Questions tagged [tactics]

For questions about tactical play, relating to how combat is planned and played out in a game, in individual encounters or in larger group situations. This encompasses tactical concepts directly tied to game mechanics, as well as more abstract discussions.

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How do I signal that alternate tactical end states are possible?

Question inspired by "Redefining Combat" on Clan of the Gray Wolf: It provides an excellent list inspired by army manuals of alternate tactical goals for a scenario: Here are some tactical tasks ...
Brian Ballsun-Stanton's user avatar
28 votes
6 answers
13k views

A PC dies every session - bad tactics or the normal outcome of adventuring?

In the campaign I'm currently playing in we have had a lot of character deaths occurring recently, almost (if not every) session. The party are 13th–14th level and are taking on significant opponents....
jsecker's user avatar
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37 votes
8 answers
65k views

How can I make combat more tactically interesting for me as a DM?

For me, I find it very difficult to enjoy DMing combat encounters. Combat is generally very dry and monotonous. What can I do to make combat more enjoyable for me as a DM? Some of the issues I have ...
AJMansfield's user avatar
20 votes
6 answers
26k views

How can a party defend against the Nightmare Haunting action of a Night Hag?

This question was asked previously with respect to D&D 3.5: What are the ways that a CR-appropriate party can stop a Night Hag's dream haunting? There are some interesting answers there, but ...
RedGeomancer's user avatar
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21 votes
2 answers
34k views

Can a short rope used with Rope Trick create a “safe space” during combat?

Rope trick in 5e says: You touch a length of rope that is up to 60 feet long. One end of the rope then rises into the air until the whole rope hangs perpendicular to the ground. At the upper end ...
Praxiteles's user avatar
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13 votes
5 answers
5k views

Standard monster tactics for 4E D&D combat

In a similar vein to a question on tactics sources, I'm interested in knowing what are common tactics for monsters to use. The DMB and the MV mention monster groups, which are very useful, but I want ...
Adriano Varoli Piazza's user avatar
61 votes
18 answers
19k views

How to break the "Death Loop" resulting from unfortunate initiative order

In a recent session, an encounter with a single particularly tough Orc (who was my doppelganger, trying to kill me) left the party dealing chip damage a few rounds at a time while they attempted to ...
Xirema's user avatar
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50 votes
8 answers
17k views

How does one handle a bottleneck of enemies in a doorway?

As a new DM I'm still learning how to control the monsters in a battle. A situation came up last game and although it was fine and fun, I wonder if there are better strategies for a DM to avoid a ...
Besty's user avatar
  • 7,217
28 votes
6 answers
20k views

What countermeasures protect against Power Word Kill?

My group might be facing a lich soon (as part of a one-shot). Its ninth-level spell is power word kill: You utter a word of power that can compel one creature you can see within range to die ...
Dan B's user avatar
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28 votes
4 answers
100k views

Do I get advantage if I have the high ground?

If my character is elevated above a creature (on a table, rock, etc.), is there anywhere in the Player's Handbook or Dungeon Master's Guide that states I gain advantage for my attacks? Do attacks ...
SeeDerekEngineer's user avatar
20 votes
5 answers
1k views

What are some good sources for combat tactics for a GM to use? [closed]

My players are extremely strategic, and they're consistently (and too easily) defeating groups of enemies that I intended to present a real challenge. Probably for the same reason that I suck at chess,...
Corey's user avatar
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13 votes
4 answers
4k views

Would flying monsters ever land during combat?

Spooney asked this question in one of his podcasts, and I've started wondering about it myself. In a D&D 4.0 encounter, why would an at least moderately intelligent creature (including, but not ...
Ravn's user avatar
  • 5,886
9 votes
4 answers
449 views

How do I get players to assign alternate tactical goals?

Based on my prior question on signalling alternate end states and Redefining Combat, how do I present PCs with the ability to assign their own tactical goals beyond "clear" to a hostile environment ...
Brian Ballsun-Stanton's user avatar
49 votes
11 answers
11k views

How can I discourage/prevent PCs from using door choke-points?

To keep this from being voted as a duplicate of this, let me clarify. The other question asks for DM tactics to battle chokepoints. Its answers are all focused on fighting at these choke-points. I ask ...
BlueMoon93's user avatar
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36 votes
6 answers
14k views

How are Githyanki effective against Mind Flayers?

The description of the Gith, particularly the Githyanki portrays them as deadly, implacable enemies of Mind Flayers, so much so that they took down the unbelievably vast and powerful ancient Illithid ...
keithcurtis's user avatar
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35 votes
8 answers
10k views

How can a single creature safely flee from a combat?

This question is really more of a tactics and plotting question than a rules question. In D&D 5e, a creature can avoid opportunity attacks when running away by using the Disengage action (although ...
RedGeomancer's user avatar
  • 6,559
26 votes
11 answers
5k views

How do I learn enough about military tactics to run credible military-type NPCs in combat? [closed]

I'm the GM of a Shadowrun Campaign and have difficulties letting the NPCs move in a battle like they would in real-life. Two of my players are pretty informed about how military or police would act ...
Ferox's user avatar
  • 1,411
26 votes
4 answers
4k views

Self-Preservation: How to DM NPCs that Love Living?

I have it in mind that humanoid NPCs do not "rage against the dying of the light" as much as they should. Combat encounters frequently result in a full-on massacre, when realistically a single ...
Enoch's user avatar
  • 457
22 votes
6 answers
4k views

How can I create encounters that encourage players to use non-Attack actions?

In D&D 5e, the players have lots of actions they can take within combat encounters besides attacking. I'm trying to figure out how to encourage them to use a greater variety of actions, especially ...
philosophyguy's user avatar
13 votes
2 answers
566 views

How can I learn to play my character when they know more about tactics than I do?

I've recently joined a game of Aberrant, and it's extremely player-driven and roleplay-heavy. This is very different from what I'm used to (D&D 3.PF hack & slash), and I've run into a problem (...
Alyksandrei's user avatar
12 votes
3 answers
10k views

How to force enemies to attack the tank?

I am having a group, in which I play as a Crusader. I specialised to be a support tank - I can shrug off respectable amounts of damage all the while improving the rest of the group's fighting ...
eimyr's user avatar
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9 votes
5 answers
12k views

How to survive as a support character with low AC?

I'm currently playing curse of strahd as a college of whispers bard, our party just hit level 5. During our last encounter, I was getting swarmed by multiple ghouls and getting paralyzed every turn, ...
THOR'S AWAY's user avatar
9 votes
1 answer
4k views

What can a player do to force down a flying creature?

Dakeyras' answer in this thread got me thinking about how a player would/could counter an enemy that used hovering flight to its full advantage. What specific items/powers/etc. can a character use to ...
Ravn's user avatar
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7 votes
2 answers
4k views

How would I deal with an enemy that intends to camp underground until I die from the environment as a level 12 fairy wizard?

This ties in to my previous question, where the answer was that I can't target them with a spell because the ground acts as full cover. The context for this question is that my enemy (another player) ...
Tasi's user avatar
  • 1,155
7 votes
1 answer
5k views

How to determine when opponents attack unconscious player characters?

As a GM, how can I tell what monsters will keep attacking unconscious PCs? I am especially wondering what happens if a party all become unconscious during combat (that is, their HP all got reduced to ...
Nick Gammon's user avatar
6 votes
0 answers
120 views

Ranged combat - warrior mage [closed]

Background We're a group of four players new to Pen & Paper with a seasoned game master. Up to now we haven't had any active contact with magic skills during combats. Due to a mixture of bad ...
Erik's user avatar
  • 301
6 votes
1 answer
352 views

Can a Wizard ready a combat cantrip?

You can use Ready only for single actions: You prepare to use an action that will occur outside your turn. Choose a single action or free action you can use, and designate a trigger. Your turn then ...
András's user avatar
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5 votes
2 answers
1k views

If two hostile players approach, why the fastest one gets to attack in second place?

In posting this question I'm thinking of GURPS, but it would be the same with any game in which: players get one action per turn players can either move OR attack OR (move only one hex AND attack) ...
Damián Gil's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
2k views

Armor of Agathys and Damage Prevention [closed]

A character in my group has multiple ways to reduce/prevent incoming damage, among others the Heavy Armor Master feat and such things. This wasn't a big problem so far. I could just throw more bad ...
hohenheim's user avatar
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