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The worldbuilding ofDungeons & Dragonsis defined as much by the small as the grand scale.
Keeping the combat with these low-level enemies can become challenging after a while.
Because sometimes things get out of hand.
Tomb of Annihilation via Wizards of the Coast
Here’s how to keep the early fights from getting stagnant.
Approach
Method
Example
Adjectives
Give each creature in an encounter a single adjective.
After initiative, you describe thehighest rolling kobold as headstrong.
Dead End Via Wizards of the Coast
They charge in ahead of the group and are easily caught out of formation.
Different Weapons
you might often swap out the weapon a character wields withminimal change to their stat block.
They can also position themselves differently tomake use of this expanded range.
Dead End Via Wizards of the Coast
A gnomish mercenary will have advantage on spell savesbut move slower than a generic human.
Group Strategies
Create circumstances that change how enemies behave in combat.
This can also tie into the broader narrative.
Minion of the Mighty by Oriana Menendez
A pack of goblins forms a defensive formationaround a prisoner they are escorting.
You don’t want these fights to linger for a long time.
There are different ways of handling this.
Swarming Goblins by Andrew Mar
There are plenty of ways tokeep those kobolds and goblins relevant at higher levels.
It’snot a method to be overusedbut can feel impactful if done once or twice in a campaign.
This keeps them relevant and felt while still allowing the challenge to progress upward.
Non-Combat Obstacles
Weaker characters can still make good non-combat obstacles.
A party might opt tosneak past a group of low-level minions to avoid alerting their more powerful leader.
Learn how to add some interesting backgrounds to your D&D campaign!
