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Tension is one of the most powerful weapons a DM can wield against players in aDungeons & Dragonsgame. Whether you’re trying to keep the stakes in a long, drawn-out combat encounter feel high or create a sense of suspense in a murder-mystery session, there’s a ton you can do as a DM to make your games feel tense.
But, for higher-level players and games, this can prove more challenging. That’s why we’ve created this guide. If you’re a DM preparing to run a high-level game, here are some of the best ways you can keep the tension feeling high.
How To Create Tension
If you’re crafting an adventure in DND, you might be wondering:what are the best ways to create tension?This is particularly true of high-level games, where players have access to powerful, game-breaking abilities.
At high levels of play,players can often heal themselvesfrom the brink of deathor counter powerful enemy abilities, sothrowing powerful monsters at them isn’t going to be enoughto create tension.
Here are just somegreat ways you can create tensionin your DND games:
When you’re DM-ing, you’re going to want to make sure youcreate tension by assuring that the narrative feels groundedand real. Without good tension in a DND game, players can feel bored or creatively stifled.
As just one example of the above ways to use tension, if you’re running a dangerous boss battle, you canestablish a consequence for failureby revealing thatthe adversary has captured a beloved NPC.
Now, the party may realize that,should they fail, they may also lose a beloved ally of theirs, thus creating tension.
If you’re at a loss for how to create tension,ask yourself: what consequence would hurt the party the most?
While mood and various threats can be helpful in creating tension,introducing a set of stakes for the party to contend withwill often prove to be the best shorthand for high-level parties.
How To Keep Tension
Once you’ve created tension in your game,now it’s time to keep the tension high.
As a Dungeon Master,there are a handful of different ways you can maintain tension, though they differ depending on the situation you’re in.
You’re going to want to take different approaches to keeping tensiondepending on which situation you’re in:
How To Keep Tension In Combat
Keeping tension in combat isperhaps the most challenging, particularly if your table is very mechanics-focused.
The best thing you can do to keep tension in combat is tomake sure both you and your players are actively narrating the action.
For example,it’s easy to fall into a pattern of just rolling diceand marking spell slots.
Not every table wants to narrate the action, butas a DM, you should be narrating the action wherever possible.
Instead,make sure you’re using visual languageto describe an enemy’s HP status, how conditions alterthe course of the battle, and more.
Additionally, beyond narration,use the following tips to keep combat exciting, tense, and fresh:
When it comes to high-level games, you’re also going to want tomake sure your combat has a ‘phase two,‘so to speak. This is one of the best ways you’re able to create and keep tension.
If players are making decent headway on defeating a boss, introduce a ‘phase two’in which more enemies appear, the central adversary becomes more powerful, or the environment changes in drastic ways.
This will keep players on their toesand help make the combat encounter feel more tense.
How To Keep Tension In Roleplay
In roleplay scenarios,keeping tension is all about mood, atmosphere, and motivations.
Using music, lighting, ambient noises, and, of course, voices and mannerismsto help keep roleplay feeling dynamic can make tense situations on paper feel tense at the table.
Additionally, the most important thing you may do to make roleplay feel tense is tooutline clear-cut goals and stakes.
For example, if the party is negotiating for a hostage,make sure the goal or the stakes are clearin case the party fails to free them.
For high-level games, you’re also going to want tomake sure your roleplay encounters don’t have any guard rails up.
For example, if a player says the wrong thing,let the consequences play out organically.
This not only makes the game feel grounded, butcan create and further mount tension as you play, especially if players make additional mistakes.
Overall, when it comes to creating and keeping tension as a DM for a high-level table,the most important thing you can do is keep players immersed.
Don’t break in roleplay, and ensure you’re alwaysadding further complications to your plot,narrating them in specific and dynamic ways.
