The Best Monster Tactics | Web DM | TTRPG | D&D

[@Tarro34]

I really think this is the perfect format for you Jim! It feels like a lecture in all of the good ways

[@LukeReynoldsX]

I put this video off because it seems like this discussion has been had a bunch of times on WebDM but the addition of slides made this digestible for me in a where previous entries failed. I appreciate this style of presentation.

[@Philographicks]

Feels like Jim found his solo groove with this kind of presentation.

[@Mr_GoR_]

Borrowing class features and feats for NPCs/Villains is an excellent go to. You don't have to give them levels, they can just do the thing.

[@valentinegodek4681]

God this is such good advice that I need to internalize. I keep finding myself thinking things like “ok, I definitely want this Barbarian villain NPC to have the Relentless Rage feature, but level 11 puts his health and damage output higher than I want… hm, let me adjust his strength and con scores…” Like damn, I’m the DM, I can just write a stat block that has relentless rage, 14 AC, 60 HP, and +7 to hit. There’s this phantom fear in my head that a player will call me out for not playing by the rules or something, despite the fact that nobody has ever done so and one of my players is a f*cking homebrew Keyblade-user from Kingdom Hearts

[@hamstsorkxxor]

@@valentinegodek4681 Also, the rules literally says DMs can do whatever. So if your players ask for which source you are using, you can legitimately say "My source is that I made it the fuck up!" and it's perfectly alright. Apply common sense and don't break the social contract, but other than that, anything goes.

[@CitanulsPumpkin]

It's amazing how much milage you can get out of the bear stat block when you give it Thorn Whip and a legendary action that summons 1d4 Fathomless warlock tentacles per PC in the party.

[@Mr_GoR_]

@@CitanulsPumpkin 🤣

[@ethanfox8979]

@@valentinegodek4681 One of the most memorable encounters I had was made by starting with a Bulezau statblock. I gave it a bonus action jump and legendary action jump. It ping-ponging around the arena made the players work hard to lock it down long enough to kill it.

[@MrDavidKord]

How does one of the best D&D videos on KZbin only have 830 likes??? Amazing work.

[@Bluecho4]

Remember that the environment itself can be a factor, turning a simple counter into a complicated one. Those Artillery might be on their own, but they're on top of an elevated position, across a river, riding on the back of a chariot, or at the end of a trap-filled death corridor. A bunch of lone Grung skirmishers become more dangerous if the party encounters them while waist deep in murky water. The Grung have swim speeds and the ability to stay underwater virtually forever. The party probably don't and can't. A brute doesn't necessarily need support, when it's just them and the party, trapped inside a confined space with nowhere to retreat. Environmental hazards make everything more interesting. Pits to fall into. Fires slowly spreading around. Rising water levels. Ceilings slowly lowering to crush people. The floor a loose bed of bones that occasionally animate to grab or trip you.

[@valibrave]

Jims TA past coming through today, I felt like I just tuned in to a DnD lecture ❤

[@BassGr00ve]

I would 100% sit through this style of lectures about how history can inform your DnD games. I will never forget that time Jim went on a miny rant about Cavalry.

[@bobbob-dd6il]

Awsome content jim, it gets better and better. This is really helping me as a new DM thankyou 😁

[@whensomethingcriesagain]

I would add one more category, what I like to call the Regiment. These guys are professionals who can hit you in any number of ways, they're highly motivated, highly coordinated, and don't break under pressure. They're by far the most dangerous group the players can encounter, because they'll use tactics, fight in formations, divide and conquer, all that noise, and on top of all of that, they'll fight to the death and will very rarely retreat. I use them very sparingly, but when they're brought out, things get very serious very quickly.

[@Toltex]

The MCDM 'Flee, Mortals' preview book has some incredibly good stuff in it. Ive been using the new minion rules and they are so much fun.

[@snobgoblinDK]

These videos are so incredibly valuable. Thank you for making this amazing hobby even better.

[@sambro6657]

Jim from me as a fellow player/dungeon master thank you this content will help me as a dm massively

[@CitanulsPumpkin]

I love giving monster stat blocks the swarmkeeper ranger's swarm and the Fathomless warlock's tentacles. 15 feet of forced movement on attacks or 5 feet of free disengage is always useful for keeping an enemy alive. The ability to spawn groups of low hp low ac tentacles is also a fantastic curveball. It's amazing the mileage you get out of the bear stat block when you give it Thorn Whip and a legendary action that summons 1d4 Fathomless warlock tentacles per PC in the party.

[@Bluecho4]

It's like they say in the OSR: just use a Bear('s stat block). Granted, a Bear stat block becomes very interesting when you bolt on other features from the game.

[@CitanulsPumpkin]

@@Bluecho4 bears are a nice basic stat block that you can buff with any of the good subclasses. And when you need a stronger stat block there's always the T-Rex.

[@17joren]

Coleville’s Tactics & Strategy vid had some good combos with the combat roles. Idr everything, but these included scouts, patrols, guards. The idea is for each to be a tier of resistance encountered while approaching their lair, falling back to alert the next if things get hairy and softening up the party for the boss. 1. Scouts are the quick/light and stealthy roles (stalker, hunter) that range far, and ideally are never even seen so can simply serve as a way for the lair to be prepared (though give the PCs a chance to detect). They will fight if they must or attack a lone PC, but retreat asap. Definitely use terrain and subterfuge Jim mentioned here! 2. Patrols are similar; can be any role combo that is also mobile, but moves in a repeating pattern such as a path around the base (that the party might be able to observe). They can pose more of a threat in a direct fight or ambush, but are ultimately meant to alert the guards so at least one (survivor) bolts immediately. 3. Guards are stationary at key locations but move a short range to investigate noises (and might be lured away). They will sound the alarm for the nearest allies if given a chance - they and any reinforcements should serve as that warband/legion Jim describes with mix of all roles including a controller/leader lieutenant to keep morale. If the party expertly avoids or takes any out without alerts, it’s ok. The player(s) devoted their PC(s) to be really good at doing that so they deserve to shine. Just give the boss more allies, maybe a lair action to call in new ones. Plus if this is a home like a goblin lair rather than a military base, even commoners make good murder hobos and fanatics if the nursery is threatened.

[@aarondavidson4093]

For morale I say that it's a d20 roll, and succeeds if it is UNDER the highest creatures Charisma Score. If the leader has 20+ Charisma then barring chaotic factors the enemy will fight to the death.

[@meltingskeleton2082]

When I run Temple of Tsojcanth, I let my group come across the rival adventure party and that rival party is a PC rules made party of a Gnome Cleric of Nature, a Human ranger leader either as a Hunter or Gloom Stalker, a Half- Orc Champion with the crit fishing build (bad but hilarious when it pops off.) and a Halfling Wizard of what ever school I feel like leaning on that time I run it. Knock on wood... It has been either hilarious or heroic each time my players face this group set up.

[@trajanfidelis1532]

Thanks for the great video!

[@garryame4008]

Hey, what are your thoughts regarding how the combat tactics differ from one creature type to another? For example, How do fey fight, or how do aberrations fight?

[@esbeng.s.a9761]

Fey would attack your senses so that you don't know what is going on Aberrations would mind control you so that you destroy yourself and is easy to finish

[@valentinegodek4681]

This is a much less useful question than how tactics differ between roles. Not all demons fight the same. Same for literally any other creature type. That said, if you are inspired by something, use it! Think of some guiding principles for each creature type, then try applying that to tactics. For example: demons value cruelty, and are know that they will be reborn in Hell if they die on the mortal plane. Therefore, during a fight, they do not take their own safety into account, and they choose a target based on the maximum emotional impact to the party. Beasts are dumb, and value their own well-being. Therefore, they target either the nearest enemy, or whoever hurt them most badly/recently, and they flee if really threatened. Extrapolate this to the rest of the creature types, and throw in your own ideas!

[@Bluecho4]

I would look into a blog called The Monsters Know What They're Doing, by Keith Ammann.

[@garryame4008]

@@Bluecho4 Oh yeah! it's great! I would still love to hear Jims take on it

[@razorboy251]

Had a player once complain that my NPCs (and occasionally monsters) were not build the exact same way as PCs and did not always follow the same rules (like having Legendary Resistance, or being able to concentrate on two spells at once). Had to whip out the DMG and show them both Rule 0 and the relevant passages that said (to the effect of) that NPCs are not built according to player creation rules and do not have to conform to the same rules.

[@derekstein6193]

38:00 Any PC party that genuinely enjoys facing off against the "murderhobo" type is a class in and of themselves. Shine on you crazy diamonds.

[@MrRJPE]

I like this format. Reminds me of Jason Bulmahn's Tabletop Tutorials.

[@derekstein6193]

Suggestion: When playing with tactics or BBEGs (and their lieutenants), remember to check their Intelligence scores. Even though they are not as mechanically important, they are very useful in figuring out how cunning, knowledgeable, and mentally competent they are, even if only in a general way. A low INT (1-3) is pretty animalistic and such creatures really won't use tactics per se, but creatures with built-in approaches to combat/hunting (wolves using Pack Tactics) will usually follow them to a fault; no versatility. An INT of 4-6 might be able to do simple problem-solving and would be able to vary between a couple basic combat approaches (like ambushing and using terrain to encircle prey). Creatures with 7-9 INT would be able to understand hostage-taking or using similar tactics to a creature of 10-11, but these might be clunkily directed and less focused. 10-11 INT creatures are just what an average human commoner would think up; simple traps, using terrain to their advantage, feigning injury to draw in their opponents, etc. An INT of 12-14 would mean good competency at directing troops; a field commander or pirate captain would fit well. Feints, pincer moves, and utilizing unique weather and terrain conditions to one's advantage are their bread-and-butter. Such creatures usually have an escape plan, and it's usually better than "just run as fast as you can in the opposite direction of your foes". A 15-17 INT means being well prepared for most basic situations, and even having counters for some complex enemy plans. These guys will regularly use spies, informants, magic, and bribes to get information on many potential threats in their area, including the PCs. Harder to catch unawares and with many combat tactics at their disposal, these creatures are hard to pin down. These foes rarely fall for the same trick twice, always have an escape plan or two, and are well-versed in utilizing their minions' strengths and mitigating their weaknesses, though not necessarily their own. Creatures of this level of Intelligence or above will always choose the rules of engagement, if possible. Those foes of INT 18+ are geniuses. They are not just better versions of the 15-17 crowd, but are particularly proactive and preventative of resistance, stopping their enemies before they can even start. This doesn't mean they are unassailable, but they WILL shake things up, making sure previous PC tactics and allies are rendered weakened or even impotent. Liches and mindflayers fall squarely in this general category, and deservedly so; they either have massive amounts of study and experience or otherworldly minds. Is this wall of text exhaustive and intellectually fool-proof? No. This topic could be a video in itself, and you don't have to always play a genius-level monster in a super-Machiavellian manner. This is just a suggestion on expressing monsters and BBEGs with some nuance, and the given examples above are just one player/dm's personal advice. Just remember that many things in a creature's stat block can be utilized to make combat (and roleplay, story, etc.) better, and why not use everything you have at your disposal? Obviously, this is more for leaders of warbands, BBEGs, commanders, lead hunters, and the like as grunts don't normally call the shots (except directionless mobs, of course). Edit- TL;DR: consider a creature's INT, it can help you tell how good they can plan a fight or respond to changes on the battlefield

[@theblindbuildergrandminuti5648]

Great framework.

[@elistone4418]

Regarding the Lasso, since you mention it in the Hunter section: what rules do you use for them? Anyone have a link to a good homebrew or 3rd Party rule?

[@tonybaran4810]

I can't believe you haven't reviewed the Rifts books yet. Just for entertainment. I doubt anyone plays that anymore. But they were totally insane.

[@darkjack164]

the rival adventuring party made up of classes, did not choose is always cool

[@Bluecho4]

It's cool when the rival adventurers fill the same sorts of roles as that of the PCs, though their classes may be different. Like each PC has an opposite number, showing what they could have been.

[@Number1masksfan]

I like it when the rival party has the same class but opposite in personality.

[@EunoiaRPG]

I like when you have a bad guy with magical means and money to use scrolls and 1 time use items against the party. Animate objects cast on necklace of fireballs for seeking mini nukes lol

[@nicolaezenoaga9756]

Thanks.

[@edfreeman4202]

Hey Jim, I'm running lost mines for my group and they're finally in the last act, but the progress they're making has been slow as every encounter they get into I keep kicking the living shit out of them and they have to constantly rest. I don't try to ambush the PC's but I'm trying to run the monsters as they would theoretically act. I'm not sure if I'm making a fun game for them, should I be pulling more punches or just let the dice fall where they may?

[@rho2582]

Players will lose engagement if they know you are pulling punches. But if they have weak characters then you need to tweak your encounters or increase the players' power (ie magic items)

[@ironreed2654]

Oh Jim, talk grim dark to me!

[@PatriceBoivin]

"murderhobos" == raiders, brigands or pillagers

[@bowyer10]

What happened to Pruitt?

[@CitanulsPumpkin]

Go watch their "Storyline Transitions" video from 8 months ago.

[@dan09867541]

Any chance we might have those slides you used? Thank you.

[@mavfan21]

Only saying this in case you wanted to publish/reuse the presentation, but it should be COMPLEMENTARY (2 E’s) in the first bullet point.

[@JeremyNoblitt]

Everyone hates 4e. Also everyone constantly implements 4e rules into gameplay.

[@matthewleahy6565]

I must be playing different D&D than you all, this is more like wargame content.

[@Bluecho4]

DnD has its roots in the wargaming hobby, even if it expanded from there.