Low-level combat is often mechanically simple, and this can lead to potentially boring encounters, particularly if players are used to the range of abilities available with higher-level characters. In this two-part series, we discuss why low-level combat can sometimes fall short, and provide a bunch of ways to spice things up. In part one, we talk about how to make the opponents more interesting (giving them a personality, some prior relationship with the party, perhaps some emotional investment); ways to introduce alternative objectives so that combat isn't just about fighting to the death; how to create dynamic environments with weather or lair actions; and how to use different combat roles alongside things like resistances and vulnerabilities to keep things interesting. 

Keep an eye out for part two of this discussion next week. 

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Tycho's Tales is an informal discussion podcast about tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs) like Dungeons & Dragons and Pathfinder. Episodes are released every Tuesday at 5 pm GMT (or, for the Kiwis, every Wednesday at 6 am NZST). Find out more about us at https://tychostales.com/about. If you enjoy the pod, please rate or review us on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.