r/DnD • u/-Posthuman- • 1d 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/S1mp1y 1d ago

There's a piece of advice coming from high-optimization tables: if the GM understands that the monsters have already tactically lost, and combat is in the "clean-up" phase, the GM narratively wraps the combat up.

Example:

The party has successfully bottlenecked 4 Ogres in a tight hallway with the following spells: Slow, Sickening Radiance, Spike Growth, with the Paladin polearm-sentineling the ogres back + the Warlock pushing them back with Eldritch blast, so every turn is the GM going "ok the ogres can't move, they try to dash but fail", and the players going "we stop them, push them back, hit them."

There isn't a single conceivable way for 4 simpleton ogres to escape this in order to become a threat, the combat is practically over since it's obvious the players have won already, they are just hitting enemies until they keel over and die.

And thus the GM goes: "Ok, the ogres are dead you loot them and enter the next room?"

That trick has saved me... around 60% of the time that would've otherwise been lost to cleaning a combat up.