How to Improve D&D Combat

September 11, 2025
Posted by Luke Hart

By Luke Hart

Today in the Lair we’re talking about something every dungeon master struggles with at some point: combat that drags on and bores everyone at the table. You know the type…endless dice rolling, no real tension, half the group scrolling on their phones while waiting for their turn.

But combat should be the most exciting part of the game! That’s where the stakes are highest, characters are pushed to their limits, and the story hangs in the balance. So how do we make sure combat is interesting and fun for everyone?

Here are five ways to make your RPG combats less boring and more engaging for you and your players.

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1. The Stakes Must Be Real

Too many game masters carefully balance encounters, fudge dice, and bend rules just to make sure the players win. But when players know deep down that they’re never really going to lose—well, the drama evaporates. No stakes, no excitement.

This trend goes back to the so-called “Hickman Revolution” of 1984, when modules started prioritizing ongoing narrative over real danger. Death and permanent loss slowly disappeared from the game, until by 4e and 5e, characters were practically immortal outside of a TPK. That’s fine if you’re a novelist who wants to control every beat of a story. But if you’re running a game, you’re robbing players of agency and tension.

Instead, put something at risk in every fight. That doesn’t always mean character death. Stakes can be layered:

Strategic position: Fail to stop an orc patrol, and they raise the alarm.
Assets: Players survive, but they lose treasure, henchmen, or their beloved mount.
Character: A single PC could die.
Party: The entire group risks annihilation.

If you’ve been “trusting in the fudge,” try letting real consequences land. Players sit up straighter the moment they realize they could actually lose something they value.

2. Use the Power of Narration and Description

Picture this: a fight against a giant, narrated purely by numbers. “It attacks. You take 10 damage. You attack. You deal 12.” Snoozefest.

Now picture the same combat described vividly: the giant’s axe slams into the ground, sending tremors through your legs; your sword strike carves across its thigh, spraying blood; the giant howls in rage as its foot nearly crushes your companion.

Which version would you rather play?

RPGs are games of imagination. So use your words.

As GM, describe how monsters act, how they react to being hurt, how the battlefield changes.
Encourage players to describe their attacks, reactions, and especially killing blows. Ask: “What does that look like?” or “Want to narrate that crit?”
Save detailed narration for key moments: critical hits, critical misses, near misses, deaths—PC or monster.

Worried you’re not “good at descriptions”? Read! Authors like R.A. Salvatore (his Drizzt series is fantastic for combat description) are masters of painting battles with words. Take notes on what works, expand your vocabulary, and then practice.

Keep it colorful, but keep it succinct. Overdo it, and you’ll bog the game down.

3. Make Sure All Players Participate

This one sounds obvious, but it’s easy to overlook. Combat is already the most time-consuming part of the game. If a player is sidelined and essentially not playing for big chunks of it, they’ll be bored—and frustrated.

Here’s how to keep everyone in the fight:

Keep the party together. Splitting the group leads to long stretches where some players sit idle while you manage the others.
Avoid abilities that remove PCs from play. Banishment, wall of force, or even polymorph can sideline a character for an entire encounter. Use them sparingly.

That doesn’t mean you can’t ever split the party or use control spells. Just be mindful. Nothing kills excitement faster than a player who’s been reduced to a spectator.

4. Keep the Pacing Snappy

Combat should feel fast and dangerous—not like molasses. Long, drawn-out turns and indecision kill the momentum.

Push players to act quickly. Don’t let the wizard take 15 minutes agonizing over spell choice.
Encourage players to plan ahead during others’ turns.
As GM, keep initiative moving smoothly and avoid bogging things down with excessive rules lookups.

The bottom line: speed keeps players engaged. Slow pacing loses them.

5. Combat Is More Than Hit Points and Damage

If every fight boils down to two sides trading blows until someone’s hit points hit zero, you’re running boring combat. You need dynamic elements, things that make the encounter unpredictable and thrilling.

Some ideas:

Environmental effects: collapsing bridges, lava flows, magical storms, shifting terrain.
Smarter enemies: not every monster just swings a club. Inflict conditions. Grapple. Use spells creatively.
Unique goals: enemies might try to kidnap a PC, steal an artifact, or escape—not just kill.

For example, giants are often a snooze because they just hit hard and take damage. Spice them up. Give them tactics, objectives, or an environment that matters.

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