5 Easy Ways to make Combat Awesome in your RPG - FYC

Nothing is worse than combat that is repetitive, boring, pointless or just a plain waste of time. We take a look at 5 easy ways you can make combat interesting in your RPG, whether it is DnD or other role playing systems, these are 5 things you should consider!
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[@sXebroK3NhE4Rted]

It can also be helpful to look at armor as it relates to rolls. Using D&D as an example, if the enemy rolls above 10 but below the character's armor value, describe the blow being deflected by their armor. If it's above their armor value but not their shield, describe the attack being blocked. If a magical ring prevents the damage, describe it activating. It will reinforce the importance of their gear.

[@TheOnlyToblin]

This exactly. I annoys the crap out of me that bloody everything is describes as a miss, just because it didn't beat the armor class. Ever heard of armor deflection, parries, dodges?

[@allyjackson3561]

how i started doing it if they get below the 10 base they miss without the player needing to do anything. then dex is applied so the player dodges the attack, then the shield , so they block, after that we get armor, blow glances of the armor or doesn't pierce the whole way threw then natural armor.

[@nickwilliams8302]

Agree. Failure to beat an AC is not necessarily a "miss". If the AC is due to high DEX, then okay, but if it's due to actual _armor,_ it's probably a hit that's deflected by the armor. If an attack on a character with a shield misses by only 1 or 2, they deflected the blow with the shield.

[@poilboiler]

AC is kinda dumb, either a hit misses completely or it hits full force. But rolling on complex tables for body parts and how much armor is on that limb and so on is worse. :p

[@nickwilliams8302]

+potboiler Yeah. Not only is AC an abstraction, the entire D&D combat system is an abstraction. It's only loosely related to actual combat (go check out a HEMA channel like Scholagladiatoria or Skallagrim if you don't believe me). The RPG "Cyberpunk2020" had a combat system they called "Friday Night Firefight" that actually tracked the things you refer to. It was insanely lethal. As in, "If you take one serious hit to the head, you're rolling up a new character." lethal. In CP2020's defence, _that's actually a pretty good simulation of reality._ But who wants _that?_ The AC/HP approach allows for cinematic combats. Actually simulating - in any meaningful way - a combat between a group of humanoids and a gigantic dragon would be pretty one-sided after all. Dragon breathes fire. Party dies. The end.

[@echorome6260]

I quite like the tip I saw on reddit: sometimes players have a night where they just cannot roll over 5. It can be quite disheartening to see your level 12 fighter turn into a butterfingers and getting slapped around by a single kobold. You love this character and usually enjoy playing them, but a night of "I swing my sword" "Miss, miss, miss" "I swing my sword" "Miss, miss, miss" Can really suck the fun out of it and drain your enthusiasm for the character. The solution is to no longer use the word miss- make the kobold's evasion a thing it is actively doing to the character because the character is so terrifying "The kobold somehow spots the glimmering of steel which would certainly have ended its existence, so it panickingly darts between the fighters legs. The fighter feels the soft caress of its tail against his upper thigh unexpectedly, and is momentarily incapable of combat while he reevaluates his surroundings". You can do the same with npc misses too. They didn't miss, but their steel was expertly parried, or the PC did a matrix dodge and caught the arrow mid air, snapping the shaft to taunt the attacker. Make the miss something that the PC did to the attacker, rather than just a miss.

[@hellokev6645]

My DM actually did this. Our characters went to Hell and we had to essentially fight some demon vegetables. One was a beyblade like cabage and when it "missed" he described it as "The Cabbage leaps at you but the chainmail armor blocks it's buzzsaw like attacks, sparks flying from the point of impact before it bounces off." I remember that moment foundly and love to try to do it when I DM.

[@jacksonbanks1396]

Gore can be a hard point to judge... Many people are ok with gore, thinking swords and things like that, then they move into a messy weapon... My artificer is still mentally scarred from the time she rolled a crit and killed someone with a vial of acid. . . My description freaked the player out a bit, and she has been RPing with it so that character has NEVER used acid since... I spoke to the player after the game, and she was fine with my description, but she had never considered what acid would do to a human . . . (well halfling in this case)... let alone if it hit, broke in a spray while the victim gasps inhaling large amounts of the stuff (it was a crit after all)

[@reagangaitens7154]

Jackson Banks I mean technically speaking if it happens again you could have the acid strong enough to corrode so fast that the nervs are gone before they even send pain signals to the brain, killing the person quick and painlessly

[@mathewhale3581]

Ha! Had a similar event with a severed hand. A droog was reaching for a gun on the floor and the pc sword swiped his arm a little too effectively and max damaged the hand clean off. The Character (who was just 15 and had never killed anyone before) was aghast at the result and the Player played that character as having a quivering aversion to damaged hands/fingers for years afterward. Entirely his own choice mind you but it fit the situation and character development perfectly.

[@robertnett9793]

@@reagangaitens7154: For this it must be a hell of an acid... I suggest flourid acid, literally the devild pee-pee....

[@reagangaitens7154]

@@robertnett9793 devils pee pee 😂😂😂

[@Crow_Yes]

Weird flex but okay

[@smithcustomguitarco]

“Talk to your players about how comfortable they are with gore” *goes on immediately to describe horrifyingly gruesome examples*

[@mateusz3844]

As for your second point: I play with my 6 and 7 years old kids and when it comes to combat they do all the job not only describing fighting of both characters but also acting it out (with lots of jumping and rolling around the room). Plus they add a lot of these subtle additional flavours to each fight like putying an opponent into a baloon, letting it fly up the sky and then shooting it with an arrow to watch them fall to certain splashy death. That helps a lot because my imagination has its limits 😊

[@colinsanders9397]

Putting the enemy in a balloon. That's gotta be one of the best ideas I've ever heard.

[@WandersNowherre]

I'd add another one: Environment. Combats don't take place in a void (except in fantasy settings where they sometimes literally do, ha) and in real life fighting is a messy, generally clumsy business in which two or more individuals flail around in whatever space, likely colliding with whatever else occupies that space. This is where the fun starts. Have enemies kick chairs at the PCs or put tables between them, or knock over a rack of weapons as they fumble to retreat. Describe the loud *crack* as a fallen character clocks their skull on a flagstone. Make those Natural 1's work in a way that's more interesting than 'you drop your weapon' or 'you stumble and leave an opening'. Enemy minions can trip and tumble screaming down stairs. Trips, shoves, and grappling become game changers. It's frequently the "Big boss with lots of HP" fights that can drag and get really boring when the boss and the party stand in one place hacking at each other. Powerful bosses and big monsters can start *feeling* really huge and intimidating when that ogre picks up the halfling one-handed and throws him into a pit, or that dragon tail-whips and smashes a pillar, bringing a rain of debris down on the party. Use space to make the party feel exposed and mobile or cornered and claustrophobic . Have the wyvern grab a party member and fly off with them, leading to a wild chase up the mountain as the captured character struggles and their fellows ride after the beast, shooting, trying to bring it down before it dumps their friend into a nest full of its hungry babies. Look at some of the cooler fights in films and video games for inspiration to make the combat feel cinematic. I think the sense of momentum and movement are very important to consider; cinematic combat is like music. Is it a slow, stomping, brutal march, or a fast-paced, zipping, chaotic whirlwind of sound and energy? Is this battle a rollicking, cheerful barroom brawl or a terrifying, desperate defense against a sudden assault or the tragic, fatal duel of a long-hunted foe finally brought to heel? All things to consider :)

[@jesternario]

I once had an npc necromancer who's spells looked QUITE DIFFERENT from the standard "he casts a green bolt of pure necroplasm." He didn't just raise skeletons or zombies to aid him, he temporarily resurrected a warrior from their respite, who appeared as they did in life and had accepted to help him until the battle was over. He didn't shoot a bolt of green energy with his enervations, he fired a bolt of bright neon purple that filled you with so much life energy that you actually lost some in the transference. Essentially he wasn't an evil necromancer, he was a wizard that brought life to the dead for a short time and asked them politely for help him. Perspective can easily be changed with the correct descriptions.

[@RWAKitty]

As an important side note, you can massively expand the resources at your disposal using this technique. I think a lot of players and DMs get caught up in the rules of a thing. You dig through piles of books, scan online resources, go buy a new monster manual so that you can run that exact creature in your next session. We tend to forget that the mechanics of these games are essentially just twiddling numbers and rolling dice. The FEEL of a thing is almost entirely in its description. You can borrow the mechanics of a magic item, a monster or a class, give it a completely different description and it will be, for all intents, a completely different thing in your game. "Re-skinning" game mechanics can really open up a lot of potential, I use it all the time. And many players won't even notice.

[@jesternario]

Exactly.

[@acm4bass]

nice character choice, having a delusional necromancer try to argue he is good to the torch bearing mob. A+

[@jesternario]

He wasn't a delusional necromancer. As the GM, I actually did narrate his spell effects as above. I even added an effect where the spells could heal the living if used on them. Being the GM gives you that kind of power. Don't stick to what is written in the book. Think outside the box and your games can go from great to epic.

[@RWAKitty]

IMO not just the GM, imagination is the purview of the players too, even beyond just their characters' actions. The GM makes the final ruling, of course, but I find a lot of players seem to feel restricted to what's in the book when deciding what they can and cannot do.

[@toothless420]

I still remember that one cultist our GM described to us. After he was sit on fire by a fire spell after being silent for the entire encounter, he just started to laugh. Cackling laughter as he burned to death. That really spiced up the fight.

[@Skellybeans]

Guy thinks the bone in the upper arm is the femur. Hahaha That's humerus

[@raptoren3660]

Genius

[@brandonanderson7626]

Yes a fellow dad!

[@LunarOutlawsGarage]

That is Humerus 😂

[@jacobhulburt8316]

Lol

[@shan-richlemmer5382]

Fantastic👏👏👏👏

[@fnglert]

"How do you want to do this?" Is underrated brilliance.

[@tafua_a]

I am definitely stealing that for my future sessions.

[@TheGuardDuck]

Hasn't it become cliche yet? I'm mean, it's still cool.

[@ashtonpeterson4618]

The suprise reveal of you striking the final blow and getting to describe it, is so fun for everyone. My group loves it.

[@fnglert]

@@ashtonpeterson4618 The DM in my online games, DMs the person striking the killing blow to tell them to describe it. It's great fun.

[@davewilson13]

My players lit up when I first asked this, they’ve never watched CR but felt so empowered after a tough fight .

[@r.downgrade5836]

Funny thing about describing your spells, and specifically fireball, I always thought it made sense that, once it exploded, it erupted in mystic tendrils of fire that lashed around in unnatural ways (as opposed to a non-magical explosion which is simply an expanding sphere), and that explained why a DEX-save was used because you're twisting your body away, or at least trying to, so you keep as much of the direct tongues of flame and their magically fueled heat from you as possible.

[@The482075]

I played an evasive fighter, who was brilliant at dodging blows but terrible at landing blows in melee combat. I described them becoming increasingly embarrassed and frustrated with every hit that did not land. Then when this fighter eventually hit the opponent, there was a sense of achievement. They yelled "YES!" That made the combat more memorable for me.

[@Cobalt_Kraken]

I did this with my Warlock/Rogue, he was a pirate who made a pact with Davy Jones after he drown so visually I made my powers very pirate themed for example my Eldritch Blast would summon a spectral canon to blast my foes.

[@CaesarLvcivs]

It's just infuriating that every time I make cool description for my powers, instead of just *roll damage*, the GMs seem to get bored and be like "Uh... Kay... Just roll accuracy and damage."

[@toryunaminosaki1022]

Me: I cast prismatic spray GM: What color is it? Me: *puts on glasses* Disco.. xp

[@cynicalclusterfuck5605]

But.. Disco isnt... But... Ok.

[@Nizati]

YEEEEEEEEEEAHHHHHH

[@Purgosmusic]

As the force of magic leaves you hand. A spray of dazzling colors of celestial lights blast towards the enemy. He try's to dodge it. He rolls an 8. You concentrate your energy on your enemy. What color does your energy become?

[@GwresYnKernow]

The second point regarding descriptions of magic spells is something I've always been a fan of Liam's efforts in from Critical Role season 2, especially earlier on in the campaign.

[@milesmatheson1142]

Agreed, 100%! Watching him play is one of the reasons I'm hyped to play a Wizard.

[@Dragonking0]

Yessss! You get an idea of what spell he’s casting and how just from describing the components, it’s awesome.

[@JackVinson]

Agree as well. Caleb is making me reconsider the idea of using spell components instead of the spell focus.

[@karacrash95]

Caleb is the reason I'm playing a wizard in my buddy's campaign

[@kyleweir689]

I've adopted this approach as my wizard and sorcerer. It makes playing the magic users EVEN MORE fun

[@MW-ty5zw]

If you play a spellcaster in DnD and you're uncreative when it comes to describing spells I advise you to use a component pouch instead of an arcane focus. Most of the spells have rituals and components written down. You can either just run with how WotC choose to describe the spell or you can twist and tweak it. For example, fireball: "I reach into my component pouch and take a pinch of sulfur. I throw it in the air in front of me and begin to chant while painting strange symbols into the air. Those of you standing close to me can feel the air grow colder as well as an imploding sound as I am drawing the magic all around me into a single point. I then point towards a space in the room as I cast fireball. The enemies in this area need to beat a DC is 16 dex saving throw."

[@nerdletter3773]

I came here for GM tips and I came out realizing I did nearly all of this already as a player.

[@Konpekikaminari]

I often like to use the damage roll to determine my attack descriptions, high scores result in more brutal attacks and vice versa

[@RaphaelLamour]

That's brilliant sir! I have some suggestions to: describe the weather in fight, the wet floor, heavy wet clothes, thunder crossing skies when the enemy attacks, or the weight of things, like the massive noise thar a giant troll makes when he hits the ground or his huge club hitting a tree! The burning pain of fire or acid on skin.. something that gives that raw flavor of a violent battle. awesome videos!

[@MW-ty5zw]

That's a great idea. I love it.

[@FriendlyNeighborhoodDM]

You know what else is awesome? You are my good sir! Thanks for all the awesome information and insight!

[@larsdahl5528]

1:46 #1 Weapon type 4:15 #2 Color 6:16 #3 Gore 8:17 #4 Emotion 9:49 #5 Senses Important point: 1:07 "Slow combat quite a lot" As it is the main problem with most of this list. #1 and #3 Depend highly at the RPG system used: Do it have a good combat system? Then fine! If the War Hammer (in the system) really can cripple an arm, then it is interesting to know that the opponent now have a useless arm. But if it is D&D / Pathfinder or systems similar to those, where all weapons all only deliver HP damage, then NEVER use #1 and #3, as 1:09 "Sometime a hit is just a hit. Sometimes a miss is just a miss." for those systems is not only "Sometimes" it is "Always". #2 Careful with this one: Do the color convey any information? - If not, it just 1:07 "Slow combat quite a lot". And it will often just make the players cringe: "My pink Fire Bolt with red sparkling hearths in it...!". #4 Can be really crucial, but again depend highly at the RPG system used: In StarWars it is important, as emotions determine what side of the force is used! Know your monsters: The Monster Manual describe the Goblin as being coward, so: No! It will not fight desperately, it will run off instead! Having the goblin run off is far more interesting in the aspect of making combat awesome, as it speed up combat quite a lot! And the goblin is still alive (Which make things far more interesting, as the goblin can thus pass on information!) and, not to forget, keep its loot! Question to all GMs: When was last time you did have NPCs run off? If the answer is: Recently ... Then awesome! But if the answer is: Never ... Then awful. As maybe you are a DM (Disaster Master) who always have NPCs continue fighting until they are all dead? What I think people often forget is: Pain, quite often an inflicted wound is painful! In some situations painful enough for to make that combatant surrender. Surrender is an interesting aspect in making combat awesome. Again: It speed up combat quite a lot, and it opens up for some good role play in the "What should we do with our captives?" question! And ... Repeat the above question for you GMs about running off, just with surrender this time... Yes, as said: It depend highly at the RPG system used: As in D&D, Pathfinder and similar systems, no one ever feel pain in combat, so skip #4 for those systems. Kinda weird, now I think about it: Many tabletop wargames have better rules, for breaking morale in combat, than most role playing games have! #5 This one should be "of course" for all GMs. The GM should remember that the GM is the senses of the PCs! Always, not only in combat, but always! I think "senses" are a topic important enough to make (not only one but) several videos about, as it is a topic I have seen many GMs been lacking at!

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

Thank you Lars. I really appreciate the time stamps. Is there anything you'd like me to cover in a video?

[@verdurite]

How to be a Great Game Master you didn't ask me (lol) but have you done a video on players new to roleplaying in the sense of not knowing how to approach it. Should i describe more, act better, and what do to if i feel like i am too boring at the table especially with an online group

[@joaogabrielstefano4105]

not only he reads the comments, as he asks for direct feedback and thanks for that. Is this How to Have a Great KZbin Channel? and yeah, I definetely agree with you on the 5#

[@larsdahl5528]

I think a "How to get the PCs into the leading roles and let them stay there!" would be interesting. As there are many things that can steal the limelight from the PCs. A campaign I was part of recently did terminate due to the GM reduced the PCs to spectators. In something I was GM for recently, I managed to get the plot to steam roller one of the PCs. - Quite embarrassing as I should not commit such a GM noob mistake! But I try to comfort myself with that this is a common category of GM failures, I (sadly enough) see far too often! Some common categories I have seen: The antagonist (and supporters) become the lead role(s), reducing the PCs to spectators. The plot/story take the lead, taking away the PCs free will. (Sometimes called "Railroading".) The RPG rules hog the attention. The players more often have their noses in the rule books than in their character sheets. (Sometimes called "Rule Play".) The dice take over. Now it look more like a game of yatzee. (Sometimes called "Roll Play".) --- I think "Remember: Role Play is the PCs's story, not the GM's or anything else's story!" is a topic worth covering, as it seems the RPG community need to be reminded of it, once in a while!

[@alessandrobruschi2445]

I actually disagree with you. I do agree that, especially in tactical games like D&D or Pathfinder you should not describe EVERY swing, but saying you should NEVER do so is equally wrong. Significant hits should be described, death blows should be described, criticals and fumbles should be described, especially the players ones, it make them feel good about their character and add flavor to the game. I also disagree on 2. One of the best part about magic is being creative with it and that goes also for tactical games. I do agree that the GM should not lose time describing the NPCs spells if they are just throwaway encounters, but giving symbology to the recurring villain spells will add flavor and character, same for the PCs, all wizards are the same, until one wizard really likes purple and all his spells have this weird neo-gothic feeling to them while the other is a very happy-go-lucky guy favoring primary colors and flashy moves. Mostly, I do not see the system as a limiter here. Sure, the system might say that you are as efficient at 1% health or 100% health, but I do not see the reason to not have vivid descriptions even when they have no mechanical effects. So even #4 I see as crucial even in games with no morality or morale systems because the players and the characters surely have those, and completely agree with #5, senses are very important at all times and often GMs forget there is more than vision, though of course a good balance between nice descriptions and long, boring purple prose must be struck

[@louispearson8306]

My Number 3 Tips for Combat: 1) Weakness' - You and every enemy should have weakpoints, a method for easy killing to reward plays for analyze and descriptive combat 2) Environment - Boulders up on a hill, Tree trunks blockading the fight, Fire pit in the centre, a cauldron with boiling liquid; anything to allow the players to be more creative and provide an alternative to just rolling the dice 3) Dialogue - Good villains and mobs will shout things that goad players, Good players will have catch phrases, insults aphorisms to add depth and meaning to the fight

[@3004Marbles]

Here's another idea: Let's say that a character has a 15 base armor class, and that they're wearing a shield, which gives them +2 AC (So the total AC is 17). If a monster rolls to attack and rolls either a 16 or 17, how about the DM says something like "you protect yourself with the shield" or something like that? This can work in many other ways. for example, the unarmored AC is 10+Dex mod. So, with the same character as before (17 AC with shield), let's say they have a Breastplate (14+Dex mod) and a dexterity mod of 1. (Don't forget the shield for the +2). We could say the if a creature rolls to hit, if the dice lands between 2 and 11 (unarmored AC), the character avoids the attack with their movements. Between 12 and 15, their armor protected them from the attack, and between 16 and 17, they protected themselves with the shield.

[@yanderenejoyer]

oooooooOOOO The shield should come before the armor

[@3004Marbles]

Shiroe-san Huh, good thinking. That actually makes a lot of sense and I never thought of that.

[@mehashevra4804]

Of course don't forget magical resistances I.E force effects, enchanted rings. And natural armor that many creatures have.

[@Gorosbiggerbrother]

oooooooOOOO i already do that in my campaigns and players love it. It makes item and skill choices matter more for my players( since most are trying to be cool)

[@denistereshchenko2505]

@@Gorosbiggerbrother Me too!

[@heykenzo4284]

I think this is one of the most fun things to do as a DM. I, particularly, love to choreography the fight scenes in my head, so when a player tells me what he wants to do, I have pretty easy time figuring out how that would play out. This is specially satisfying when I'm able to get a good reaction from the players.

[@justintime5021]

I recently played a warlock on service to the fairy queen. I reflavored all of the spells to be more sailor moon esque. Eldritch blast became twilight glitter burst, shatter became starlight breaker, hellish rebuke became rebuke of the fairy queen, etc. Mechanically they stayed the same but everyone was having a lot of fun listening to me explain exactly how shining bubble cataclysm (investiture of wind) looks.

[@theredneckunicorn9752]

Point on #3... if your players do not like gore... describe the feeling of the impact from the players perspective. From the stabbing example: "As your blade makes contact with the body, you feel you blade make purchase between the armor plates. The metal on metal contact vibrates through your arm"

[@TheSuperQuail]

25 minutes before my next session starts. Perfect timing as always, sir!

[@matthewbrown1378]

Effect storytelling, love it.

[@bennal5243]

I thought the part where he couldn't read the notes was a skit leading to having a good amount of adaptability lol. Very good and helpful video anyway!

[@MrGunar22]

There's actually one deceptively simple method to make combat more interesting - as well as the healing that goes on both during and after the combat (which most DMs and players gloss over entirely). I suppose it's a mixture of 1, 3, and 5? I run a 5e campaign I call Cthulhu Realm. It's meant to be a sandbox, roleplay-based campaign There are a lot of little details I like to put into combat, especially, to reflect that idea : combat has a tendency to be more difficult, and have far more consequences than just a change in HP and XP. The most recent example of this was actually just two days ago - two players drew two NPCs into an alleyway to kill them (posed as allies when they were really competitors). That combat was actually over pretty quickly, and not much damage was dealt to the PCs - the one hit that landed with any force was just a shallow cut along the legs. Both the PCs used sharp weapons, however, and one of their victims began screaming before he died. This drew guards, who in turn did a lot more damage to the player characters. This is where the detail really starts to come into play. They're in a city, being hunted by guards. They were only seen for two or three turns, so there wasn't any specific information for the guards to have gathered, there. What they did know, however, were the wounds that they had inflicted upon the PC's. One made away with a large, deep, bleeding gash along her back (they're 3rd-level characters, and the one hit took almost half her health), and the other fled with a series of smaller, but still deep and bleeding wounds (three or so hits that left him at 1hp, exactly). They can't let the wounds go untreated for a few reasons - it would make them easily identifiable, and the blood loss would eventually be kind of a big deal (exhaustion). If we want to backpedal, the fact that the PCs used sharp weapons was also kinda used against them - after they had killed the two NPC's, they had dragged them around a few corners to buy time to loot. Thing is, it didn't work too well, because there was still a fairly obvious blood trail (One had been stabbed repeatedly in the throat, I don't remember about the other). In case it isn't clear enough : my point is that the actual wounds inflicted *on the character* can actually make for important, interesting roleplaying opportunities. Having to hide certain scars, wanting to show off others, that sort of thing. It also brings a more important roleplaying aspect to healing, and the aesthetic effectiveness of said healing.

[@dominikschwarz2456]

So, in fact there is only one easy way to make combat awesome: "Use vivid descriptions". I was hoping you'd give me something beyond "descriptive text" (and props. Never underestimate props). Again, very good video for beginners.

[@GymbalLock]

Ideally, the players would be explaining this detail. A follow-up video would be how to teach how to use descriptive language to players.

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

In my experience "exposure" usually does the trick... What I mean is to just use the descriptive language as often and remarkably as you can as the GM... Over time, Players will ask whenever they hear some term(s) that they don't understand, so you can clue them in... Then... when they start using the same language (because language is a bonding social element, too) you reward their efforts. At my Table, narrative skills and story craft are the medium of barter and trade... Quite often, being able to describe what the PC is doing well and eloquently can diminish the needs for die rolls and randomness... It won't eliminate them of course, but being able to more exactly and colorfully describe what you're trying to accomplish can at least garner some bonus to the endeavor... It doesn't have to be a monumental bonus, and most Players will quickly start to figure out that even a +1 bonus is worth a few extra words to articulate how exactly he or she is trying to hit an opponent, or whatever... ;o)

[@magisterwarjomaa3858]

Indeed. The players should almost always be the ones describing the hits and misses of their characters...sometimes even those of their opponents. Gets the players to participate in the storytelling or at least in scene descriptions. As an added bonus, their imagination or lack thereof is a good indicator to the GM if a particular player is in fact invested/motivated enough in the game - or whether they should be shown the door.

[@MartinTraXAA]

A good mix I think is the player describing what they attempt to do, and the DM then describes what the actual result is. Gives both a good chance to add flavor and make things interesting!

[@tafua_a]

@@magisterwarjomaa3858 I always try to do that. And then thenext turn the Ranger kills my attempts dead with his trademark catchphrase: "Hunter's Mark, then I shoot him".

[@mennograafmans1595]

We sometimes use those sensual dice. The one that says what you need to do to a certain bodypart. For combat, you only roll the bodypart dice. I killed a half-orc by thrusting my spear into his right foot. If you roll very low in social contact, you have to roll both. It's quite funny to be thrown out of a tavarn because someone tried to massage the barmaids eyeballs.

[@liamcullen3035]

Something I want to do is try to change the way I describe missed attacks. Often in games I’ve played, when a player misses it’s just amounted to “Oh, I missed”, or the DM (sometimes me) will describe the miss as the player doing something silly and unheroic. Sometimes a humorous fail is great, and sometimes a miss is just a miss, but I think it can also undercut the heroic tone of the player characters if it happens too often. Instead, if the player has missed an attack against a powerful enemy, I want to use that as an opportunity to describe how strong, devious or skilled that enemy is. Such as “The Liche cackles as he deflects your spell with the umbral arcane focus on his staff”, or “The Blackguard catches your sword in his mailed fist and jostles you with a snarling thrust”. Even a pathetic skeleton will sometimes manage to parry an attack with its decrepit shield or rusted sword, or the player might strike some invulnerable part of a creature. This also goes for failed stealth checks. I can’t tell you how lame I feel when my heavily armoured paladin fails a stealth check (which happens frequently) and it is described as “you trip and land on your face” or something similar. In the right moment a bit of comedy can be perfect, but when it happens all the time it makes my character seem more fool than hero. Sometimes people fail at stealth for reasons beyond their control, such as a break in the clouds allowing some moonlight to glint off your armour, or a loud and angry bird swooping at you to protect its nest! Of course, this all depends on you and your players and what kind of tone you want. If one of my your players loves to fail humorously, then providing them with frequent goofball moments is a good thing. And, as was said in the video, descriptions shouldn’t be done so frequently that they bog down the flow of play. It’s fine for a miss to sometimes just be a swing and a miss! But sometimes, I think it’s an opportunity to show the power of a foe, and to make players’ characters a little less responsible for the frequent failures of the dice.

[@BarneyxStinson98]

Over the last month, I've been creating a super simple/super satisfying D&D world from the ground up and molding existing mechanics and systems to create a great beginner level game to host for my friends. The first 3 weeks were spent creating the physical world as well as the overarching story that will be the initial campaign. After getting those far along, I seemed to be rather slowed down once creating fully functioning and well rounded mechanics to go with it. However, I was able to borrow some books/guides to use as reference and, the same day, I found your channel! I've been binging your videos all week while reading these books and furiously filling my notes with pointers, tips, and tricks! The amount of information you give out is absolutely staggering and every video brings me new insight on a element that I either couldn't work out or hadn't known existed in the first place! I really just wanted to say thank you so much. You've really helped me out a lot and have made me have even MORE fun creating this amazing world!

[@jaysw9585]

Can't say I really agree with the video. Sure descriptions are fine, but it drags out the combat when your describing every hit. Combat slows the game down significantly as players wait their turn and adding big descriptors only makes it more burdensome. I would limit combat descriptors to only death blows, and give a condition update as the NPC becomes more wounded so the players can see how effective they have been and get a since of how much progress they are making.The best way to make combat interesting is to add environmental controls. Make things happen during combat that forces the players to make a role-playing decision. This will cause players to come up with ideas and find interest in the encounter as they plot the best way to deal with the evolving situation. Such as the NPCs start throwing fire bombs, catching the surroundings on fire, forcing the players to deal with a spreading fire. Archers take position above them. Tree's fall in the players path. A wall collapses. A fog, or noxious gas effects the players.Combat should never consist of players just trading blows, no matter how descriptive. The terrain is as much a part of the encounter as the combatants.

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

I agree - not every blow need be a paragraph.

[@jacobhulburt8316]

Our DM didn't really describe gore in detail, so I describe it in my head my own way. For example: I was fighting 2 normal goblins and a bigger, badder, boss(ish) goblin(the rest of the party were dealing with a group of hobgoblins) and I was using a greatsword. The DM said I cut all three in half because each hit got a kill. What I saw in my mind was: I sliced a goblin in half horizontally. The second goblin took a swipe (and missed) and ran. I brought my sword up diagonally and cut that one in half. The last goblin, Lupo, saw I killed his lackeys, so he ran. I chased. When he turned to see if I was there, I jumped, and brought my sword with all my strength (and some thunderous power because I cast thunderous smite) down onto his head. The sword sliced directly through his skull, down through his neck, directly through his spine, and out his crotch. The ground rang with a thunderous *BOOM* as the sword finished it's descent. The body stood still for a second before gravity took hold and the body split and bounced slightly when it made contact with the floor. It was my most proud moment

[@jacksonh6797]

Hey man, that’s just as cool! Keeps things fluid for your friends, and you get your cool moment!

[@jglopez5855]

Thank you Guy! I have been binge-watching your channel. I´ve begun DMing a few months ago and your tips and gameplays helped me a lot in developing my own style at the table. As sessions go by, I feel much more confident and confortable, and my players are giving me a lot of feedback regarding what they expect from the game and from me as a GM. Every time I feel like I'm stuck with something, there is a video in your channel that helps me approach my problem in a very comprehensive manner .

[@WisdomThumbs]

The way you describe polearm combat isn’t all there. But, that IS the style an expert fighter would use with any manner of axes. And in a pinch one could, theoretically, twirl their spear or halberd nearly as effectively when gaps open in a melee. No normal soldier would try that, but players don’t generally want “normal.” But otherwise polearm fighters would grapple and thwack heads/limbs in the press of a melee. (provided they can’t step back and thrust)

[@andrewwilliams528]

That's a really cool jacket. I know that has nothing to do with the video but still.

[@chloedance9316]

A very well made point about colour! I generally ignore spell descriptions from the book and come up with my own. Adding a theme to the magic that a charter wields is a great way to add your own signature to things and craft a style for them.

[@cheyannebridges]

any other GMs whipping out a notepad everytime he uploads? lol

[@MrJackOfAllTraits]

there's something refreshing to watch this video and see you stop and pause because you can't read your notes rather than going in post-production and editing that bit out. makes it feel like i'm having a conversation with you and it's nice.

[@Just-Radke]

I like the magic description flavor: Butcher did this in the Dresden files, everyone's spells were slightly personalized... good stuff!

[@jlwizard97]

This video was an instant subscribe. I love the enthusiasm you have in creating a vivid world for your players, and I hope I can borrow some of that enthusiasm to bring to my own game!

[@BlackRainRising]

I absolutely love doing descriptions of things, "hit" and "miss" are pfft, 9/10 you're not "missing" you're just not landing a blow that has adverse side effects (damage), like I had a dual wielder attack the paladin that got 3 swings, didn't hit his AC so he "missed" instead I described the 3 strikes glanced and bounced off the paladin's armor and be confused as he was sure those strikes were solid. Makes it more fun and immersive, give them their own descriptions of how their high damaging strikes do or describing the light glances... it's all for flavor but if you play on the injuries created they can have more fun.

[@PaulDige]

As a multi decade, multi generational DM, I must say that this was on point. You just earned another subscriber. Great job!

[@eskimoprime09]

With tip #3 I thought that was going to be a shot at "make sure you have well-written notes!"

[@DrPotatoPerson]

I played a hexblade warlock whos weapon was meant to be a tool of imprisonment, so I themed everything around chains for him. His eldritch blast was an ethereal chain that shot out from his palm, his fly spell was chains wrapping around him to form wings, and etcetera and so forth.

[@Tasfarel]

Very nice topic and video. In my games i try to encourage my players to describe their actions in combats from time to time as well. In my opionion this is keeping the combat more entertaining an is keeping the players more focused than the sixt round of: Roll your attack - you missed/ your hit. The original longsword was a blunt weapon, too. A sword was used to break the bones of your enemy instead of cutting through flesh. There´s no use in a sharp blade, if you´re opponent is cladded in iron armor. As ballistic weapons advanced in a way that they could puncture such armor, people began to wear less armor to gain more movability. At this point the blades where sharpend and used for piercing and cutting as well.

[@killfear]

6:00 - very fun! the Dmsguild "5 Color Mana Spell Point Variant Rules" restructures the 8 schools of magic into the 5 color mana paradigm of Magic the Gathering: every spell is literally color-based, and idescribes different scenarios how this would be described in game. Identical intent as you describe here.

[@milesmatheson1142]

Looking forward to playing my first Wizard, for the second reason. I plan on skinning the Fly spell as a glass disc, which expands to accommodate a single creature, allowing me to zip around like Static Shock in the cartoon, yet using true science to backup my spells; sound waves (vibrating molecules) can cause things to levitate when they bounce between the ground and another object.

[@primeemperor9196]

My DM uses a special chart for crits. Whenever we get a critical hit, we roll a 30-sided die, and get a certain outcome, which can range from instantly killing the opponent to dealing up to 4 times damage. The same goes for fumbles. If a character fumbles, they also roll the die, and the outcome can vary from dropping the weapon to your weapon breaking. We also do "called shots" where you can attack a specific area on a creature for massive damage, but at a -4 to your attack.

[@Gamers0011]

Thank you so much for this video. I'm a very new GM and was struggling a bit with how to describe my combats in detail, making them more exciting. I believe that your tips will definitely improve my game for me and my players!

[@bigbuffwolf1]

My first GM did this kind of combat and was very descriptive of actions. Its what got me hooked on DnD. Thanks for sharing this stuff!

[@allycard]

it has been one of the things i have been incorporating in my game recently. usually after damage Is done if it is below average it is a meh discription but if they roll max or near max on their damage i will give a discription along with a possible debuff upon the enemy. in one game the rogue got a sneak attack in that was max on the whole bach of dice almost killed the guy. so "you come from behind the bandit running your short sword across his stomach bringing his entrails out he drops to his knees trying to keep it all in." more or less he was at a next hit will kill him so i had him helpless after such an after such an attack usually it depends on who makes the hit depends on how much gore i describe.

[@wyattbranham4919]

This is very useful advice. That's why I like this channel. I'm trying to run a game again, once this stuff is over.(Taking advantage of the free time to world build, and writing down stats for various wild life and setting up characters for the main area at the start of the adventure.)

[@alexandercross9081]

Swords are the most versitile weapons, they can stab, they can slash, they can bludgeon, there is no part of a sword that can't be used to kill someone

[@tortture3519]

Jack off all trades, master of none. Still sometimes better than a master of one.

[@Aplesedjr]

All weapons are like that if you hit hard enough.

[@alexandercross9081]

@@Aplesedjr true, but there is no if with the sword, all you have to be able to do is think outside the box

[@MrDmitriRavenoff]

We do some basic hits, then we often do a turn overview as to what happened. Fighter comes in with a mighty slash, but the monster bats it aside. While he is busy a sorcerer let's loose a mighty blast of flame roasting the monsters left side, filling the sor with soot and the smell of roasting meat. As the monster recoils from the heat the thief dashes forward and sinks his dagger expertly into a bit that seems important. With a guttural screech the monster goes limp and flops bonelessly to the ground.

[@TheCyberGoblin]

Definitely agree with the second point. I have a Bladesinger who's spells are all red normally but blue when he's actually using the bladesong.

[@hannahf5796]

Love this video! Combat is something I've always struggled with as a GM and this gave me some ideas to make it more descriptive and engaging. Thanks!

[@davidwoek3041]

This is such a well presented tips video! It's very useful, thank you very much and please make more content!

[@Glowcrowify]

I think this was a bit of an eye-opener - I now realize that this is exactly what I love it Matthew Mercer’s way of dm’ing Critical Role’s combat! I have currently three different dm’s, and they’re all different kinds of dm’s, but the one with most experience does exactly this sort of thing extremely well, imho.

[@markrivera4911]

Just started watching and I subscribed of course. I will be incorporating much of your helpful advice to up my DM role. I wanted to offer a tidbit to improve your video production (one of my fields of training). In several of the videos that I have seen so far, I keep losing your eyes to the glare of the lighting behind the camera. There is a simple solution to it. All you need to do is raise the back of your glasses half a centimeter or so above where they rest on your ear. This should also keep them from falling too much (unless they are oversized) and will nearly eliminate all the glare. Viewers will hardly notice the glasses because it is such a small move. You may need to get used to it however. Anyway thanks for your work!

[@matthewmcguigan4293]

You mention players "seeing" the description in their "minds eye." Stuff like that is very cool for people who are able to do it. For people with aphantasia, they won't be able to visualize the combat no matter how well you describe it. NOT a complaint, mind you, but I just wanted to put that bit of information out for consideration. I'm finding this video very helpful because I have aphantasia, which I think puts me at a disadvantage for trying to figure out how to describe combat as it happens. This video gave me a lot of good ideas!

[@CJ_F0x]

Ah duuuude, I saw a lad with two elbows (one arm) yesterday. Apparently, the broken bone had healed as two separate bones and now he can move that extra bit just fine.

[@bonzwah1]

You know its funny, i think people have started to over describe. People are so afraid to just say "you hit" or " you miss" that they big down combat with unneccessary description. My recommendation is to limit yourself to 2 sentences for regular hitting and missing. Its actually kinda tough to do this when you first start trying. But its important, i think, to reserve longer descriptions for important moments. Like the first and last attacks on important enemies, the last enemy in a combat, or maybe an important "boss battle" deserves more detail every turn. But going crazy on descriptions for every turn makes combat feel slow and ponderous. Like an action movies where the entire fight is in slow mo instead of reserving close ups and slow mo for important moments

[@TorianTammas]

Fighting appears long because it is utterly boring to reach the zero hitpoints. This is part of the system.

[@bonzwah1]

@@TorianTammas what do you mean? I'm afraid I don't understand because there are a couple ways to interpret what you said. - do you mean that it is boring to progressively chip away at a number pool and progress towards zero? as in, since combat is, essentially, math, it is inherently boring? - do you mean that a PC reaching zero and dying is boring? - did you mean something entirely different?

[@dresdenvalareo1002]

A video I wouldn't mind seeing (and to the best of my knowledge have not seen a vid here on the channel yet) is building a cool and unique kingdom/empire in your world. How would you go about creating such a country or empire in your world to make it seem detailed and alive?

[@GippyHappy]

It's not fair, you've got such a lovely voice and accent you could say anything and it'd be interesting!

[@Chenguin]

Your voice and educated, dignified manner of speaking are silk upon the ears, sir.

[@ericmagnuson8719]

A suggestion: Conflict Games has a Kickstarter currently running for Magical Description Cards. They previously did one for Combat Description Cards that gives descriptions for slashing, blunt, and piercing attacks. A stretch goal was a Storyteller deck, which has other useful things. I backed both of these Kickstarters.

[@ts25679]

7:47 It's humerus, much like your force puns =)

[@LaurArt_UK]

Love the video! Super helpful! Tips please, from anyone willing to advise: So I'm thinking for my campaign, which has 1 player with 2 characters (main and sidekick) who roleplays both, I'll let him describe one of their actions in more detail on a crit, or when they kill something, or if they switch to verbal combat. I've been trying to let them describe their moves when they want to and I just describe the outcomes. Of course on the enemies go I try to keep things moving. I usually describe one of them in more detail than the others, maybe their leader. I'm currently a bit stuck as the next leg of the campaign is a journey along the high road (sword coast) where there isn't much between point A & B. Shall I just invent changes in the landscape or introduce smaller things like roadside buildings and camps? Like maybe an inn would make sense at the midway point? They could have a bar fight? I'm new to DMing but I've played in a fair few games.

[@ronwisegamgee]

One system that I think adds excitement to the typical, repetitive combat of D&D is the AGE system from Green Ronin (used in the Dragon Age RPG, Fantasy AGE, Blue Rose, and Modern AGE). The AGE system uses 3d6 + mods for task resolution. One of the d6s is visually distinct from the others and is referred to as the stunt die. When you get matching dice in your dice roll, you gain stunt points equal to your stunt die result and can spend those to perform stunts from a Stunt Table. Combat, Exploration, Socializing, and Magic each have their distinct stunt tables. If you have enough stunt points, you can perform multiple stunts in the same turn (and some stunts can be used multiple times while others can't). Any stunt points that are not spent are lost. With a 3d6 roll, you have a 44% chance of getting matching dice, so stunts occur fairly often in-game.

[@lamarabbit]

Finally talking about tec and not about location. Thank you !

[@thoi412]

Thanks for this, my descriptions were getting really samey and this should help.

[@vermillionwraith7810]

I would say another important point of describing attacks is how durable your charecters are, at low levels/tiers even something tame like being bit by a dog can be lethal so you can have the dogs teeth reave across their flesh tearing it open revealing their exposed muscle. Whereas at high levels you can get hit by a moon and be unfazed so being bit by a dog should be much less gruesome 'the dog bites into you feel a slight indentation in your flesh but it does not tear

[@chrisbaygin8914]

This is so great! I wish I could find the words to describe events as quickly as you do! Great advice :) Will try to work on it by keeping these in mind!

[@chrisvalentine3122]

"-whatever people who don't have mustaches do..."

[@dakotaruiz4428]

Love your stuff! You seem like the perfect guy to just sit and have a conversation with! Thanks for the tips

[@sawblade24]

Great video! Not to be over corrective, but if you're curious, the upper arm bone is called the humerus.

[@loginevins5343]

I dreamed about this video a year and a half ago, although I'd have never seen it before today. It was when you talked about the lightsaber. This happens all the time, but I'm glad one of them was your videos

[@drizztiley8740]

I usually save critical hits for the uber-detailed and cenematic details. Like when a paladin was thrown in a gladitorial pit and was fighting then champion. Instead of simply "you cut and kill him" I described how he impales the blade a fingerlength before pulling the blade up and out of him and finishing with a spin-chop that slice opens the champions throat. The taste of coppers lightly corrupts his taste and his face is splashed with blood. He lets out a triumpant roar and the enamored crowd yells in adoration. A balance of both detailed cenematic and "you stab the ork and he falls dead" is good because it keeps combat move quickly but makes special kills all that more memorable. A Player won't care about generic orc that he killed in last night's encounter, but he will remember the dramatic duel between him/her and the villain that made her an orphan

[@DeadaussieGamer]

Aww thanks for the shout out chief another great video. I love cinematic combat and a big fan of all this advice.

[@JaNiklas]

You once talked about doing video of other system (then D&D), don't know if you dropped but i would love to see you play the systems: Hillfolks (drama system) and Openlegendrpg!

[@Artemisthemp]

I have 2(3) Diffrent colored dice set due which I use for Necromantic spells (Grey/dark with Green numbers), Holy spells (Gold with silver numbers ) and Fireball dice (red-yellow with silver numbers) to basically ensure the players know which school of magic the spell belong to.

[@GayestWinston]

Thanks for this, it was very helpful and inspirational! Well done👍

[@chaz7457]

You’re videos are so helpful to me as a brand new DM. Thank you much

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

My pleasure! You have a great adventure ahead of you new DM! I wish you fun journey!

[@addisonknox6749]

Quality video I appriciated your magic descriptions and force puns.

[@diehard2705]

Please do a video on how do to ship to ship combat (or vehicle to vehicle for that matter (wagons, boats, tanks, etc.)). Thank you!!!!

[@douglasbrouhard7024]

I know this is 2 years old and my comment is not relevant in the slightest but, you are a wonderful and beautiful soul. Keep doing to because you make the world a better place by simply existing.

[@TrickyTrickyFox]

Well, the party I run a game with currently is very little on descriptive side of combat, so I usually stick to the rule of "FINISH HIM" or basically "if it's the last enemy and the player has done enough damage - "how do you want to kill it?", which is also a great indicator, that the combat is over =)

[@matico24]

heres that basic part about what we does in our group. we get a +1 to our attack if we have a good descriptions of the attack, a +2 if we uses the environment. and a +3 if the description was truly epic. this help make the players more interested in making combat awesome.

[@williamdavison2888]

If you're searching for ideas a small series on the DM/GM narrating (or interpreting) skill checks could be pretty insightful and entertaining. As a DM, it get's a little frustrating when my players constantly shoehorn there skill checks (the best example I can think of right now is the ever so insightful "insight" check on an NPC they've just met).

[@dougm9157]

You sir, are both informative and entertaining to listen to. Force indeed!

[@shade041]

Excellent suggestions! Nice video, thanks for sharing!

[@freelancerblitz2579]

I love this and It really does work, I’ve made players abit too grossed out or feeling uncomfortable a few times getting carried away mwahahahaha

[@MrFancyGamer]

One of the most useful videos ive watched for DMing

[@TheRealDerohneNick]

Very helpful, I haven't thought about smells and taste for some reason!

[@sethperez4204]

This is something i really have to improve on in my session. I haven't been too good at describing things, especially combat.