Ways to make combat more interesting

Here are some ways to spruce up the fights in your game and make them fresh, interesting and memorable.

This list was compiled with the help of GMF members LogicsFate, JimAde, derbacher, themind, Mr_GrinReaper, Nightcloak, Jondor_Battlehammer and Blade of Desecration.

Feel free to add more if you think of them.


Mixed groups of monsters - Instead of two of one type of creature, use two different creatures. They have different tactics, and may work together differently than two similar monsters. Two monsters that normally don't work together can create a lasting impression on your players.

Three-way fight - The PCs stumble upon two groups of fighting creatures and a massive melee insues. Or, the third group is the one that stumbles upon the PCs fighting another group. This is a good way to change the difficulty of a battle mid-way through, depending on who attacks who.

Interesting terrain feature - Add one or two special obstacles that enhance or impede a fight. A fight in a wizard's tower is OK, but it's more interesting with teleporters, or a magical fountain, or a permanant Wall of Force.

Interesting location - Make the fight take place somewhere unusual - inside a brewery, the roof of a building, on the floor of a senate chamber, in a pool with a waterfall, etc. Usually, interesting locations also have some interesting terrain features.

PC levels - Add some PC levels to your monsters for some unexpected suprises. Players shake with fear when you utter the phrase "the troll rages", or "the mind flayer casts a spell". Even just one or two levels can be important: five 1st level goblin fighters and a 1st level goblin bard can be suprisingly effective against a low-level party.

PrCs - Add a prestige class level. Many monsters can qualify for prestige classes "out of the box," or with minimal advancement. Don't be afraid to rearrange or fudge some of the monster's skills and feats. Your party will remember the medusa assassin or mind flayer shadowdancer with fear and awe.

Deceitful Monsters - Choose a monster, then have it pretend to be some other kind of monster. It may be using a Polymorph spell, or a simple disguise, but many players know monsters by their description and you can take advantage of it. Have a white dragon use "Change Self" to make his scales red - the players will abandon their fire spells and wonder why cold spells aren't working, giving the white dragon an advantage. It's most effective when the disguise has well-known weaknesses, but having a strong monster disguised as a weak one can be very disconcerting for the players.

Divergant Monsters - Give your monsters a little twist by swapping out some of their skills and feats for different selections. Or go even farther and swap out some major abilities. An Umber Hulk could trade off its confusion ability for some energy resistance without drastically altering its CR.

Tactics - Some monsters, particularly those with military backgrounds, will use intelligent battlefield tactics. For example, a squad of mercenaries might fight in two ranks - the front rank weilding shields and swords (and using the Expertise feat) and the rear rank using missile or reach weapons. A wizard might stand by, ready to counterspell the inevitable area attack spell. Powerful barbarians may sunder weapons and shields so that their weaker allies can attack unopposed. Feats, spells, weapon, armor and equipment choices all factor into this.

Unusual Tactics - Have the monsters use tactics that the PCs don't normally expect from them. Ogres who usually rush screaming into melee might have some military training: they could form ranks with longspears in front and longbows (ouch!) in back. A mind flayer with a potion of water breathing might attack from an underground stream, or flying kobolds could drop rocks (or incendaries) on the pcs.

Changing Locations - Change the location part way through the fight. This could be as simple as having your villian run up a flight of stairs to his lair, or more complex, like having a floor collapse and dump everyone into the chamber below.

Split the Party - Similar to Changing Locations, except only some of the PCs are moved. Traps are a good way to cause this, and smart villians love this tactic - divide and conquer.

Reinforcements - Part way through the fight some enemy reinforcements arrive. The PCs have already used up some of their resources, and they need to adapt to the newcomers. Using Summoning spells is a good way to bring in custom reinforcements. If the PCs use a lot of fire, summon a fire elemental or salamander.

Smart Enemies Fight Smart - Be careful not to play intelligent monsters like any other bruiser. Smart enemies will try to anticipate the PCs. They use information to their advantage - they want to know who the warriors and spellcasters are, what their specialties and spells are, common party tactics, etc. They make plans for the PCs coming, have minions, lay traps, make sure they have time to prepare, have spells/magic items to defend against the most likely attacks and to take advantage of PC weaknesses, etc. Think of how much information your PCs know about most monsters, and assume that the intelligent monster knows just as much about them.

Remember the Consequences - This can apply to other circumstances, but the most common situation is when the PCs step outside the bounds of the law during the course of a fight. They may end up killing some folks in a "harmless" tavern brawl, or attacking someone who isn't actually an enemy. If you come down hard on the players after these situations (like with a trial or jail time) they will be more reserved in the future. The fight will be more difficult (and hopefully interesting) if the PCs are trying to take their opponents alive or avoid certain tactics, like casting fireballs within the city limits.

Do More Than Just Hit Things - Most creatures are smart enough to try to gain a tactical advantage in combat. Have them trip PCs to make them easier to hit and sunder their weapons. Grappling and sundering shields are good when monsters are having a hard time hitting the PCs. Most monsters also have self-preservation instincts - have them run to safety, drink a potion of healing and return to combat.

Add Color Commentary - Describe the action with more detail: "The hobgoblin's longsword swings in low but deflects off your greaves." Have the monsters comment on the fighting and engage in witty (or not so witty) banter with the PCs. The ogre who shouts "Thag smash you like he smash his mother" is far more memorable than the one who says nothing.

Keep Secrets - Don't tell the players things their characters wouldn't know. If they need to know what spell is being cast, (and there aren't obvious effects) they should roll spellcraft. Hit points are another secret. Use descriptive terms to describe the enemies wounds rather than numbers - "the orc is barely standing," or "he shruggs of the scratch you gave him." Keep the players guessing as to how long the opponent will last.

Give the Fight a Goal - Sometimes you're not fighting to simply kill your opponents but instead are just trying to accomplish a goal. A free-for-all race is a good example of this, with the PCs fighting their opponents to try to slow them down, rather than kill them. Another is the PCs attempting to disrupt a ritual - the PCs need to attack the enemies in the ritual, but some defenders are delaying the PCs, who are running out of time...

Dumb Enemies Fight Dumb - If smart enemies should fight smart, the reverse should be true. That big dumb ogre or hulking construct isn't going to use a lot of strategy - it's going to walk up to PCs and hit them. The PCs should have a chance to take advantage of it. This might not seem more interesting at first, but it is better for the players because they have a chance to out-think their enemies and use feats, abilities and skills to their advantage.

Accidents Happen - You might already have a house rule about critical fumbles, but you can use them more creatively than "you drop your weapon" or "the orc hits himself with his axe." When that big dumb ogre rolls a 1, he knocks over a braizer and it starts a tapestry on fire, creating a hazard for everyone.

Use the Enviornment - Have your monsters take advantage of the terrain and objects in the room. Fight with your back to a small chasm or wall to avoid some flanking. Jump on that table to gain a height advantage, or flip it and use it for cover. Something as simple as closing a door can have major implications on combat.

Alternate Spells - If you're sick of just having spellcasters use fireball and lighting bolt over and over again, try a different selection of spells - wall spells, rock to mud, slow, haste, illusions and many other spells can all be used to force the PCs make less than optimal choices on the battlefield without dealing direct damage. You can also take a rarely used spell and design a fight where it becomes very potent, such as PCs fighting on a greased stairway.

Advance the Story - Roleplaying is often referred to as Collaborative Storytelling. Combat is no different than any other part of the game. NPCs don't stop "acting" just because they're fighting. Have the villian drop a plot point in the middle of combat - he's stressed out and not thinking about what he's saying. Maybe that big dumb ogre is actually a pyromaniac and knocked that braizer over on purpose, and if the PCs don't put it out it will envelop the whole castle.

XCorvis said:

Here are some ways to spruce up the fights in your game and make them fresh, interesting and memorable.

Click to expand...

Here's some more.

• LARP your combat. Real weapons are the most interesting, but not required.
• Strip D&D--as the hit points come off the character sheet, the clothes come off the player.
• Bring along your medical textbooks to spruce up the descriptions of wounds with nice little graphics.
• Bring a big hammer to smash the player's minis when they're characters die. Little fireworks to attach to them and blow them up are fun too.
• "If you're character dies, you're out of the group!"

Oh, is that not what you had in mind?

Joshua Dyal said:

Here's some more.

• LARP your combat. Real weapons are the most interesting, but not required.
• Strip D&D--as the hit points come off the character sheet, the clothes come off the player.

Click to expand...

Oh, where were these rules when I played with the attractive girls?

I'm pondering using the HARP critial tables for alternate damage rolls in my next d20 game. I got them from the free HARP lite pdf here:

http://www.harphq.com/free_downloads/3000L_HarpLite.pdf

Pages 56-60 in the pdf, numbered 55-59 on the pages.

My idea is to allow the successful attacker to roll % plus their attack bonus on the HARP table. I may even use it for spells, too, with a % + caster level + ability bonus roll. I like the descriptions, and the tables give a number of wounds that can be hit point damage totals. Plus, it opens the possibility of getting killed in one shot with a couple of good roll (1 high % roll on the damage table).

scourger said:

I'm pondering using the HARP critial tables for alternate damage rolls in my next d20 game. I got them from the free HARP lite pdf here:

http://www.harphq.com/free_downloads/3000L_HarpLite.pdf

Pages 56-60 in the pdf, numbered 55-59 on the pages.

My idea is to allow the successful attacker to roll % plus their attack bonus on the HARP table. I may even use it for spells, too, with a % + caster level + ability bonus roll. I like the descriptions, and the tables give a number of wounds that can be hit point damage totals. Plus, it opens the possibility of getting killed in one shot with a couple of good roll (1 high % roll on the damage table).

Click to expand...

In Pledge of Tyranny, I use vitality/wounds from the SWRPG Revised, and anytime a target is dealt wound damage we roll on a critical hit table we've adapted for the game. It works great. I've even developed a balanced called shot system that could never be balanced if I used regular hit points (heh, sorry). I also like to spice up combat by making weapon choice a bit more intuitive, so I use a variant in which most melee weapons have one of three categories, and they work in a rock-paper-scizzors fashion–if you're attacking a clockwise weapon you get +3 attacks and +1 damage against the foe, but if you're attacking a counter-clockwise weapon you get -3 attacks and -1 damage. This is based on the Fire Emblem weapons triangle mechanic. Some weapons get two categories (getting the benefits of both and the drawbacks of neither). These are the preferred weapons for the versatile warrior.

Mastering Iron Heroes has Combat Zones, which could spice things up.

I copied and pasted this list into a word file, which I intend to peruse upon occasion as a source of inspiration during game prep. Fantastic work, peoples!

Having the are where they battle fall apart is always fun.

Here are some things I've learned:

Concentrate on defensive abilities - A opponent with a broad selection off offensive abilities will die before he can use more than two off them at high level. A though opponent may have only three special attacks, but he lasts to really show them off and gives the PC's time to use theirs.

Roleplay fighting action - villains that fight according to their personality are much more interesting and athmospheric. An overconfident evil knight should take great risks, all the while taunting the PC's, and get angry or confused if he gets hurt. A honorable opponent doesn't flank, a carefull wizard takes more defensive mesures than plausible and uses his spells and limited items sparsely. The deceitfull liar holds back his true power or tries to pass of his spells as higher level than they really are (for example "hold person" combined with a secretly cast low level illusion may look like "stone to flesh"). This applies to PC's as well, my wild shifter took risks and was reckless, the clever changeling mage stayed back, used his spells carefully and only when needed and made use of prepared actions

Use waves - Similar to reinforcements, but plannned by the opponents. This can be simple, like three new orcs every round or as elaborate as the following: first some mooks run up and test the strength, then some more come up and catch the PC's in melee, then more with ranged attack (precise shot is mandatory) and entangling spells, rain down the true attacks on the PC's. Should any PC's be able to reach the ranged attackers the next wave reveals itself: hidden melee specialists hung back to catch such opponents off guard. Then the melee mooks in the center get support by flying, summoned or teleporting melee monsters. The troupes leader stays with the ranged attackers and flees if threatened.

Avoid instant kill attacks - Nobody but mooks should be taken out in the first round off combat. Instant kill effects boils down combat to who wins initiative and/or fails his save first. A fast ended combat can be fun and exciting once in a while, but usually longer combats tend to be more tense ,unless it's just the "how many hp can this darn thing have?!" kind of long.

Keep risk or at least it's illusion alive - a fight without risk is a boring fight, unless it's a boya we rock power demonstration. If you are a Rat Bastard DM you allready know what to do: Sundering, energy drain, having demonstrated that you don't fear to kill a PC if the dices fall, tightly calculated combats and evil surprises keep the fear for the PC's up. It's much harder if it's a beer and pretzels game or your one of the nice DM's. Doing things that don't kill or constantly damage a PC, but damage their pride is one way to keep a risk in combat. To keep the illusion, you've got to lie to your players. Kill a NPC that travels with the PC's and behave as if you didn't expect him to bite it, tell players a save was close, even though he easily avoided a simple doom spell, whatever. I prefer the RBDM method, so I don't know much about this kind of stuff.

Don't fudge - I did it for some time, believe me, sooner or later you get caught or found out. If you fudge in the PC's favor the risk gets lost, if you favor the NPC's your DMing skills get under attack, for not being able to make combat challenging any other way or railroading.

Create time pressure - I haven't actually done this yet, but it adds a new dimension of possible failure. Time pressure can be created many ways. It can be plot related (a la stop the dark rituale), it can be something like escapeing the collapsing tunnel or place with the bomb or a split party were the others see one/two members fight a overwhelming force, but have to get through a mob off mooks before they ca help them. This can combined with waves as well. The small force you fight may not be a threat, but three of these forces may crush you and you hear two more that will arrive in a few rounds.

Play with the fears off the players - for example I have friend that expects his charakter to die in caves/crypts. No matter how bold he is everywhere else, he fears for his character the moment he puts his feet underground, even if he only fights gobbos. Other players may think that certain monsters/attacks are especially threaten his charakter. This fears shouldn't really have an effect on the true difficulty of the combat, nor should they be overused. But if the fighter thinks ropers are a specially terrifying opponent for him, a roper going after him in a bigger fight will make a nice memory, once he defeated it on his own.

That's what I could think of for now.

Make use of Advancement for your Monsters Not just character levels, but hit die progression. Players prepared for a 7hd Spectre might be a bit freaked by a 14hd version. Dragons can gain a few hit dice, or that mephit can run up to 9 hd! How about a 9hd Dire Badger or a 60hd Balor???

Survival Instincts One thing I hate is seeing every freaking Orc and Goblin fight to the death even after we've slaughtered 80% of their number. Living things tend to want to keep living. If they're getting stomped, they should run away, even when they are only wounded. Intelligent monsters will tend to have contingency and escape plans.

Nothing riles up players more than having the bad guys continually get away. Just ask any superhero.