Combat and Movement

My first thought was to talk about combat. I feel like so many of our games devolve into two sides lining up toe to toe, trading dice rolls until one is defeated. I don't think this has always been true of our game play, or I never would have engaged so fully with it. Face it, that kind of play is dull.

I first started noticing this in fourth edition, which relied heavily on powers for movement and positioning during combat. It was a curious effect. For one encounter, everything flowed and moved well, giving an exciting encounter. But the next battle would stall. Sometimes it was because of the powers - Hank was waiting for two opponents so he could cleave, or something similar. The structure of the game dictated the action. I have to believe its part of the reason why they developed fifth edition, to put control of action back into the players' hands. 

But that also requires them to act. A holdover from 3.5 was a fear of provoking opportunity attacks. In that system, they could be used multiple times from many triggers. With the new edition, there is a limit to how many actions one individual can take in combat, but we still have a fear of triggering opportunity attacks. Some of that came from playing first level characters with their fragile health with the mindset of previous edition. We got skittish and defensive.

All of these factors have made us flat-footed in combat. So my question is how can I, as GM, better set up the encounter in order to encourage a more fluid exchange?

I think a quick fix is to create space within the encounter so players have to move in order to engage. The best way to do this is to create an encounter that features multi-dimensional opponents. The average party has a fighter to engage in melee, a hybrid fighter that can shift easily between melee and ranged (rangers, thieves, etc.), and a spell caster of some sort that will need to keep its distance and avoid melee. A good monster encounter will have a similar construction, that is, a mix of fighting styles.

Sometimes, a quick encounter might consist of one type of creature. This is where the terrain and encounter space can be adjusted to fill the gaps. I've run encounters with spell casters and archers that positioned themselves on catwalks or balconies. In this case, the physical space can be used to maintain the distance these opponents need to be effective.

More recently, I've run a sea cave adventure with slippery rocks and unsure footing that turned a 10' x 20' tunnel into a space that was effectively double that in size. A simple trick that expanded the battlefield. For another encounter, I had a drow warrior levitate in order to direct the battle below, and fire at anyone uncontested. when I ran it, I botched it somehow, but there was a germ of an idea there. I'm working on a revised use of it that I hope to put in action soon.

I'm interested in finding a way to use terrain more effectively, but that's a thought for another day.