D&D 5E Narrative combat - can anyone share practical experience?

[robus]

I've seen at least two references to narrative combat as a solution to wildly mismatched players and monsters/situations.

The AngryGM in http://theangrygm.com/three-shocking-things-you-wont-believe-about-dd-combat/ says:

By the same token, look at the cover of the PHB. Go on, explain to me how a fighter is going to run up to that thing’s ankle and make any sort of useful attack in the standard sense of an attack. At the same time, the giant’s size and bulk start to work against it. Most of the time, it’s going to be reacting to the PCs, waiting for them to provide opportunities to stomp them, grab them, throw them, shake them off, etc. Again, putting that in the standard combat encounter rules makes it way less cool. And it doesn’t make whole bunches of narrative sense. At that point, you’re just following the mechanical rules because the idea of a halfling plunging a rapier into the flank of a dragon the size of a yacht and having any actual effect is patently ridiculous. You need a Shadow of the Colossus type setup. Or Dragon’s Dogma. Narrative coolness. Not combat rules.

Meanwhile Sean Mcgovern over at PowerScoreRPG in http://thecampaign20xx.blogspot.com/2014/10/tyranny-of-dragons-guide-to-hoard-of.html writes the following about the final battle:

I ran a bunch of encounters outside, in the middle of the epic was with the cult. I had my PCs face cultists, Naergoth Bladelord (page 81), a dragon, a pit fiend and Rath Modar (who was by the Draakhorn). Each round I'd have something chaotic happen, like a chromatic dragon flying down to breathe on the PCs, or Leosin the Monk running up and kidney-punching a bad guy, or a frost giant ally pummeling a dragon, whatever.

What DM experience (if any) do you have in running a "combat" encounter like this? What are the pitfalls to avoid? And how do you handle player confusion about why we're not rolling initiative?

Or do most DMs just avoid the situation altogether by either just running the combat as normal or not letting the encounter even get started?

 

[thethain]

I would say something like 75% of the rules of 5e are based on combat. (OK That number is from the department of pulling numbers from arses...)

But the point stands. Most of the rules in DnD are in regards to running combat scenarios. I would guess most people run combat as is, but improvise solutions for when players want to do something cool (and even encourage it).

For example, if you said "I want to run up the dragon and mount it!" there is some guidance for that (Climbing huge creatures in DMG). But really its up to the DM to determine how that happens (what skill, ability, or attack rolls), or if its even possible (a 20 skill check doesn't guarantee success).

So the DM says "Give me an athletics or acrobatics check" and he either sets a static DC or rolls an opposed one from the dragon. If the player passes, viola he is on the dragon, and the dragon now has to figure out a method of removing the player.

If you want players to have a chance in wildly mismatched fights, you can run the creatures sub optimally, skip legendary actions, or have other things that are occupying the bad guys efforts.

 

[ExploderWizard]

Narrative combat?

When I think of that, then I think about a war of words, the dozens if you will. A good opening salvo starting with something like " Your mamma is SO fat...."

These are always more fun to resolve through role play than with die rolls.

 

[Krachek]

I really like the part when the party sneak a group of sleeping ennemies, and he let them kill them all with no attack rolls.

 

[LapBandit]

For example, if you said "I want to run up the dragon and mount it!" there is some guidance for that (Climbing huge creatures in DMG). But really its up to the DM to determine how that happens (what skill, ability, or attack rolls), or if its even possible (a 20 skill check doesn't guarantee success).

So the DM says "Give me an athletics or acrobatics check" and he either sets a static DC or rolls an opposed one from the dragon. If the player passes, viola he is on the dragon, and the dragon now has to figure out a method of removing the player.

I'm glad others allow their PCs to try improvised actions as well.

I set the DC for complete success(perhaps DC 20), anything under but within 5 is a partial success. Exceed it by some absurd margin and I might add some lucky opportunity like advantaged on the next attack.

 

[robus]

Just to be clear, I'm not talking about improvised actions in combat. But improvised combat that gives the flavor of a battle without an initiative order that risks things getting overwhelming for the PCs. In other words so they don't get bogged down.

 

[seebs]

From a recent gaming session:

see twenty years ago, i'd have said "a luchador is trying to eye gouge a demilich, the healer has taken a hostage, and i have doubled the number of demiliches in combat every turn so far, i have lost control, where did i go wrong" now i'm thinking "haha this is awesome"

 

[Satyrn]

Just to be clear, I'm not talking about improvised actions in combat. But improvised combat that gives the flavor of a battle without an initiative order that risks things getting overwhelming for the PCs. In other words so they don't get bogged down.

I don't think I've ever run a serious fight that way. I generally do narrative combat when it's a matter of mopping up mooks.

Or the one time the party rogue went off on his own to clear out a small camp of lowly bandits, because I didn't want to spend too much game time rolling on the solo play. That was more stealth stuff than combat, though.

So as for advice on the situation you're asking about: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[MarkB]

Narrative combat?

When I think of that, then I think about a war of words, the dozens if you will. A good opening salvo starting with something like " Your mamma is SO fat...."

These are always more fun to resolve through role play than with die rolls.

Ahh, I was thinking it was combat between narratives - two DMs battling to assert their own realities upon the gameworld, with the players caught in between. One moment you're battling a dragon on the lip of a volcano, the next you're tussling with a giant steam-clank on an ocean liner in the middle of a thunderstorm.

 

[the Jester]

Just to be clear, I'm not talking about improvised actions in combat. But improvised combat that gives the flavor of a battle without an initiative order that risks things getting overwhelming for the PCs. In other words so they don't get bogged down.

No. If there's a battle, the dice rule. I don't have a problem with narrative combat that the pcs are observing, but if they are participating in any way, then pick up your dice.