The systems used in roleplaying games to resolve conflict through violent means, often to the death of one or more characters. Combat often involves several subsystems that determine whether harm is inflicted (to-hit) and the extent of that harm (damage).
21
votes
1answer
737 views
How does attacking someone work?
OK, I keep going around in circles. In Dresden Files RPG, how do you work out punching someone vs using a knife/sword/weapon vs using a gun?
36
votes
13answers
759 views
How to communicate to the players that an encounter can be solved also through diplomacy?
When you play D&D, you are not supposed to chat with the enemy during encounters. The system is made for fighting. However, in some circumstances, it would be nice to make the players conscious ...
26
votes
15answers
1k views
Speeding Up Combat
I'm looking for ways to speed up the combat in my D&D 3.5 game. It seems that turns - both player and non-player - simply take too long. I have thought about giving everyone a 30 second timer, but ...
16
votes
10answers
494 views
Without a map or miniatures, how to best determine line-of-sight, etc?
I think the title says it all. Let's say you're mastering a game without the benefit of miniatures, maps, or any kind of physical representation of the environment. How would you keep track of details ...
12
votes
3answers
330 views
Non-combat objective: Delay larger enemy force
I'm re-writing the "Battle of Albridge" encounters from The DM-kit's Reavers of Harkenwold. As supplied they are mostly just a rehash of earlier fight-to-the-death skirmishes on re-used maps. Instead ...
14
votes
4answers
2k views
Can I use a full attack and natural attacks in the same round?
I'm playing a 7th level monk variant in D&D 3.5e and I'm a werewolf. The variant has a 1 for 1 BAB. (level 1 = BAB+1) If I'm in hybrid form, Can I make my 2 standard attacks followed by 2 claws ...
27
votes
8answers
3k views
Combat rules for large battles
In the later chapters of a future campaign I'm thinking of having a section where the players take charge of parts of an army and fight a larger battle. I don't want to hand-wave the strategy, I want ...
34
votes
15answers
1k views
Narrative Combat versus Use of Miniatures
When I first started playing D&D, my DM did not use battlemaps or miniatures to describe combat. Everything was described to us, and questions to the DM were part and parcel of the experience, ...
17
votes
6answers
712 views
Realistic modern day combat system to model real life ambush
I came across a video (helmet camera) of an Taliban force ambushing US infantry troops in Afghanistan. This is a link to the video of ambush: Combat in the First Person, Spc.Michael Gannon guides us ...
12
votes
7answers
897 views
Vast and expanded realistic combat system
I am searching for a combat & damage system for an ad hoc RPG system set in Victoria era, more or less (though this part is completely unimportant). Are there any system that would bring me close ...
15
votes
4answers
648 views
How to reduce Whiff & Ping
In Savage World there is a problem of Whiff (I miss) and Ping (I hit but bounce off the armour).
We have had several long combat encounters where the PC and NPC have basically done almost nothing for ...
13
votes
3answers
539 views
How do you administer combat without an Initiative system?
So in Dungeon World, there doesn't seem to be any stat for initiative or any structure to the sequence of moves that people can make. Is the game intended to be simply played "round robin", or do ...
5
votes
3answers
267 views
Is there any good place on the internet that hosts monster playtests?
I've been a DM for a while for 3.5. I've run many NPC characters, however only a small fraction of monsters out of the books (comparatively). Also, I like to use templates liberally as well as advance ...
18
votes
2answers
743 views
Can an unconscious character use a healing surge?
Can an unconscious character use an action (like second wind or a healing power) to spend a healing surge?
Can an unconscious character spend a healing surge due to some external effect?
10
votes
3answers
516 views
Close burst from a large creature — one square origin or all of them
If a large or larger creature uses a close burst, does the burst have to emanate from a single square of the large creature's space, or does it act as if the creature is the source (all squares)?
The ...
26
votes
20answers
3k views
Beyond hit points: injury in D&D
I'm interested in adding a touch of realism to combat in D&D 3.5 or Pathfinder. Hit points are a very simple way of measuring injury and stamina, that contributes to the "hit things first, ask ...
18
votes
11answers
2k views
What is a good combat tracker for D&D 4th Edition?
As my players go up levels there are more and more variables in combat. I need help. What solutions exist out there and what makes them good?
10
votes
9answers
571 views
How to make combat deadlier?
I was thinking of reducing all hit points by 1/2 (pc, npc and monster) to make combat deadlier and less Hp crunching. Is this a good approach or is there a better way to do this or would it be better ...
33
votes
3answers
349 views
Shame him into not shooting: multiple stress tracks in a single conflict
If you insult the hitman enough, will he stop shooting at you? It doesn't seem likely, but that brings into play a question about whether some stress tracks are "more important" than others: If you ...
26
votes
7answers
740 views
Fighting boredom in combat as a player
Sometimes (as a player) I get bored during combat. At times I feel like all my turns are the same (especially when playing lower level characters) and when that is combined with no combat progress ...
13
votes
8answers
572 views
When should the DM hide a PC's hit points?
In any game with hit points (I'm thinking D&D, but any will do), is there ever a situation where the DM ought to keep track of a player character's hit points, and not reveal it to the player?
...
17
votes
11answers
733 views
Encouraging out-of-the-box thinking in combat encounters
I'm a GM currently running D&D 3.5.
I try to think of situations that present the players with a number of possible solutions.
The players, however, always resort to the same pattern of killing ...
15
votes
1answer
194 views
Can a creature immune to Immobilized walk away from a creature grabbing it?
Grabbed:
While a creature is grabbed, it is immobilized. Maintaining this condition on the creature occupies whatever appendage, object, or effect the grabber used to initiate the grab. This ...
15
votes
5answers
414 views
Alternatives to inapplicable critical-hit table results?
In a recent session of ours, one of the players scored a critical hit on a very scary wolf. The random critical-hit bonus rolled was "disarm opponent." Our GM was kind and clever enough to announce ...
14
votes
1answer
1k views
What can I do in one round?
I'm still little confused about actions in Pathfinder. There are standard actions, move actions, full round actions, free actions, etc. I need to know which combinations of these actions I can use in ...
13
votes
6answers
198 views
Clocking the round. Tools?
Chess players use a special clock to keep timings of each move within a reasonable amount, or they lose. During fighting session, I'd like to introduce a similar technique to prevent excessive ...
10
votes
8answers
458 views
What's the maximum number of minions for an encounter?
What is the maximum number of minions that can be pitted against a party 0f 5 characters of equal level without being overwhelming (as defined by the DMG)?
ie: How many Kobold minions can I pit ...
7
votes
1answer
1k views
What are the best ways to move and full-attack in the same round?
One of the most important things for any physical fighter to accomplish is to maximize the amount of time you spend full-attacking. Once you have BAB +6, not full-attacking halves your potential ...
6
votes
1answer
185 views
Order of actions in combat
Is there a specific order in which move / move-equivalent actions and standard actions should occur during a combat round? I know you can take the 5-foot step at the beginning or the end of the turn, ...
15
votes
4answers
458 views
How can I make combat more challenging without making it too frustrating?
My fellow DMs and I have come across a problem. It feels like the party has been doing a good job of dispatching our monsters with relative ease. We are not upset about this part, our party has done ...
13
votes
5answers
564 views
How does disarming a monster affect its statistics?
The disarm maneuver has almost totally disappeared from D&D 4th edition. However, at least one Fighter power - Exorcism of Steel - allows it.
Exorcism of Steel - Fighter Attack 17
You make a ...
12
votes
8answers
362 views
How do I use the same type of creature as characters level up without using more of them?
Is there a good formula/strategy for making monsters harder as characters level up without just throwing more of them? My kids, for example, love Kobolds but I just don't want combats of 30 of them.
8
votes
3answers
249 views
Was psionic combat removed from Pathfinder?
I have the 3.5 edition of the Psionic Handbook that covers psionic combat. But reading through the Pathfinder I have found nothing so far.
If changing to Pathfinder, will I no longer need psionic ...
8
votes
3answers
350 views
How many spears can fit in one pincushion
In The Riddle of Steel on page 77 it notes that the maximum number of combatants that can surround a single opponent is three, except "groups of spearmen and the like, who may gather tightly together ...
7
votes
1answer
486 views
Does 2 handed multiplier apply to Dex mod with Weapon Finesse?
I have a rogue with Weapon Finesse.
This allows me to:
When making a melee attack with a light weapon or rapier, you may use your DEX Mod instead of your strength Mod on the attack roll.
Since ...
5
votes
8answers
476 views
What do you do when there's nothing to do in combat?
There are a lot of situations in D&D combat where characters seem to be left without anything to do that round. For example, a bard out of inspires and without slashing weapons beset by zombies, ...
5
votes
2answers
656 views
What action is it to switch between holding a weapon two-handed, and then wielding it one-handed
I'm planning on building a Gish for the next game I play in, and I was wondering how to best plan the build. I want power attack so I can do damage in combat, and I want to wield the weapon ...
5
votes
5answers
236 views
How do I get players to use their Interrupts?
Is there a good tool to get plays to remember their immediate interrupts?
(please remember I play D&D4e with kids, so kid specific answers are always appreciated)
