You’re like one of the greatest DMs ever!!! Another idea I often try to impress upon players is to use descriptive language for their actions. Such as rather than “I attempt to hit it with my axe,” try “Kasgar heaves his seasoned battle axe with savage fury at the snarling head of the wolfman intent on splitting its fulsome face wide open!”
Really like the way you give real examples on how to implement each advice. I’m running a campaign with 2/3 totally new players, and I made them flow charts for their options in combat to speed things up. The standard character sheets for DnD don’t really make things easy to keep track of, what are my bonus action options, when can I use this reaction etc. For new players, especially ones that aren’t combat focused, it makes things a lot smoother
Don't know about 5e skills, but for 3.5 I used to allow characters to roll Knowledge checks to see if they knew weaknesses and strengths of monsters. If the roll was higher than fifteen, they got to add the excess to their attacks in that combat with that creature.
This is fantastic and I fully agree with your strategies! Another simple one: Add music to your campaign. I have 20+ spotify playlists I've created specifically for locations, encounters, and situations. They really pull the players in.
I think the big problem for our group is we're all at that age when we start forgetting things. So in the height of combat Player A suddenly can't remember what some of their character options are because at times the character sheet can seem a bit like information overload! "What does this do?" Player A will ask me, the DM. How do I know? It's your character. So action stops for a few minutes while we look up what a certain artifact or spell does. "Can my character do this?" Player C asks. I don't know but for brevity I'll say "sure, why not?' and improvise.
#3 - Or you get Fishlegs from "How To Train Your Dragon" (2010): Gobber: (aside, to Hiccup) Don't worry, you're small and you're weak. That'll make you less of a target. They'll see you as sick or insane and go after the more Viking-like teens instead. [aloud, to the other teens] Behind these doors are just a few of the many species you will learn to fight. The Deadly Nadder... Fishlegs: Speed: 8, Armor: 16 Gobber: The Hideous Zippleback... Fishlegs: Plus 11 stealth. Times 2. Gobber: The Monstrous Nightmare... Fishlegs: Firepower: 15. Gobber: The Terrible Terror... Fishlegs: Attack: 8, venom: 12! Gobber: [irritated] CAN YOU STOP THAT?! [calms down] And the Gronckle. Fishlegs: [whispers to Hiccup] Jaw strength: 8.
Getting players to consider not going all murder hobo, hack and slash was a thing. Getting them to realize a live captured opponent was more valuable, than not. Rewarding with more experience points for not killing, for subduing and getting things out of the captured opponent. That way the story becomes and develops, from and around that combat event. Sometimes a captured opponent could become an ally, having been misinformed about the PCs, or they can be a rewarding thorn in their side that leads them somewhere or nowhere as they plot to escape.
The problems I have seen boil down to: 1. The system is designed to be low tactics and strategy with no support for coordinating actions. The result is a mixed up mess of AOEs and rocket tag in featureless landscapes. 2. DnD has a lot of buff and environmental control options that never get used since there is no prelude to combat. Almost all combats are DM announces a monster, roll initiative, combat starts. If the player are lucky then all the planning, scouting and investigations they sunk time into gets them a single round of prep. 3. Certain parts of the industry who wish they were actually making TV and Movies instead have convinced the industry and hobby that the best RPG sessions are scripted experiences with little player agency. This has made for prima Donna DMs who micromanage PCs and lazy players. Special mention to stripping all the flavour out of the monster manual so the DM is left with a bag of HP and damage with no context to the world. Also combat is now basically the only time players interact with the system as everything else is a game of convince the DM to let you try and flip a coin to see if it works.
Plan encounters that show off player character abilities. Reward the behavior you want to see out of players. Become hyper-organized with Excel to help keep combat rolling. Have fun!
so, my group figured out our 5e combat was boring because everyone had too many buttons to press. the game gives players too much to do, and those superheroic rules bog the game down. This wont work for everyone, but our solution was to simply switch to older editions like 2e. Worked like a charm
Have combat with an objective that isn't just to kill all enemies. Escapes, preventing a kidnapping or a thief from escaping, burning building, burning airship, assassination prevention. These are all combats that require something other than just doing as much damage as possible to defeat all enemies. If the only goal is to do damage then the PCs end up doing the same thing every combat. Even if the enemy changes, what pcs can do to maximize damage usually doesn't so of course it gets boring.
I would make the RP combat actions part of the session 0. Put the prompt out there and then go through with each player. I definitely agree they shouldn't be extra attacks or deals damage.or anything like that but maybe the barbarian gets a war cry or something.
@@HalflingHobbies Currently they're atop a celestial spire made by Helm, fighting a homebrew creature called a Servitor of Shar, two wraiths, and two Helmed Horrors, while most of them are at half hp from the puzzles before lol
Players on the Phone not paying attention means not in-game either, so they get HIT & Pickpocketed, in Combat or Not, they were snuck up on ! they learn Fast ! same you start Real world story .. Roll of Initiative! When I'm playing a character I sure know what I can do !
@@Wolfphototech There is definitely some truth to this. In 2nd ed, natural healing was painfully slow and the preponderance of ways to die made combat always dangerous. Players were more likely to try to sneak around, bargain with, or subvert enemies than go into direct confrontation. The easiest is to not give XP for defeating creatures. Players will do what you reward them for.
TTRPG combat sucks. Here's why. The fluidness or fluidity of a roleplay scene is lost. Imagine watching a movie, but when we get to an action scene, the director and actor(s) pause the movie to have a conversation about every action. This is the problem. Switch to simultaneous combat.
5E SUCKS, It's millennial crap, Players are Op, and if you DO die ... Multiple Death saves Feats? what are superheroes with mutant powers? to many Escape rooms and Bard Tale stories, and Little or no action.
I think wizards should just eliminate combat altogether. They should at least make combat “optional”. With trigger warnings too. Especially since It’s usually so racist and that is no fun. Definitely not part of the immersive story that the players want to experience.
Great advises but saying "brain science" right after false facts about left and right side of brain act as 'analitical' and 'creative' sounds silly. Please don't spread misinformation
You’re like one of the greatest DMs ever!!! Another idea I often try to impress upon players is to use descriptive language for their actions. Such as rather than “I attempt to hit it with my axe,” try “Kasgar heaves his seasoned battle axe with savage fury at the snarling head of the wolfman intent on splitting its fulsome face wide open!”
Thank you! And yes! That can be a huge factor and getting players to the point that they are comfortable doing just that is a journey!
Really like the way you give real examples on how to implement each advice. I’m running a campaign with 2/3 totally new players, and I made them flow charts for their options in combat to speed things up. The standard character sheets for DnD don’t really make things easy to keep track of, what are my bonus action options, when can I use this reaction etc. For new players, especially ones that aren’t combat focused, it makes things a lot smoother
What a great idea! Well done!
Don't know about 5e skills, but for 3.5 I used to allow characters to roll Knowledge checks to see if they knew weaknesses and strengths of monsters. If the roll was higher than fifteen, they got to add the excess to their attacks in that combat with that creature.
That is cool!! I like that a lot. That would make sense in 5e with the Monster Hunter background!
This a rule in pathfinder as well. Usually it is 10+CR to find the DC for knowlege check
This is fantastic and I fully agree with your strategies!
Another simple one: Add music to your campaign. I have 20+ spotify playlists I've created specifically for locations, encounters, and situations. They really pull the players in.
wonderful suggestion! Such a little thing that makes such a difference!
I think the big problem for our group is we're all at that age when we start forgetting things. So in the height of combat Player A suddenly can't remember what some of their character options are because at times the character sheet can seem a bit like information overload! "What does this do?" Player A will ask me, the DM. How do I know? It's your character. So action stops for a few minutes while we look up what a certain artifact or spell does. "Can my character do this?" Player C asks. I don't know but for brevity I'll say "sure, why not?' and improvise.
hahahaha!! That is brilliant!
#3 - Or you get Fishlegs from "How To Train Your Dragon" (2010):
Gobber: (aside, to Hiccup) Don't worry, you're small and you're weak. That'll make you less of a target. They'll see you as sick or insane and go after the more Viking-like teens instead. [aloud, to the other teens] Behind these doors are just a few of the many species you will learn to fight. The Deadly Nadder...
Fishlegs: Speed: 8, Armor: 16
Gobber: The Hideous Zippleback...
Fishlegs: Plus 11 stealth. Times 2.
Gobber: The Monstrous Nightmare...
Fishlegs: Firepower: 15.
Gobber: The Terrible Terror...
Fishlegs: Attack: 8, venom: 12!
Gobber: [irritated] CAN YOU STOP THAT?! [calms down] And the Gronckle.
Fishlegs: [whispers to Hiccup] Jaw strength: 8.
hahaha! Too perfect!!
Getting players to consider not going all murder hobo, hack and slash was a thing. Getting them to realize a live captured opponent was more valuable, than not. Rewarding with more experience points for not killing, for subduing and getting things out of the captured opponent. That way the story becomes and develops, from and around that combat event. Sometimes a captured opponent could become an ally, having been misinformed about the PCs, or they can be a rewarding thorn in their side that leads them somewhere or nowhere as they plot to escape.
Good stuff! So true!!
The problems I have seen boil down to:
1. The system is designed to be low tactics and strategy with no support for coordinating actions. The result is a mixed up mess of AOEs and rocket tag in featureless landscapes.
2. DnD has a lot of buff and environmental control options that never get used since there is no prelude to combat. Almost all combats are DM announces a monster, roll initiative, combat starts. If the player are lucky then all the planning, scouting and investigations they sunk time into gets them a single round of prep.
3. Certain parts of the industry who wish they were actually making TV and Movies instead have convinced the industry and hobby that the best RPG sessions are scripted experiences with little player agency. This has made for prima Donna DMs who micromanage PCs and lazy players.
Special mention to stripping all the flavour out of the monster manual so the DM is left with a bag of HP and damage with no context to the world.
Also combat is now basically the only time players interact with the system as everything else is a game of convince the DM to let you try and flip a coin to see if it works.
I'm guessing #3 is a dig at livestream ttrpg play?
Plan encounters that show off player character abilities. Reward the behavior you want to see out of players. Become hyper-organized with Excel to help keep combat rolling. Have fun!
so, my group figured out our 5e combat was boring because everyone had too many buttons to press. the game gives players too much to do, and those superheroic rules bog the game down. This wont work for everyone, but our solution was to simply switch to older editions like 2e. Worked like a charm
THANK YOU! Your solution to number two is exactly what I needed to deal with my own combat issues 😊🙏
Yay! Happy to help! 😊
Have combat with an objective that isn't just to kill all enemies. Escapes, preventing a kidnapping or a thief from escaping, burning building, burning airship, assassination prevention. These are all combats that require something other than just doing as much damage as possible to defeat all enemies.
If the only goal is to do damage then the PCs end up doing the same thing every combat. Even if the enemy changes, what pcs can do to maximize damage usually doesn't so of course it gets boring.
I would make the RP combat actions part of the session 0. Put the prompt out there and then go through with each player. I definitely agree they shouldn't be extra attacks or deals damage.or anything like that but maybe the barbarian gets a war cry or something.
Great idea!! I can't wait to try that out!
Great idea about asking brain-shifting questions AND the foreshadowing of an enemy
Thank you!
Oh this is perfect, about to be sending them into a big boss battle
Awesome!! What will they be facing?
@@HalflingHobbies Currently they're atop a celestial spire made by Helm, fighting a homebrew creature called a Servitor of Shar, two wraiths, and two Helmed Horrors, while most of them are at half hp from the puzzles before lol
@@khrowv Oh dang! That sounds awesome!
@@HalflingHobbies Yeah it should be pretty fun
brain science
gotta love it! lol
Players on the Phone not paying attention means not in-game either, so they get HIT & Pickpocketed, in Combat or Not, they were snuck up on ! they learn Fast ! same you start Real world story .. Roll of Initiative! When I'm playing a character I sure know what I can do !
Suddenly Terasque. LOL LOVE IT
lol! Thank you!
Two words for one of the Iargest issues with 5E combat.... Action Economy...
YES
Can someone just list what are the suggestions? Don't have 12 mins to waste.
You can always go to my website, www.halflinghobbies.com and waste time there instead :)
*D&D 5e combat eventually becomes boring because it was designed to favor the player's characters .*
hmmm...interesting thought. You think the players are over powered?
@@HalflingHobbies
*Depends on how one defines "overpowered" .*
@@Wolfphototech There is definitely some truth to this. In 2nd ed, natural healing was painfully slow and the preponderance of ways to die made combat always dangerous. Players were more likely to try to sneak around, bargain with, or subvert enemies than go into direct confrontation.
The easiest is to not give XP for defeating creatures. Players will do what you reward them for.
TTRPG combat sucks. Here's why. The fluidness or fluidity of a roleplay scene is lost. Imagine watching a movie, but when we get to an action scene, the director and actor(s) pause the movie to have a conversation about every action. This is the problem. Switch to simultaneous combat.
🥳❤️👍🏿
5E SUCKS, It's millennial crap, Players are Op, and if you DO die ... Multiple Death saves Feats? what are superheroes with mutant powers? to many Escape rooms and Bard Tale stories, and Little or no action.
I think wizards should just eliminate combat altogether. They should at least make combat “optional”. With trigger warnings too. Especially since It’s usually so racist and that is no fun. Definitely not part of the immersive story that the players want to experience.
As the DM, you can totally choose to do that! I think there are still good reasons for combat though.
Great advises but saying "brain science" right after false facts about left and right side of brain act as 'analitical' and 'creative' sounds silly. Please don't spread misinformation
Math Rocks HAHAHAHA
I think 5e is fast combat
Try 3.5 combat with 11 level 18 PCs
😝
hahaha!! No thanks!
This is so woke i cant sleep FFS!! 5e is crap...plain and simple.
I wouldn’t go that far lol I really enjoy the simplicity of it, but combat is quite the beast!