Basic Principles for Successful Adventuring, Part III
The final entry in our Basic Principles series is all about combat. Before leaving the tavern, we've set ourselves up for success in the previous two postings. Once we departed in search of wealth and fame, we had a few simple rules to follow during our travel time. Now we've entered into battle, encountering a group of gnolls who aren't very happy to see you. It's time to fight, and the suggestions listed below can be the difference between living to fight another day or your head becoming a trophy on someone's wall.
Stay Focused
Everyone makes bad decisions, whether forgetting that the hell hound is immune to fire or running away thinking it's time to retreat. The absolute worst thing you can do is nothing at all. Be ready when your turn comes around. Players can zone out when it is not their turn, or even worse, they start scrolling through baseball scores on their phones. Pay attention to what everyone else is doing. This includes how the monsters move around and adjust your tactics as needed.
We all want to swing our swords, cast spells, and roll damage dice. Tunnel vision can cause you to miss out on more sensible options. Position yourself for the rogue to sneak attack. Get out of the way so a spellcaster can launch a spell that goes boom in a 20-foot-radius. It may not be exciting, but it's better than dying. Most of the time, you're only responsible for your character only, so act responsibly. Landing the last hit and describing how you do it is fun, but the wizard who just slipped into unconsciousness may disagree.
In his article Be aware and take care, Lew Pulsipher provides what should be obvious.
A simple solution to this is simply to slow down and make sure you look at the tactical situation to choose the best maneuvers before you start the next round of attacks.
(Dragon #79, November 1983)
It's that easy.
Determine Roles
You can plan this in pre-game discussions or when you're on the road, but remember what they say about best-laid plans. We all understand the primary responsibilities of the classes; fighters are front liners, barbarians rage, wizards cast spells, and bards sing annoying songs. Each battle will be unique, making it essential to adjust roles according. Take a few moments to determine if the rogue will attempt to sneak attack or hang back. The ranger may want to sit back and use their ranged weapon instead of a sword. Figuring out who's doing what from the start can avoid confusion in the heat of battle.
I recommend waiting until after everyone has rolled their initiative. Don't slow down gameplay by spending ten minutes talking through your plans. Make it quick, with each person announcing what their plan is in character. Yelling is a free action, so announce yourself with authority. Who knows, maybe you'll frighten the kobolds, and they'll run away before the battle begins. This leads us to our next principle…
Coordinate Efforts
Cooperation is the name of the game. Without it, your characters aren't going to be long for this mortal coil. Each group member should utilize their character skills to the party's best advantage. Adverse actions shouldn't be tolerated. In AD&D, it was common for characters to look out for their interests. You'd be surprised how often the rogue would use combat as an opportunity to steal for a fellow party member.
Simply screaming out fireball isn't enough. It's essential to discuss who attacks what creature and how they plan to do it. When fighting multiple creatures of the same type, the spellcaster will want to use an AOE spell against a cluster within range. That's hard to do if the barbarian runs in, blindly swinging their sword. A creature with minions could lead to everyone attacking the boss, completely forgetting about the lesser creatures. That is until the damage starts to take its toll. Those 5 hit points begin to add up when it's 5 damage x 5 every round.
Work together. When each character does what they think is the best idea at the time, your attack will be ineffective, and in the case of that fireball, it may result in you accidentally killing each other.
Don't Discount Defensive Options.
Never give up, never surrender.
Commander Taggart, Galaxy Quest
I can't think of a better quote (delivered by the amazing Alan Rickman. Rest in peace, good sir) that embodies players' mindset. We know Intelligence is everyone, but the wizards, dump stat. It doesn't mean that the characters have to go down swinging. There is no shame in running away. It's better to live to fight another day than become the undead servant of a warlock.
You'll inevitably run into somebody more powerful than you and your friends, even if that is Orcus. If this happens, be mindful of your situation, cut your losses, and get the heck out of there. But this needs to be a group decision. Just remember, don't split the party principle. Everyone needs to be on the same page. If not, your could end up with more dead comrades than available resurrection spells.
Always leave your options open and ensure that you have more than one available. We've talked about several ways to control the battlefield in previous articles. Make sure you have multiple escape routes or have ways to create them. Fighting in a room with only one way in or out is not recommended. You and your friends could be in big trouble if the lich positions himself in front of the only way out.
Protect Your Spellcasters
A dead wizard can't cast a fireball.
This concludes our series. As always, please share your thoughts or what you liked, I may have missed, and what you would add in the comments below. Any and all constructive criticism is appreciated.
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