D&D 5E Enemies should only attack when they have advantage (and other quick tips)

[DND_Reborn]

I also think "Engage with the environment" could be on that list. Topple trees to make a barrier, shove people into acid pits, set things on fire...

I thought that was covered in the OP??? If not, then yes, that was one of the things possible in my #2 point.

 

[iserith]

In tonight's swamp hexcrawl game, the party planned to take a days long trek out to some submerged ruins, hoping to beat the villains there. To prepare, the druid spent some hard-won cash on components for a continual flame spell and cast it, using up a spell slot he wouldn't likely get back before they delved the underwater structure. (Resting works differently here.)

One hex outside of town, I rolled up a random encounter: 8 Candlethieves. These are the spirits of children who got lost in the swamp and need light to find their way home. On their keel boat in the perpetual darkness of the swamp, the PCs had with them their continual flame on the aarakocra druid's amulet and a bullseye lantern. After communicating with them briefly, the creepy little spirits moved in to steal their lights.

Action: The candlethief targets an object that sheds light within 30 feet of it and moves it up to 30 feet in any direction. The object can weigh no more than 15 pounds. If the target is an object being held, the chandlethief makes a Charisma check contested by the Strength check of the creature holding the object. If the chandlethief wins the contest, it can move the target as normal.​

Though no hit points were actually at stake - the candlethieves have no damaging attacks - what followed was the most tense challenge of the night. The party is on a clock to make it to the submerged ruins, so turning around back to town will cost them. They are low on gold (and gold also equals XP!). They have no more components to recast continual flame and, even if they did, that's another 2nd-level slot they can little afford to spend ahead of what might be a big confrontation with the villains.

What followed was a harrowing situation in which the PCs desperately tried to stop the candlethieves from getting the druid's amulet. They got it once, but some focused fire took out the spirit and the amulet fell into the drink. The aarakocra nosedived into the water as the candlethieves converged on him. Another candlethief stole the bullseye lantern off the ship and flew away. The druid cast moonbeam (another precious spell slot gone!) and got some of them to walk into the light, but only narrowly kept his amulet before the rest of the party took out the spirits.

All that to say, giving the monsters something else to do other than whittle hit points can, in context, really make for some exciting challenges.

 

[Charlaquin]

(Resting works differently here.)

I’m intrigued!

 

[iserith]

I’m intrigued!

Short rest is 4 hours (one "watch") and long rest is 24 hours (six "watches").

You can't long rest unless you are on high ground, which means either on a "swamp runner" (modified keel boat), in a forest hex, or in a swamp hex during periods of The Neap (a random environmental effect). The PCs of course must sleep 8 hours daily to avoid exhaustion, but that only counts as a short rest.

There is a random encounter check every watch (18+ on a d20). If you have to leave the area of your rest, such as when being chased, it is interrupted. There are some places to long rest safely, but those must be discovered and are controlled by various factions which requires the PCs to be on good terms to make use of it (read: social interaction challenge).

 

[Charlaquin]

Short rest is 4 hours (one "watch") and long rest is 24 hours (six "watches").

You can't long rest unless you are on high ground, which means either on a "swamp runner" (modified keel boat), in a forest hex, or in a swamp hex during periods of The Neap (a random environmental effect). The PCs of course must sleep 8 hours daily to avoid exhaustion, but that only counts as a short rest.

There is a random encounter check every watch (18+ on a d20). If you have to leave the area of your rest, such as when being chased, it is interrupted. There are some places to long rest safely, but those must be discovered and are controlled by various factions which requires the PCs to be on good terms to make use of it (read: social interaction challenge).

Neat! I like the 4-hour watch, I use 4-hour “travel turns” myself so this would be pretty easy to adapt if I wanted to.

 

[FrozenNorth]

as a player I would have to ask if the enemy is slow or brain damaged in some way...

imagine monster 1 pushes me prone, I use half movement to stand then hit him. He pushes me prone again, I use half my movement to stand and hit him... like is he TRYING to win at that point?

But every OTHER enemy has advantage against you until your turn. In a combat where enemies outnumber the party, it’s a pretty good tactic, particularly if the room design allows the enemy to potentially prone multiple characters with a single action (by toppling a column for instance).

 

[FrozenNorth]

Wow, hot thread!

So, haven't read all the pages yet (I will later tonight hopefully) so if someone has suggested these, my apologies:

When there are sufficient numbers:
1. disarm the PCs, take their spell foci, etc.
2. grapple, shove, etc. the PCs, use grapple to move PCs away from each other and in harm's way
3. wolf-pack one PC at a time
4. have the enemy retreat and re-engage

If I think of more, I'll add them later.

5. Retreat, and lure the PCs into a trap.
6. Separate the PCs.

 

[DND_Reborn]

Short rest is 4 hours (one "watch") and long rest is 24 hours (six "watches").

We do almost the same thing but 3 hours for a short rest instead of 4. Basically, we just tripled the rest periods and it works pretty well IMO.

 

[MNblockhead]

the example is worse...it will never work the prone target will just get up before that attacker goes again

Depends on how you set up the scene. How many monsters are there? Do you use group or individual initiative for monsters?

I think HOW they get advantage is the more interesting question. Have a few goblins earlier in the initiative order throw oil vials on the floor and the rest rain arrows prone PCs.

Have weaker mooks give the heavy hitters advantage by using the Help action. Maybe a lowly goblin has little chance of getting past the AC and doing meaningful damage to higher-level PCs, but he can distract them, throw dust in their faces, jump on their back and just overall make a nuisance of himself to give a bigger bad a better chance to hit and do some real damage.

Attack from hidden positions that allow you to quickly move to another hidden position. I find it unrealistic that so many enemies would just go and fight well armed adventures in the open. One recent encounter was a group of mites had a cavern where they tunneled below the floor creating stab holes. The area above the ground was stewn with rubble making it difficult terrain. So the party is moving at half speed while spears are being poked up at them from below.

Give your monsters inspiration. May not be raw, but one free attack at advantage because they are defending their home turf or some other lore or story reason, seems fair and balanced.

Don't forget: "The DM can also decide that circumstances influence a roll in one direction or the other and grant advantage or impose disadvantage as a result."

I've used the option flanking rules in the past but didn't find that it added that much. It makes the play a bit more tactical for both PCs and NPCs, but I prefer when it is a special monster or PC trait. Like the hobgoblins' martial advantage, wolf pack tactics, or a rogue's sneak attack. I feel flanking rules detract from these abilities as advantage doesn't stack.

 

[MNblockhead]

Just two questions (and this is really for @everyone), because your OP got me thinking.

1. Do you have the opponents use the Help action? AND

Yep. All the time. Minions should be more than thin meat shields.

2. (a) Do your opponents dodge and

Yes, probably not as often as I could.

(b) do you tell players that they are dodging, so they can look for another target?

Depends. Usually it is rather obvious. First, most often is in conjunction with running away to escape or create distance. If the PC still has an opportunity attack available, I'll just say the goblin dodges an runs to X or moves X feet. But since I'm not great at tracking things like this in my head, I usually just state that the enemy is dodging when moving away.

If they are dodging but not moving, I don't until the PC tries to hit them. But, again, it is pretty obvious if the enemy doesn't attack or move and he's getting ready to dodge. It doesn't come up that often as there are not too many times where it makes sense for the enemy to just stand there dodging. I suppose that certain well-trained mooks who are there to just slow the party down so other enemies further away can rain projectiles and spells on the party might do that. That could make them more survivable than just attacking. But if they are that weak that it makes sense, the party would likely just risk the opportunity attack and push past them to get at the real threat.

With question 2 in my campaigns I have opponents at least attempt to hit the dodging PCs, but PCs on the other hand may decide to attack non-dodging opponents. Then with that thinking I can have opponents ignore dodging PCs and go for the targets they don't really want me to go for (thus their dodging preoccupation becomes less of tactic for them).

I would say it depend on the intelligence and martial experience of the NPCs. I certainly would consider having, say, hobgoblins do this.