Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Vayden" data-source="post: 4597766" data-attributes="member: 57791">Thanks for the responses and additional tips everyone! I was a little worried the thread was going to die at first! <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> To answer Zapp's questions:Encounters that start at a long distance - it's been a while since I've run one of these, I usually handle this one of two ways; for both ways, it helps that the maximum attack range I've seen in 4e is 20 squares (100 feet)1) Let people decide if they're going to try and close, or try and avoid the encounter. If the PCs and the monsters are both trying to close, just assume that they're heading towards each other and start the combat with about 20 squares of distance between them - this gives you the nice situation Whimsical mentioned where the party spreads out as they determine how to use their first turn to advance. If both sides are trying to avoid combat, just have each side melt away. If one side is trying to close, and one is trying to avoid, then I'd run a skill challenge to see if the PCs can either escape (if they're trying to avoid) or catch up (if the monsters are trying to avoid. 2) In some situations, where there's a possibility one or both sides might split up, I'll just use a piece of scrap paper to track distances - I may pull out the battlemap if more than two people get into close combat, or I may run the entire encounter on the scrap paper and feverishly track distances for everyone involved. It's kind of a pain for you as the DM, but it can work in some situations. Fights on "generic" terrain like plains or hills - obviously if you're fighting outside in a situation where the terrain is relatively harsh (a cliff, lots of trees to climb/hide behind etc) then you already have interesting terrain. If you really are setting your fight on a relatively feature-less plain, then my advice it to use mobile monsters. Without any terrain that the PCs can use to their advantage, fast, agile monsters can easily slip by the defender(s) and screw with the backline of the party. Just have your monsters be constantly moving and pursuing - the party will either have to move in response or get hammered into the ground. Again, this isn't something I would do very often, but it can be just as good of a fight if you have the right monsters and go for the PCs throats. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> In addition, even the most feature-less of plains and hills may have a bit of terrain to make use of - some boulders jutting out of the ground here, a fallen tree or steep slope there. It won't be as big of a player as normal, but it can still factor in.</blockquote>

Verification