Hi! I know that many DMs are have trouble making their low level monster encounters difficult and interesting. I will try to regularly post my own tactics for low level monsters, and you are free to post your own monster strategies as well.
Orcs Try to have an even number of orcs, for simplicity's sake, but you can have an uneven number if it's a better challenge for your party.
To start off the encounter, have half of the orcs rush in using Aggressive before attacking with their Greataxes. The other half will use Aggressive to close to a 30 foot range between themselves and the players. Then they will throw their javelins before retreating to a 60 foot distance.
Should one of the orcs be knocked unconscious or reduced to four or less hit points, that orc will Disengage using its action and then retreat 30 feet using its movement speed, before joining the javelin orcs on its next turn. in return, one of the javelin orcs will use Aggressive to close to melee with the player that defeated the other orc.
Should the player's victory become inevitable, one orc will flee to warn its tribe/master, but the others will fight to the death.
Kobolds Never run a kobold encounter with less than three kobolds. This makes sense both lore-wise and mechanically, as kobolds find strength in numbers, which is represented by their Pack Tactics trait. Additionally, any kobold that is within melee range of a player will do anything it possibly can to get out of melee range.
Since a kobolds travel in groups of three or more, and they always fight at range, they will always use their movement speed to retreat out of the range of a melee player's movement speed, but will also never make an attack unless they are next to at least one other kobold. Therefore, the first two kobolds to act will make Sling attacks, then retreat, while the last one retreats before making a Sling attack.
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All stars fade. Some stars forever fall. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Homebrew (Mostly Outdated):Magic Items,Monsters,Spells,Subclasses ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
Every DM should pick up a copy of "The Monsters Know What They are Doing". This is a great source when designing encounters, gives insight into creature's actions, and helps you to know when to use some of the more obscure abilities some monsters have. It is available in either hardcover or pdf format.
Every DM should pick up a copy of "The Monsters Know What They are Doing". This is a great source when designing encounters, gives insight into creature's actions, and helps you to know when to use some of the more obscure abilities some monsters have. It is available in either hardcover or pdf format.
Agreed. My tactics in the OP are variants to make fights especially challenging (or for players who have have seen themonstersknow.com).
All stars fade. Some stars forever fall. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Homebrew (Mostly Outdated):Magic Items,Monsters,Spells,Subclasses ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
I feel kobolds aren't ranged fighters - they can't use pack tactics from a range! GOBLINS on the other hand.....
Also, I'm sad you mentioned nothing about the kobold tendency to go overboard on traps. I was in a campaign where players were trudging through a swamp, and some "tribal" kobolds used some broken ambush tactics. Firstly, I should mention that this was a thick swamp, so the players were suffering from difficult terrain. the kobolds, on the other hand, were wearing some kind of shoes (I don't remember what kind) and their light weight to stay on top of the swamp water and avoid the penalty. First, the kobolds had placed a trap that was a rope that hung the first player ahead of the party upside down from a nearby tree by his feet. The kobolds attacked and swarmed while the other players were trying to free their friend, but then next round three boulders swung from ropes towards the hanging player, crushing him and dealing blunt damage to the rest of the party who were taller than the kobolds - the same kobolds who were small enough to duck under the boulders and not have to deal with that. AND THEN a kobold cut the hanging rope from the tree, dropping the player hanging by his feet into a spiked pit trap, as well as the players who were closest to him at the moment and previously trying to free him. Lastly, the boulders that were still swinging this whole time were cut and dropped on top of the player(s) who was in the pit, trapping him.
I feel kobolds aren't ranged fighters - they can't use pack tactics from a range! GOBLINS on the other hand.....
Also, I'm sad you mentioned nothing about the kobold tendency to go overboard on traps. I was in a campaign where players were trudging through a swamp, and some "tribal" kobolds used some broken ambush tactics. Firstly, I should mention that this was a thick swamp, so the players were suffering from difficult terrain. the kobolds, on the other hand, were wearing some kind of shoes (I don't remember what kind) and their light weight to stay on top of the swamp water and avoid the penalty. First, the kobolds had placed a trap that was a rope that hung the first player ahead of the party upside down from a nearby tree by his feet. The kobolds attacked and swarmed while the other players were trying to free their friend, but then next round three boulders swung from ropes towards the hanging player, crushing him and dealing blunt damage to the rest of the party who were taller than the kobolds - the same kobolds who were small enough to duck under the boulders and not have to deal with that. AND THEN a kobold cut the hanging rope from the tree, dropping the player hanging by his feet into a spiked pit trap, as well as the players who were closest to him at the moment and previously trying to free him. Lastly, the boulders that were still swinging this whole time were cut and dropped on top of the player(s) who was in the pit, trapping him.
That first player was not happy that day.
So, Kobolds can use pack tactics if one of their allies (the first in this instance) is close to the target. It's a very sacrificial way of thinking about it, but it can be done.
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Hi! I know that many DMs are have trouble making their low level monster encounters difficult and interesting. I will try to regularly post my own tactics for low level monsters, and you are free to post your own monster strategies as well.
Orcs
Try to have an even number of orcs, for simplicity's sake, but you can have an uneven number if it's a better challenge for your party.
To start off the encounter, have half of the orcs rush in using Aggressive before attacking with their Greataxes. The other half will use Aggressive to close to a 30 foot range between themselves and the players. Then they will throw their javelins before retreating to a 60 foot distance.
Should one of the orcs be knocked unconscious or reduced to four or less hit points, that orc will Disengage using its action and then retreat 30 feet using its movement speed, before joining the javelin orcs on its next turn. in return, one of the javelin orcs will use Aggressive to close to melee with the player that defeated the other orc.
Should the player's victory become inevitable, one orc will flee to warn its tribe/master, but the others will fight to the death.
Kobolds
Never run a kobold encounter with less than three kobolds. This makes sense both lore-wise and mechanically, as kobolds find strength in numbers, which is represented by their Pack Tactics trait. Additionally, any kobold that is within melee range of a player will do anything it possibly can to get out of melee range.
Since a kobolds travel in groups of three or more, and they always fight at range, they will always use their movement speed to retreat out of the range of a melee player's movement speed, but will also never make an attack unless they are next to at least one other kobold. Therefore, the first two kobolds to act will make Sling attacks, then retreat, while the last one retreats before making a Sling attack.
All stars fade. Some stars forever fall.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Homebrew (Mostly Outdated): Magic Items, Monsters, Spells, Subclasses
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
Every DM should pick up a copy of "The Monsters Know What They are Doing". This is a great source when designing encounters, gives insight into creature's actions, and helps you to know when to use some of the more obscure abilities some monsters have. It is available in either hardcover or pdf format.
Agreed. My tactics in the OP are variants to make fights especially challenging (or for players who have have seen themonstersknow.com).
All stars fade. Some stars forever fall.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Homebrew (Mostly Outdated): Magic Items, Monsters, Spells, Subclasses
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
I feel kobolds aren't ranged fighters - they can't use pack tactics from a range! GOBLINS on the other hand.....
Also, I'm sad you mentioned nothing about the kobold tendency to go overboard on traps. I was in a campaign where players were trudging through a swamp, and some "tribal" kobolds used some broken ambush tactics.
Firstly, I should mention that this was a thick swamp, so the players were suffering from difficult terrain. the kobolds, on the other hand, were wearing some kind of shoes (I don't remember what kind) and their light weight to stay on top of the swamp water and avoid the penalty.
First, the kobolds had placed a trap that was a rope that hung the first player ahead of the party upside down from a nearby tree by his feet.
The kobolds attacked and swarmed while the other players were trying to free their friend, but then next round three boulders swung from ropes towards the hanging player, crushing him and dealing blunt damage to the rest of the party who were taller than the kobolds - the same kobolds who were small enough to duck under the boulders and not have to deal with that.
AND THEN a kobold cut the hanging rope from the tree, dropping the player hanging by his feet into a spiked pit trap, as well as the players who were closest to him at the moment and previously trying to free him.
Lastly, the boulders that were still swinging this whole time were cut and dropped on top of the player(s) who was in the pit, trapping him.
That first player was not happy that day.
So, Kobolds can use pack tactics if one of their allies (the first in this instance) is close to the target. It's a very sacrificial way of thinking about it, but it can be done.