The Art of Combat - Strategy and Tactics for Intelligent and/or Organized Enemies

[LumenPlacidum]

Note: imposing disadvantage on an attack isn't an entirely unreasonable improvised action, but it's not something the Help action is able to do. Shoving an enemy prone and grappling them so they can't stand up easily can though. (Then, throw on a net (without disadvantage because advantage from the target being prone and 5' away cancels the disadvantage from using a ranged weapon with an enemy nearby), and add at least one extra grappler.)

Wait, really? I didn't know that :P


Yeah, I agree that a DM harassing a group of players for playing the game is a bad thing. The most egregious advice that I'm giving is for when a group like the PCs has earned the wrath of an organized and intelligent organization of NPCs and they have not prevented that group from gathering information about them and bringing their power to bear. To some extent, in that situation, the PCs have lost and they just don't necessarily understand the mechanics of the last ten moves in that chess game. You can play it out for them, but the real way for a group to avoid these consequences is to not get into that situation in the first place.