D&D 5E My most basic advice for DMs who want more interesting & dynamic combat

[pogre]

Even more simple and for me a much greater impact tan opportunity attacks, re-roll initiative every turn. Randomness/chaos this adds to combat is awesome. PCs never know if they are going to get to attack twice before the BBEG, or if the BBEG will get to go again before they can. If you let it impact spell durations as well the chaos is even more significant.

Interesting combats, imo, are about variability, and for me, the easiest way to do this is to re-roll init each turn.

I kind of love this idea...

I run a pretty big table though. We pride ourselves on fast paced combat. How much has it slowed you down? Do your players get frustrated by the rule?

 

[Seramus]

Most basic?

Have more than one monster type. Have more than one goal in combat.

 

[overgeeked]

For whatever weird reason I have always found that players seem to be more afraid of OAs than any other attack.

Most players are incredibly risk adverse. There’s generally nothing they can do about you attacking them on the monsters’ turn, but being hit because of a choice they made on their own turn…especially if it’s one that could stop them from doing whatever thing they’re trying to do. Forget it.

 

[overgeeked]

I think a big reason players don't like risking opportunity attacks is there's often no reason to. I'm playing a heavy-armor fighter; I can back off and only risk one attack that probably won't hit. But what do I gain?

Using up their reaction on an attack that likely won’t hit you…so they don’t have a reaction to attack a squishy when they move.

In a fight with objectives other than 'reduce enemy hp to zero' this changes pretty quickly.

Which is exactly why every single fight should be more than “reduce the other side to zero hit points”. That and “stand there and swing until everyone’s dead” is a ridiculously boring way to fight.

 

[LordEntrails]

I kind of love this idea...

I run a pretty big table though. We pride ourselves on fast paced combat. How much has it slowed you down? Do your players get frustrated by the rule?

So, first, I use FG and it does it for us automatically, so it doesn't take us any time to roll and sort the characters (and NPCs) by their new init. If you are using some sort of initiative tracker, that might help. Otherwise you might want to use init cards or similar.

It also keeps players engaged, because instead of going, oh, its my turn, it will be 5 or 10 minutes until I go again, they have to pay attention, because they could be first to act in the new round.

 

[Bill Zebub]

The nice thing about increasing the incentive to trigger OAs is that it leads to tactics like the guy with high AC/HP gratuitously provoking the attacks to consume enemy reactions, so that the guy who actually needs to move can do so freely.

 

[Bill Zebub]

Also, my #1 advice is make your trolls regenerate if hit by fire.

 

[jmartkdr2]

That's cool, but that's not how I run my games or what me and my group are used to. The stakes of trying the risky thing out of desperation or clever strategy is the fun/suspense part - as is working around the obstacle that arises if you fail.

If your players regularly take extra risks just because... well, good for you but I've never seen it.

 

[jmartkdr2]

Using up their reaction on an attack that likely won’t hit you…so they don’t have a reaction to attack a squishy when they move.

Assuming the squishy has a reason to move.

Which is exactly why every single fight should be more than “reduce the other side to zero hit points”. That and “stand there and swing until everyone’s dead” is a ridiculously boring way to fight.

This is the big one - secondary objectives / external limitations are the best way to really show what the system can do.

 

[overgeeked]

Assuming the squishy has a reason to move.

This is the big one - secondary objectives / external limitations are the best way to really show what the system can do.

I don’t see how as adding those in isn’t part of the system. It’s more counteracting the system (which pushes standing still) and player timidness (not wanting their PC to get hit).