Good tactics to employ?
- Thread starter Akhkharu
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Henry
Autoexreginated
Re: Good tactics to employee?
Not to be too nit-picky, but you might want to drop the two "ee"s off of your title of the thread. An "employee" is a worker in a job; to "employ" is to use or utilize a person or item or plan.
Inicidentally, if you look at Arcady's response in that thread, you will find some of the best combat advice I've yet seen on these boards. It goes without saying that the majority of D&D players are not skilled in Military theory, but good tactics can help any group.
The following is Arcady's response, which I've clipped and edited to the relevant parts that answer your question. (His answer was so insightful I clipped and saved it for use with my own NPC's the next time I DM!
)
Akhkharu said:
Not to be too nit-picky, but you might want to drop the two "ee"s off of your title of the thread. An "employee" is a worker in a job; to "employ" is to use or utilize a person or item or plan.
Inicidentally, if you look at Arcady's response in that thread, you will find some of the best combat advice I've yet seen on these boards. It goes without saying that the majority of D&D players are not skilled in Military theory, but good tactics can help any group.
The following is Arcady's response, which I've clipped and edited to the relevant parts that answer your question. (His answer was so insightful I clipped and saved it for use with my own NPC's the next time I DM!
)
Here are a couple 3E-specific tactics to keep in mind:
- Initiative Order is Not God: Just because the fighter rolled higher than the wizard means he should charge into combat -- if he does, the wizard might be unable to get in a good area effect spell without toasting the fighter. Use the Delay and Ready actions to good effect. My personal favorite is to form "fire teams" who always make sure they act on the same initiative; that way, they are much more likely to act in unison.
- Don't be the Hero:With so much focus on what your character can do, it's easy to forget that sometimes the party would be better off if you helped someone else. If you're a weak fighter, try the Aid Other action: giving someone else a +2 might be a better use of your action than making an attack that is unlikely to hit. Before you cast a spell on yourself, make sure it wouldn't be better to put it on someone else. (A lot of groups make this mistake with buffs: put Mage Armor on the monk, not just the wizard!)
- Know Your Options: It's easy to get caught up in the "I attack with my primary weapon" rut. Think about other combat options: Trip, Bull Rush, Grapple, etc. Often a foe is more easily defeated that way than through sheer damage.
- Be Ready to Run: Before you take any action (but especially movement), think about how that action will affect your ability to run away should the fight go bad. You should only put yourself into "do or die" situations by conscious decision.
William Ronald
Explorer
Good suggestions.
Here are some others:
Protect your spellcasters: Your party's cleric or druid can heal you, enhance you, or cast attack spells.
Your arcane spellcasters (bard, sorceror, wizard) can get you out of a jam, enhance you, or cast attack spells.
Choose your fights carefully: You do not need to kill everything that moves. Sometimes, it is best to avoid an encounter in order to get to the major enemy in an adventure.
Rely on each other: Besides prep spells, spell casters should coordinate efforts with fighters. That wizard's magic missile can help the fighter as he is attacking an opponent. Similarly, a fighter can try to maneuveur an opponent to give a rogue more options, such as a sneak attack.
Here are some others:
Protect your spellcasters: Your party's cleric or druid can heal you, enhance you, or cast attack spells.
Your arcane spellcasters (bard, sorceror, wizard) can get you out of a jam, enhance you, or cast attack spells.
Choose your fights carefully: You do not need to kill everything that moves. Sometimes, it is best to avoid an encounter in order to get to the major enemy in an adventure.
Rely on each other: Besides prep spells, spell casters should coordinate efforts with fighters. That wizard's magic missile can help the fighter as he is attacking an opponent. Similarly, a fighter can try to maneuveur an opponent to give a rogue more options, such as a sneak attack.
UniversalMonster
Explorer
Tactics
The players should get together and figure out what would make each player the most effective in a given situation. Then see if they have any way of helping achieve this.
The obvious one is flanking for rogues. Melee fighters (Fighters, barbarians, possibly rangers) can all help put the flank on someone. Summoned monsters can also be used as flankers! Even if they are technicaly useless, a little Summon Monster I Fiendish Hawk can allow the party rogue to get in a nice sneak attack.
Other things: buffing! Spells like Magic Weapon and Greater Magic Weapon can be cast on the party's weaponry before a combat (it lasts a nice long while, too). Bull's Strength, Endurance and Cat's Grace also make a huge difference- throw Bull's Strength on the barbarian and then let him rage! He'll be smashing stuff at like +7 damage. If you have potions of scrolls of this stuff- USE them. You can always make more.
Feats are a Party Affair: If you have a bard that can taunt an adversary into charging, make him taunt a monster to run right past the high-dex fighter with combat reflexes! If a monk has managed to get all the way to Spring Attack, have the wizard cast 'Expeditious Retreat' on him. And maybe 'Jump' too.
Nobody is Useless In a Battle: I once ran a game where there was a vicious battle going on between a pair of fighter type characters. A 1st level sorceror hid nearby, protecting his measly 4 hit points. At one point the the two fighting characters had come to a stalemate- both down to less than 8 hit points, and each was pointing a loaded crossbow at the other. They were circling each other.
The Sorceror used Mage-hand to quietly lift the bolt out of the bad guys crossbow!
The players should get together and figure out what would make each player the most effective in a given situation. Then see if they have any way of helping achieve this.
The obvious one is flanking for rogues. Melee fighters (Fighters, barbarians, possibly rangers) can all help put the flank on someone. Summoned monsters can also be used as flankers! Even if they are technicaly useless, a little Summon Monster I Fiendish Hawk can allow the party rogue to get in a nice sneak attack.
Other things: buffing! Spells like Magic Weapon and Greater Magic Weapon can be cast on the party's weaponry before a combat (it lasts a nice long while, too). Bull's Strength, Endurance and Cat's Grace also make a huge difference- throw Bull's Strength on the barbarian and then let him rage! He'll be smashing stuff at like +7 damage. If you have potions of scrolls of this stuff- USE them. You can always make more.
Feats are a Party Affair: If you have a bard that can taunt an adversary into charging, make him taunt a monster to run right past the high-dex fighter with combat reflexes! If a monk has managed to get all the way to Spring Attack, have the wizard cast 'Expeditious Retreat' on him. And maybe 'Jump' too.
Nobody is Useless In a Battle: I once ran a game where there was a vicious battle going on between a pair of fighter type characters. A 1st level sorceror hid nearby, protecting his measly 4 hit points. At one point the the two fighting characters had come to a stalemate- both down to less than 8 hit points, and each was pointing a loaded crossbow at the other. They were circling each other.
The Sorceror used Mage-hand to quietly lift the bolt out of the bad guys crossbow!
Rashak Mani
First Post
Some more advice...
Many groups forget to use the terrain... if your facing heavily armored orcs moving at 20' and running at only 60' in open ground... take out Bows and Crossbows... you will get some rounds attacks for free and can move away at 30x4= 120 when needed.
If they fire back remember to kneel or lie down for the -2 or -4 AC bonus vs Missiles.
Against very stupid big monsters illusions can work very well... keep one distracted chasing image while the group kills the other one.
In dungeon corridors never fight one vs one... try to backup slowly until you get to a doorway or room and then face three against one as they come out of the corridor.
When someone has reach weapons position yourself in a manner that allows monsters to give him AOOs... same for Rogues... always try to get good position to help flanking and sneak attacks. Careful with bad 5' moves... easy to lose flank possibility.
Whenever possible try recon the area first... knowing what your facing is the best way to get a good battle plan.
Many groups forget to use the terrain... if your facing heavily armored orcs moving at 20' and running at only 60' in open ground... take out Bows and Crossbows... you will get some rounds attacks for free and can move away at 30x4= 120 when needed.
If they fire back remember to kneel or lie down for the -2 or -4 AC bonus vs Missiles.
Against very stupid big monsters illusions can work very well... keep one distracted chasing image while the group kills the other one.
In dungeon corridors never fight one vs one... try to backup slowly until you get to a doorway or room and then face three against one as they come out of the corridor.
When someone has reach weapons position yourself in a manner that allows monsters to give him AOOs... same for Rogues... always try to get good position to help flanking and sneak attacks. Careful with bad 5' moves... easy to lose flank possibility.
Whenever possible try recon the area first... knowing what your facing is the best way to get a good battle plan.
Pielorinho
Iron Fist of Pelor
Re: Tactics
Unless the party rogue is a pixie, this ain't necessarily so. Hawks and other tiny creatures don't threatened the 5' squares around them (you have to be at least size small to have a 5' threat zone). Summon monster I can get a dog, I believe, which can help with the sneak attacks; a hawk, however, is useless for this purpose.
Otherwise, good tactics! Personally, I find the summoning spells to be terrific in their versatility: there's generally something to summon for every occasion, be it magical darkness (dire bat), enemies immune to weapon damage (arrowhawk or thoqqua), enemies that need grappling (constrictors or brown bears), or just things that need killin (bears, wolverines, and the like).
One more useful tactic: remember to get cover bonuses. Hide behind corners, behind horses, behind barbarians. If you've got ranged superiority, don't ever let cover go to waste. Of course, the flip side is that if your opponent has ranged superiority, eliminate that cover.
Maybe that's a general rule. First thing in a battle, figure out what your opponent excels at, what feature of the environment most favors your opponent; and minimize that feature's importance to the battle. If an opponent favors darkness, move the battle into the light, or else give yourself darkvision or scent or other abilities. If your opponent is best when making hit-and-run attacks, immobilize the opponent. An opponent who attacks from a distance should have the distance closed; an opponent who excels in hand-to-hand combat should be fought at a distance. FIght a flying opponent in a low-ceilinged room or cave. Opponents with babies strapped to their chests should be fought without the expected mercy.
Of course, two smart opponents will be examining one another for these strengths and weaknesses, and be jockeying for position constantly. When battles reach this level, it can be really fun.
Daniel
Peter said:
Unless the party rogue is a pixie, this ain't necessarily so. Hawks and other tiny creatures don't threatened the 5' squares around them (you have to be at least size small to have a 5' threat zone). Summon monster I can get a dog, I believe, which can help with the sneak attacks; a hawk, however, is useless for this purpose.
Otherwise, good tactics! Personally, I find the summoning spells to be terrific in their versatility: there's generally something to summon for every occasion, be it magical darkness (dire bat), enemies immune to weapon damage (arrowhawk or thoqqua), enemies that need grappling (constrictors or brown bears), or just things that need killin (bears, wolverines, and the like).
One more useful tactic: remember to get cover bonuses. Hide behind corners, behind horses, behind barbarians. If you've got ranged superiority, don't ever let cover go to waste. Of course, the flip side is that if your opponent has ranged superiority, eliminate that cover.
Maybe that's a general rule. First thing in a battle, figure out what your opponent excels at, what feature of the environment most favors your opponent; and minimize that feature's importance to the battle. If an opponent favors darkness, move the battle into the light, or else give yourself darkvision or scent or other abilities. If your opponent is best when making hit-and-run attacks, immobilize the opponent. An opponent who attacks from a distance should have the distance closed; an opponent who excels in hand-to-hand combat should be fought at a distance. FIght a flying opponent in a low-ceilinged room or cave. Opponents with babies strapped to their chests should be fought without the expected mercy.
Of course, two smart opponents will be examining one another for these strengths and weaknesses, and be jockeying for position constantly. When battles reach this level, it can be really fun.
Daniel
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