DON'T Do D&D Combat Like This...

[@notlibatiusborage8645]

A big thing that im currently trying to get better at is having enemies speak during combat. Its very easy to end up playing two games otherwise: the social,exploration, puzzle ttrpg, interrupted by bouts of hack and slash game. Loved the skit btw, the utter soullessness of GM in it is definitely how it feels to fight enemies who "rolled a 23 and do 14 slashing, then move 20ft."

[@holisticdm]

Yeahhh it's so good to have a bit of banter/goading/clue dropping in the fight. Keeps it feeling more like the story is still happening and really helps to blur those lines! Thanks! I was really aiming for that so I glad you thought I nailed it.

[@Zenoasis3]

I think I have a variation of the Mechanics First method. Each turn of combat goes quickly with some minor narration, then at the end of each round there will be a proper narration of most of what happened happened that round. It lets the party and I fully narrate what they're all doing in the moment without having to stop and roll dice and sets the mood for the next round of combat.

[@holisticdm]

ooh I like that idea, a kind of recap of the whole round! I can see this being really useful for theatre of the mind combats too, just to refresh people on who's where etc.

[@Chaotier]

Another great way to keep players invested is by never naming an enemy's actions, and instead to describe them, so that the players must understand what's going on instead of simply knowing. There are exceptions of course, like if an enemy spellcaster uses one of the PC's signature spells they would obviously know, but this too can be exciting, as that player will feel rewarded for their character choices

[@holisticdm]

That's a really interesting technique! Especially with magic spells. I tend not to explain what abilities are being used unless it's a big scary fight with pc deaths as a big possibility, in the spirit of fairness and transparency but yeah I love describing potential magic effects that someone has managed to succeed a saving throw against. Like if it was going to be charm person and they succeed I might describe it like: "a strange yet warm and fuzzy feeling descends upon you, spreading pleasantly from your chest to your fingertips. Suddenly, you start to wonder why exactly you have your weapon raised against this person. Aren't they friends of yours? But, you quickly recognise the effect of mind altering magics being cast upon you and manage to shrug off the effect. Yep, that is most definitely an enemy you're trying to kill"

[@e.prybylski5665]

I love the skits.

[@holisticdm]

Thanks E! I think I'll make some more during the intros if it's good for dat r e t e n t i o n

[@e.prybylski5665]

@@holisticdm Awww yeah, that sweet, sweet ret.

[@MaestroOblidemon]

Damn this channel is high quality. Yes, the secret for a perfect game lays in balance. I also like to implement and remind my players that they can do more than hit or cast spells in combat

[@holisticdm]

Thanks so much for the support! I'm trying to increase the production values every month or so. Very good to remind our players about this, like tell me what your character is thinking/feeling/saying during all of this!

[@chsv_koldun]

I was watching a popular youtuber with fantastic content, but apparently, you're quite small my friend. Good luck!

[@holisticdm]

Thank you, that's very flattering, I'm hoping some day that will be the case!

[@VesaevusX]

Commenting for the algorithm cause more people deserve to see this and you deserve more views. Will share my thoughts about this on the Discord tomorrow.

[@holisticdm]

Thanks Ves! I look forward to hearing your thought and thanks for the algorithm juice

[@gpeschke]

Commenting because you seem to genuinely care about learning, and you read your comments. I haven't seen anyone on KZbin that preaches the correct way to have dynamic, engaging combat. I've been told by my players my combat is awesome. Best they've had. The recipe is: Always have stakes (death or story) Fix initiative- This is the part I haven't seen 'right'. You want a count up, player interrupt system. It focuses people, brilliantly, and allows the GM to do some nice pacing/drama elements by how they handle it.

[@holisticdm]

Thanks so much for the comment! I'm sure there's more than just one good way to run good combat but your way sounds really interesting. Could you explain it a little more?

[@gpeschke]

@@holisticdm Sure. The core is that the GM doesn't wait for/prod the players. GM says 'roll for initiative', waits a moment, then slowly starts counting. When a player's turn comes, it's their job to interrupt, say what they are doing. Gets resolved, count continues. Works best with older editions where there wasn't a partial action nightmare. The GM's count is both a 'ticking clock' and the 'sound track', allowing them to build (or release) tension based on how slow/dramatic they count. Players need to anticipate their initiative, leading them to be focused, and naturally think through what they are going to jump in with. It's also literally faster, as the GM never compiles a list of all the initiatives. You have to initially count very slow, to allow players to get used to speaking up, and depending on edition, you may need to fiddle with the actual initiative roll to constrain possible values. Counting to 30, is not as much fun as when possible values are between 1 and 10. That the details you are after?

[@gpeschke]

@@holisticdm And yeah, definitely many ways to do it 'right'. Different people are after different things, after all. Hope my input helps cross pollinating, builds your knowledge base-- it's clear you are excellent at your core game.

[@anthonydeperino2046]

@@gpeschkeI’m confused, so is it a roll for initiative the initiative gets sorted then you start counting and the players need to get their turns out before you count again? Or no initiative anyone gets to jump in and say they are going whenever you count? What happens if two people say they are going? It seems interesting and honestly kinda badass but maybe it’s something that only works for your group in either case. I can see a lot of problems coming from this if this is how everyone did it. Is there anyone on KZbin that does this system to give me a better idea?

[@gpeschke]

@@anthonydeperino2046 Yeah, you sound confused. It's odd lack of KZbin visibility is why I mention it, but it's used at more than just my table. System wise, it's one of the interpretations of second edition, that was then formalized/published in both hackmaster/aces and eights. Maybe an example will help?: GM:roll for initiative GM: 5, Goblins go GM:6 Player 1: My turn! Player 3: Mine too! . GM: 7-8-9-10, New round initiative! (That's done incredibly quickly- GM knows there's no one left to go.) It's not a free for all- but there's no 'sort'. People simply chime in when their initiative comes up. So I guess you'd say 'the counting is the sort?' Hope that answers your questions.

[@chadcarreras4821]

Excellent channel! Lots of good ideas, especially the R/L concept in this video...brilliant method for keeping the game engaging on all fronts.

[@holisticdm]

Thanks! I'm really glad you're getting some value out of my vids.

[@smallboss43]

I just don’t have the energy to do anything different sometimes after a few turns of combat

[@holisticdm]

That's why turning it into an engaging story helps so much. Dry combat sucks for everyone, even the DM!

[@ARR0WMANC3R]

Here before this channel gets huge.

[@holisticdm]

I see u fam. ❤ Share this thang around so it does get huge 😂

[@thenoob-Gandalf]

Another great video. Very helpful as I am in the beginning phase of DMing and I definitely fall into the boring combat category. Will try these out and watch a few other DM's combat scenes. Do stream any live games?

[@holisticdm]

Fantastic that you're diving right into the craft. Combat is definitely the toughest to master as there are just so many moving parts but if you use the concepts in the video then you should see a huge improvement and then it's all practice and refinement from there! No streams up yet and I'm taking a bit of a hiatus from making content to think about what I want to do with the channel but streaming one of my games is something that's gunna be a priority.

[@TheWillCarter]

Great video, love the examples skits.

[@holisticdm]

Glad you like them Will! I'll have to do a few more

[@Phen1xEXE]

Great skit. Always love skits

[@holisticdm]

Thanks! Look forward to more, they are super fun to make.

[@IWestrada]

Narrating hits is weird sometimes because HP represents a will to fight instead of actual harm done to the creature

[@holisticdm]

Oooh that's a really good point that I keep forgetting! I default to describing wounds and such but maybe someone is just not letting up with a barrage of attacks and the player is slowly losing their hp/stamina to keep fending them off. For me that just opens up more opportunities to narrate

[@Chaotier]

​@@holisticdm I tend to describe wounds only if creatures take significant knocks to their HP, generally a light wound on a ~10-20% HP hit and a heavy wound around ~40% or more. Remember that real people only need to suffer a number of blows that can be counted on 1 hand before they die! (Barbarians are an exception of course, they are covered in tiny scars, presumably)

[@ItMeansSun]

Hate the skits, felt like you were targeting me. Leave my boring combats alone! I jest of course. Keep it up, fella.

[@holisticdm]

I feel targeted by my own videos sometimes tbh 😂 Thanks so much, I'll start doing more of them!

[@jameswalton1792]

This is great advice, thanks! I like the combat in my games to advance the story in some (maybe big, maybe small) way....an opportunity to reveal a secret or clue (TM Mike Shea).

[@holisticdm]

That's a great idea! Not possible every time but it's so satisfying when it all comes together.

[@orionthehunter55]

No right is rational, left is language and creativity To the extent that either side ACTUALLY does just *one thing*, which is kinda bupkis

[@holisticdm]

I'm sure the brain is more complex than we know. But yeah, I guess it can be more accurately described as two modes of thinking than two sides of the brain

[@wkjmscherer]

First!, sorry, had to do it at least once.

[@holisticdm]

I see u in ther fam. appreciate the early view!

[@spencergrobbins]

My favorite thing to do in these long dnd videos is to count how many times the author says “in this video I’m going to help you … “ My second favorite thing is to try and remember if they ever actually do end up helping you with the thing they said they would Edit: just finished the video.. wow lol don’t watch this video

[@holisticdm]

I'm pretty sure I followed through! Very possible I may have missed something tho. What's the score on this one by your reckoning? 😂

[@royalblue5367]

No shit.

[@holisticdm]

It might seem obvious but you'd be surprised at the amount of GMs who DON'T do this. Maybe that's what they and their party wants but, for me, it's excruciatingly boring, especially when waiting for my turn in combat.