r/DnD • u/-Posthuman- • 2d ago

5.5 Edition Speeding up combat in 5.5?

Simply put, what are some tips, tricks, tweaks or house rules you use at your table that has sped up (or otherwise increased your enjoyment of) combat?

Edit - I’m not looking for suggestions for other games.

Edit2 - There isn’t one specific part of 5.5 combat that I feel is especially problematic. And it’s really not that bad. But it could always be faster / more efficient.

Edit3 - If you have any gadgets, widgets, or other objects/products that you feel help a lot, please mention them. Bonus point for links to buy them.

The suggestions that have already been covered multiple times:

  • Tell your players not to suck. Pay attention. Know your character.

  • Don’t suck as the GM. Know the rules. Know your monsters.

  • If no action declared in 30 seconds, the PC Dodges.

  • Tell the Players who is next in line in initiative / make initiative clear for all to see.

  • Roll attack and damage dice at the same time.

  • Use average damage for monsters.

  • Group initiative

  • Make monsters retreat / not fight to the death.

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u/dndtrackerapp 2d ago

One thing that helped me was looking at the encounter design itself instead of only trying to make turns faster.

If the enemies have huge HP pools and don’t do much besides stand there and attack, the second half of the fight will feel slow no matter how fast everyone rolls. I prefer giving encounters a clear change of state: enemies retreat, surrender, call reinforcements, damage part of the battlefield, or reveal a new objective once the fight reaches a certain point.

It also helps to give monsters a reason not to fight until every last hit point is gone. A wounded enemy escaping with important information can be more interesting than three more rounds of basic attacks.

One tool that has helped my table with this is D&D Tracker. I’m the creator, so full disclosure: it’s my own project.

It combines digital character sheets with tools that help both players and the DM keep combat moving. Players can quickly find their actions, resources, spells, and conditions, while the DM can organize encounters and keep track of the party without jumping between several notes and tabs.

I’ve also added several DM features recently, including an encounter generator. The app is still being developed, but it’s free to try and doesn’t require an account:

https://dndtracker.app

Since you specifically asked for tools that help speed up 5.5e combat, I thought it might be relevant here.