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<blockquote data-quote="MNblockhead" data-source="post: 8686778" data-attributes="member: 6796661">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.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; 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: &quot;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.&quot;I've used the option flanking rules in the past but didn't find that it added that much.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; I feel flanking rules detract from these abilities as advantage doesn't stack.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="MNblockhead, post: 8686778, member: 6796661"] 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. [/QUOTE]

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