Dungeons & Dragons: Tips For Running Combat Encounters

thegamer.com:

Dungeons & Dragons is one of the most iconic and popular tabletop RPGs of all time, blending puzzle-solving, role-playing, and combat in a single free-form game that can be structured by a DM based on a party's tastes.

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While combat in D&D's fifth edition has a significant well of depth, for new Dungeon Masters and those that tend to put the focus on puzzles or social scenarios, it can be quite difficult to keep combat fresh, engaging, and in some cases, difficult. So to help Dungeon Masters that have difficulty planning their combat encounters, these are several tips to help enhance fights in your campaign.

One of the surefire ways to make combat in D&D lackluster is to make it predictable. Similar to how a party of adventurers will often strategize within a combat encounter, monsters aren't obligated to attack a party head-on like mobs in a video game, and a DM can have different types of monsters employ strategies based on their nature.

For example, while beasts and animals may simply lash out and attack whatever is closest to them or the last creature to attack them, a group of Kobolds may aim to keep their distance from the party.

Additionally, the strategies and methods used by enemies can help to convey their experience or intellect. While less experienced monsters may try to fight off the party's barbarian in a losing effort, a seasoned foe may possess the foresight to know to target a party's healer as soon as possible or retreat when the tide turns against them.

One element of combat that many newcomers to D&D tend to overlook whether they're players or a DM is the full range of actions that can be performed in combat. In addition to being able to attack,