Combat

The Three Round Rule

In general, combat should not take longer than three rounds. By that time, whatever the party is fighting should either be dead, driven off, or killing the player characters.

Why?

Tabletop games live and die by momentum. When the game is moving at a good pace, the table is full of energy and enjoyment. When the game drags on, players check their phones.

Making Three Round Combats

Flat Damage Values

Avoid rolling damage when an NPC lands a hit. Instead, use the average value. This keeps combat moving quickly and ensures high lethality (no more, “take 1 damage from the arrow”).

Strike. Melee Weapon Attack: +0 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d6) slashing damage.

Burning Hands. Spell Attack: DEX vs. 13, 15 ft. cone. (12) 3d6 fire damage.

Swarms
  • Do not roll initiative for the group. Give them a flat value, such as 15, 10, or 5.
  • Do not track hit points. When the group takes damage, kill one of its members. If a player scores a critical hit, kill two.
  • When the group attacks, have them target the same character. Roll a number of times equal to the number of creatures in the group.
  • Make AoE attacks (such as Burning Hands or Sleep) particularly effective against groups.
Boss Fights
  • Do not roll initiative. Give the creature two initiatives per round, such as 15 and 5.
  • Change behavior at half HP. Have them attempt to flee, plead for their life, enter a more dangerous state, or use a powerful ability.
  • Do not use Legendary Resistances. In the event of a stun or other disabling effect, remove one of the creature’s initiatives as necessary.
Skirmishes
  • Keep the number of participants low. Group enemies into swarms where possible.
  • Give enemies a gimmick, like Trip Attack or a single combat spell.

Hazards vs. Threats

Immortal dragons, steel golems the size of buildings, thousands of rats, and similar encounters may fall under the category of hazard rather than threat. If they can’t reasonably be harmed by an attack, avoid rolling initiative all together, treating them as hostile environments rather than combatants.

Segways

If a fight isn’t finishing up by round 3, introduce a drastic change.

  • Have a third party, friendly or hostile, enter the fray and cause a rout.
  • Cause a large terrain shift, such as impending floods or a cave-in, that disrupts combat.
  • Introduce something that both sides want in the distance, changing combat into a footrace.