D&D 5E Length of Combat & Time Taken per Round (collecting data from my games - updated 3/13 with an hour 30 minute 11 round battle!)

[aco175]

And it changes at level. In my game (above), the fighter, monk, and paladin get 3 attacks and the Warlock gets 3 eldritch blasts. The cleric/paladin effectively gets two due to spiritual weapon.

Crits often trigger conditionals as it is prime time to use Smite or Bardic Inspiration plus higher level weapons (in our game) are prone to having bonus effects on crits. (Gm prefers flashy magic items with low base pluses but more specials). On his one crit the paladin rolled 2d8 (sword) + 3d6 psychic (weapon crit special) + 2d8 radiant (imp smite) + 10d8 (5th level spell smite). Slow but exciting.

AoE spells on both sides require numbers of saves affected by situational modifiers (how close is your paladin, which elemental type it is, do you have bardic inspiration etc). Casters need to make multiple concentration checks, etc, etc. And Animate Objects let's the bard (me) make 10+ attacks/round and provide flankers.

Some of that seems like it slows down the game, but it changes what success looks like. The warlock's wolf does 5 damage is meh, but if it knocks a foe prone it becomes a big buff to adjacent allies and is an "oh yeah!". The amusement factor of familiars under the affects of dragons breath spells is high (and requires more saves) and if it gets lucky and ends an enemy concentration spell it's another "oh yeah!" moment.

I wonder how much of this contributes to most campaigns not getting to 13th level? I mean 3 hours for one fight is as long as we play each week. I can see how sometimes the slow but exciting part is needed, but still.

 

[MNblockhead]

Really interested in seeing some numbers from tier 4 level combats.

 

[el-remmen]

Yea, I’m kinda tempted to record a few sessions and then do transcripts.

I just tested recording over Zoom and it seems very simple - so since I run my remote game via zoom, I will record our next session (on the 20th) and extract the combat data (if there is any) that way.

I still have to figure out the best way to do it for my in-person games, esp since they are 90 minutes to 2 hours longer than the remote games.

 

[el-remmen]

Would people consider that fast?

Yes. I would.

 

[Clint_L]

Have you timed them? I'm not saying I doubt you, but... that sounds impossible. I can't even imagine anyone being able to articulate what they're doing in that time, far or less decide and roll. Do they all speak at once?

It would be impossible for us. I encourage players to narrate what they doing - when it's their turn it's their turn, and we are creating a shared story. So if someone's turn was, "Attacking, rolled a 17 total, hit? Yeah? Damage is 13. Gonna move my miniature here. Using second wind. 9 healed. Done." it would be super weird. Like, where's the fire? More importantly, where's the story?

I cannot imagine doing a round in 1-2 minutes, as claimed, in the style of D&D we enjoy. Good thing there's no right way to play the game!

TBH, though, I'm skeptical that combat rounds for 5 people are actually taking less than 1 minute. That just doesn't seem like a thing that could happen with the communication needed.

 

[el-remmen]

I encourage players to narrate what they doing - when it's their turn it's their turn, and we are creating a shared story. So if someone's turn was, "Attacking, rolled a 17 total, hit? Yeah? Damage is 13. Gonna move my miniature here. Using second wind. 9 healed. Done." it would be super weird. Like, where's the fire? More importantly, where's the story?

I wish my current in-person group had more of the narrated actions and in-combat RP but I try to meet my players where they are at instead of trying to change what they are comfortable with. Instead, I model it for them as DM and give encouragement when it does happen. This includes in-character RP too - which they are not that into. That being said, they are still very connected to their characters and make choices based on in-game fiction and character personality and motivation, so it still gets tense and fiery.

The irony, of course, is that my last in-person group before I moved cities, was starting to annoy me a little bit with some players going on and on in-character even about trivial things (some trivial things can be fine, too many? or too often? no thanks) or being a little too "that's what my character would do."

It might be a case, for me, of "be careful what you wish for" (though I try to remember how frustrating that last group could be before I open my mouth to complain about more casual, breezy play - of course, I call it "casual" but my guess is some other groups would think are too focused and serious when we play ).

 

[grimmgoose]

I'd be very curious to see if there's a marked difference between VTT tables and in-person tables.

 

[Clint_L]

I wish my current in-person group had more of the narrated actions and in-combat RP but I try to meet my players where they are at instead of trying to change what they are comfortable with. Instead, I model it for them as DM and give encouragement when it does happen. This includes in-character RP too - which they are not that into. That being said, they are still very connected to their characters and make choices based on in-game fiction and character personality and motivation, so it still gets tense and fiery.

The irony, of course, is that my last in-person group before I moved cities, was starting to annoy me a little bit with some players going on and on in-character even about trivial things (some trivial things can be fine, too many? or too often? no thanks) or being a little too "that's what my character would do."

It might be a case, for me, of "be careful what you wish for" (though I try to remember how frustrating that last group could be before I open my mouth to complain about more casual, breezy play - of course, I call it "casual" but my guess is some other groups would think are too focused and serious when we play ).

My at home players either have been playing for awhile or, in my new group, are teachers who are already comfortable with performing. So they all naturally want to tell a story when it's their turn. My my spouse's goblin artificer doesn't just shoot their pistol, they scurry to a better vantage point, ducking the mayhem around them before lining up a shot and almost being knocked over by the recoil, and so on. And then it's their automaton's turn.

At school, I just prompt players: "Okay, I guess I cast a sleep spell." "Awesome - describe what that looks like. How do you cast it?"

 

[FitzTheRuke]

My at home players either have been playing for awhile or, in my new group, are teachers who are already comfortable with performing. So they all naturally want to tell a story when it's their turn. My my spouse's goblin artificer doesn't just shoot their pistol, they scurry to a better vantage point, ducking the mayhem around them before lining up a shot and almost being knocked over by the recoil, and so on. And then it's their automaton's turn.

At school, I just prompt players: "Okay, I guess I cast a sleep spell." "Awesome - describe what that looks like. How do you cast it?"

Yeah, me too.
"It's your turn, what do you do?"
"I attack for 7 damage!"
"Okay, that's great! But WHAT DO YOU DO?"

(I'm actually kinder than that makes it sound, and like El-remmen, do a LOT of encouragement-by-example when it's the monster's turn, but it boils down to basically that.)

 

[GreyLord]

My at home players either have been playing for awhile or, in my new group, are teachers who are already comfortable with performing. So they all naturally want to tell a story when it's their turn. My my spouse's goblin artificer doesn't just shoot their pistol, they scurry to a better vantage point, ducking the mayhem around them before lining up a shot and almost being knocked over by the recoil, and so on. And then it's their automaton's turn.

At school, I just prompt players: "Okay, I guess I cast a sleep spell." "Awesome - describe what that looks like. How do you cast it?"

Depending on how they did that, it could drive me NUTS!!!

Perhaps it's because I've had some bad experiences with a few players like that. One player I had I was an older Teen (over 18) while the rest were kids around the elementary age and such. The Older kid thought they were a drama master or something and would get mad "in character" at the other kids for being...kids. Tried to kill other PC's finally.

MASSIVE headache.

If one player is trying to take all the spotlight, it also kind of irks me off. Maybe if all the people I played with were being Drama Queens in that aspect it might be different, but I haven't ever had that.

Perhaps it's due to who I game with (almost every gamer that I've gamed with outside game stores are ones that I've recruited myself and taught how to play).

We DO have brief descriptive play many times, but nothing that takes long.

I can't figure how people don't understand how a game flows as quickly as mine. I think I'd go crazy if my players were taking 5 minute turns. It would drive me nutty I think.

I DO run larger groups at times, and it would pose SERIOUS problems if players were taking even 3 minute turns. For a group of 8 to 12 players that would turn into 20 to 30 minutes between turns where players wouldn't have ANYTHING to really do.

I try to keep the game moving (especially if I have any kids younger than 14 playing) because most of those I game with would get absolutely bored to tears if they had to wait that long to talk or do things.

How do you keep your players engaged when they have to wait over 15 minutes just to play?

Even a minute would seem extremely long for a player to do their thing for us. That's why we have a timer in case we ever get a player that is like that.

I know many seem boggled by how fast I run my games, but I have to admit, I'm boggled at how long people are saying turns are and then how they have players that invested that those players don't get bored between turns!

Different game styles for different groups though.

I guess I'm the oddity on these boards. Ironically, I've never met a group that took that long for players to choose to do things in real life. Anecdotal...of course, but outside of 4e I've never had a group taking that long of time to make choices and roll.

I've seen players at a few gameshops do that, but generally I don't go to the groups that have such players as much. The shops normally have groups that don't take that long to get through things either.

As I already wrote though, Different game styles for different groups. I just game different from many of those in this thread it sounds like.