D&D General Ending the Slog

[billd91]

I'm with Oofta - combat in 5e generally has fewer rounds rather than more, but I could see it potentially turning into a slog if one or both sides are very difficult to hit, do insignificant damage on a hit, or both.

I've had this happen once or twice, but it's always been with 3rd party monsters. Some of them follow some very different build principles that you end up having to decode in the course of a fight to beat them.

 

[Todd Roybark]

I've honestly never had this problem. I hear people talk about it, but I can't figure out what it is they are doing (or not doing) that my group is not doing (or is doing). I think it may have something to do with how fast our group moves compared to other groups.

It is the easy or medium difficulty encounter Conundrum. A 10th level party encounters a 18 pack of Ghouls. 12 of the Ghouls fail their saving throws to a PC cast Hypnotic Pattern spell.
The remaining 6 un-charmed ghouls fall quickly.

Meaningful combat is effectively over.
No matter how fast your group is, rolling dice is going to take longer then a Hand Wave; to arrive at essentially the same state and place.

 

[Ovinomancer]

I used to have this problem, until I adjusted how I presented combat. I see a number of comments suggesting modifying monsters, and this works, but I think it's treating a symptom rather than the actual issue. For me, the big switch was when I changed how I designed and presented combat. If the goal of a combat is only or mostly to reduce the hitpoints of all foes, then you end up with a slog. If, instead, combat is part of the larger challenge -- an obstacle, if you will -- then you can build combats that are much more dynamic and don't end in slogs. Of course, I think that encounter design also has a part in this -- if you're putting in monsters that are big bags of hp without much interesting, and then don't add the interesting to the encounter design though terrain, situation, time, or combat goals, then you'll end up with a slog. Encounters aren't guaranteed to work out just because the CR calculations work, or you find them in an adventure.

 

[Ovinomancer]

It is the easy or medium difficulty encounter Conundrum. A 10th level party encounters a 18 pack of Ghouls. 12 of the Ghouls fail their saving throws to a PC cast Hypnotic Pattern spell.
The remaining 6 un-charmed ghouls fall quickly.

Meaningful combat is effectively over.
No matter how fast your group is, rolling dice is going to take longer then a *Hand Wave; to arrive at essentially the same state and place.

Why did you choose to put this encounter in front of this party? What was it's point? If, as you say, it's a handwave, why bother -- just narrate it and move to something more interesting. Choosing when you present a combat is probably more important to what combat you present.

 

[JiffyPopTart]

1. I tend to avoid any combat that doesn't have some sort of important narrative reason for happening. I think the players are more invested in a battle against "the evil cultists we found in the process of poisoning the town well" more than "some random bandits we ran across on our way to stop the cultists from poisoning the town well".

2. When it becomes apparent the combat has gotten stale (with everyone reverting to "standard" attacks or cantrips to win a war of attrition I might try to brainstorm an interesting tactic or goal for the bad guys to pursue. 6 wolves attacking a party, who end up standing toe-to-toe with them and dying of attrition is less exciting than 6 wolves attacking the party, and trying to drag off the halfling to eat in peace.

3. When I can't use #2 to spruce things up, then the bad guys all of a sudden have less HP "behind the screen" or perhaps are defeated when they have less than a basic hit of damage left rather than sticking around for another round. If rounds and rounds of hacking away at the giant treant finally see it fall to the ground....its entirely possible the magic animating all the little shrublings dies out with it.

4. Three (or more) way battles are a nice change of pace. Orcs vs. Kobolds vs. PCs can be fun....even moreso when a wyvern flies by and takes advantage of the carnage.

5. When you have many small enemies fighting the party, mix/speed things up by having all the bad guys attacking the PC act on one die-roll. You can use whatever system you like...but maybe 4 wolves on 1 PC = 1 die roll with an extra +3 to hit and +3 damage narrated as the wolves nipping at the players heels when their back is turned. Then maybe later a trip, two grapples, and the 4 wolves run off with the halfling. Don't be afraid to improv some rules in combat, but don't make it unfair, impossible to defend, or only a bad guy option.

 

[iserith]

It is the easy or medium difficulty encounter Conundrum. A 10th level party encounters a 18 pack of Ghouls. 12 of the Ghouls fail their saving throws to a PC cast Hypnotic Pattern spell.
The remaining 6 un-charmed ghouls fall quickly.

Meaningful combat is effectively over.
No matter how fast your group is, rolling dice is going to take longer then a Hand Wave; to arrive at essentially the same state and place.

I likely wouldn't present that encounter. I'd probably make these into swarms of ghouls.

 

[CleverNickName]

@iserith Same here; I wouldn't even present that as an encounter. I'd probably handle it as narrative, honestly...just part of the room description. If it's not a challenge, why slow everyone down? Just have the cleric burn a Turn Undead and move on.

"You enter the chamber and are immediately set upon by a dozen ghouls. You bring your weapons to bear against the restless dead, and through the divine radiance of Pelor the chamber is quiet once more. In the northwestern corner of the room, you notice..."

 

[iserith]

Why did you choose to put this encounter in front of this party? What was it's point? If, as you say, it's a handwave, why bother -- just narrate it and move to something more interesting. Choosing when you present a combat is probably more important to what combat you present.

Also I guess with that group - once again - nobody wanted to be the cleric.

 

[iserith]

@iserith Same here; I wouldn't even present that as an encounter. I'd handle it as narrative, honestly...just part of the room description. If it's not a challenge, why slow everyone down?

"You enter the chamber and are immediately set upon by a dozen ghouls. You bring your weapons to bear against the restless dead, and less than a minute later the chamber is quiet once more. In the northwestern corner of the room, you notice..."

I bristle at the DM saying what the PCs do, but we're mostly on the same page. I could see this being a narrative complication in an overarching challenge of some sort that is being handled abstractly. "Traveling Through Barovia" challenge, for example. Present complication, ask players how they handle it, maybe there's an ability check or something, then we move on.

 

[CleverNickName]

I bristle at the DM saying what the PCs do, but we're mostly on the same page. I could see this being a narrative complication in an overarching challenge of some sort that is being handled abstractly. "Traveling Through Barovia" challenge, for example. Present complication, ask players how they handle it, maybe there's an ability check or something, then we move on.

Yeah, that's why I was careful to describe it as something I would do, and not as something everyone should do. I fully realize that what works at my table isn't going to work at every table.