[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":249},["ShallowReactive",2],{"page-\u002Fwiki\u002Fdungeon-mastering\u002Frunning-a-combat":3,"navigation-main":131},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"description":123,"extension":124,"meta":125,"navigation":126,"path":127,"seo":128,"stem":129,"__hash__":130},"wiki\u002Fwiki\u002F6.dungeon-mastering\u002F6.running-a-combat.md","Running a Combat",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":114},"minimark",[9,19,24,33,37,50,58,62,65,68,75,79,94,98,101],[10,11,12,13,18],"p",{},"The rules for a fight are on ",[14,15,17],"a",{"href":16},"\u002Fwiki\u002Fplaying-the-game\u002Fcombat","Combat",", and this\npage does not repeat them. What follows is the other half: what you do behind\nthe screen while those rules run.",[20,21,23],"h2",{"id":22},"starting-the-fight","Starting the Fight",[10,25,26,27,32],{},"Roll ",[28,29],"tooltip",{"label":30,"tooltip-key":31},"Initiative","rules\u002Finitiative"," once for a\ngroup of identical monsters rather than once each — they act together, and\nyou have one fewer number to track. Write the order down somewhere you can\nsee it without asking the table to repeat itself. Then, every turn, say two\nnames: whose turn it is now, and whose is next. That second name is the\nsingle biggest thing you can do for a combat's pace — the next player starts\nthinking about their turn while the current one is still happening, instead\nof after.",[20,34,36],{"id":35},"reading-a-stat-block","Reading a Stat Block",[10,38,39,40,44,45,49],{},"A ",[28,41],{"label":42,"tooltip-key":43},"stat block","rules\u002Fstat-block"," is something\nyou operate, not something you read cover to cover at the table. Before the\nfight, look at three things and stop.\n",[28,46],{"label":47,"tooltip-key":48},"Armor Class","rules\u002Farmor-class"," and hit points\ntell you how long the monster lasts. Speed and senses tell you how it moves\nand what it notices. Its one or two interesting actions are the only part\nworth having actually read — everything else you can find in the moment, if\nyou ever need to.",[10,51,52,53,57],{},"The full ",[14,54,56],{"href":55},"\u002Fdb\u002Fmonsters","monster list"," carries every monster in the database,\nwith its CR.",[20,59,61],{"id":60},"taking-monster-turns","Taking Monster Turns",[10,63,64],{},"Decide what a monster wants before the fight starts, not during its turn.\nA wolf wants to isolate the weakest target; a guard wants to keep the party\naway from the door behind it; a cornered thing wants out. With that decided\nin advance, each turn is a short question — what does it do about what just\nhappened — rather than an open one you are improvising from a blank page.",[10,66,67],{},"Play the monster as smart as it is, not as smart as you are. A giant rat\ndoes not target the wizard because you know she has fewer hit points; it\nbites whoever is closest. Do not optimise on the monster's behalf, and do\nnot go back to the stat block mid-turn — whatever you did not already know\nwhen the turn started, the monster did not either.",[10,69,70,74],{},[28,71],{"label":72,"tooltip-key":73},"Bloodied","rules\u002Fbloodied"," is the cue the rules\nhand you for when a monster's behaviour should change. A pack that was\ncommitted at full health might break once half of it is down; a beast that\nwas merely hungry might decide the meal is not worth this anymore.",[20,76,78],{"id":77},"terrain-is-yours","Terrain Is Yours",[10,80,81,85,86,90,91,93],{},[28,82],{"label":83,"tooltip-key":84},"Cover","rules\u002Fcover"," and\n",[28,87],{"label":88,"tooltip-key":89},"difficult terrain","rules\u002Fdifficult-terrain"," are\nnot just difficulty you set before initiative — they are two things you keep\nplacing and using once the fight is running, same as any monster's actions.\nA monster that ducks behind the pillar it started next to, or drags the\nfight into the rubble it knows is there, is doing more for the encounter\nthan another point of damage would. The rules for both are on\n",[14,92,17],{"href":16},"; this is just a reminder that they\ndo not stop mattering once the fight begins.",[20,95,97],{"id":96},"ending-it","Ending It",[10,99,100],{},"Most fights should end before the last monster drops. Nothing says a\ncombat has to run to the last hit point on either side. A pack that has lost\nits nerve flees, a captain who is clearly beaten surrenders, a guard who was\nonly ever doing a job asks to stop — give monsters a reason to want out, and\nplenty of fights end themselves.",[10,102,103,104,108,109,113],{},"The same restraint runs the other way. When a melee attack would drop a\ncreature to 0 hit points, players can choose\n",[28,105],{"label":106,"tooltip-key":107},"knocking it out","rules\u002Fknocking-out-a-creature"," instead of killing it outright — an option they forget they have as often as\nnot, and worth reminding them of before the blow lands. For what actually\nhappens to a character who drops, see\n",[14,110,112],{"href":111},"\u002Fwiki\u002Fplaying-the-game\u002Fdamage-and-healing","Damage and Healing",".",{"title":115,"searchDepth":116,"depth":116,"links":117},"",2,[118,119,120,121,122],{"id":22,"depth":116,"text":23},{"id":35,"depth":116,"text":36},{"id":60,"depth":116,"text":61},{"id":77,"depth":116,"text":78},{"id":96,"depth":116,"text":97},"The DM's half of a fight — reading a stat block, taking monster turns without stalling the table, and ending a fight when it is decided.","md",{},true,"\u002Fwiki\u002Fdungeon-mastering\u002Frunning-a-combat",{"title":5,"description":123},"wiki\u002F6.dungeon-mastering\u002F6.running-a-combat","AJAWy-MPnwClH_kyQQWh6XdV-UH6AXE4GbTRoGrWVpk",[132],{"title":133,"path":134,"stem":135,"children":136},"Wiki","\u002Fwiki","wiki\u002F1.index",[137,138,142,184,214,218],{"title":133,"path":134,"stem":135},{"title":139,"path":140,"stem":141},"Introduction","\u002Fwiki\u002Fintroduction","wiki\u002F2.introduction",{"title":143,"path":144,"stem":145,"children":146},"Playing the Game","\u002Fwiki\u002Fplaying-the-game","wiki\u002F3.playing-the-game\u002F1.index",[147,148,150,154,158,162,166,170,174,178,182],{"title":143,"path":144,"stem":145},{"title":112,"path":111,"stem":149},"wiki\u002F3.playing-the-game\u002F10.damage-and-healing",{"title":151,"path":152,"stem":153},"Conditions","\u002Fwiki\u002Fplaying-the-game\u002Fconditions","wiki\u002F3.playing-the-game\u002F11.conditions",{"title":155,"path":156,"stem":157},"Rhythm of Play","\u002Fwiki\u002Fplaying-the-game\u002Frhythm-of-play","wiki\u002F3.playing-the-game\u002F2.rhythm-of-play",{"title":159,"path":160,"stem":161},"The Six Abilities","\u002Fwiki\u002Fplaying-the-game\u002Fthe-six-abilities","wiki\u002F3.playing-the-game\u002F3.the-six-abilities",{"title":163,"path":164,"stem":165},"D20 Tests","\u002Fwiki\u002Fplaying-the-game\u002Fd20-tests","wiki\u002F3.playing-the-game\u002F4.d20-tests",{"title":167,"path":168,"stem":169},"Proficiency","\u002Fwiki\u002Fplaying-the-game\u002Fproficiency","wiki\u002F3.playing-the-game\u002F5.proficiency",{"title":171,"path":172,"stem":173},"Actions","\u002Fwiki\u002Fplaying-the-game\u002Factions","wiki\u002F3.playing-the-game\u002F6.actions",{"title":175,"path":176,"stem":177},"Social Interaction","\u002Fwiki\u002Fplaying-the-game\u002Fsocial-interaction","wiki\u002F3.playing-the-game\u002F7.social-interaction",{"title":179,"path":180,"stem":181},"Exploration","\u002Fwiki\u002Fplaying-the-game\u002Fexploration","wiki\u002F3.playing-the-game\u002F8.exploration",{"title":17,"path":16,"stem":183},"wiki\u002F3.playing-the-game\u002F9.combat",{"title":185,"path":186,"stem":187,"children":188},"Creating a Character","\u002Fwiki\u002Fcreating-a-character","wiki\u002F4.creating-a-character\u002F1.index",[189,190,194,198,202,206,210],{"title":185,"path":186,"stem":187},{"title":191,"path":192,"stem":193},"Choosing a Class","\u002Fwiki\u002Fcreating-a-character\u002Fchoosing-a-class","wiki\u002F4.creating-a-character\u002F2.choosing-a-class",{"title":195,"path":196,"stem":197},"Origin","\u002Fwiki\u002Fcreating-a-character\u002Forigin","wiki\u002F4.creating-a-character\u002F3.origin",{"title":199,"path":200,"stem":201},"Ability Scores","\u002Fwiki\u002Fcreating-a-character\u002Fability-scores","wiki\u002F4.creating-a-character\u002F4.ability-scores",{"title":203,"path":204,"stem":205},"Alignment and Details","\u002Fwiki\u002Fcreating-a-character\u002Falignment","wiki\u002F4.creating-a-character\u002F5.alignment",{"title":207,"path":208,"stem":209},"Equipment","\u002Fwiki\u002Fcreating-a-character\u002Fequipment","wiki\u002F4.creating-a-character\u002F6.equipment",{"title":211,"path":212,"stem":213},"Beyond Level 1","\u002Fwiki\u002Fcreating-a-character\u002Fbeyond-level-1","wiki\u002F4.creating-a-character\u002F7.beyond-level-1",{"title":215,"path":216,"stem":217},"Rules Glossary","\u002Fwiki\u002Frules-glossary","wiki\u002F5.rules-glossary",{"title":219,"path":220,"stem":221,"children":222},"Dungeon Mastering","\u002Fwiki\u002Fdungeon-mastering","wiki\u002F6.dungeon-mastering\u002F1.index",[223,224,228,232,236,240,241,245],{"title":219,"path":220,"stem":221},{"title":225,"path":226,"stem":227},"Running the Game","\u002Fwiki\u002Fdungeon-mastering\u002Frunning-the-game","wiki\u002F6.dungeon-mastering\u002F2.running-the-game",{"title":229,"path":230,"stem":231},"Preparing a Session","\u002Fwiki\u002Fdungeon-mastering\u002Fpreparing-a-session","wiki\u002F6.dungeon-mastering\u002F3.preparing-a-session",{"title":233,"path":234,"stem":235},"Setting Difficulty","\u002Fwiki\u002Fdungeon-mastering\u002Fsetting-difficulty","wiki\u002F6.dungeon-mastering\u002F4.setting-difficulty",{"title":237,"path":238,"stem":239},"Building an Encounter","\u002Fwiki\u002Fdungeon-mastering\u002Fbuilding-an-encounter","wiki\u002F6.dungeon-mastering\u002F5.building-an-encounter",{"title":5,"path":127,"stem":129},{"title":242,"path":243,"stem":244},"Between Scenes","\u002Fwiki\u002Fdungeon-mastering\u002Fbetween-scenes","wiki\u002F6.dungeon-mastering\u002F7.between-scenes",{"title":246,"path":247,"stem":248},"Rewards","\u002Fwiki\u002Fdungeon-mastering\u002Frewards","wiki\u002F6.dungeon-mastering\u002F8.rewards",1767225600000]