Dungeon Mastery 106 Combat - Dungeons and Dragons

[@MrZriael]

I'm gunna go on a small rant about the _"it (Difficult Terrain) just takes twice your movement speed to go across"_ bit. _(around __14:36__)_ *TL;DR:* It doesn't cost double, it costs 1 extra foot of movement per foot moved. _(And I think this matters)_ The _Difficult Terrain_ section on pg.182 _(the one that talks about moving at half speed)_ seems to be talking about _Travel Pace._ It's an approximation for travelling over difficult terrain during a journey, it's confused by the fact that it has it's own sub-heading and that it's followed by the _Climbing, Swimming, and Crawling_ section which is clearly talking about combat movement. _(Although, you'll notice that they've omitted crawling from that section and moved it to combat, and just forgot to change the heading, but I digress.)_ *However,* In the _Combat_ chapter under the _Difficult Terrain_ heading _(pg.190)_ it states _"Every foot of movement in difficult terrain costs 1 extra foot"_ Now, if you're thinking _"fuck you Mr Z I read all that and it doesn't make a difference?"_ I'd like to point out that, most commonly, it causes confusion with the rules for: _Crawling,_ _Squeezing,_ and spells which alter the cost of movement without using the _Difficult Terrain_ mechanics. *Crawling and Squeezing:* The _Crawling_ rules are on pg.190/191, crawling seems weird but it's probably worth mentioning, some of the more uncouth caster players you find will happily crawl around in the dirt to gain the advantage against ranged attacks while prone. _(It doesn't disadvantage their Saving Throw based spells)_ *TL;DR:* Crawling costs 1 extra foot of movement per foot moved... _(fompfm?)_ The _Squeezing_ rules are on pg.192 *TL;DR:* Squeezing costs 1 extra fompfm. _(yeah, that works great)_ The issue is that many people will double the cost to 4 fompfm instead of incrementing it to 3 fompfm. Which halves the distance you can move with a speed of 30 feet on a grid. *When a spell alters the cost of movement to some other amount:* A good example is the _Plant Growth_ spell, which requires a creature to spend 4 fompfm while in an area affected by it. If the character also experiences _Difficult Terrain_ while in this area, some people will insist it costs 8 fompfm. Which is considerably different to the 5 fompfm it should cost and effectively grapples a Gnome or Halfling when using a grid.

[@TitanGamingTV]

That's a good distinction to make, MrZriael. Not everyone knows that multipliers in 5e end up working more additively than grade school multiplication normally dictates, I should have been more clear. Thanks for the clear explanation, I think people will find it useful.

[@Maknikos9]

Thanks for the content Alex, this has been a great series!

[@TitanGamingTV]

You're welcome Raneem! I aim to entertain and empower! Welcome to the party!

[@bandgeekmarching]

I plan on using theater of the mind with my teens at my library. Can I use the whiteboard feature in Zoom to give them a visual of where things are?

[@Meteor2022]

I got a vinyl sheet. I liked it until one of the players doodled on it for awhile and I can't get it off XD. Now there is a permanent bush on it.

[@TitanGamingTV]

Gotta hate the permanent bush.

[@xNitrosisx]

I found using a grid with new players was extremely helpful, however i encountered a few problems. One, my newer players fixated very heavily on the grid, rather than using it as a reference. I am no artist so i just use boxes and basic shading. However playera focused heavily on what was where and were upset if I didnt move things as they changed. Ive started pulling the mat off of the table when not in use which brought up a second problem. Two. My players fixate on the battlemat as meaning COMBAT every time it gets pulled out. I have young players who like to dick around and fuck with me but occasionally with the mat I have ran into these problems. Just a forewarning! I cant imagine playing without it, especially with my party of 6-7 so I always keep it on hand

[@TitanGamingTV]

I have run into this myself, so its a great forewarning Nitrosis. Possibly its yet another artifact of getting new rpg players from the video gaming player base, who are used to gaming everything wherever possible. It takes a hot second for players to calm down and get comfortable with a human being in the role of 'the game'. For those interested, an easy way to train players out of this expectation is to use theater of the mind for minor combats, or for combats you didn't anticipate during prep. My experience has been that it happens naturally in most gaming tables, and it helps encourage players to understand that the grid is just a tool, not an indicator. Also if players are being militant about how they think you should be running the game, remind them that you are not their adversary. It is not an all-vs-one game. All too commonly new players from the video gaming space think they need to defeat you, they don't grasp that they're defeating a storytelling element. It takes time for them to get this, but maybe a reminder or two along the way will help.

[@PartridgeQuill]

Miniatures and battle maps are definitely a great resource for combat, but I have found they aren't necessary. However, they do make things much easier. My players and I do the "theater of the mind" method you mentioned. The key with theater of the mind is consistency and thorough description. Also of note, using theater of the mind combat requires GMs to be more flexible, or else it can really bog down combat with clarifying descriptions. It can also make it difficult to interact with the environment with theater of the mind and inhibit creativity in that capacity, because you can't physically see little details like cover or potential improvised weapons. Furthermore, using theater of the mind, if you as the GM describe something small to add flavor to the environment, it can become a McGuffin your players think you're cluing them into using, when that was never the plan. Overall, I don't think using minis vs. theater of the mind is necessarily better or worse; it's more about what is best for your group.

[@TitanGamingTV]

Thats a good point on Theater of the Mind in practice - the DM has to be more willing to just go with things in description, since it lacks the physical backing of the map. If players are almost close enough to do something, they're as good as close enough.

[@jayjohn9893]

Where the video about taking watch?