Every Dungeon Master and player of has suffered through an eternal battle. They're the worst. The players roll their dice and announce their actions will all the enthusiasm of a teenageওr visiting their grandparents who don't have internet. The DM glances sadly at his monster's stats, wondering if it would ruin the remaining dangerꦬ if he just said the monsters died with the next attack. And as the fight drags on, any urgency in the greater story disappeared. All everyone can see are the monsters that have to die in order to end this stupid slog of a combat.
So how did it come to this? And how do good DMs keep things exciting? There are many answers to both of those questions. Maybe the problem began way before the battle, and the DM needs to 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:brush up on their storytelling skills. Maybe certain players are too distracted, and the table needs to have a talk about focusing during battles. Or maybe it's just that Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition invites overlong combat. That's where the power of homebrew comes in.𝔉 If your table is game, y𒈔ou might be able to use one (or all) of these house rules to make your fights more dynamic.
Powerful Critical
One of the most exciting things that can happen in a D&D battle is a critical hit. Players cheer, the DM sighs, and the player who got that nat 20 rolls their double damage dice. But what if a garbage roll happens? Is it really a critical hit if ❀it does five damage? Critical hits need to be an epic moment that changes the course of the fight. This house rule makes that happen.
With the Powerful Critical, one of the damage dice is automatically taken at max value. Take the longsword for example. Its damage is 1D8. A typical critical hit would have you roll 2D8. The Powerful Critical rule has you m🌊ake the first roll an eight. Then you roll the second, total them up, and add appropriate modifiers. This way, even if that second die gi🗹ves a one or two, you still have some decent damage. A true critical hit.
Quality Healing Potions
This house rule comes courtesy of the , who know that cutting down on dice rolls can speed up combat. And quick pacing is a great way to keep things exciting. Many players hold dice rolling as a sacred part of D&D, however, so the trick is to cut down rol𓆏ls on mundane things they won't miss. Like drinking a healing🦋 potion.
The Quality Healing Potion rule has you use the highest amount a dice can be for a healing potion. So a basic Potion of Healing, which normally heals 2D4+2, would just heal 8+2. Since drinking potion is never the most exciting part of a fight, it helps t𓃲o eliminate those moments of trying to remember which die to roll and doing the math. Players drink, they heal, and it's back to the hitting.
Blind Death Saves
Death Saving Throws are terrifying when you first start playing D&D. When threeཧ failed rolls mean death, those first and second fails have you on the edge of your seat. Your party members, if they're not jerks, should also be feeling the tension. They should be scrambling to either shove a potion in your mouth or use a spell to bring you back. More , however, are typically unmoved. They know they have at least two more turns to bring you back, and plan ways to use that time efficiently and save you just before you cross death's door.
That's where the rule comes in The rule is simple: the downed player rolls their death saves in secret. The DM can ask the results if they choose, but the other players remain in the dark. This should bring tension for players of all experience levels. Suddenly there's no way to plan around death saves. Their party member is bleeding on the floor and co🉐uld die at any moment. That's how combat with a downed ally should feel.
Flanking
Some might recognize Flanking as an already-existing optional rule from the official source. It states that when a creature has enemies directly on either side, those enemies gain advantage on attack rolls. The attacking creatures have to be in a s🍌traight line to be flanking, so either directly fꦗront and behind, left and right, or opposing diagonals. This house rule for flanking makes it more useful, and dangerous.
House rule Flanking gives the attacking creatures +2 to attack rolls instead of advantage. This might seem worse at first, but here's the thing: this rule stacks. So if three creatures are surrounding an enemy, they all get +4. If a creature is completely surrounded? Everything is getting +6. And notice the continued use of the word "creature." Not monster or player. That's because this rule applies to everyone. If players are tactical, they ca🅷n flank a boss to end a potentially deadly fight quickly. But if the boss' minions surround the players? Things get a lot more dangerous, and everyone will be paying attention.
Minion Monsters
The house rules discussed so far have mostly empowered players. Yes, Flanking can certainly go𝄹 badly if enemies surround the party, but will it ma⛎ke a difference if they all have beefed up criticals and maxed-out healing potions? Absolutely! The DM just has to dump an army of foes on the poor adventurers. That's where Minion Monsters come into play.
This rule originally existed in Fourth Edition D&D, but the Dungeon Dudes reworked it into Fifth Edition. The idea is that a DM can throw down a pile of monsters onto the board that only have one hit point. With the sheer numbers, the party will have to be on their toes. But since each foe only has one HP, thౠere's no bookkeeping for the DM. This rule is advised for monsters with simple stats (the Dungeon Dudes ) so that there's no need to worry about magic or weird abilities. Turns will fly by as the players don't need to roll damage to know they killed a one HP enemy, and the DM isn't stopping to check notes. But there can still be boss monsters to lead the minions and keep an element of danger.
By using these house rules, a DM can give players epic moments, speed through the boring math parts of D&D, and make monsters deadly throughout the fight. As always, communication is key. Bring these house rules to the players before implementing them. Make sure they agree, and then youꦡ can all make combat more exciting toget🍬her.