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1 year ago ::
Apr 30, 2012 - 8:19AM
#1
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Date Joined:
Sep 20, 2009
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Hello all,
I have been in a campaign, and we have come to a problem. Our DM is having issues with combats taking entirely too long. We do not want to nerf every monster to have less HP or powers, and we do not wish to have every combat be a cake walk, but.... when we get past an Elite monster's main powers, survived its Second Wind, and Action Point use... its normally just a matter of attrition. After all that, we know we will win the battle, its just a matter of time.
Has anyone else had this problem? What ways do you help deal with this?
I would love to help him solve this problem and get a bit more time for RPing in our sessions.
Thanks for any help.
~Mad
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1 year ago ::
Apr 30, 2012 - 8:24AM
#2
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when you get to the 'its just a matter of time' point, most skilled dms try to end the combat one way or another. do the monsters ever flee? has your group ever attempted to make monsters surrender? have you ever thought to try to avoid a combat? has your dm ever thought to make the monsters actually hit hard? my blog has ideas on monster design and morale, maybe it would help your dm check out the dm tips and monsters tips categories frothsof4e.blogspot.com/
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1 year ago ::
Apr 30, 2012 - 8:32AM
#3
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- Forum Guide
- Hero Craftsman Gold Medalist
- Master Dungeon Master
Date Joined:
Jun 23, 2005
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1 year ago ::
Apr 30, 2012 - 9:23AM
#4
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Date Joined:
Mar 16, 2011
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Give monsters 25% less health and make them deal 25% more damage, works pretty well for most monsters. Brutes already hit pretty hard so it might be a case of giving them more +attack perhaps.
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1 year ago ::
Apr 30, 2012 - 9:25AM
#5
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Date Joined:
Jan 27, 2009
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Make sure your DM realizes that monsters do not general get a second wind. They can only use a healing surge if it is an actual power.
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1 year ago ::
Apr 30, 2012 - 9:33AM
#6
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Date Joined:
Dec 28, 2010
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For the players: when you have decided what you are going to do next turn, pre-roll your dice and do the math while others are taking their turns. Of course, combat's flow shifts the options quickly and drastically, so sometimes the move you were planning on making turns out to be impossible, but most of the time this method works.
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1 year ago ::
Apr 30, 2012 - 12:38PM
#7
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Date Joined:
Oct 24, 2001
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wrecan beat me to it. But I had already tabbed this thread, so I'm posting anyway.
Here are the PHB essentia, in my opinion: - Three Basic Rules (p 11)
- Power Types and Usage (p 54)
- Skills (p178-179)
- Feats (p 192)
- Rest and Recovery (p 263)
- All of Chapter 9 [Combat] (p 264-295)
A player needs to read the sections for building his or her character -- race, class, powers, feats, equipment, etc. But those are PC-specific. The above list is for everyone, regardless of the race or class or build or concept they are playing.
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1 year ago ::
Apr 30, 2012 - 1:23PM
#8
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Get a kitchen timer and set it to 2 minutes. Each player (and enemy) has 2 minutes to complete their turn or they 'hold their action'
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1 year ago ::
Apr 30, 2012 - 4:45PM
#9
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Date Joined:
Dec 23, 2010
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I halved the HP and doubled the dammage dice (just the dice, not the static dammage).
And i added a houserule that on the first round no action points can be used.
Combat is fast and fourious.
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1 year ago ::
May 01, 2012 - 12:58AM
#10
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Date Joined:
Aug 11, 2006
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> pre-roll your dice and do the math while others are taking their turns.
This is reliant on the DM providing the creatures' defensive stats, which not all of them do... but probably should. Yes, many of us can flap our gums about 'the old days' when such information was a closely-guarded secret, but that doesn't change the fact that the game runs FAR more quickly if the players can resolve things without needing a constant back and forth about basic things like a monster's AC.
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