D&D 5E Attacking 1 Opponent at a Time

[plisnithus8]

1. Are my players right in thinking (tactically, mechanically) it’s better for them all to attack a single opponent (perhaps the spellcaster), take it out (and thus a turn of being attacked), them all move onto another single opponent together?

2. Would it be “fair” for an intelligent group of NPCs to use this tactic against the PCs?

 

[OB1]

1. Yes
2. Yes!


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[GameOgre]

Yes to both. Being as this is a game it is indeed better to kill opponents fast so there is less damage to your side.



No to both. Since this is also a role playing game you are supposed to be playing as if the things happening were real. In real life if you turn your back(on a enemy) to attack a foe your ally is attacking, you would recieve a sword in the back as a reward.

At a lot of tables people do indeed do this and consider it good tactics. It's a often overlooked form of metagaming. I have seen house rules set up to counter it. Such as *If you are attacking a foe from behind and hit it is a automatic critical hit. But this leads to facing rules and all kinds of other shenanigans.

Almost no DM's do this because it leads to dead PC's VERY often.


I would say as one DM to another, If this bothers you THAT much, have the monsters and bad guys do it to the PC's till the pc's stop. If after all it's simply good tactics then most npc's and monsters would use it.

 

[Ath-kethin]

1. Yes
2. Yes!


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There's no better or more succinct way to answer the questions. Yes, focusing fire on one target will always be the most effective way to remove that target. A huge proportion of military intelligence consists of figuring out which targets to focus on, and in what order.

 

[Fanaelialae]

1. Are my players right in thinking (tactically, mechanically) it’s better for them all to attack a single opponent (perhaps the spellcaster), take it out (and thus a turn of being attacked), them all move onto another single opponent together?

2. Would it be “fair” for an intelligent group of NPCs to use this tactic against the PCs?

Yes and yes.

However, keep in mind that 2 solves 1 in my experience. If NPCs gang up on PCs when PCs gang up on them, the game devolves into rocket tag. IME the players realize very quickly that this tactic favors the NPCs (because NPCs are more expendable than PCs) and will spread out in a more natural way. That's not to say that they won't or shouldn't focus fire where possible (generally this will be the job of the back line) but rather that spreading out your tanks to spread out the damage greatly increases the party's odds of survival, even if it doesn't result in the optimal numbers on paper.

 

[Croesus]

1. Yes
2. Yes!

There are, of course, nuances. Most groups want to hold a line of some sort, so focusing on one target may not be possible (those on one flank can't reach those on the other). Or one character may be able to do much more damage to one target than another. If everyone is focusing on the latter, should she do so too? Or you might have to break off to deal with someone in your wizard's face vs. continuing to beat on the main target.

...spreading out your tanks to spread out the damage greatly increases the party's odds of survival, even if it doesn't result in the optimal numbers on paper.

As Fanaelialae points out, while in general it's better to focus on taking down some opponents and ignoring others vs. doing a bit of damage to all of them, that's not true in every case.

 

[plisnithus8]

I would say as one DM to another, If this bothers you THAT much, have the monsters and bad guys do it to the PC's till the pc's stop. If after all it's simply good tactics then most npc's and monsters would use it.

No, it doesn’t bother me. I do it when I play because it seems almost disingenuous not to since we’re using non-facing mechanics.
I am planning on springing it on players, dropping one unconscious but not outright killinging yet.

 

[FrogReaver]

Focus firing the players is boring. You are sure to cause many deaths but many deaths against a tactic they don't really have a defense against is meh. I mean I suppose if you have a life cleric in the party then focus fire shenanigans on the PC's may give him a reason for living or it may just bore him to death that he is now only ever able to use spells for healing. A life cleric is the only PC that even has a chance of helping the party handle focus fire on them.

I'd say either give everyone a defense against being focused (say a reaction dodge that takes their action the next round) or don't focus fire them and just add in more enemies.

Also, if players aren't already using mostly ranged builds then I think focus firing them will cause even more to want to go ranged so they can kite and take cover to avoid being focused to hard.

 

[OB1]

There are, of course, nuances. Most groups want to hold a line of some sort, so focusing on one target may not be possible (those on one flank can't reach those on the other). Or one character may be able to do much more damage to one target than another. If everyone is focusing on the latter, should she do so too? Or you might have to break off to deal with someone in your wizard's face vs. continuing to beat on the main target.

Precisely. In fact, it's not really tactics to focus fire, that's strategy. The ability to actually focus fire through the decisions made on the field are the tactics, and is highly dependent on the tactics of the opposing side as well as the terrain of the battlefield.

Fighting a lich and her minions, for example, it might be the strategy of the party to take her out first, but actually doing so may prove difficult, since there is a huge Iron Golem on the narrow walkway between you and her, and her shield guardian is soaking up damage directed her way anyhow, not to mention that two of the PCs have attacks that aren't very effective against her but are much stronger against the minions.

I've found that when both sides assume it will be the goal of the other to focus fire, the battles become much more dynamic as each side attempts to react of the decisions of the other. Throw in a battlefield that is anything but an endless white plane, and you're on your way to a memorable combat.

 

[plisnithus8]

I don’t think focused fire would be a tactic many NPCs would use but something different from a group that has a smart leader.
My plan is to use it as part an ambush from a hated nemesis.