Quick Links
Dungeons & Dragonsis fueled by imagination. It depicts a world of heroes, villains, and monsters with supernatural powers and abilities. With so much exciting stuff, it can be hard for a dungeon master (DM) to remember the terrain. Where your players are fighting should be an important factor in their battles.
Battles in D&D benefit from tactical options. Each player wants a chance for their character to shine by cleverly beating the odds with their unique abilities. Terrain can help to give your players these opportunities. Whether it’s through acrobatics, cover, concealment, or other tactical choice, including some terrain options spices up combat.
The Functions Of Terrain In D&D
Maps, descriptions, and 3D-printed terrain pieces help set the tone of our fantasy action game, but as immersive as theseobjectscan be, they also havegameplay functions. The Dungeon Masters Guide (DMG) explainscover mechanicsanddifficult terrainrules, and you can use theseto create battle spaces that inspire creativity.
Terrain’s primary combat functions areelevation advantage, reduced movement speed, cover, and concealment. If you know a combat encounter will occur in a specific spot, spend a little extra time thinking about function.
Each piece of terrain on the battle map has a combat function;pillars, trees, walls, corners, and doorways providecoverfrom ranged attacks. Difficult terrain (with its movement penalty) forms an area most characters want to avoid, whileimpassable terrain represents an area no creature or character can traverse.
The objects and terrain you use should generally make sense in the game’s fiction, but thinking about them in functional gameplay terms helps you create interesting battle arenas.
D&D Fifth Edition doesn’t automatically give any advantage to those attacking from high ground, but DM’s are free to make a ruling that works for the situation. SomeDMs like to use a rule from D&D 3.5 Editionthat gives ranged attacks from the high ground +1 to hit.
Checklist For Combat Terrain In D&D
Ask these questions when preparing an area for combat:
Not every battle needs to feature every element. Varying up the terrain can keep things interesting and allow the party to use their full range of abilities.
Include Difficult Terrain In D&D Combat
It’s tactical fun for players and DM to choose the right action while considering the terrain, sofinding a thematically appropriate reason to include some difficult terrain in the combat area makes things more interesting.Difficult terrain halves the movement speed of creatures passing through it.Impassable terraincan’t be traversed by regular means, flying, or magic.
Fighting in the desert?Quicksand. Fighting in the forest?Clinging vines. Fighting in a castle keep?Throw some rubble on the floor,and steep slopes are typically considered difficult terrain, too.
Your difficult terrain doesn’t have to make real-world sense; D&D is a game, so don’t be afraid togamify elements for maximum fun. Restricting options in combat can speed up resolution and increase tension, andusing difficult terrain to discourage or penalize movement in certain directions is within your remit as DM.
Challenge Specific Party Members With Terrain In D&D
D&D ismost funwhen there’s lots ofcooperation and interdependencebetween player characters, and the DM can facilitate player cooperation by including terrain thatchallenges specific players. For example, the party’s muscle will relish pushing down a crumbling wall to give the ranger a better shot, or the druid might get a chance to shine by banishing some clinging vines.
Different terraintypes posedifferent types of challenges; D&D players are famously creative in their search for solutions to setbacks, andincluding plenty of interactive terrain maximizes the potential for players to get creative. Including a chandelier almost guarantees that someone will try to swing from it, and telling the players the enemy orcs are standing on a poorly supported platform often means someone will try to topple it.
Destructible, Reactive Environments In D&D
People get excited aboutdestructible environmentsin video games like theJust Causeseries. Still, they can be just as satisfying in D&D, and describing how objects, furniture, and scenery dissolve, explode, or go up in flame can befun and functional.
Destructible, reactive environmentscan encourage players tocast fireballs at barrelsof mystery liquid,freeze puddles of waterto knock enemies prone, andattack weak-looking platforms, and as DM, it’s your job to telegraph this potential for interaction to the players. For example, an enemy could glance nervously at the nearby barrels after seeing flames in the sorcerer’s hand.
Encourage players to consider how theirspells and abilities affect the environment.
Video games likeBaldur’s Gate 3andDivinity Original Sin 2are great reference points. Both games reward careful consideration of the environment, elemental interaction, and battlefield position.
Function and examples
Pillars
Pillars are a staple feature of temples, castles, and palaces. They make an idealcover against ranged attacks. Most DMs consider astandard-sized pillarto behalf cover, as described on page 250 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide (DMG).
Trees
Like pillars inside,trees are a staple of D&D combat outside. An average tree is typically consideredhalf cover. Other kinds of shrubs, bushes, and foliage can stand in for trees to fit the game environment.
Elevation
Depending on its steepness, aslopecan be considereddifficult terrain. This halves the movement speed of creatures moving through it, potentially doubling the number of ranged attacks you can get off. If a character is high enough above an enemy, they need only step backward for full cover.
Rubble
Rubblecreates an area ofdifficult terrain, halving the speed of creatures moving through it. Rubble makes sense in most buildings and in urban areas. In a more rural setting, consider boulders, pebbles, and loose soil as alternatives.
Furniture
In D&D, fights often break out in taverns, inns, and long halls.Furnitureisrough terrainthat slows characters and creatures' movement.
Flipping a tableover is also a decent way togenerate coverfor the party’s vulnerable members. Depending on the character’s size (and the furniture’s size), a table can fully cover a character.
Standing Water
Shallow bogs, deep puddles, or other marshy, swampy waterareas aredifficult terrainthat slows creatures to half speed. Water as rough terrain makes sense in a wide variety of combat locations.
Undergrowth
Mostoutdoor areascan feasiblysupport undergrowth as difficult terrain.Small, dense trees like holly and dogwood are real-world examples of undergrowth for visual inspiration.
Snow
Asnow driftconstitutesdifficult terrainif it’s deep enough to slow those passing through it. Smaller creatures may struggle where larger ones do not.
Crops
Rowsofcorn,barley, andwheataredifficult terrainwhen the crops are tall enough to impede the characters walking through them. Many war gaming miniature enthusiasts will have rows of crops already.
