- Excerpt from ‘Tactics for Engaging and Dynamic Combat Encounters’
- 5 Dungeon Master Tips
- 5 Dungeon Master Resources
- 5 Blog Posts About DnD Combat Encounters
- 5 Places to Find Me
Excerpt from ‘Tactics for Engaging and Dynamic Combat Encounters‘
- Number of Enemies. Add more or fewer enemies in the encounter depending on your party’s resources and intended difficulty. In general, some creatures equal to your PCs will be easier, and a number that is double or more will be closer to deadly.
- Number of Attacks. This is a big part of the action economy. The side that has more attack actions will usually overpower the other. One way around this is to have a creature multi-attack if the first one misses. You can also not multi-attack if the first one misses.
- Amount of HP. I use the average or max HP depending on the creature. Minions and lieutenants will have the average HP and bosses will have max HP. You can increase or decrease the HP to change the difficulty of the fight.
- Elevation. Height can help or hinder the PCs depending on the situation. Include sections with varying heights and ways to get there (or not!). Allow the PCs to have the higher ground over the enemies sometimes and vice versa.
- Distance. Not all creatures have both melee and ranged attacks. Start encounters further away to give time for the combatants to maneuver and position. If you have a PC with a feat or ability for extra distance give them a chance to use it!
- Difficult Terrain. Limit movement and cause some damage to any creature in battle. Changing conditions of the terrain create hazards for both sides. Allow the PCs that can ignore difficult terrain to shine on the battlefield.
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5 Dungeon Master Tips
- 3 Quick Tips: use the average damage and hp in the stat blocks. count damage up instead of subtract. offload some stuff to the players.
- don’t aim for balance. aim for engaging and dynamic. waves of monsters, distance, elevation, alternate win conditions, difficult terrain.
- magic items, traps, hazards, and obstacles can be used during combat too!
- keep the role play going during combat. have bad guys taunt the PCs or give orders to their minions.
- what makes THIS encounter unique? doesn’t have to be big, just DIFFERENT.
5 Dungeon Master Resources
- The Monsters Know What They’re Doing. Anytime I run a dnd monster for the first time I read up on the tactics here. Not only are the tactics based on wanting to survive and the stat and abilities in the stat block. For dungeon master of all skill levels, bookmark this page today.
https://www.themonstersknow.com/ - Simple Monster Stats. Every time I start home brewing a dnd monster I start with this handy chart I made. It has basic monster stats organized by CR. You have your AC, HP, to hit bonus, # of attacks, and the 6 ability scores bonuses. I even included an example monster with skills they may be proficient in to help you even more.
https://ko-fi.com/s/4a36794760 - Home Field Advantage. Lair actions are a great way to build more challenging combats. Normally only legendary creatures have lair actions in their stat block. This collection provides lair actions for lower CR creatures and monsters in the D&D 5e Monster Manual.
https://www.dmsguild.com/en/product/384113/home-field-advantage-a-compendium-of-lair-actions?affiliate_id=3271765 - Monsters of Inspiration. Every monster I have ever made in one place for you to use. Fearsome foes like the Duck-Billed Blood Mage and the Wildfire Owlbear. If you want me to home brew you a dnd monster all you have to do is become a monthly member on Ko-fi or Patreon.
https://ko-fi.com/s/68cd14f4d2 - Bloodied & Bruised. new combat actions for creatures in the 5e adventures and monster books. this gives monsters new combat actions that can completely change the tone of a fight. one of the best mechanics I’ve added to the game to better dial in the difficulty of combat.
https://www.dmsguild.com/en/product/376169/bloodied-bruised-vol-1-monster-manual?affiliate_id=3271765
5 Blog Posts About DnD Combat Encounters
- How to Manage Combat Like a True Game Master. an amazing article about many aspects of dnd combat that I like to reread every year
https://theangrygm.com/manage-combat-like-a-master/ - 5 Tricks to Take D&D Combat to the Next Level. all about how game masters can improve the combat encounters in their games
https://thedmlair.com/blogs/news/5-tricks-to-take-d-d-combat-to-the-next-level - Designing Unforgettable Combat Encounters for 5e D&D. 12 tips and a nice checklist to help you level up your combat encounters
https://www.hipstersanddragons.com/designing-combat-encounters-advice/ - How To Design Exciting D&D Encounters. a really good article on the four elements encounter design from the creator of Shadowdark RPG
https://www.thearcanelibrary.com/blogs/news/how-to-write-excellent-d-d-encounters - The Lazy GM’s 5e Monster Builder Resource Document. one of my favorite resources for building, modifying, and running dnd monsters
https://slyflourish.com/lazy_5e_monster_building_resource_document.html
5 Places to Find Me
- join us in the Dungeon of Inspiration Discord Server where we talk about all things d&d and TTRPGs
https://discord.gg/K32aX3Kkw9 - free dungeon master resources in my Ko-fi shop
https://ko-fi.com/craigofinspiration/shop - monthly Patreon members get free homebrew monster or magic item
https://patreon.com/CraigofInspiration - find me on Youtube for daily dnd videos
https://www.youtube.com/@CraigofInspirationDnD - live on Twitch every Saturday talking about DnD and TTRPGs
https://www.twitch.tv/craigofinspiration
Points of Inspiration 