5 ways to improve combat in Dungeons and Dragons

[@jonah4196]

For reference when I inevitably come back to this video later: 2:51 Intentional Turn Order 4:20 Narration Outside of Turn Order 7:10 Enemy Variety 9:01 Less HP, More Damage 11:20 Roleplay In Combat

[@TalesArcane]

Thanks for this! Pinned the comment. I need to remember to add chapters to the video next time so it's easier to navigate.

[@Biezer]

Combat is just a weird violent math problem. Perfect.

[@TalesArcane]

"Oh, my plans for Friday night? I'm just going to get together with some friends and repeatedly subtract numbers from a bigger number until a dude across the table from me tells me a dragon is dead. I can't wait!"

[@snarkwave]

“Weird, violent math problem” had me rolling. Great advice here. Thanks!

[@fammnak852]

I know the chance you're reading this is very small, but I wanna say that you are my favorite dnd channel! I am so happy I discover your contents, they're very high quality and I really like your play style as a DM. Each video is so concise, helpful, and full of knowledge. No gimmicks, no joking around (not that it's not good or anything, it's just preference), just knowledge! Thank you and I am thinking of joining your Patreon as well.

[@TalesArcane]

That's so kind of you to say, thank you mate! I do try to keep the content quite grounded and direct (doing loud high-energy intros or skits doesn't really come naturally to me 😂) so I'm glad that style works for you. If you do decide to go for the Patreon, I hope you find the content over there useful!

[@buboniccraig896]

Massive set pieces and lots of mobility always work well for me. Combat is more engaging when it's something out of an action movie, like if the ship starts to tip over or it's a carriage chase on the road.

[@sean5051]

That bit on 1hp enemies is reminding me of Tucker's Kobolds. For those who never heard of that, imagine an actual army of kobolds who have strategic skill demolishing high level adventurers through fire traps and dirt cover

[@cmonguy]

I’m a big fan of hobgoblins myself. One of the main antagonists in my campaign

[@TalesArcane]

They're so cool! Probably my favourite of the martial monsters (goblins, orcs, gnolls, etc).

[@categoryfairweather2843]

Great Vid. Love the channel. Another great use for minions is to lock up certain players and force them to act outside of "I shoot my bow" or "I cast my spell". A 1hp minion can force disadvantage on your ranged attackers. They have to use an action to deal with them which can give enemies a chance to breath as it were. If they don't deal with it the minion can do damage or get an attack of opportunity if they try to move. It adds another nice dimension to the combat game.

[@silverturtle1105]

I’m glad you are getting sponsorships now. The direction of Tales Arcane is wonderful! Looking forward to the future.

[@TalesArcane]

Thank you mate! I've always wanted to say "This video is sponsored by..." 😂 Hopefully I'll be able to do it many more times in the future.

[@seraeo8226]

I'm really glad you posted this. I'm one of those DMs that have the problem of fights feeling like they're long and drawn out. So recently I've tried to cut that down by picking up the pace but that makes it feel like a "violent math problem". I really like the simple act of asking your players to describe what they do and just making combat more interesting instead of expedited, going to use that in my game tonight!

[@NinjaFox-pe3dv]

Ive done a few dif things to change it up. One being the AC. Theres a variant in the 3.5 DMG where you do away with ALL base 10s and replace them with a d20 roll. It stretches out combat, but it makes it to where you can be taken out by a kobold at lvl 10. So add up your AC without the 10, so youre at a +7 , insted of 17. So 7 pluss a d20 vs the att roll. Everyone ive played with using this variant, loved it. Really keeps players on their toes

[@MrTombombodil]

My #1 way to improve every combat was to take every enemy stat block I used. Reduce the HP by 20-35%, and then give them either a bonus action ability, or a reaction ability. Applied broadly, it makes enemies more dynamic and interesting, and makes combat more deadly in both directions, and thus faster. It's also fun to come up with fun little abilities for each monster that make sense! Like goblins having a reaction to avoid a hit by being small and wiley, or a troll having a bonus action where they take a swig from a hip flask and gain some temp HP etc. You can even make them recharge abilities if you're worried about them being too strong.

[@TalesArcane]

100% yes to all of the above!

[@Rikoshet53]

In your example, you give enemies defensive abilities. That should make the fights last longer.

[@TalesArcane]

@@Rikoshet53 I imagine that would be offset by the lower HP though, right? Like they're weaker, BUT they have more options at their disposal, so they might last the same amount of time but do cooler stuff while they're alive 😁

[@MrTombombodil]

@@Rikoshet53 yes I did notice this after I wrote the comment haha. But they were just examples. Like maybe give the goblin a sneaky stab reaction that lets them attack someone bigger than them when they take a hit or something.

[@federicoferrando777]

Great video!!! Little tip: when a player kill a monster, ask them to describe how they killed it ! (And then start to ask to describe EVERY ACTION THEY TAKE, instead of saying "i attack the monster twice with my sword" 😈 )

[@Emloch]

Great tips! My combat is similar, only we do "half-turns". We also use group initiative, but I still stagger the turns between players and monsters, so it doesn't feel like group initiative.. E.g. Players roll and I roll..players win initiative. Players decide who acts first .The first players moves, his half-turn ends. A monster moves, it's half-turn ends. Second player fires her bow and hits. Her half turn ends. Second monster moves toward the second player. it's half turn ends. All other PCs and monsters go until it comes back to the first player who completes the second half of his full turn. The round continues until everyone has completed their full turns. Roll for initiative again to see which side starts first in the next round. I prefer this style of combat because it better simulates everyone acting at the same time, and also keeps everyone more engaged.

[@nathanrumm9092]

I love that hobgoblin idea going to add that into the mix!

[@Rantarian]

You can also use legendary actions for a baddie to move, aim for advantage on their next attack, or pull out a potion or other equipment. And potentially run consecutive turns for a given side as simultaneous, granting advantage if they attack a target at the same time.

[@Bluejayhunt]

Congrats on your first sponsor, super exciting stuff! Amazing how far you've grown since that first short! Keep it up mate!

[@TalesArcane]

Really appreciate that, thank you! It's been a busy year 😁 Very excited for the months ahead!

[@kruggsmash]

Oho. great tips! i'm gonna use these for sure

[@TalesArcane]

That's what I like to hear 😁 Hope they're useful in your games!

[@MongTonk]

Such a cool kickstarter! Immediately backed! Thanks for the video 🥰

[@TalesArcane]

I'm genuinely hyped about it, definitely going to use some of them in my games 😁 Glad you liked the video too!

[@Scarletraven87]

A conversion of D20 Modern with where a RPG did 10d6+60 damage was quite interesting. We also had "Sudden Death" on where you istantly go to 0hp if a single instance of damage is more than X where X is based on your constitution. Lots of fun.

[@Teraclon]

Grand stuff, mate! Currently working on a succubus/incubus encounter. The fiends are pretending to be a married couple in the woods, warning the players of people going missing in the woods at night. If the players accept lodging, they are invited in for food and housing for the night, but little by little, the cracks in their story and facade will start showing(one in the party got a +10 to insight, aka human lie detector). There is a trapdoor in a locked room and if the players snoop around and find it, they will find a basement with cells filled with abducted people. Really looking forward to running it and will keep all your tips that I've heard in your videos in mind. Wish me good luck 😈

[@TalesArcane]

That sounds like a reallllly creepy set up for a game, I love it! Proper slow-burn cabin-in-the-woods Gothic. Good luck, to you AND your players!

[@obscuredbythecloud1175]

These are great ideas. Thanks for the tips! I'm new to your channel, but I'm liking it a lot.

[@liamcage7208]

Some good ideas. I particularly like the high damage low(er) hit point suggestion. This is something I do throughout my campaign. This makes every encounter, even against lower level bad guys, potentially dangerous. The PC's may be 7th level and the random bandit ambush may be 3rd level but they can still cause enough damage to draw on the player resources and any critical hit could be potentially fatal. Normally a low level bandit encounter would be seen as a mere annoyance by the players but if they can inflict enough damage you force the players to start dipping into their healing resources or spells before they even get to the planned Cave of Evil (or whatever).

[@Trumpeter42]

This is a lot of great advice! I love being able to switch things up to not feel stale, and these tips help greatly. Thank you! Also, I added in the Bloodied condition last month, and all my boss monsters have that. I absolutely do add more homebrew abilities for each different monster, and my players loved it! They never know what to expect.

[@bengoodwin2988]

Just found your excellent channel - high quality and very useful advice! Thank you!

[@TalesArcane]

That's really good to hear! Glad the long-form videos are bringing new viewers like yourself into the channel, that's very encouraging too.

[@CaseyWilkesmusic]

Piggybacking on Step 5: As Game Master by example. If you describe the monster’s actions (and reactions to what the PC’s do) and get some alights etc, the players will (hopefully) take notice and try their own descriptions. Some new players might find that cheesy but once everyone is putting it out there that usually goes away.

[@ethancastillo9221]

I love kobold press for there extended use and types of lower level monsters

[@salemfoxtrot7659]

Great advice. Another brilliant video.

[@charlesbarthalmuelmortimer1445]

Great Tips! Thank you!

[@disunsnogoot3319]

Good advice. Glad I found your channel.

[@whiskeySe7en]

I'd just like to say, over all the vids and shorts I really like your map you often show in the back ground

[@TalesArcane]

Hey thank you for saying so mate! Is that the Parchment Style one with the kind of arching coastline? I love that one 😁

[@krystalfruehling7522]

When I DM I roll my monsters on the same turn my players turn. This saves time. Also I ask when my players want to do in ascending order, allowing for rolls as we go so people with highest tolls get to see what others are doing and can change their actions or out do the monsters.

[@Grimlore82]

Longtime fan of your stuff. We share a lot of ideas and concepts. I continually go to your content as inspiration to get my imagination going when I have writer's block. 👊 Love and prefer the long form videos.

[@TalesArcane]

That's really good to hear! I'm glad the content has been helpful to you in breaking past the dreaded writer's block - I'd like to do a video on getting around writers block actually, generating ideas etc. Appreciate you sticking with the channel longterm!

[@ObliviousNaga]

I think it's somewhere around the last chapters of the dmg, there is a table of every monster ability where it says: give other monsters different abilities. Mix and match.

[@TalesArcane]

100% - it's a fantasy world, why shouldn't a rare owlbear also get to shoot lightning out of its beak? It's a...stormbear, or something.

[@dungeonpastor]

Name change? I still click. DMInspo is my inspiration. Great combat tips, bro.

[@TalesArcane]

That's much appreciated, mate! Thank you for sticking with the channel and the content as I go on this journey 💪

[@gmanbo]

11:43 weird violent math problem. The root of dnd is war gaming. The goal of war gaming is breaking down violent acts into math problems. So taking this into consideration and adding in other aspects of what is done in war games is also important. Note these are things I have heard and will likely not be applicable to all situations. I am also not a war gamer and these are just observations from watching some wargaming sessions and learning about how military wargames developed and how they are played. War gaming catagory. Communication practice. One of the ways battles are won or lost is good clear communication. If your players are working with allied npc's a good question to ask is are you communicating effectively with them. Situations such as the wording of an order to your troops, what your communicating to an ally about what you intend to do your next turn. This could allow an npc to coordinate more effectively with the players Or depending on what the npc understood end up causing a complication. I expect effective combat communication isn't something every group will want to work on but if more spice is needed in combat? War gaming catagory, effect of military activities on the local environment. Tracking the effect your having on the environment your fighting in. A fight especially with magical or modern combat changes the terrain that is fought on. Starting with what obstacles your party or the enemies brought to the battle feild. Is an enemy in cover? Did a spell break or damage that cover. Trench warfare is a thing and provides good cover but some spells could render that useless. Examples to think about here is the environment dry and the intense combat kicking up dust from packed earth. Is the ground muddy like mud season in Ukraine and Russia where if you warm the ground it turns to mud and the battlefield can quickly becomes difficult terrain. Cave or indoor fighting can be quite contained traps, spells, and other bits can cause confusion easily especially with area effects and disorienting effects. So with multiple enemy groups with the appropriate spells it might be fun for players to find ways to get a big bad's minions to fight each other. Not because of enchantment magic or charm simply slip in ways that the enemies are attacking what they think are enemies but actually friendlies because of the confusion and chaos of a fight. Wargaming catagory moral effects. Most battles in the time of cold weapons were won with morale as the guiding principle. If your men had higher fighting spirit and discipline you could overcome a disparity of numbers. Especially if the enemy had lower skill, equipment and discipline. Sometimes command flipped this with inventive solutions. (As an example look up "the hussite wars" where a blind general lead peasants and nearly untrained citizens with armored wagons to defeat armored knights..... ) Moments where 30% casualties occured, a boss retreats, a boss is low health, your allies show up, an effective illusion is used, a large spell goes off dealing a significant amount of damage. All these moments and more effect the moral of enemies in different ways. Not what is expected every time either. A disciplined troop getting hit with an ambush including a highly damaging spell should be able to retreat reorganize and counter attack. ( Examples, Hob goblin warg cavelry, mercenary orc company, trained ranger scouts.) As opposed to a poorly organized and lead group. These low moral troops might scatter and just keep running. ( Thinking low lvl kobolds or goblins, possibly peasants drafted to for a war. Again leadership at low skill and discipline is key so if a leader of troops like these go down they are much less effective.) There are likely other useful examples from wargaming out there. Searching KZbin, looking up the history of wargaming. There is even a few wargaming channels out there to watch. Looking up rules for wargaming. All examples of where to find out more if your interested. ( Not posting links because.... KZbin) If your weird violent math problem isn't up to snuff for roll play. Reach back and grab a bit from what that math was intended to model. Combat and war. A final bit to be clear on. Dnd is supposed to be fun. This is our down time and entertainment activity. Pulling content from wargaming to increase the depth of combat narration is a neat trick. To Dm's if your players aren't into some of the stuff here stop. Communication is key. I expect some groups might love the moral mechanics. The same group or player might hate the work needed to carefully word communication to an npc in combat. Especially if there's a chance as in wargaming where this communication will be misunderstood. Hope this helps people spice up your weird violent math problems a little.

[@Micsma]

eyyy sponsored! and text messages :D

[@lucatirelli545]

Tip n. 1: try a ttrpg with a better combat system. It shouldn't be hard to find one, btw

[@RicardoPM777]

👏👏👏

[@TalesArcane]

Always appreciate the support, mate!

[@cadenceclearwater4340]

Nice 😎

[@TalesArcane]

Glad you liked it!

[@Peyngin]

'combat needs to last long enough to feel interesting and tense' 'I reduce enemy HP' Pick one. Really, I would more say 'adjust HP as needed.' You don't want a boring slog against an unthreatening damage sponge, but you also don't want your climactic chapter end boss to go down in two rounds. Different parties will have different damage outputs. My party is decently adept, discovered a vulnerability to radiant damage they could exploit, and at level 5 the right answer for end-chapter boss HP was about 300 with a form change in the middle. They did about 50 damage per round among the 4 of them so it took about 6 rounds. I've had to double the HP of some monsters just so they live more than a couple rounds, as PCs can dish it out when needed in 5e. I feel like monster manual monsters are designed for minimally optimized parties of 4, and any increase in characters or optimization sees fights end very unsatisfactorily when a big bad monster only does like two things and then falls over.

[@TalesArcane]

Fair play mate! I'm always looking for a sweet spot - enemies who don't feel like HP sponges, but last long enough to feel interesting and intense. Often the balance tips too far one way or the other, but when I apply these approaches, I get a nice middle ground 😁

[@JohnMiller-te4ov]

#openrpg #ORC

[@TalesArcane]

Music to my ears!

[@Joshuazx]

You said players love rolling initiative, don't take that away from them. No, I disagree. Not every player likes it that much. Initiative is overrated. You could have players take their turns clockwise around the table for a simpler, more intuitive, and therefore faster game.