D&D 5E (2014) Reverse Time Combat

[Lakesidefantasy]

I am going to run a combat encounter in reverse time. Do you have any advice for doing this?

I'm going to run initiative order from lowest to highest.

Everyone starts the encounter dead, with 0 hit points.

We will roll for attacks and damage but any damage will add to our hit point total.

At the "beginning" of the encounter one of the victorious opponents will deliver the killing blow to one of our dead characters and he will fall up with what few hit points he gained from the strike. In successive rounds this will happen to the other Players' Characters.

Unbeknownst to the Players this encounter began with a tripped alarm. Each round one or two of the opponents will run backwards out of the room.

When a enemy opponent reaches maximum hit points it will run backwards out of the room.

What do you think?

I'm not trying to actually run a combat encounter in reverse order, I'm trying to create the illusion of a reverse time combat where effects precede their causes.

 

[Rune]

Conceptually, I like it, but what are the players going to do throughout the combat? How will they even know what they can do? What will a PC’s turn look like? Will they be hitting opponents back to life and then running backwards away from them, too?

 

[Stormonu]

I'm trying to wrap my head around WHY you want to do this, but it is unique.

Might also want to consider expended spell slots/abilities - some or all start expended and when they are "used", they gain the slot/uses back until full. It might be interesting to do this in a form of bidding - "I'll end this combat with my 5th, two of my 4th and one of my 3rd level spells expended" - and that is the only spells/limited abilities they can use as they move backwards through the combat, the others being locked out for the sake of the fight.

 

[Lakesidefantasy]

I'm trying to wrap my head around WHY you want to do this, but it is unique.

Might also want to consider expended spell slots/abilities - some or all start expended and when they are "used", they gain the slot/uses back until full. It might be interesting to do this in a form of bidding - "I'll end this combat with my 5th, two of my 4th and one of my 3rd level spells expended" - and that is the only spells/limited abilities they can use as they move backwards through the combat, the others being locked out for the sake of the fight.

I thought about having some exploded furniture, burn scars, and other signs of arcane combat around. With the possibility to give the Players' Characters a boon for incorporating then into the encounter.

However, like Rune wrote, how would they know what they can do? I think I'm going to have to tell them what they can do.

A friend of mine told me the goal of this encounter is the opposite of "Don't Die", rather it's "You're Already Dead, Get Alive!" Damage gives you life, so seek it out.

 

[Lakesidefantasy]

Conceptually, I like it, but what are the players going to do throughout the combat? How will they even know what they can do? What will a PC’s turn look like? Will they be hitting opponents back to life and then running backwards away from them, too?

Yes, when an opponent is raised to maximum hit points they disengage from combat backwards (as a Reaction?) and leave the chamber.

Perhaps a charge bonus for Disengaging from an opponent to attack another opponent would give the Players a motivation?

 

[Stormonu]

I thought about having some exploded furniture, burn scars, and other signs of arcane combat around. With the possibility to give the Players' Characters a boon for incorporating then into the encounter.

However, like Rune wrote, how would they know what they can do? I think I'm going to have to tell them what they can do.

A friend of mine told me the goal of this encounter is the opposite of "Don't Die", rather it's "You're Already Dead, Get Alive!" Damage gives you life, so seek it out.

What about friendly fire? Any reason you wouldn't want a player to drop a fireball on all allies to "heal" them, or exclusively attack each other to get their side's hit points up and not the enemies?

 

[Lakesidefantasy]

It might be interesting to do this in a form of bidding - "I'll end this combat with my 5th, two of my 4th and one of my 3rd level spells expended" - and that is the only spells/limited abilities they can use as they move backwards through the combat, the others being locked out for the sake of the fight.

Perhaps the signs of chaos about the chamber server as clues to what spells and other powers can be used or used as a plausible excuse to use a power.

"Looks like we only get one use of fireball folks. Let's see who gets to it first, Phlogiston the Wizard or Solasta the Sorceress."

 

[Lakesidefantasy]

What about friendly fire? Any reason you wouldn't want a player to drop a fireball on all allies to "heal" them, or exclusively attack each other to get their side's hit points up and not the enemies?

The best I've been able to come up with for that is, No. We cannot attack our allies, nor can we heal our enemies.

This is a one-of-a-kind encounter. I expect it will require some Player cooperation and buy-in, but I want to make it fun and give them some tactical things to think about. But not too much.

 

[Rune]

The best I've been able to come up with for that is, No. We cannot attack our allies, nor can we heal our enemies.

This is a one-of-a-kind encounter. I expect it will require some Player cooperation and buy-in, but I want to make it fun and give them some tactical things to think about. But not too much.

In that case, perhaps you can incentivize the kind of results you’re looking for. Give them XP (or some other meta-currency) for each enemy that returns to full health and leaves the area. Make it clear that the goal of the scene is to see where it began and reward them when they get there.

 

[Benjamin Olson]

I'd have it begin with the fireball or whatever AoE that finished off the party being uncast, and getting most of the party up (along with maybe a mook enemy or two). Basically given that this is so experimental and odd I'd want to make sure it's a quick three round or less fight, with players being called upon to make only a few "unattacks" and a clear place where the party messed up which could be avoided if they then do it in forward time. By nature this is basically a participatory cut scene, and I wouldn't count on too much compliant participation.