So i’m Going to do a one shot adventures for some out of town friends, I don’t have access to my minis and terrain etc, and so I need to do this theatre of the kinda style, and I was wondering if any of you had some advice as to how to run combat effectively in such a situation.
You walk around the corner, before you is a looming expanse of stalactites and stalagmites. Dripping from the ceiling is condensation, the thickness of the air almost like a blanket with how humid it's become. There is a warmth here, not uncomfortable, but definitely out of place as most subterranean areas generally feel cool. There is a carpet of fungus, algae, and something else making your footsteps almost unheard, though slightly slippery. Phosphorescent fungus and, for those of you who have it, your darkvision allow for you to see in the room, but it is still quite dim. There is a smell of rot, some of you are familiar with it, the same kind of rot you'd get from a compost pile, and a hint of something acrid. Just as you all take this in there is a churning sound under your feet, almost like bubbles trapped underground, and off to the right of you a burst of steam erupts from a hidden vent in the ground. As the steam blast subsides, I need you all to roll a perception....
This type of narrative is what we're all looking for, but when combat comes around it's lost to the "roll to hit", "you deal 18 damage", next...type of narrative. Combat in the theatre of the mind is a lot more free flow, I prefer it in most cases. Combat is going to play out, mechanically, the exact same way as it would on a grid. The key here is to stretch your story telling skills. Use colorful words, use as many descriptions as necessary to flesh out the scene in their minds, and go overboard. Let's look at some ways to spice up combat in the mind:
DM: The Shambling Mound lurches forward, the mass of plant matter smashing down over Mhurren, for a moment he's lost from sight, then you see his leg disappear into the maw of this creature... Nivarrah: Is there a steam vent near the Shambling Mound? I want to lure the thing on to the steam vent. DM: Roll perception, there's a lot going on you may not see it immediately. Vistra, you see a strange, large, grub like creature crawl out from behind one of the stalactites off to the left. Vistra: I cast Vicious Mockery at the thing, wait, stalactite is the one on the ceiling right? Oh...I could make it fall down! DM: Hold on, Nivarrah is in the middle of something. Nivarrah: I see that there's rocks on the ground...(I rolled a 9) DM: Yea, you don't see where that steam vent was, what else would you like to do? Nivarrah: I'm going to launch one of my vials of acid at it, maybe I can melt a hole for Mhurren to get out of... Mhurren: I'm just going to rage chew my way out of it...it eats me, I'll eat it back...
That's almost exactly how a bit of combat played out in my last game, the combination of initial description (the entering of the cavern room) and just giving the players free reign to act with that information is enough to keep it alive. All you're really doing it keeping a loose idea of where things are, and playing off of their actions. Ranges and movement all become an abstract, but it's easy enough to play with as long as you have the MM available and a good image to work with in your own mind.
Some things I'm doing to keep the logistics side of combat together:
While not using a map, I personally keep track of "combat areas" - ( e.g. the immediate area on this side of the rope bridge, the rope bridge, the immediate area on that side of the bridge ). Rule of thumb is that anyone in a given area can probably get to anyone else in that area, for combat. with their moment ( within about 30' of movement ). Trying to get into an adjacent area requires a Dash action, or two turns of movement.
Trying to get line of site on a target is a quick perception roll on the Player's part, modified by the stealth modifier of the target, and/or by the terrain. I usually add 1/4 cover per point missing the target DC. ( E.g. Archer Bob is trying to get a shot in on the Orc running through the underbrush, he rolls perception of 12 - a sucky roll - and I've ruled that the bush adds +2 to the DC, and the Orc is slippery with a stealth mod of +2. Archer Bob misses by 2, so the Orc is given 1/2 cover ).
Spell areas of effect: These I mostly handle this using common sense based on the descriptions of the combat - but I might call for the occasional roll on the Player's behalf to get better targeting: OK, you can catch 3 of the Ogres in the Fireball - you might be able to get all 4 ... but I'll need a Dexterity check from you to not also hit the party Cleric ).
This sort of combat is not to the tastes of super tactical players, at all - but I find that it tends to make combat less of a totally seperate thing, and allows to you to interweave combat and RP pretty seamlessly.
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Hey guys,
So i’m Going to do a one shot adventures for some out of town friends, I don’t have access to my minis and terrain etc, and so I need to do this theatre of the kinda style, and I was wondering if any of you had some advice as to how to run combat effectively in such a situation.
Thanks!
This type of narrative is what we're all looking for, but when combat comes around it's lost to the "roll to hit", "you deal 18 damage", next...type of narrative. Combat in the theatre of the mind is a lot more free flow, I prefer it in most cases. Combat is going to play out, mechanically, the exact same way as it would on a grid. The key here is to stretch your story telling skills. Use colorful words, use as many descriptions as necessary to flesh out the scene in their minds, and go overboard. Let's look at some ways to spice up combat in the mind:
That's almost exactly how a bit of combat played out in my last game, the combination of initial description (the entering of the cavern room) and just giving the players free reign to act with that information is enough to keep it alive. All you're really doing it keeping a loose idea of where things are, and playing off of their actions. Ranges and movement all become an abstract, but it's easy enough to play with as long as you have the MM available and a good image to work with in your own mind.
Okay, that helps a whole lot. Thanks for the advice! I appreciate it!
I've been experimenting with this myself.
Some things I'm doing to keep the logistics side of combat together:
This sort of combat is not to the tastes of super tactical players, at all - but I find that it tends to make combat less of a totally seperate thing, and allows to you to interweave combat and RP pretty seamlessly.
My DM Philosophy, as summed up by other people: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rN5w4-azTq3Kbn0Yvk9nfqQhwQ1R5by1/view
Disclaimer: This signature is a badge of membership in the Forum Loudmouth Club. We are all friends. We are not attacking each other. We are engaging in spirited, friendly debate with one another. We may get snarky, but these are not attacks. Thank you for not reporting us.