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D&D Older Editions
How to speed up combat?
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<blockquote data-quote="Unwise" data-source="post: 8218224" data-attributes="member: 98008"><p>I feel like 4E was hardmode on GMs. Every combat encounter is a setpiece. To work well the terrain always has something interesting, like rickety bridges, or lava flows, or gravity wells or something. All the monsters have differences and special things, controller/defender/lurker etc, AND the objectives are often also complex, e.g. stop the ritual before the rift is complete.</p><p></p><p>These make for great setpieces, but 4E struggles outside of epic setpieces.</p><p></p><p>As has been said, the 1/2 HP thing is pretty common and is rather needed at higher levels. I also have most NPCs do extra damage when bloodied, to make up for the action economy issues of enemies dying.</p><p></p><p>One practical tip is that if a player interrupts to use a reaction, they have to use it. They use it immediately or lose it. No umming and ahhhing over it. If the reaction does not work in that situation or work the way they thought, tough, they lose it for interrupting. Some of my players would stop every single action to tell the table what they 'might' or 'could' do about it.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Unwise, post: 8218224, member: 98008"] I feel like 4E was hardmode on GMs. Every combat encounter is a setpiece. To work well the terrain always has something interesting, like rickety bridges, or lava flows, or gravity wells or something. All the monsters have differences and special things, controller/defender/lurker etc, AND the objectives are often also complex, e.g. stop the ritual before the rift is complete. These make for great setpieces, but 4E struggles outside of epic setpieces. As has been said, the 1/2 HP thing is pretty common and is rather needed at higher levels. I also have most NPCs do extra damage when bloodied, to make up for the action economy issues of enemies dying. One practical tip is that if a player interrupts to use a reaction, they have to use it. They use it immediately or lose it. No umming and ahhhing over it. If the reaction does not work in that situation or work the way they thought, tough, they lose it for interrupting. Some of my players would stop every single action to tell the table what they 'might' or 'could' do about it. [/QUOTE]
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