Failure States
Five Things To Watch Out For
1: Dogfights
Problem: Players and enemies are chipping away at one another’s health instead of dealing killing blows.
Fix: Every round should be a life-threatening experience for at least one side. Combat should be brought to an end after three rounds.
2. Action Economy Nightmare
Problem: There are so many enemies on the field that it takes five minutes to finish a single round.
Fix: Never go beyond four enemy initiatives. Group weak enemies together as swarms. Consdier side-based initiative, allowing all players to perform their turn, then allowing all enemies to perform theirs.
3: Delaying the Inevitable
Problem: The enemies are no longer a threat to the players, and their defeat is only a matter of time
Fix: Once an enemy is beat, the fight should be brought to a conclusion by GM fiat, rather than by spending additional rounds grinding out deathblows.
4: “Solved” Fights
Problem: The party has a silver bullet strategy they employ regardless of foe.
Fix: Present enemies or environments that require adaptive tactics. Make some enemies immune to fire. Have other enemies resist slashing damage, but take double from bludgeoning. Grapple characters with kelpies and try to drown them.
5. Punching a Wall
Problem: The party is trying to fight something that is less an enemy and more a force of nature, like a giant the size of a building.
Solution: Treat the enemy as a Hazard rather than a creature. Do not roll initiative, and provide gentle nudging that the party’s attacks are not succeeding.