Why Your D&D Combat feels SLOW

Slow combat is the worst combat in games like Dungeons & Dragons. Here's 7 common problems and how to solve them! ▶️ More below! ⏬

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00:00 let's just agree slow combat is the worst
00:47 how to fix a boring battlefield
02:32 train sound for the train lovers
02:42 optimize for flow!
03:32 bigger grids save time (proven by math)
05:35 ...and tactical combat still works
08:06 simple and expert tips for monsters
10:27 good advice that I ignored for YEARS

#dnd #dungeonsanddragons

[digitaljanus]

I always love that you're the TTRPG-Tuber who actually goes outside, but the cut to the "vast featureless plain" at the beginning was a beautiful use of it. 10/10 no notes.

[DaileyDoseOfJoseph]

I've always done Dragon Breath by rolling 1d6 at the end of their turns and telling the party, if it rolled right, "You see smoke hissing from the dragons nose. Something is coming on it's next turn" to watch them scatter

[DUNGEONCRAFT]

Great topic. "Slow combat in to a GO combat." I love it!

[DruidGrove-nm]

DM's, heres a 1d20 for you
1. Trees, pillars, statues scattered offering cover
2. Low battlefield – challenge in the middle – high battlefield
3. Huge mass at the centre — boulder, ruin, tree, lake — combat forms a ring around it
4. Nothing taller than crouching cover
5. Chokepoint flanked by unstable ground — mud, wet stones, shingle
6. Fallen log bridges between gap, river — can be crossed
7. Wide Shallow stream between battlefields — ambush?
8. Wild flowing river - dangerous
9. One side is fighting into the sun, sun-blinded at dusk or dawn
10. Crumbled stone wall with gaps
11. Crater, mud sinkhole, bog — easy to fall into, hard to climb out of
12. Stone Bridge above the battlefield - arrows
13. Tangle of roots and horse corpses — bad omen, lose 1d10, 1d20 troops running off
14. Cave mouth — more enemy inside? ambush?
15. Zoom out to overview the challange, and zoom in narrative, what players doing
16. Abandoned campsite — scattered supplies, maybe traps?
17. Spot Officer on the battlfield - challenge in the way
18. Spot Officers Tent - challenge in the way
19. Faint trail leading ...
20. Escape to sea shore ...

[matteonozza]

I have big troubles with this "lest make combat faster" fashion of these years, that is I feel that people have forgotten why making combat faster was an objective to begin with.
The problem is that in certain popular games combat is slow and boring. The problem is, for example, that spells have incredibly long and precise descriptions, when an attack fails there are no consequences and then you need to wait a lot of time before playing again, monsters have hundreds of hp, ecc.
What a bunch of videos and games suggest is instead to cut things that actually stimulate creative thinking, such as positioning. No, you cannot do tactical positioning as complex and interesting without precise distances: if space is not well defined, it is less feasible to use it carefully

[rickcarson]

I saw them do the close/near/far thing without a battlemap in a live Star Wars RPG and it massively _SLOWED_ the game down, because none of the players could visualise where they were on the battlefield in relation to the enemies and cover. They were _trying_ to interact with the battlefield (e.g. by hiding behind crates and barrels) but had to keep asking where everything on the battlefield was in relation to _themselves_

[thenoble]

Thank you for leaving in the train, Bob 🫡

[Spark_Chaser]

1. Just a few line of sight blockers can make any battlefield more interesting.

2. I remember reading something about the "knee jerk reaction" being asked for. That players and DMs figure out what the default thing a character would do, then if the player is taking too much time, just do that. Melee combatants hit nearest target. Shooters fire at nearest clearest shot. Casters cast offensive cantrip. Monsters attack nearest enemy or use biggest multi-target attack if there's an opportunity.

3. Grids are okay, but just throwing down a mat and having a measuring device. It also allows for more dynamic movement. I like zones as well, as they have worked well for my group with Fallout 2D20.

4. I like the Matt Colville "Action Oriented Enemies" idea. It works primarily for bosses and Solo monsters, and my group has loved it. They have a few abilities that trigger at certain times in a combat, and really change the flow of a fight. Minions basically become ablative armor.

5. I'm all about ditching Opportunity Attacks.

6. Static initiative works really well in the right games. It's how Fallout does it, with the exception of the "Initiator." If you wanted to do this in D&D, just use the initiative modifiers as the number, and go from there.

7. The big one for this is to encourage them to do cool shit by not penalizing it behind dice rolls. If it's feasible, let them just do it. Only make them roll when it would make the fight interesting.

[karszunowicz]

I think I've already written it somewhere, but I'll repeat myself. I really enjoy watching you and your videos, even though our approaches are like completely different! I am all for gritty and realistic and serious games, while you, if I understand it right, more on the fun side. But I really love your attitude and find your videos not only fun and pleasant, but also useful (though primarily just to "broaden my horizons"). Thank you, Bob!

[doublekrpg]

Push, Pull, and tripping are the most fun ways I've found to trip Bonk Characters up. Especially when the system gives bonuses/penalties for being on the ground.

[miscelaunius]

I have realized how much I love that you're just walking around outside ☺

[BinabikTheTroll]

I kept expecting monsters to appear in that big field behind you. Keep building!

[timothymason]

The ultimate video, a train 🚂 a plane ✈️ and animal remains! The big 3 😂 Great Video Bob

[dantherpghero]

I also hate 'Double Near'. We use Close, Near, Far, and Very Far. And We (my whole RPG group) LOVE ALL Bob World Builder Videos!

[bobmangm]

"Stop and look around, it's all astounding
Water, fire, air and dirt
<snip> magnets, how do they work?" - ICP!!!!

[Alric]

In my experience the biggest slowdown when playing any game is the players not knowing how their characters work. They don't have to know how all the rules work but they need to know the rules that pertain to their characters.

[garryame]

Combat in 5e tends to slow down as the player characters become higher level due to the many complex mechanics they get access to. They can get trapped by decision paralysis.

Honestly, I think this is one of the reasons why low level DND is more popular than high level

[pzalterias]

So much useful content in a short video ! Sometimes, after years of content, dnd channels videos can feel a bit stretched, but glad to see a really useful and clear video !

[SplinteredLimb]

One of my favorite ways the homebrew community has helped with D&D combat is DnD Shorts' Group turn vs Enemy Turn, where players can use their actions, bonus actions, and movement in tandem with each other. It's a lot of fun for my players!

[quiethusky]

*Pathfinder 2e players typing furiously*
Nah, most of the advice are still applicable or were already added into PF2e's design (especially monsters/players do more than just bonk.)