Summary
Combat is an essential part of anyDungeons & Dragonscampaign. However, there are times when your party is better served by avoiding combat altogether. Sometimes, you might be down one too many hit points or spell slots, in which case, fighting a powerful creature during a random encounter might not prove worth it.
So, if you end up in a situation like this, what are the best ways to avoid combat altogether? We’ve compiled this list of tips and tricks to keep your party alive when traveling through the Forgotten Realms and beyond, full of the best ways to circumvent battles entirely.
10Stealth
Shhhh…
This first tip is far and away the most obvious, but if you have a high-stealth party, and you’re trying to avoid combat, the first thing you should try is making a Stealth check for your table. If you choose this route, talk to your group about using spells like Pass Without A Trace or Invisibility to increase your odds.
Instead of spells or potions that can help with Stealth, ask your DM if there are anyelements of the environmentyou can use to help cover your escape from a monster or creature. For example, if there is a row of thick shrubs nearby, perhaps using these to cover your party can grant a buff to your Stealth check.
9Parleying
Not Just For Pirates
If you’re fighting against an NPC or a creature that speaks a language, you can always attempt to bargain with them as long as you can communicate. A lot of the time, even monsters that don’t speak a certain language can be reasoned with, as long as you know what they’re after.
For example, many beasts you might encounter in the forest might be tamed by an offering of rations. Neutrally aligned creatures tend to want simple things like food, so it’s worth trying out if you want to avoid fighting a full-grown Owlbear, or any other manner of beast.
8Monster Research
Study Up
Research can also be a wonderful boon for players in Dungeons & Dragons. This can help with parleying, too, as you can try to study what certain types of creatures might want from you should you come across them.
In addition to parleying, studying monsters and their behaviors at a library or with another source of knowledge can allow you to gain insight into their vulnerabilities, resistances, and behaviors. For example, by studying Aboleths, you might learn that they tend to deal in secrets, meaning you could potentially offer up a secret to them in exchange for passage through their cave.
7Distractions
Look Over There!
For magic users who have access to an abundanceof illusion-based magic, this next tip is for you. If you’re not confident that your party can stealth their way through a combat encounter on their own, consider using a magical illusion to help cover your escape.
Or, you can even use illusions to lead monsters and creatures off course. Minor illusions are usually stationary, but if you’re able to cast Major Image or another powerful illusory spell, you can potentially circumvent combat altogether. Consider other spells too, like Blindness/Deafness, that can help your party get away from a powerful monster in no time.
6Deception
High-Charisma Characters Only
For the bards, paladins, and sorcerers of the party, consider using your cunning and wiles to get out of combat encounters. This strategy is typically only going to work with NPC combatants, but it’s worth a try even with non-speaking creatures.
To help buff yourself, consider using spells like Friends, Charm Person, and more to help aid in your Deception checks. Just be wary of shooting the moon with this strategy. After all, if you’re trying to convince a guard to let you pass because you’re their long-lost sibling, even with an incredibly high roll, they’re unlikely to believe you. Try to keep things feeling grounded for more success.
5Prepare Traps
The Hunted Becomes The Hunter
Rangers are most likely to benefit from this next tip. If you’re traveling through a wilderness environment, consider laying out traps or preparing traps that you can use to avoid fighting. You can also use traps in urban settings, though they’re more likely to be triggered by the wrong person.
As an example, if you’re traveling through a forest that you know is riddled with Giant Spiders, consider preparing some minor incinerator or explosive devices to set their webs on fire, should you encounter them or get trapped. This should also provide enough of a distraction for your party to escape.
4Create Exit Strategies
See Ya!
Teleportation spells and other conjuration-based magicscan prove extremely helpful for avoiding combat, especially at higher levels when you’re more likely to have access to these kinds of spells. Of course, not all of these spells are instantaneous. For example, Teleportation Circle requires extra preparation time, but can still be used if you play your cards right.
For your best bet at survival, consider taking a spell like Word of Recall, which can teleport your party out of harm’s way and back to a safe location instantaneously. Just make sure you’ve designated a proper sanctuary before casting this spell, otherwise, it won’t work.
3Play Defensively
The Best Offense
One of the most dastardly things that Dungeon Masters love to do to their players is surprise them with random encounters, particularly during long or short rests. Sometimes, your party might just be trying to recover some slots or HP, but they are bound to run into another enemy that can interrupt their sleep.
That’s why it’s important to play defensively. Set up spells like Alarm, or take feats like Alert, to help keep your party on their toes when they’re taking a long or short rest. In this way, you’re far more likely to be able to avoid combat, and perhaps even hide from creatures stalking your camp.
2Summon Creatures
Like Playing With Action Figures
This next tip is much better-suitedfor higher levels of play, when magic users are more likely to have access to summoning spells. However, if you’re in the middle of a fight with a powerful monster, and you need to make a hasty exit, it’s worth trying to summon another monster to fight the first monster, thus covering your escape.
While you can use this tactic to attempt to buff your party during a combat encounter, a lot of different creatures you can summon with these types of spells aren’t necessarily under your control. So, using spells like this to cover an escape rather than defeat an enemy is often going to prove more useful.
1Measure Speed
Heard Of The Tortoise And The Hare?
Sometimes, it just comes down to a matter of who can run the fastest. This tip synergizes well with monster research as well, so make sure you’re studying the speeds of various creatures you might come across. While a lot of monsters can move pretty quickly, some might prove slower than the party as a whole.
That’s why, sometimes, it’s best to just run. If your party has fly speeds, extra dash actions, and more speed-based abilities, you might just be able to outpace your enemy without having to break a sweat. So, if you’re trying to avoid combat, refer to the enemy creature’s speed and weigh it against the party’s to see if escape is possible.
