Player and monster tactics

[JChung2003]

Are there any good d20 materials on sound player and monster tactics? I've been playing for a while, but now I'm DMing for players new to the game. I have a couple problems:

1. There are a ton of monsters out there, but I don't know much about their combat tactics.

What I've been doing so far is studying the monster's entry in the Monster Manual and tailoring their combat styles to accentuate their strengths and downplay their weaknesses. This works okay for low-level, straightforward monster types, but I'm lost when it comes to thinking about how dragons, evil spellcasters, or creatures with a bunch of unusual attacks or qualities approach combat.

2. I'm DMing for some players new to the game. They have no instincts about what their players can and cannot do. They wander about alone and never bother thinking about mundane things like light sources or ammunition. The thought doesn't occur to them to flee when they're ambushed by a superior force.

How can I teach them survival instincts without killing them off several times? I don't want to do that. Dying a lot isn't fun. I want the game to be fun, but at the same time, I don't want level 1 characters who think they can kill dragons all by themselves and do silly things like throw their short swords at their enemies like Xena or wander around in total darkness, thinking that hiding and moving silently around in the shadows actually helps at all against a monster that can see in the dark (darkvision).

 

[boothbey]

Mwuahahaha. This is the best party to run for at first level. Heh. Completely inexperienced. No preconceived notions, nobody with every monster description memorized.

I have a couple suggestions...

1) Have a seasoned (not necessarily high level npc) act as a mentor to the party.

2) The Darwinian Response. Realize, and help your players realize that not every first level character makes it to second level. When they throw the sword and it misses by a mile, just ask them what they want to do now that they are unarmed. heh. They will learn.

3) Taunt the party. If the party is hiding in the dark without a light source, they can't see the monsters. Have the darkvision drow fighter tease them. "You think you can hide from me? I was born in darkness. Mwuhahaha." etc. Insert as much melodrama as you need to get the point across.

As far as monsters go...just be sure to keep the monster/npc inteligence score in mind. Smart monsters will generally have some kind of plan and contrary to how the game seems to normally work, not everything is going to fight to the death.

 

[dren]

For the new players

1. Be descriptive. Add lots of details. Have them interact with with both good and bad npcs, have houses with weak floors, high winds when crossing a bridge, and describe everything. Do this in a way that they have to interact with whatever is around them. Then have combat in these situations, and encourage your players to use the environments around them for their benefit.

2. Put them on the spot. Use a five second rule, when a character is in danger, count down on your hand to zero, and if they don't say something...they don't get to act.

3. Give them choices. Say to them, here is what you can do: a. run
b. attempt to trip the minotaur, c. beg the minotaur for mercy, d. fight it... explain some of those options, the minotaur seems to be wearing a symbol for baphomet, the minotaur god of sterngth, they see mercy as a weakness.) They should start coming up with choices that you've never thought of.

4. Ignore the rules. Play a session without dice rolling. Have the players say what they are going to do...get them in the mood / feel of the game rather than just using the rules. Have them interact with each other, and put them in spots where combat or talking won't win, thinking will.

As for the monsters, my advice is:

1. Read some of the best spatbook books out there, it will give you some ideas.
2. Read warfare books. Understand the tactics of battle from some of the best generals in history
3. Use fewer types of monsters, but plan their actions (if ambushing, what type, when, where.) before doing anything. Have everything scoped out in advance, if you are not used to this, make sure you have everything done up before you get to the game.
4. Re-read the PHB & DMG. When finished, do it again. There are lots of useful tips in these books, especially the PHB between classes and spell section. Those are useful parts which I have read dozens of times because they give me new ideas, especially when I have the creature in front of me, and I think about those creatures using those particular skills, feats, tactics, etc

Hope that helps,

Dren

 

[clark411]

one option is to have them encounter a presumed foe who winds up being something of a voice of wisdom / mentor to them. When they're level 1 walking around brashly as unstoppable heroes, it's almost refreshing as there's Zero metagaming going on. They, like Conan, aren't trying to guess the HD and attack bonus of the camels: they're heroes... they fight whatever gets in their way.

if this is the case, introducing someone to their characters who can show them how they are not so powerful would be great. Also, it's always okay to be the survivalist voice in their head: "You realize attacking could very likely get you killed, Blackleaf." Finally, if none of this works, explain the mechanics, especially if you aren't playing 100% tailored games, from an out of game perspective. Sometimes if players don't understand, it's better to not skirt around the subject or make it an in-game experience that isn't exactly entertaining..

 

[Xarlen]

Just look around the board.

There's a *lot* of people who mention dragon tactics. Spells are a dragon's best friend (For instance, obscuring mist or Darkness and then using it's Blindsight). Or, one of my favorites, have a Green Dragon lair at the bottom of a lake, and thus it can attack any boats that go over it. Cast darkness on itself, then attack the boat.

Check out BADD's website and they have dragon tactics for you.

As for other things, I could give examples of Kobold tactics, if you want.

Flying or incorperal creatures should attack in positions where footing isn't good for who they're fighting. When their victims are on a ledge, climbing, uneven or slippery ground, etc.

Monsters should use Reach to their best ability. Standing up higher, or across gaps, continuing to step back and keep someone out of their range. Or have monsters use disarms, sunders, trips (Wolves especially).

Play up monsters' strenghts (Like you've been doing). A group of Grimlocks may have a sorceror that casts Pyrotechnics (Smoke) on a campfire, before running in and attacking the PCs. Maybe they're working for a Medusa, or have a pet basilisk.

Also, pit them against a monster they need to use strategy with. For example, a creature with damage reduction, and they don't have any weapons that can pierce it. Thus, they should try and grapple it, or have the fighter use Power Attack to overcome it's damage reduction.

 

[Xarlen]

Bump.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

My players' favorite tactic right now is for the enchanter to cast sleep, followed up with a flask of flaming oil from the pyromaniac druid.

It wreaked havoc on my hobgoblins-with-longspears-and-crossbows ambush last game, darned low will saves!

Rogues tumbling and sneak attacking, clerics buffing/healing the opposition, lots of missile troops, etc are all good tactics.

Wait 'till they encounter the blindfighting kobold monks in the dark caves. HIYAH!

 

[El Seso]

strategy

I had a DM (who turned me onto this forum actually) that pitted my first level party against a gargoyle. He wanted to show us that some first level characters never made it to second... Non-magic weapons did no damage to him, but one of players came up with the idea that falling damage effects pretty much anything. And since we were on the third level of a tower keep, we tied him up with rope and pushed him out a window. I don't think we made our DM happy that night

Love ya, J47!!!!

 

[Xarlen]

If you tied it up, why not just Coup De Gracing the sucker to death? The sheer damage would've surpassed the gargoyle's DR.

 

[El Seso]

Gargoyle

Two words:
Second edition, baby!!!
No Coup-de-cracing, no DR.

Besides. It's a much cooler story to tell people that we dropped a gargoyle out of a window.

The story gets longer, actually. Because the drop didn't completely kill it (he was MOSTLY dead), we followed after it. It jumped on a horse (don't ask me) and fled. We followed. When we caught up to it, we hog tied it again, threw one end of the rope over a particularly tall/strong tree, and hoisted the thing up and dropped it 'till we were sure it was dead.

I love this story.