How to actually run a combat encounter?

[subgeniuszero]

Hi guys,

I'm a longtime D&D fan who got recently got back into the game after a nearly ten-year hiatus. I've only ever been a player — never DM'd before, as the rest of my question will make plain. Currently, I'm writing a novel which takes place at a SF/F convention, and in one chapter in particular, I have a scene — written from the point of view of the DM — running an encounter with only two 30ish level players. I actually went and created two characters for the characters in the book to play (meta-characters?), and picked out a ridiculously hard monster for them to fight — Ultimate Beholder Tyrant, the goal being to run the (hopefully exciting) encounter myself, and then recording the results and turning them into prose to use in the book.

Trouble is, I know jack-squat about DMi-ng or running encounters. I have no idea what goes on behind the Magic Cardboard Shield; I mean, I have an idea . . . but as for what the DM specifically does during each round of combat, and what order he/she does them in, and what conditionals are in effect that influence his/her decisions, well . . . clueless. Absolutely clueless.

The scene itself is going to last 5-7 pages, and since the characters are all themselves experienced gamers, I want it to be as authentic as possible. Sooo, any help any of you experienced DMs can give, I would really appreciate. Basically what I need is a step-by-step algorithmic breakdown of what happens, when, and in what order, and why. Basically, a transcript of a combat encounter from the DM's perspective.

 

[mneme]

Running a combat encounter is the easy job. Frankly, if you've been a player, your have all the experience you need to do a servicable job behind the GM screen in a combat encounter -- because it's basically the same.

I mean, seriously -- as a player, you:

Wait for it to be your turn (unless you have a triggered action like an OA or interrupt, or someone targets you with an attack/effect, in which case you say whether you were hit or not and play out the resulting effect).

Drop into your character's headspace (if you're not already there), concoct a plan of action based on your goals, and take your actions, roleplaying as needed.

End your turn.

And as a GM, you:

Wait for it to be one of your monsters' turns (unless one of your monsters has a triggered action like an OA or interrupt, or someone targets it with an attack/effect, in which case you say whether the monster was hit or not and play out the resulting effect).

Drop into the monster whose turn it is's headspace (if you're not already there), concoct a plan of action based on it's goals, and take it's actions, roleplaying as needed.

End the monster's turn.

Of course, you do have a few other big other jobs -- to resolve rules questions and make judgement calls. But a lot of the time that doesn't happen, and when it does, you make a judgement and then move on.

Sure, you might take on other jobs too -- you might run the initiative track (although that can be parcelled out ot a player), traps and board hazards count as "your monsters", and you -might- modify your monsters' actions (or even the situation, adding extra monsters when your initial set prove to be too weak, or not bringing in the planned reserves when it turns out that the initial setup was too much of a challenge, or just calling a combat when it's all over but the moping up) based on dramatic necesssity or the player's fun, or the time you have left, or whatnot. But really, that's most of what's going on in a combat -- for the GM, it's just like running a bunch of simpler characters.

 

[Uller]

When it is not your turn, you also tell people whose turn it is and you narrate what happens for players who don't do much narration:

Player1: I use <power X> to attack <target>...dang...3 plus...12...15 vs <appropriate defense>
Player2: dont forget it's granting advantage.
Player1: Oh yeah, 17 then
Player 3: But it has partial cover...
Player 1 and 2: Same team!
Player1: 15.
DM: Miss...<narrate effects of miss here if player1 doesn't>


Also, if you want it to be authentic, make sure each turn (not round) takes like 5 minutes to play and throw in lots of references to pop geek culture (when I was younger it was mostly Monty Python, Star Trek or Star Wars...but I think those have been usurped by things I don't understand since I'm a geezer now)

 

[Tequila Sunrise]

mneme covers it pretty well.

Really the DM's and players' personalities are more important than the nuts and bolts of a combat encounter. Depending on what personalities you're writing about, the scene could have any number of conclusions.

 

[OnlineDM]

Running a single encounter isn't going to be that hard if you've been a player, as others have said.

Could you grab a couple of friends and actually run this encounter for them? I think that would help you a great deal!

 

[Terrance888]

I agree with Uller in that there should be OOC comments, jokes, and puns going around: if it is going to be really professional maybe they stop after the Beholder deals a hard hit. I also agree with Tequila in that the personalities in the end is more important than the nuts and bolts of the game.

As a DM, I usually have a few thought processes/whispered comments. "Don't go too hard on them" "Oops, I forgot that. I'll pretend it was never there" "Damn, the monster rolled a 4 on its encounter power. They won't notice if I call it a 15, since it is about to die anyway" "Ok, that joke about Lord of the Rings was funny. Where was I again?" "Stop quoting Monty Python!" "Did I just roll the wrong dice?" If its a more professional DM, of course, limit "mistakes". Even then, the best DM doesn't avoid all of them, and seeing how he reacts to them, and which mistakes he makes, can tell alot about his character.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

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