D&D: Five Ways to Start a Combat on the Right Foot
Some fights in D&D can be decided before you even roll initiative. Here are five quick tips for starting combat already winning.
Epic fights are a big part of D&D. Whether you’re facing off against the cultists of some long forgotten god or fiendish power, or throwing down with a horde of hungry hezrou, if you play D&D you’re going to run into a fight sooner or later.
Usually sooner. But when you do, here are some ways to start your next combat ahead of the game. All it takes is a little planning or a lot of luck.
Ambush
This one’s a classic. The best fights are the ones where your enemies don’t even know they’re in a combat until it’s too late. Surprise isn’t as big a deal as it was in the previous edition, but it’s still a pretty handy advantage.
Especially since there’s so much more of a benefit to an ambush than just giving your enemy disadvantage on initiative. For one, you can position yourselves advantageously. Start a fight hidden from them, where they will have a hard time getting to you.
For ranged enemies, be behind cover. For melee enemies, be far away. Give yourself the ability to play to your strengths.
Control the Crowd
Another great opening salvo is to shut down some of the enemy so that you can focus on more active threats. There are a variety of options for doing this. You might use a spell like Hold Person or Tasha’s Hideous Laughter to cause someone to lose their action. Or you could set up an area of difficult terrain with Entangle. Or something more damaging with Spike Growth. You could even trap enemies on the wrong side of a Wall of Fire or Wall of Force.
It all comes down to figuring out which enemies you want to fight first, and trying to neutralize the other ones. Generally, the higher the threat, the less chance for them to save you’ll want to have. Highly mobile enemies typically don’t hit as hard, for instance, but might have great saving throws. So having a good idea of what you’re fighting can be helpful.
Observing Your Foes
Sometimes knowledge is power. Especially when you want to start a fight with an enemy more powerful than you. To that end, sometimes you can stack the odds in your favor by doing a little reconaissance beforehand.
You might learn a weakness, be it mechanical or otherwise. Or at least learn how many foes you’re about to engage with before you come crashing in. You might even learn which foes you’ll want to take out first, or give yourself an idea of what your enemy can do. So you can prepare your defenses.
Buffs
Speaking of preparation, taking a round to buff yourself at the start of a battle – or beforehand if you get a chance—you can set yourself up for success. A Haste spell in the right place, or a Bless or Divine Favor can make the rest of the fight that much easier.
All it takes is knowing what you’ll want to use. The best time to buff is before a fight starts, but if you can’t do it then, buff early, and buff often.
Go Nova
Of course, there’s always the nuclear option: going nova. This means use all your most powerful abilities at once—as much as possible. Spend your expendable resources. Cast your highest level spells, use those consumable items, pull out all the stops to deliver the heaviest hits you can right away.
It’s a classic for a reason. Just make sure you have some staying power on the off chance your enemy survives the initial onslaught.
Happy adventuring!
