D&D 5e Fundamental Combat Tactics for Players & DMs

Like many games, D&D 5e is a strategic and tactical experience—but character-building guides can only take you so far. With these basic tactical options in mind, however, even the most unoptimized PC (or the weakest NPC) can play a powerful role in combat. In isolation, a character sheet and a D&D party are just disparate, lonely pieces. Taken together, however, the integrated whole is far greater than the sum of its parts.

dnd 5e combat engaging icewind dale rime of the frost maiden plesiosaur lake monster

How to Make D&D Combat a Fast & Cinematic Experience

Combat should should feel dramatic, engaging, and deeply personal—a heart-pounding experience (not a slog). Make your players feel like they’re watching a scene unfold on a movie screen. Let’s explore how DMs can develop this experience!

dramatic questions engaging playerstasha's Svetlin Velinov tasha mordenkainenchess chess

How to Engage Your D&D Players with Dramatic Questions

Dungeons & Dragons 5e teaches players a lot about the nuts-and-bolts of dungeon-, character-, and encounter-building. It offers oodles of options for spells, feats, and mechanics. However, it does little to teach DMs how to engage their players with dramatic quests and encounters. If you’re looking to keep your D&D players engaged—and if you’re looking to build a satisfying combat encounter or non-combat scene—we must first explore a fundamental concept of storytelling: the dramatic question.

Scroll to Top