Lidgar
Gongfarmer
As DMs, we've all been there. The dragon's lair. The massive ambush by the bandit lord and his many minions. The finale assault on the evil priest's temple in the bowls of the dungeon.
These encounters commonly have:
1. Several different monsters/NPCs participating
2. Spellcasters
3. Monsters/NPCs with special abilities
4. Terrain elements and/or existing effects (weather, magical, etc.) in the encounter area
5. Time tracking elements, including phasing when new participants enter the fray
These "set" encounters can be some of the most challenging, yet rewarding, experiences we have in the game, for players and DMs alike.
For this thread, I'm interested in hearing what tools you use to both prepare and run complex encounters (assume table top play vs VTT here, but ok to list your VTT tools too).
Do you mostly wing it? Do you print anything ahead of time? Any time/turn/round trackers? Shortcuts for looking up spells and other effects on the fly? Battlemaps and miniatures? Etc.
Of particular interest are preparation techniques and tools that may be used during the encounter that help facilitate pacing and reducing time spent at the table paging through books and looking things up.
Thanks for your ideas!
These encounters commonly have:
1. Several different monsters/NPCs participating
2. Spellcasters
3. Monsters/NPCs with special abilities
4. Terrain elements and/or existing effects (weather, magical, etc.) in the encounter area
5. Time tracking elements, including phasing when new participants enter the fray
These "set" encounters can be some of the most challenging, yet rewarding, experiences we have in the game, for players and DMs alike.
For this thread, I'm interested in hearing what tools you use to both prepare and run complex encounters (assume table top play vs VTT here, but ok to list your VTT tools too).
Do you mostly wing it? Do you print anything ahead of time? Any time/turn/round trackers? Shortcuts for looking up spells and other effects on the fly? Battlemaps and miniatures? Etc.
Of particular interest are preparation techniques and tools that may be used during the encounter that help facilitate pacing and reducing time spent at the table paging through books and looking things up.
Thanks for your ideas!