[RPG] What are some “ideal” marching formations

combatdnd-4etactics

It often happens that your party is approaching an area in which you just know combat will soon ensue. Or, when a combat encounter presents itself, you may be given an opportunity to arbitrarily choose the placement of the PCs within a certain section of the battlefield. In these scenarios, it's typical to establish a standard "marching order" or "formation" in which your party will approach.

For some character roles, it's very clear where they need to be – Defenders up front, Controllers in the rear, and such. But, for some others (and depending on actual party size and makeup) things get a little fuzzier.

I'd like to establish here a CW of general, tactically optimized formations for parties of 3-6 characters in various scenarios. Especially noteworthy would be hallways ranging in width from 1-3 squares, but wide open spaces and other special configurations would be nice to have as well.

Of course, some characters' optimal positions will depend on the actual build of the character. But I believe a large percentage of parties may still benefit from some generalized formations which could be used as templates from which to design their own strategies.

I suggest using the "code sample" formatting, to get a fixed-width font representation, using the following symbols

D - Defender
L - Leader
S - Striker
C - Controller
x - Difficult Terrain
X - Blocking Terrain

As an example, here's one scenario I'm currently looking at: Two Defenders, one Striker, and one Controller, in a three-square wide hallway. One formation I'm considering is this:

XD DX
X S X
X C X

Best Answer

How to answer a question that has an rather large number variables, here goes.

Don't approach potential combat encounters with the mind set of a fixed 'Marching Order' selected from a predefined set of MOs. Do what is done in the army, know your terrain and your target.

First categorize the following:

  • Terrain Maneuvering limits - low mobility, moderate mobility or high mobility,
  • Terrain Size - close quarters, moderate quarters or open quarters
  • Terrain Access - manipulated opening (door, ladder or gate) or open entry (arch way or open glade)
  • Monster Primary Attack Methods - ranged, close or mixed
  • Monster Primary Attack Type - weapon/claw, or spell/affect

Once you know these you can determine the mostly likely setup for the encounter.

Example: Low Mobility; Open Quarters; Open Entry; Ranged; Affect.

Your defender and strikers are going to have hard time getting to the enemy they may need to use ranged weapons if they have them or struggle to get close and use their close combat hits. This means that the party is going to have to rely on the controllers to tie up the monsters and buy time while they close. If they can't close then it is up to the ranged weapons and spell powers. Controllers should probably be first into the fight.

Simply put, figure out what the situation is and the solution will be fairly straight forward. This system helps you plan using the real mix of the party too.

Also this is a great way to plan encounters for the DM side. I use this to really mess with the group all the time.

Good Luck.

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