“He cast what? FLEA! FLEA!”I cast "Magic Red Hot Chili Pepper Missile".
“He cast what? FLEA! FLEA!”I cast "Magic Red Hot Chili Pepper Missile".
One of my most spicy, fun combat scenarios involved the party going through a defect teleportation circle, which split the party all over the dungeon map. Two fighter-type PC's were trapped in a chamber filled with respawning skeletons, the rogue had to figure out a button-puzzle in the room next to it to end the respawn magic (pressing the wrong button would turn the trap chamber into an absolute murder pit), while the rest of the party was pondering on a riddle (that required multiple actions to solve) to unlock the door of the trap chamber. That was intense! My players loved it.I try to provide places for each PC to add to something. Something more than just attacking. Maybe the fighter is attacking, but there is also a trap going off that the rogue can disarm to make the rest easier, or it could be locked door that leads to escape or aid somehow. The wizard might be able to aid the rogue or decipher the runes that allow something cool to happen. There is always the option to just attack, but figuring out the other things make the combat easier.
I know may suggest doing this with the Big Bad and search for the McGuffins that allow the PCs to defeat him once you get the kryptonite, but I like to so something at least once per dungeon. If it is each combat, it gets harder to make cool opportunities and the players start to look for them. Which is not a problem at all and rather cool once they are thinking this way.
I actually used the 'dogpile' strategy last session because the barbarian NPC "does not like vitches". It did exactly what you said, a nice shakeup.One thing to do with "minion" type monsters is rather than attack with them, use them for the help action on your big centerpiece monster. When that monster now has advantage on a lot of attacks, its scarier than just some regular old minion hit.
Lots of good advice already. Another way to shake things up is the "kamikaze kill the player". The idea is that the combat is all about attacking one of the party, even to the monsters detriment. Have them take OAs, run through bad terrain all in the name of getting attacks on one player. It both makes a player the centerpiece, and others have to switch it up because now its about bodyguarding their buddy more than just killing the mobs. The idea I used this on was one player got into an urn that released some dust....effectively a material that made undead frenzy. And so they fought later on a group of undead that just bum rushed that one player.
Another classic, send in the reserves. Rather than starting a fight with everything on the board, start with half, making it look like a relatively easy encounter. Then suddenly the next wave arrives (preferably coming from the back!!!)