So you want to kill monsters and gain treasure?
Monday, July 14, 2008 at 06:36PM A practical survival guide for every D&D character (and for other game systems, too)
We at U20 have seen a few TPKs, and a lot of single character deaths, and in those quiet reflective times afterwards we've often found ourselves going through the "what if" scenarios. Tabletop RPGs are dice games, of course, and all the preparation and savvy decision-making in the world won't save you if you keep rolling 1s, but assuming the dice roll true at least some of the time, heeding this list of tips will give you an edge in many situations, and a definitive advantage in others.
1. Always have the best ranged weapon you can get your hands on.
Even if you're a melee masher, there are dozens of critters and situations where you won't be able to reach your enemy, and if you aren't dealing damage you're not doing your whole job. Also, don't skimp on the ranged weapon just because it isn't your primary weapon. You want it to be a viable, attractive go-to weapon, not the thing you hate reaching for.
Still can't justify having a ranged weapon? Even the lowly sling, which costs you nothing, has a decent range increment and allows you to deal your strength bonus to damage--a far better choice than doing nothing. If you're a spellslinger you may have less of a reason to carry a ranged weapon, but spells run out, and ammunition costs practically nothing.
You've built a character that is violently opposed to using ranged weapons? Well, let's just hope you have a built-in way of overcoming what is bound to be a great disadvantage in certain situations.
2. Never leave town without rope, pitons, oil, a healer's kit, antitoxin, and a tanglefoot bag.
Make sure at least one of your party members has some rope (the more you have, the better) and pitons so you can climb in, and out, of dungeons. Oil lets you start fires easily and provides light, heat, defense, and offense. Healing supplies allow you to bandage up (when you say "I use my healing skill to bandage her wounds," most DMs return with "Okay. With what?"). Antitoxin can turn a deadly encounter into a cakewalk (and lessens recuperation time by a lot, especially at low levels when ability score damage can be hard to heal). Finally, tanglefoot bags are easy to employ and have pretty spectacular results, allowing you to control combat, or escape it.
There are hundreds of other terribly useful items that you have access to as a hero in a D&D campaign, and most of them are inexpensive and nearly weightless. If you can spare the carrying capacity and the gold, buy them. If you can't, consider getting a stronger PC to carry them for you, or buy a cart.
3. Carry a main weapon, a backup weapon of a different type, and a light blade.
Pretty much every D&D character carries around some kind of "main" weapon, if only to be armed for those Attacks of Opportunity that sometimes pop up when a DM is feeling reckless. Therefore, your main weapon can be any weapon, and you've probably already picked it. Good for you, but, are you outfitted to deal with every combat situation, many of which become deadlier and more common as you gain levels? Probably not.
Choose a backup weapon that deals a different type of damage, and try not to skimp on its quality--ideally, you'll be nearly as effective with your backup weapon as you are with your main. If you're a ranger who wields scimitars (slashing damage), try having a warhammer and light mace (bludgeoning) combo close at hand. If you're a spellcaster class who wields a staff, a short sword or kukri might make for an excellent backup weapon. This allows you to, with little to no effort, remain effective against creatures that have specific types of damage reduction, which can be a major problem, especially at lower levels.
Finally, always, ALWAYs have a light blade on your character's person, preferably a slashing weapon. Light blades are excellent tools, can often be thrown, are fine choices while grappling, and are probably the only things that will cut you out of that purple worm's stomach.
If you're playing a monk, keep in mind that there are plenty of things you don't want to contact your skin in battle, and it's good to invest in at least a light blade and a decent "main" weapon, regardless of your unarmed skill.
4. Always have a healing potion.
Even though healing potions have limited effects, and can be dangerous to use in combat, they can be employed by anyone to save a character's life and are therefore invaluable. Scrolls are useless if you aren't a caster (or well-trained in the Use Magic Device skill). A cleric is useless if unconscious, despite his spontaneous healing abilities. Bandages require skill and time to use. Salves are rare in D&D games and even lower-powered than potions.
Always have a healing potion on your belt, and make sure your allies know it's there.
5. Kill from a distance whenever possible.
Yes, yes, I know. Ranged weapons are for sissies. Whatever. The truth is, getting near a creature often makes the encounter much more dangerous, and almost never makes it less so. If you can take something out before entering melee, you're smart, plain and simple. Remember that ranged weapon you always carry now? Try loosing a bolt, bullet, or arrow into your enemy before closing. If the whole group does it, suddenly you've got a lot of damage you don't need to cause the hard way, and battles will become a bit easier for those PCs you've invested in.
6. Get tactical.
Take a chess-inspired mindset in combat; try to gain an advantage, or take away a disadvantage, with every move. Also be sure to keep your whole side in mind as you fight.
Don't just trade shots with the brute; five-foot step your way around him so that the striker has an easier time charging in for a sneak attack. Hop up on a table to gain that +1 for high ground advantage. Kneel when you're firing your bow, and lay prone when aiming your crossbow. If you notice your archer is holding his manyshot for when you're out of the way, don't be afraid to forego your attack this turn and take a five-foot step backwards, readying an action to swing away if the critter pursues, using total defense, or swallowing a potion.
If you're a caster, try summoning in a "trash" critter or two to help flank the enemy, or create a wall of summoned monsters (most summoning spells have a version that summons several lower-level creatures) that your allies can work with.
Ask your DM for those advantages whenever you can, as it's easy to gloss over tactical granularity, even when it's as simple to implement as saying "You're right. That should be worth a +2 to hit."
7. Do Your Job
While it has really become mainstream with World of Warcraft, the idea of tanks, healers, crowd control, and DPS has been around forever, and there's real value in knowing your role in the party.
If you're a melee-heavy fighter, be sure that you're either dealing or taking damage every round. If you're a healer, be ready to heal at a moment's notice while you offer a support or buffer role for other classes. Archers need to be shooting their arrows. Strikers need to be setting up, or taking, their killing shots. Arcane casters should be dealing damage or changing the battlefield. And so on.
When it comes down to the toughest fights in D&D, nothing will see your group through as readily as everyone doing their jobs, every round.
Don't let this shackle you into doing only one thing, though. The greatest strengths of tabletop roleplaying games is your ability to do whatever you want, fulfilling almost any party role, despite class prejudice or established conventions. If you're building something non-standard, demonstrate your differences to your party early on so there won't be too many unfortunate surprises, and have fun turning those conventions on their heads.
8. Take care of your own light.
If you aren't a dwarf or half-orc (or another race with DARKvision), it is ridiculous to even consider entering the darkest places of the campaign world without a reliable source of light. Yet, I've seen it dozens of times, even with seasoned roleplayers.Keep in mind that low-light vision, while nice to have, doesn't function where there is no light, so even you elves and gnomes had better be packing matches.
Few creatures can function if they can't discern what's around them. Torches, lanterns, and sunrods are cheap and light. Light spells and pebbles are free. Even magical, continual flame torches are pretty cheap. No excuses. Make sure you can see down there.
That's it.
Eight simple tips to a better, more prosperous, longer-living PC group. Enjoy the treasure.
Reader Comments (2)
Good article. This is an great tactical approach to D&D. Especially since my last character died because of a lack of decent ranged weapons and party role confusion :)
To be fair, your character did have a number of other tools available to make up for his lack of a ranged weapon.
Also, I don't want this article to stimy anyone's creativity, nor do I want to reduce D&D to a board game. There are quite a few reasons to ignore some, maybe all, of the advice in this article.
I'm not sure if any of my characters have ever followed all eight pieces of advice. I guess that makes me a hypocrite. :)