Run Your D&D Encounters with a Battle Pack

May 31, 2022

Dungeons & Dragons/ Game Master Tips/ Monsters

There are all sorts of ways to run encounters in D&D. Whether you are using hazards, lair actions, legendary actions or just monsters there is a lot to keep track of during an encounter. Today I’m exploring going one for one with the party. Typically a good group of adventurers comprises a warrior, a sneaky character, a healer and some kind of damage dealing spellcaster. In the years I have been playing very rarely do I see combats being pitted against such an encounter unless we are in direct opposition of another adventuring party.

Tips for using groups of enemies

I understand when you are fighting true monsters or beasts you are not going to have these kind of elements but if you are pitted against humanoids or monstrous humanoids why would they not have such things? In fact many of the humanoids have a variety of stat blocks offering such options for you to go in and have fun with them. If that is not enough there are plenty of stat blocks covering every angle and level for the more standard races. These could easily be changed to orc, gnoll, sahuagin or anything you need.

Running an encounter with a variety of combatants allows you to provide combats that are a little more challenging and more interesting to boot. If you happen to have a 3D printer and a desire to have more minis to field such a varying party of monstrous humanoids are you aware that Hero Forge offers Battle Packs? They offer STL files for five themed but different characters all for $7.99. They have Scholars and Sages, Salvage Experts, Merfolk, Sylvan Guards, Brigands, Lizardfolk, Hobgoblins, Gnolls, Pirates, Kobolds, Fantasy Zombies, Goblins, Skeletons, Orcs, and Cultists. If you wanted to get all of them you could have 75 different STL files to print as many as you wanted all for $119.85.

You could easily make encounters combining elements of multiple groups. Perhaps your gnolls, lizardfolk or hobgoblins have a necromancer with them. Using the zombies or skeletons fills out the ranks and allows for waves of enemies to keep attacking, should you so desire. Perhaps you want to use the orcs and goblins together but you do not like the spellcaster options so you grab a cultist mini instead to be the caster. Maybe your combat is quite a weird one and you want to use some sylvan guards, a scholar or a sage and fill out the rest with brigands.

Having loads of options to place a cool mini on the battle map is a true love of mine. I feel so happy when a mini goes on the board and people take a moment to check it out or if I put out a fully made battle map and everyone pulls out their camera to take pictures. It makes the time spent making the selections all worthwhile.

Having the perfect mini is not crucial. Trust me — I have shoehorned things in. Even the mighty Matt Mercer has done so on stream explaining he did not have a specific mini created and instead going with the closest thing he had available. But when the options are there I do try to put my best foot forward with the mini best representing what the party is facing. Check out Hero Forge and let them know Nerdarchy sent you. Pick out your favorite cool battle packs or design your own perfect mini for a favorite character or villain you have always wanted to make, like me! (I made a six-armed alien spellcaster to terrify my players.) [NERDITOR’S NOTE: Wanna get really wild? Give your kobolds some monstrous mounts!]

Thanks for reading. Until next time, stay nerdy!

*Featured image — In Seizing the Means, characters traveling through the wilderness discover an unusual kobold culture. Fed up with being put down by the majority of entities in the multiverse, these creative kobolds have discovered a way to steer the course of their own destiny — and evolution! Check it out for free here.