Greetings, 3WD-verse! DM Chris here. If you’ve listened to the podcast, you’ve heard me talk often about how I feel my weakness at the table is combat. As funny as that seems, with D&D being spawned from wargames, I didn’t think my combat encounters had the verve or excitement that I experienced as a player in other campaigns. Roleplay, NPC interactions, exploration, description – those came more naturally for me. Truth be told, I’m not a very tactical guy.
Now, I could have pouted about it, but the more I’ve DM’d, the more I’ve come to discover that the learning never stops. Real wisdom, unlike its ability score equivalent, is gained over time and through trial. So first, I studied at the table, watching other DMs run their combat encounters. Then, I went out to the internet and researched how the larger community handled combat.
I’ve distilled all of it into these five simple concepts for now – Tempo, Deployment, Control, Deception, and Expectation. The overall theme is pulling back the player’s security blanket just enough to get the blood pumping. Maybe this is old news for you, but if you’re a little like me, maybe this gives you an idea or two on how to improve your own combat encounters.
1. Tempo – Dash
This one always felt counterintuitive to me. My creatures are over thirty feet from the party. Why would I spend my attack action to get close enough that the players would just whack me on their turn?
Plus, I felt like I needed to attack every round to be effective. So, time after time, I’d leave the band of goblins or skeletons standing almost close enough. Following my brief volley of arrows, the party would move in and mow them down before I had a chance to recover.
It wasn’t until I played Baldur’s Gate 3 on my PS5 that I discovered the unexpected advantage of dashing up to your opponents when you’re left outside of melee range by your regular movement. While it certainly opens your creatures up to attacks, it changes the dynamic of the combat. Now the PC can’t move away (without an attack of opportunity) and the tension rises when they’re making their attack. Think about it, they can smell the enemies’ breath. A miss and suddenly the danger is doubled. Dash can help you to dictate combat to the players, versus letting them dictate it to you.
2. Deployment – Waves
Obviously, more enemies means more danger. Even us non-tactical fellows understand that. But is a full frontal assault always the best path? It was for me at first, trotting out my full complement of enemies right at the start of combat. Sometimes the dice would go my way, but more often than not I would end up having them all cut down pretty quickly. Outside of an ambush, I was letting the players control the battlefield.
But what if the players didn’t know that the two goblins they’re facing aren’t the only ones? Now they might leave themselves vulnerable, confident in closing in for the supposed killing blows.
When I think of a perfect example of this, it’s when DM Lenny ran a Lost Mine of Phandelver campaign for us. Instead of using the classic goblin ambush that opens the adventure, with four goblins surprising the party at once, he split it into two waves. We confidently closed in with the much smaller force, only to be left out of position once the second wave of goblins appeared. Waves can be especially effective with a party that likes to rush in.
3. Control – Environmental Effects
As DMs, we spend much of our time encounter-building determining the right monster(s) for our players. Truth be told, three of the five concepts listed in this article directly involve enabling or enhancing our creatures. So I would spend countless hours picking out the perfect foil for my party. I’d even choose a battle map where I could take advantage of terrain and cover. But while the terrain added something to the combat, the players were still singularly focused on the opponents.
Then I read through Fantastic Lairs, a collection of capstone encounters created by Scott Gray, James Introcaso, and Mike Shea. If you don’t have it then you don’t know what you’re missing. It’s filled with beautifully crafted boss encounters, full of ideas for you to use in your own games. That being said, the idea that inspired me the most in the collection was the use of Environmental Effects. With the addition of a lava pit, lightning rod, or other dangerous goodies into my battle map, I now had a way to control and challenge my players in a more meaningful way. Cliffs and other difficult terrain are great for control, but nothing changes combat quite like a couple of lava pits.
4. Deception – Shenanigans
After a while, your players will have seen enough of your world to know what goblins or kobolds are. The Monster Manual and Volo’s Guide to Monsters have a multitude of variations on the basic monsters, but very often they’re just enhanced versions with stronger attacks and more hit points. I began to find that while they could challenge my players more, it also allowed them to fall into a pattern. What if the enemy did something truly unexpected?
Ah, Shenanigans. This concept is one of my favorites. I believe DM Tony was the one who started calling it that. It’s simple, yet remarkably empowering as a DM. Take your monsters, even the basic ones, and give them some new ability. For all intents and purposes, it’s homebrewing. But it’s homebrewing with a specific goal – giving your players a unique and challenging experience. Now when your players move in to attack the band of goblins, for example, they’ll be caught off guard when those same goblins Misty Step away into different positions.
5. Expectation – Be a Fan
For a long time, I would beat myself up after running sessions, confident that because I hadn’t knocked anyone out it wasn’t a satisfying experience for the players. I didn’t set the stakes high enough, or what have you. Besides my struggle with the tactical side of it, I also struggled with my perception of the results. In many ways, it was me versus them, right?
When I first read Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master by Michael Shea, it suddenly became clear what the issue was. It’s supposed to be about the player’s stories. So much of my anxiety was created by my incorrect perception of my combat and the results. I needed to stop thinking about them as the “enemy” and start leaning into their enjoyment of it. Now that certainly doesn’t mean that I still don’t want to knock them out on occasion to make sure they know the world is dangerous, it just means that as long as they are enjoying themselves, it’s a successful encounter.
Final Thoughts
These days, I don’t consider combat such a weakness anymore for me. Whether it is or isn’t for you, hopefully these concepts give you some ideas for your own combat encounters. I’d love to hear what you think and some of your own tips for improving combat. Finally, the reason why I wanted to share my experiences with you is to make an important point – don’t be afraid to acknowledge your weaknesses. Use them to find ways to improve your skills. There are answers out there, once you know what questions to ask.
And, on a final note, you’re definitely going to be rolling a lot of dice with these waves of monsters and environmental effects, so make sure to check out our affiliate link at FanRoll Dice to get 10% off your entire order!