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<blockquote data-quote="BSF" data-source="post: 1631780" data-attributes="member: 13098">Macbeth is correct.&nbsp; Working together will increase your effectiveness manfold.&nbsp; So far, his roup has come through some relatively difficult encounters.&nbsp; Things will continue to become harder for them and if they don't work together effectively, people are going to start feeling serious pain.&nbsp; Know your capabilities.&nbsp; Learn the capabilities of your allies.&nbsp; Look for synergies that you can exploit.&nbsp; Do you have a monk &amp; a rogue in the party?&nbsp; Let the monk use superior speed to get behind the opponent so the rogue can move forward and flank a round sooner.&nbsp; If things look bad, don't be afraid to drop a fireball where the rogue and monk are, they can both try to evade all the damage.&nbsp; It is risky, but sometimes desperate situations require desperate solutions.&nbsp; Be aware of things like &quot;full defense&quot;.&nbsp; If the opponent is not easy to defeat using melee attacks, then that tank has to shift gears to staying on her feet as long as possible while the rest of the party works on bringing the opponent down.&nbsp; Use &quot;Aid another&quot; to help get those hits in.&nbsp; Use buffing spells if you have them and need them.&nbsp; But, don't be afraid to use spells other than buffing spells.&nbsp; You need to try out all of your spells to find good uses for them.&nbsp; Otherwise, you relegate spellcasters to combat enhancement only.&nbsp; As a group, you become a one-trick-pony.&nbsp; That is always bad news.&nbsp; Consider anything that allows you to control movement on the battlefield.&nbsp; Whether it is a defensive position in a grove of trees, getting on a small hillock in a marsh, backing into a corner, using the various &quot;wall&quot; spells, solid fogs, or even grease to prevent a potential flank.&nbsp; You want to put the opponents where you want them, not where they want to be.&nbsp; Avoid being flanked.&nbsp; Even if it isn't a rogue, a fighter with power attack might turn that +2 to-hit into an extra +4 to damage instead. Those clumps that you joyously look for in your enemies (so the fireball hits a bunch of them) are something you do not want to do yourself.&nbsp; The game I play in has a resounding cautionary war cry when we find ourselves facing spellcasters &quot;No clump!&quot;&nbsp; Fireball is not a big deal because 3 of the 5 PC's have Evasion.&nbsp; But, the night when we were subjected to 4 Ice Storms hurt.&nbsp; We were only 11th level at the time and that many non-reflex save area-affect attacks hurt.&nbsp; We still won, but it did hurt.&nbsp; You want your opponents in places that serve you best, and you want to avoid placing yourselves in an advantageous position for your enemies.&nbsp; As has been mentioned.&nbsp; There are times when it is much better to take your foes down one at a time.&nbsp; 4 Orcs = 4 attackers, 3 Orcs + 1 downed Orc = 3 attackers.&nbsp; DnD combat doesn't differentiate between the available attacks for a full-strength opponent vs a badly wounded opponent.&nbsp; Know when to make exceptions to all the advice given here.&nbsp; It will happen.&nbsp; Play smart, play fun and don't ever get to the point where you always use the same tactic every time.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="BSF, post: 1631780, member: 13098"] Macbeth is correct. Working together will increase your effectiveness manfold. So far, his roup has come through some relatively difficult encounters. Things will continue to become harder for them and if they don't work together effectively, people are going to start feeling serious pain. Know your capabilities. Learn the capabilities of your allies. Look for synergies that you can exploit. Do you have a monk & a rogue in the party? Let the monk use superior speed to get behind the opponent so the rogue can move forward and flank a round sooner. If things look bad, don't be afraid to drop a fireball where the rogue and monk are, they can both try to evade all the damage. It is risky, but sometimes desperate situations require desperate solutions. Be aware of things like "full defense". If the opponent is not easy to defeat using melee attacks, then that tank has to shift gears to staying on her feet as long as possible while the rest of the party works on bringing the opponent down. Use "Aid another" to help get those hits in. Use buffing spells if you have them and need them. But, don't be afraid to use spells other than buffing spells. You need to try out all of your spells to find good uses for them. Otherwise, you relegate spellcasters to combat enhancement only. As a group, you become a one-trick-pony. That is always bad news. Consider anything that allows you to control movement on the battlefield. Whether it is a defensive position in a grove of trees, getting on a small hillock in a marsh, backing into a corner, using the various "wall" spells, solid fogs, or even grease to prevent a potential flank. You want to put the opponents where you want them, not where they want to be. Avoid being flanked. Even if it isn't a rogue, a fighter with power attack might turn that +2 to-hit into an extra +4 to damage instead. Those clumps that you joyously look for in your enemies (so the fireball hits a bunch of them) are something you do not want to do yourself. The game I play in has a resounding cautionary war cry when we find ourselves facing spellcasters "No clump!" Fireball is not a big deal because 3 of the 5 PC's have Evasion. But, the night when we were subjected to 4 Ice Storms hurt. We were only 11th level at the time and that many non-reflex save area-affect attacks hurt. We still won, but it did hurt. You want your opponents in places that serve you best, and you want to avoid placing yourselves in an advantageous position for your enemies. As has been mentioned. There are times when it is much better to take your foes down one at a time. 4 Orcs = 4 attackers, 3 Orcs + 1 downed Orc = 3 attackers. DnD combat doesn't differentiate between the available attacks for a full-strength opponent vs a badly wounded opponent. Know when to make exceptions to all the advice given here. It will happen. Play smart, play fun and don't ever get to the point where you always use the same tactic every time. [/QUOTE]

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