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Message: <blockquote data-quote="argo" data-source="post: 1633980" data-attributes="member: 5752">You need to be able to asses the flow of combat otherwise you'll never know when to push your advantage and when to run for your life.  Remember, if you wait until the party fighter drops to sound retreat its already too late!  Barring unusual circumstances (a large number of combatants, a very large battlefield with the two sides on opposite ends, mid-combat reenforcements) most combats in DnD rarely last more than 6-8 rounds and most are over in 3-5.  Every round counts!Round 1: the second most important round, a lot of combats are decided right here and now.  It is usually best to be highly agressive and come out swinging: rogues need to sneak attack (if your rogue doesn't have Improved Init and walk around with a ranged weapon in hand you need to have words with him) fighters should charge and power attack or ready an attack depending on how you anticipate the battle going, spelcasters should attempt to alter the battlefield (walls, fog, web) or remove an opponent from combat (charm, blindness) or buff an ally.  First Round objectives in order of importance include 1)geek the mage 2)take control of a strategic objective (high ground, a beachead) or alter the battlefield with items or spells 3)drop or disable one or more opponents 4)take cover/organize you lines of battle 5)buff the party or summon help or do something else to give you a lasting benefit.Round 2: this will either be an encore of Round 1 or else will be an early Round 3.  Knowing the difference is tough but critical and comes with experience.Round 3: this is the most important round in most combats (and sometimes comes as early as Round 2), you need to decide at the start of the round (ie: the end of round 2) if you are winning or loosing.  If you are winning you should try to come up with a plan to finish off the opposition with minimal loss to your own troops and put it into action right away.  Don't get cocky!  Round 3 is also the round most likely to see a startling reversal of fortune; a well timed Dominate or Cure Wounds by either side could easily tip the balance here as could a lucky crit or even some mundane trick like throwing flower on an invisible opponent.  If you are loosing you need to either come up with a sure-fire way to secure a victory or get out of dodge fast!  Follow the advice of others in this thread about retreating in style.  Everybody should try to have some way to produce a slowing/delaying tactic even if it is a humble bag of caltrops.  In th event of a retreat spelcasters should hold nothing back, no point in holding back for later if there is no later.  Whatever you decide you need to start working on it right away this round.  Remember: by the time somebody drops its already too late!Round 4+: from Round 4 onward battles rarely alter course barring some odd chance of fate.  You are either mopping up or running for your life.Sometimes these events don't happen in the round I say they do but they almost always happen in the order above.  In a long combat Round 3 might actually be Round 5 and mop-up is Rounds 7 and 8 but the principle is the same.Decicevness is essential.  If you must then choose a party leader to decide if you stay and fight or retreat and what the plan will be.  You don't have to micromanage everybody's exact actions but if your party can't decide on simple things like weither or not to flee or which enemy to kill first then you are sure to die.If your party is large enough to have a "fifth man" it helps to have a character who is the designated "Fixer".  They make the crucial decision in Round 3 and go about either helping the rest of the party mop-up or give them cover to retreat.  High mobility characters with good survival ability and loaded down with wierd magic items (qualls feather token: tree, how I love you) are what you want here: the Monk and Bard are ideal while the Rogue, Ranger and Paladin can also fill this role.  This poor sod has to be both creative and ballsy as it is his job to be last man out when things are at their worst.Some other general advice:Never never NEVER stay and fight out an ambush.  The proper response to an abmush is to lay down supressive fire/concealment and fall back by fire-teams to regroup.  Then you decide if you want to retreat, settle in for a long range fight, or carry the fight to the enemy somehow.  Once again the spelcasters should go nuts and open up with their best stuff.  If you are surrounded pick a direction and everybody charge, big guys in front to bull rush/overrun.  If you are suprised but not ambushed per se then you may fight it out but go for maximum agression in the first round.  It is important that you make this a standing rule in your group and stick to it.  That would have saved you on the rope bridge.Recon is key.  The sneaking rogue, familiars, animal companions, divinations, or even just climbing a tree with a spyglass, it doesn't matter.  Having good inteligence is often the difference between life and death.  Particularly with the buffs that will soon become avliable to both you and your enemies.  Stealth is your friend.  Look at everything I just said about ambushes and recon and now think of yourself on the other side of the equation.Hire a Boyscout.  Never underestimate the utility of mundane equipment.  There have been plenty of threads on this board about what you can do with basic equipment, maybe alsih2o can find some of them for you.Don't get too (self) buff happy.  Casting a buff spell in round 1 is a good idea espically if it helps the entire party.  Casting a buff spell in round 3 or 4 might be a waste but could give you an edge after you have had time to asess the enemy.  Casting a buff spell in round 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 (even if each is on a different party member) is just plain stupid.  Hurt the enemy darnit!That's all I can think of for now.  Hope that helps.</blockquote>

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