Chapter 2: Action Economy
In previous chapter we've looked at the chance of success for a single action. In this chapter we'll duscuss the concept of 'action economy' and look at possible effects of one side of combat having more actions than the other. Here are the topics we'll rewiev in this chapter:
- A brief example of Action Economy
- What is Action Economy?
- Making the most out of Action Economy
- Breaking Action Economy
- Conclusion
A brief example of Action Economy?
To understand the concept of action economy, let's look at the example provided on the picture. There we see Riddick facing agains at least 12 monsters that we'll call 'angry space doggos'.
Now let's be generous and assume, that Riddick, being a high level rogue can kill an angry space doggo in a single strike. Let's be even more generous and say that a single angry space doggo has a single attack with a +4 to hit that deals 1d4+2 damage, and Riddick, being dextrous, yet ligtly armored, has an AC of 15. That means that a single space doggo has a 50% chance to hit Riddick with an attack.
Being a rogue, Riddick has a single potent attack per round. Let's say, that he was not surprised by the space doggos and also has the highest initiative. For simplicity we'll also assume that Riddick can hit with an attack 100% of the time.
In this encounter Riddick will kill an angry space doggo each round so that means that the battle (assuming that by that moment Riddick will still be alive) will take about 12 rounds. That means that Riddick will be attacked by an angry space doggo 12 + 11 + 10 +...+ 1 = 78 attacks. And around half of those attacks would hit dealing on average 4.5 points of damage. That means that on average Riddick will take ~175 points of damage. That is enough to take down a 20th level Rogue!
We've made a lot of assumptions to give Riddick more advantages, yet still on average he will not survive that encounter. We did not even consider the possibility for the doggos to flank Riddick and score critical hits against him, nor the fact that he could miss an attack or deal less damage, than would be enough to take them down. But he is so much more powerful than a single angry space doggo! So what happened? That begs the question of...
What is Action Economy?
In previous encounter the doggos won because there were 12 of them versus a single character. The concept of action economy states that, generally speaking, the side that has access to more actions has more effective options during an encounter, and therefore, has a bigger chance of winning. Let's discuss, why does it happen.
- More actions means more flexibility. When a single creature attacks, they usually cannot spread their damage between several creatures, so while their attacks are usually more powerful, sometimes they are too powerful. Also they can combo their actions to provide advantage to each other.
- More bodies means better positioning. When a group of enemies moves in sync, they can position themselves in such a way, that will lock their enemies in place or limit their movement.
However, those rules apply only when the actions are executed effectively and tactically. Let's discuss, how one can optimize the use of their actions.
Making the most out of Action Economy
In this section we'll list several tips on how to spend your actions effectively.
- Minimize chances to waste an action. Many attacks and spells do completely nothing to the target on a miss or a successful save, rendering your action for that turn completely useless. Therefore, you should maximize your chance of successfully land an attack through means of generating advantage etc. In case of spells consider spells that either target multiple creatures or do something on a failed saving throw (this having a better chance to do at least something). Some spells don't even allow the target to make a saving throw at all, which is nice.
- Target Priority. In D&D (and some other games) a creature is as effective at 1 HP as at full HP. That means that you have to deal enough damage to the creature to knock them down for good, or otherwise it will continue to harass you. However, there are usually more monsters than there are player characters, and your character usually cannot deal with a creature in a single round. That implies cooperation between the party: choosing your targets well and focusing your efforts can quickly turn a hard fight in a moderate one. For example, if your enemies are a group of three fighters that stand between you and a wizard, who throws fireballs at you, focusing your fire on a wizard and then on the closest fighter one by one will usually prove more effective than spreading your party's damage between tanky fighters and then trying to get the wizard, when you are standing on your last legs after those fireballs. Usually the target priorities depend on the specifics of each encounter, however, most of the time the target priority should be: spellcaster > ranged attacker > melee damage dealer > melee tank, since spellcasters can quickly cast some devastating spells, ranged attackers can deal a lot of damage before you get to them and melee damage dealers can do exactly what their role says, if they manage to get to you. Some melee tanky characters are also actually able to deal respectable damage, however, they can be kited around and kept in distance from your more squishy characters. This isn't always true, so in an encounter try to analyse, what are the biggest threats for your party at the moment, and which of them can be dealt with quickly.
- Do not use conflicting actions. Consider a situation, where a wizard casts a spell called Hypnotic Pattern, which causes a group of enemies to stand still, until someone shakes them up, but on the next turn a sorcerer casts Fireball at that group, breaking their trance. Not only the sorcerer wasted the wizards action, but he also wasted both of their spell slots. Let's look at another example: the party tries to make an ambush, and the rogue decides to go for a flanking maneuvre, but as soon as he almost made it close to the enemy, the fighter blows their cover with an attack and causes those enemies to go towards him, not only blowing a surprise attack from the rogue, but making the rogue spend their consecutive actions to move to the creatures and lose their beneficial position. Things like those usually happen when the party lacks cooperation and a clear plan of action, where everyone knows their role. In a fight try to predict and discuss not only what your character is going to do, but what other characters are going to do, or the game will punish you for it.
- Act now vs Act later. As rule of thumb, it is usually better to do something proactive on your turn, rather than hold or ready your action, or use things like Dodge, since first, you cannot guarantee that the specifics of the fight will change in your favour later, or that you will survive until then. If you do decide to wait for a better opportunity to use your action, try to make sure that you cannot be focused by the enemy, or consider sacrificing your current action to setup your next actions.
- Use the right tool for the job. Even if you follow all of previous instructions and make sure that you land your attacks, or that your spells affect the targets, your action will still be useless, if the damage of your attack is close to zero, or if the target has some way of avoid the effects of your spells. Make sure that your attacks will do effective damage at least on average, and that you don't use a spell against a target that is immune or resistant to its effect. Consider analyzing the enemy and finding their weaknesses and later capitalizing on those weaknesses.
- Area of Effect. Let's jump back to our Riddick example. If in place of Riddick we had Dumbldore, chances are, he would create a wall of flames and destroy half of the space doggos in a single round (chances are, he would also fly away on a broom or teleport via transgression, but that discussion is for the next section). The point is, area of effect abilities can quickly deal with groups of low health minions, and that is exactly what they should be used for.
Breaking Action Economy
Usually, there are more monsters, than there are player characters, so if we consider that each creature has access to a single action per round (which isn't always the case, but more on that later), that already puts players at a disadvantage. In this section we'll look at several ways to 'cheat' action economy.
- Generate More Actions. Monsters already have ways to cheat action economy (example: Multiattack feature allows some monsters to make two or more attacks on their turn). Some player characters have access to spells and abilities, that let them generate more actions, too. Examples are: Two-Weapon Fighting, Extra Attack, Haste spell. On top of that, through good positioning you may cause monsters to provoke an opportunity attack from you, which will also give you an extra action in that round.
- Take Away Actions. There are several ways, through which you can make your opponents waste your actions. We'll discuss several ways of 'stealing' an action from your opponent:
- A disabled opponent can't take actions. Several spells and abilities like Sleep, Hold Person, Stunning Strike etc allow you to deny your opponent(s) their action. Some of them can even do this for consecutive turns, which is really good.
- Block Line of Sight. An opponent cannot hit what they cannot target. In order to do that you can use spells like Darkness or Fog Cloud and possibly the terrain around you and certain mechanisms or concoctions. Stealth also can work nicely here.
- Block Line of Effect. The concept here is the same, the opponent will not be able to target you with their action, if there is no clear path between you and them. This can be mostly achieved through cover behind certain terrain features, but some spells also can achieve that.
- Keep Your Distance. A lot of enemies will prefer melee attacks, and thus, if they have to spend their turns moving towards you, while you rain fire and steel upon them, it gives you a tactical advantage over them. Advantageous positioning and movement are key here. Also spells that block the dirict route or create difficult or dangerous terrain can help you make your enemy come to you more slowly. Furthermore, several spells and abilities grant you access to different types of movement like flying and climbing. They can effectively render your melee opponents useless in a fight. However, to make the most out of it, you should have access to effective ranged offensive options.
- Impose Penalties. As we've discussed before, many types of actions are wasted, if you miss, or the target makes their saving throw. Imposing disadvantage on enemies attacks or giving penalties to their rolls (and bonuses to your rolls in case of saving throws) can cause them to waste their actions.
- Creative Solutions. Sometimes, a clever plan, tactic or single smart use of your action can allow you to turn the tides in your favour, or to circumvent combat entirely. Always look for ways to be clever, cunning and creative. Don't hesitate to try something new and interesting. If it sounds cool, chances are your DM will go with it.
Conclusion
The concept of Action Economy is hard to understand and play with at first, but it will become easier as you play. In this chapter we've tried to break down this concept to give you more clarity on how the combat works in D&D from a tactical standpoint. If you've managed to keep reading and digest all of this information, congratulations! However, even if you did not understand most of it, don't be scared, try to return to it after you gain more experience (both in-game and out of game 😃), some of those concepts will be more clear to you after you've seen them in action.
That's it. Thank you for reading and stay tuned for more. Have a good day.