Five ways YOU can make combat more DYNAMIC in D&D 

power word spill i really like all your videos.

I like your tips the most on youtube. They are short, simple and actually helpful. Sometimes it feels like people are making stuff up what to do in DnD just so they get views.

I like how these tips are still quite simple and not overly complicated like needing to learn a complete new system. Imo it even makes it more interesting for both the party & the DM this way! Will definitely be using some of these for my upcoming battles!

this channel is criminally underrated

The also-fun cousin of giving your monsters disengages is giving your monsters push effects. Having a big rampaging beast punt the fighter aside to go after the rogue instead is a fun way to move your monsters *and* have your players move on their turns too

Thank you. I like the changing terrain. I'm making the cards now.

incredible tips! Thank you, and the " i appreciate you" at the end was so heartwarming

Savage worlds has a similar system with the cards. It's a lot of fun some of them though like your enemy evolves to the next tier gain more experience if you defeat it. It's pretty nuts especially when you have players who will hoard that card until the end of the fight. One of my favorites was Ally invades. So like it's thematical that an ally was out looking for them and shows up to save them in their time of need

Pure GOLD. One of the first tip videos that really brings something useful and not that obvious. Amazing content!

These tips are so good!

Attack of opportunity really makes combat feel boring sometimes. But i understand it is a good rule, specially for players to use, as enemies are usually more tough, so any opportunity to take some HP is valid. But i do really prefer systems that does not have them, as combat usually involve a lot of movement and repositioning without needing to sacrifice resources. But taking it from DnD would probably mess up the rules too much. So i was stuck with giving mobility options to monsters (teleport or "nimble escape"-type feats), which can be done so much before it looks like it is "cheating" the players. So, these options of second objectives and changing terrain are awesome to make people move in the battlefield in a way that is organic and fun! Thanks for the tips!

THANK YOU!!! i needed exactly this rn

Great video, thanks! I figured out about the monsters moving thing on my own recently. High-AC monsters especially shouldn't be afraid of an opportunity attack here and there. But too much bonus action disengage might make the party tanks frustrated. Anyway, love every one of these tips!

I'm a new DM and really appreciate these tips. Fortunately, my players love doing their own things because they want to play their characters, but I really love having this in my back pocket and think this will spice things up. Thank you so much mate!

Good tips. I particularly like the idea of simple dynamic terrain that can be flavoured appropriately. For extra stuff to make your combats feel more 'real', consider Keith Ammann's books 'The Monsters Know What They're Doing'. They are excellent for specific monsters, but also they make you think about what that creature wants. Eg. Bandits? Probably want to rob you, if it goes south theyll flee or parlay. Undead? Fight til the last. Beast? Maybe ambush then flee if they dont get food. Some more intelligent creatures may try to manipulate or even mind control the party rather than fight them. Lastly, I try to remember that every encounter doesn't have to be perfectly balanced. Some can be a cakewalk, some can be nasty and require the players to really strategise or even flee. Of course, it's important to let your players know this in session zero.

Ore great ideas & advice, thank you!

Hey there! Great Video again. They work great together with Dragnas lessons. Would love for you to make more and maybe tell stories of how it changed your campaigns :)

Thank you for making DMing so accessible. I have been a DM for seven years now and you have some great tips! You helped me understand what my style as a DM is. I appreciate you.

Lancer has some great mission set ups

I appreciate YOU!

another great video

Or you can use an RPG system that doesn't have opportunity attacks.

Roleplaying during combat helps break up the bag of HP. I like to use shove, grapple, bull rush, etc, to shake things up.

Oh boy, I'm very guilty of forgetting to move my monsters, I should ad this to my collection of helpful sticky notes ^^

Nice!

For the move your monster tip, i think a broader cool tip is: intelligent creatures will act as intelligent fighters. Predators like big cats always take the cubs of their preys when hunting. And they know which ones are the weaker by size, and by other senses like smell that make them know which ones are the cubs. Why would a moderate intelligent monster not try to take that small rogue, and instead try to hit the 2m goliath barbarian? A big animal predator, or a monster, trying to take the halfling or rogue or wizard and then running with the body, is a way to make a creature feel realistic (still in the limit that not make the game sound realisticly boring) and the combat to have some change of pace, turning a battle to a pursuit through the forest, probably changing locations when they finally catch up to the monster nest in a cave. Hyenas are so smart about hunting, that they not only hunt in groups, as wolfs and other animals do (which is usually already in the rules, with feats like pack tactics), but they target weak points. You can find easily videos of hyena biting the inner thighs or testicules of bisons of whatever that big bovine things they hunt. Because hurts more, bleeds more, makes the animal way less capable of striking back than jumping on their back (as lions do, cause they have the power to subdue larger pray). So, why would not your gnolls use pack tactics or others feats (that you can homebrew), that allows tem to target weak spots, break bones (hyenas have specialized jaws for this) etc Even without the humanoid category of enemies, is pretty reasonable and accurate to make other types of creatures act more smart in combats. Makes combat more dynamic, opens up chances to the player (the monster without disengage moving to target the wizard, and moving through the fighter's threat range etc) and if made right does not sound like forcing something to antagonize the players. Also, prevents DMs of feeling a obligation to make enemies "dumb" that they not target the wounded character. Sure, a rampaging furious monster will probably not. But a predator solitary type of creature....

Hey, whats up with the titles? hahaha I got curious... amazing video btw!

What vtt do you use

I've also just made a big melee monster hit REALLY hard, incentivising the players to move around more. Like, it's built to go toe to toe, and the narration makes that obvious. You don't want to engage on its terms.

Whats the Programm in the Intro where the miniatures fight?

Move your monsters! Maybe I should get a tattoo with that :D

What VTT is being used in this video?

A lot of these are great tips. But i feel like they apply to set piece fights and often this advice cannot be easily applied to adventure modules or every day situations. It's a lot of planning and deliberate tinkering that just doesn't feel widely applicable.

good ideas and all but i gotta admit those parts of the lotr movies were the most annoying for me lol

u look like beatboxxing thanos in the thumbnail