Encounter Managment 101

[Ravenous Mind]

Greetings everyone!


I'm looking to improve my encounter running skills. Specifically, I'm looking to use smarter (but not too abusive) tactics. For one thing, I find that the battles I run are too static (no one moves). For another, I realized that I don't have the NPC work as cooperatively as they could. My intention is not to overwhelm the players, but to make the combat more alive.

Do you have any favorite tactics? How do you change things up to keep it exciting? What overlooked rules are you using? Also, are there any books, articles, websites that will help me in this endeavor? FYI: I am familiar with Johnn Four wonderful site already.

Thanks in advance,

Mark

 

[Uller]

A couple of things to enliven combat:

1) Make combat quicker. Require players on their turn to decide what to do and resolve their action very quickly. No discussing tactics with other players, no looking up spells or ability rules. Nothing like that. Just say..."I move and do X". THEN look up the rules if needed...if things don't work out quite the way the player planned, then so be it.

This also means no counting out moves or spell area effects or anything like that. If a player says "I move and attack that orc," and it turns out he can't reach that orc and still attack, then he just moved...This will encourage two things...quick play and for players to lookup rules and count out their moves BEFORE it is their turn.

2) Have your NPCs and monsters utilize things like cover and flanking for tactical advantage. Set combats in places where there are stairs and tables and doorways and pillars and alters and other things that can be used to tactical advantage. Have your NPCs look for ways to use that 5' step to gain an advantage of somesort (cover bonus to AC, +2 flanking bonus, +1 bonus for being on higher ground, etc). Use tumbling, mobility, etc to allow your NPCs to move to gain some advantage like attacking a weak PC or to get out of a bad situation. Use Bullrush to push the PCs around in ways that will be advantageous to the monsters.

Once you do this sort of thing, encourage the players to do it too.

But be warned, this will turn the focus of the game from an RPG to a skirmish wargame. If you'd rather keep the focus on role-playing, then learn to just describe the fighting in a more "cinematic" style and encourage your players to do the same. I've never been good at that (and I've never liked it much when other DMs do it) so you'll have to get advice about that from someone else.

 

[DM with a vengence]

Make more tactically interesting baddies. Use a group of creature with different abilities instead of one big fighter or a spellcaster and some body guards.

Put the battle somewhere interesting, where the party has to move from location to location in order to stay in the fight.

 

[haiiro]

For one thing, I find that the battles I run are too static (no one moves). For another, I realized that I don't have the NPC work as cooperatively as they could. My intention is not to overwhelm the players, but to make the combat more alive.

Do you use a battlemat, or something similar?

If not, give it a shot. Once you see things laid out clearly (especially with 3e), chances are you'll see how your NPCs/monsters can make sound tactical decisions based on the nature of the battlefield.

From what I've seen, nothing gets players to think and act dynamically -- and move around a lot -- like a battlemat with minis/counters/whatever on it. Every 3e game I've ever run or played has involved a battlemat, and every combat has involved plenty of movement and dynamic action on both sides.

 

[John Smallberries]

Use Terrain and Environmenal Effects.

Darkness, rain, mud, sand, uneven groud, thick foliage, low ceilings...any of these additions can have tangible effects on a combat encounter.

 

[dave_o]

Slight hijack.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! BUCKEROO BANZAI!

You're a king among men.

 

[jgbrowning]

use some humanoids with a few levels in rogue. then flank. flank a lot. flank often.

flanking makes people move on the battle field and when they start to move you'll see other tatical opportunities arise.

joe b.

 

[Impeesa]

Terrain is great fun to play with. Recently I had the PCs trying to cross a log (actually a giant tree root... whatever) about 40' long and wide enough for one person to stand on fairly easily... 100 feet down, there was a swiftly-moving underground river, and on the other side was 5 duergar shooting crossbows with poison that did strength damage, throwing +4 flaming returning cabers, and in the case of their leader, tossing around Bigby's Forceful Hand and fun stuff like that. The fight was great fun... 19th level PCs are remarkably hard to wash downstream, ever notice that?

--Impeesa--

 

[haiiro]

...throwing +4 flaming returning cabers...

That one really made me smile.