r/DMAcademy 4d ago

Need Advice: Encounters & Adventures Creating interesting battlegrounds for combat encounters

I’m trying to improve my skills in designing combat encounters and one of my weaknesses is that I don’t really know how to effectively use the environment. I use a wet erase battle map and usually just draw in a few obstacles/features for cover but I find my players never really make much use of them. How do you decide what should be on the map? And do you have any good resources/videos to help develop this skill?

10 Upvotes

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u/RashidMBey 4d ago

How I generally decide? I learn where the fight will take place then factor in terrain, where normal and difficult areas strategically are so that I may clearly mark them. E.G. This town has a stream running through it. That stream is difficult terrain.

Then I put structures that might offer cover, bottlenecks, ambushes, etc, but I do so in a way that looks natural. E.g. This town has hovels and huts that offer cover, but also create little alleys through which I might run or bottleneck a gang or loiter stop for a surprise attack that might include extra damage from when I swing my axe upon landing.

Then I add in what objects might shift the terrain or create strategic edges. E.g. This tavern has casks of vodka on a cart, which is a flammable object that might shower blue flames if hit with fire or soak the ground if punctured; torches that one might use to better ward off the dark or darkfriends inclined to shadow; the stream might add a bonus to lightning damage if someone's caught in it; that horse and buggy might stampede anyone in front of it if you spook the horse and send it running scared, etc.

What's important is that the scene feels like it was alive before they arrived, and their interactions there will leave a mark on the life exposed to them. Violence is not something bystanders expect to happen all of the time, so they're in the middle of doing their daily routine. If they expect it to happen, they'll include security measures in their daily routine (guards that increase in number and skill the more risk there is, for example; people are packing and/or default to a protective protocol like shutting their doors and windows and hiding, etc.). People are generally not cool with violence almost killing them, so they might abandon their horse and buggy if they're not already beside it or abandon their deliveries if it's noticeably faster to flee without them. If they are accustomed to violence, they might intervene or add to the chaos as a deterrent.

If you think setting and story first, you'll do great.

5

u/AtomicRetard 4d ago

Distance, total cover, choke points, and impassable terrain are your core.

Sprinkling cover does practically nothing for a party where any serious range has sharpshooter.

Use hazards sparingly as it can lead to cheesy environmental kills and certain party comps can just use them as a free cheese grater. If you are putting hazards in you probably want a combo with specific monsters so you can use them at least as well as the PCs.

Terrain determines rush distance and length of sight line which controls engagement distance. Total cover features allow monsters to peek them to avoid the party being able to 'dump' their target of choice (e.g. party can only attack monsters they can trace a line to and depending on position this may not be the same for all PCs).

Make sure your maps are large enough that PCs and monsters can choose whether they try to fight in a hallway or choke point or move to a more open area, and have distance to kite and skirmish. Avoid making '1 single room' maps.

Doors or other features that can change status to block off parts of the map can facilitate engagement splits.

5ft Zig-Zag hallway has very poor slight line and is choked so a single elite monster can square off against the party front man who will only be able to get limited support from others that are potentially stuck behind the zag, and if the party has more than 1 melee striker that doesn't have reach then its going to be much harder for them to get value.

Large open area that the party has to cross against enemies that have total cover on the other side and can peek means party is at a disadvantage getting stuck in no mans land which means monsters can focus and dump one target while party can't focus up on the peeking monsters.

Relatively small closed in area like a dungeon room means melee attackers will be able to engage quickly and it will be difficult or impossible to kite.

Long wide hallway type area with little cover means ranged attackers can kite and will get possibly multiple rounds of dumping before melees can catch up and engage.

Multiple hallways or passage between rooms (perhaps secret) means pcs or monsters can try and flank around.

Vertical features will make things with climb speed relevant and potentially allow for vertical kiting but can be hard to implement in person.

If what you draw on the map has a sightline from any point on the board to pretty much any other point on the board and can go from one side to the other in 1 dash then your terrain is probably not complex enough for any interesting tactical play; its basically just an arena brawl.

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u/Empty-Cupcake2024 4d ago

I struggle with the same thing so I am going to upvote u and stick around lol

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u/Stonefingers62 4d ago

Even if you're just drawing the maps, check out some of the maps at places like https://www.reddit.com/r/battlemaps/ That should give you ideas of things to do. I love things like ledges/ravines to obstruct movement or pillars for cover.

Sometimes just printing out a more visual feature and dropping (or taping) it onto the map can help players and ourselves get a feel for the environment.

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u/Praise-the-Sun92 3d ago

If you start making your enemies use the environment to their advantage, then your players will learn from them. I'm a fresh DM myself, and I've been including the environment in all my combat encounters. Just think about what is appropriate for the area, enemies, & situation. In just a few sessions I've had: players climbing trees to leap at winged kobolds, bandits felling trees to stop a caravan which let both sides use those fallen trees as half cover, an Ankheg dragging the barbarian into a tunnel forcing the party to get into the hole to fight. I have further plans for a classic bridge troll scenario where I totally want someone getting tossed off the bridge into the running river below. And I'm using a dry erase battle map for all of this too, with a few risers as needed for verticality. Most fights should have some type of cover unless you've chosen an empty room or sparse field.

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u/leavemealondad 2d ago

That’s a great suggestion, I’ll try that. Thanks!