your players. Not everybody is interested by playing a fight were you have to actually stop and think a little before playing your turn.
(And make sure to reward alternative solutions to the one you though. Just because you didn't think about trying to hack the magical system of the tower does not mean it is impossible)

[Unoriginal]

Adding special powers isn't going to make a combat more tactical, most of the time.

Generally just having to push a button to accomplish something make things less tactical, not more.

[DMThac0]

Tactic: an action or strategy carefully planned to achieve a specific end.

Strategy: a plan of action or policy designed to achieve a major or overall aim.

--

To make combat more tactical one must first come up with a strategy and then implement it. Strategies can be as simple as "I will make my kobolds attack in 3 parts, one group swarms them, one group slings spells, the other will release traps." to complex skirmishes using tactics from Alexander the Great, Sun Tzu, and Genghis Khan. Always use the environment to your advantage, you'd be surprised how simply having cover and elevation can change the battle field from an easy win to a potential TPK. Lastly, avoid the "fight to the death" approach as much as possible; most creatures, with the ability to form thoughts, will avoid death like the plague. Running away, regrouping, and changing the approach to combat is a sound strategy.

I also subscribe to the idea that those climactic battles, boss battles, generally happen in stages, similar to video games. It just makes the progress of whittling down a giant sack of hp a bit more entertaining.

[ericgrau]

Thanks everyone. I'm going to use a lot of what's mentioned. First post edited for my own reference. Any other traps that are good to use mid-combat? Any other good items for minions besides nets?


I have a battle coming up against a large well fortified desert city. Tall walls, towers with archers, siege weapons like catapults, etc. Small giant vulture airforce. For the terrain in front, is there a large scale version of caltrops, or is it just more caltrops? Anything else to go on the ground to hamper advancing troops? Anything else on the wall besides archers, damage dealing siege weapons listed in the DMG and mages? I assume ground troops attack from safety with bows until the walls are breached, then switch to melee?

[Willie the Duck]

They can be special attacks/special spells that still exist, terrain, or other things. I noticed there are some "push" spells and effects. So for those... add random pits to the battlefield?

Not pits per se...

I have long been thinking about setting up a bronze-age campaign. It has never actually taken off, but I've done some research. One of the more fascinating military achievements of the time (and before, and after, but they put them to good use then) was the hill fort (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillfort). It's just earthworks and 1-2 meter high rises in elevation, and if there's no one defending them, they would be really easy to bypass. However, if I'm on top of a level, and you have to climb up to that level, and I see that and can go wallop you with my weapon, I have a serious tactical advantage.

D&D seems to have had elevation-benefits in mind (always on the list of combat modifiers in the oD&D-3e era), but usually the bonus has been tame enough that you really want to arrange to get the benefit if it is free, but probably wouldn't spend an action on it. 5e has the potential to make it worthwhile, if the DM rules it sufficient to grant advantage (possibly only with held actions or people guarding the top, since climbing the berm will probably halve speed, but not stop movement). 1:1 it's probably not worth it to trade one attack to give advantage on the next, but if you can push a guy off a berm, and then you and all your buddies have advantage attacking them as they climb back up, it could be worthwhile.

The downside I see is that that isn't sufficiently different from the existing pushing-someone-down rules. Perhaps the hillforts in this universe need to be 2-3 meters, such that they greatly encourage walking back to the entrances or up ramps, rather than right back over the elivations.

Either way, I think it would make a fun battle setup.

[MaxWilson]

Honestly if you have a bunch of archers on the wall, I would advise that the melee troops merely Dodge and threaten opportunity attacks, to buy more time for the archers on the walls to kill the attackers. Attacking instead of Dodging won't add much damage compared to all the archers.

Also, pits and moats are a worthwhile addition to the defenses, though it depends upon how you run climbing rules at your table. (Is an Athletics/Acrobatics check required to scale a wall or is it just pure movement cost? Do you run falling damage as written or increase it? Do you let PHB's "anything can climb at half speed" rule apply to anything and everything including horses, or only to (N)PCs with class levels? Would you allow someone to climb out of a muddy moat at any point, or do they have to find a part where the mud walls won't just collapse under their weight? Etc.)

Note that difficult terrain may not stop enemies cold like caltrops can, but it does buy more time for archers. Any fort relying on archers will ideally try to arrange (1) clear lines of sight out to a quarter-mile or so with no cover against missile fire***, and (2) difficult terrain as much as possible, e.g. stony uneven ground, ankle-high floodwater everywhere, etc.

*** If you're really evil, you may allows "flaws" in your defense, like a few places with cover such as an old cabin, in hopes that enemies will make a beeline for that cover and clump up there... and then you spring your surprise, e.g. kegs of Giff gunpower buried underneath the cabin, or a strafing run from a PC with Fireball + Greater Invisibility + Dimension Door. You can't cover the whole battlefield with AoE effects but if you have already channeled large numbers of the enemy into specific spots, you will magnify the effects of whatever special weapons/AoEs you do have.

[Unoriginal]

Sharpened sticks stuck in the ground at an angle were used to block cavalry charges.

[Willie the Duck]

is there a large scale version of caltrops, or is it just more caltrops?

How big (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czech_hedgehog) do you want them (also: medieval, cavalry specific example (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheval_de_frise))?

[Man_Over_Game]

Thanks everyone. I'm going to use a lot of what's mentioned. First post edited for my own reference. Any other traps that are good to use mid-combat? Any other good items for minions besides nets?


I have a battle coming up against a large well fortified desert city. Tall walls, towers with archers, siege weapons like catapults, etc. Small giant vulture airforce. For the terrain in front, is there a large scale version of caltrops, or is it just more caltrops? Anything else to go on the ground to hamper advancing troops? Anything else on the wall besides archers, damage dealing siege weapons listed in the DMG and mages? I assume ground troops attack from safety with bows until the walls are breached, then switch to melee?



A lot of people are quoting tactics in military strategies, but this is a game.

Good game tactics rely on having a problem, recognizing the solution, and deciding how to act on it.

Introduce events that are a hindrance but also have a means of removal.

A few examples:


An assassin group is rumored to be taking out key members of your force. If the players do not act, they will lose key members at a command point on the battle field, preventing them from easily taking Short Rests and getting supplies
A necromancer has taken to the battlefield while the players are already engaged. He has risen two (weak) skeletons and appears to be going for more.
A powerful friendly mage is trapped behind a dome of Force Wall, with some more friendlies inside. They are clearly surrounded, and the opposition is simply waiting to slay them all.
An enemy swath of berserkers have torn through this allied company. Many are wounded here, but not slain. It looks like the Berserkers were going for the main camp (can use some time to restore some soldiers, gives the players a later advantage)
A section of wall has been blown apart, but enemy mages are casting Silent Illusion to make it appear intact. The only telltale sign is the rubble in front of the wall. There is no major allied force here, but there can be if there's a reason to.
An allied Trebuchet is damaged, repairable with Mending, Tinker's Tools, or other applicable options. The soldier in charge of it is patching up a wound.
A company of soldiers have arrived, but are ill equipped and have no gear (conscripts, prisoners). Protect them as you lead them to gear to equip themselves, convince them not to desert, and the players get an advantage later on.


Rather than using caltrops to slow people down, you can use Fog Cloud, a level 2 spell that lasts for an hour. It has to start within range, but then you can just get away from it and it'll stay there for the next hour, or until your Concentration is broken.

You can also use Mold Earth, which requires no concentration or spell slot (it's a cantrip) and lasts for an hour.

Have a bunch of effects like that, utilized by a low level mage in each squad. One particular strategy could be to knock the mages out of concentration.

Perhaps each side has a "Morale" level. Each event, successful acts increase your side's morale or decreases the enemy's. Your side starts at 1, and theirs starts at 3 (since they're the defending force). If your Morale is 0, you cannot afford to take a Short Rest at camp. When theirs hits 0, a section of wall gets destroyed due to the siege. Each Short Rest causes time to advance, making both morale values drop by 1.

[Tanarii]

Use a tactical battle mat.

Seriously though, if I wanted highly tactical maneuvering D&D, I'd run 4e or 2e Combat and Tactics. Also 3e may also have a splat for it I'm unaware of, but it's pretty strong for battle mag play regardless.

5e can do it, but IMO it's not it's strength. It's better approached like BECMI or AD&D's: strategic play. Or tactical prior to in-battle tactical maneuvering, if you prefer. Of course, the need for that depends heavily on the DM. As do the rewards for it.

[MeimuHakurei]

-Vary up NPC enemies. While Orcs at the frontline might have falchions and javelins mainly, those posted on a wall might use a smaller melee weapon like a scimitar and a heavy crossbow. Similarly, you can sprinkle a few feats like Sentinel or Magic Initiate on them as well as a selection of PC abilities like Cunning Action or Action Surge.

-Take note of reactions. All characters have only one per round (by default, that is) so if any of them are used, they can be passed with impunity as there won't be an opportunity attack (or a counterspell). In-character, you can easily describe this as an opening the monsters (or the players!) take advantage of.

-Be fair about monster abilities. It's much more acceptable to blindside players with an unforseen monster ability during an easier encounter, where the players will need to play around it more effectively in upcoming fights - ones where there might be a complication towards performing the appropriate counter.

-Think on the macro level. Lesser enemy troops should be aware of a caster's spell slots, so they might attempt to draw more spells out of them to slow down the party (as they might want to withdraw and regain them). You might also want some enemies who know the layout of the dungeon such that they can get around the party and catch them on the way out.

[Eragon123]

If you are the DM, change the victory conditions.

Instead of killing everyone or driving them away, there are several options.

Defend an escort or caravan.
Survive until reinforcements show up.
Distract foes.
Maybe make it a race to an artifact (add some hazards so its not just who has the fastest speed wins)
Maybe its change the flag or standard on a fort for an embarrassing diplomatic situation.
Escape.
Destroy a ritual.
Light a signal.

You can also play with the map and terrain.
Rockslides.
Bodies/blood making the ground difficult terrain.
Spreading fires.
I once had a feywild encounter where I physically moved tiles around on initiative count 20.
I've also seen a similar concept only with clock gears.

The number one issue with most DnD combat in my experience is once a melee fighters encounter one another, the PCs don't move much for the rest of the fight. Either fearing opportunity attacks or because all the characters have bunched up, including the enemies.

Giving incentives for moving is the first step in making combats more tactical.

[Demonslayer666]

To make combat more interesting, I try to vary the terrain and have enough combatants to engage the entire party.

Cover, concealment, vision, line of sight, difficult terrain, all play a factor.