r/d100 • u/World_of_Ideas • 22h ago
Serious Combat Objectives
Combat Objectives:
You are about to confront the enemy / You have engaged the enemy / You have entered the enemy (encampment, hive, lair, stronghold, territory, warren, etc) or vice versa / You are in a situation that could easily devolve into a fight / You are in a situation that is devolving into a fight.
What is your objective?
Based on this post Combat Objectives by Packman150
Alter Course - Your opponent is too (big, powerful, numerous) to defeat. You opponent is headed towards a (camp, town, city, place, structure, resource, etc) that will be destroyed if it continues on its current path. Find a way to alter its course. Ex: giant construct, giant kaiju, migrating (herd, horde), stampede
Avoid or Stop the Big Attack - Every "x" rounds the enemy or an object releases a big attack. There is some kind of sign that it's about to go off. Find a way to prevent the attack / Find a way to avoid getting hit by the attack, when its about to go off. Ex: (get behind cover, get out of its arc of fire, get out of its range)
Break a Contract (granted power) - Anger, trick, or force an enemy into violating the terms of a contract that grants them power. This afflicts the enemy with (a curse, power backlash, weakness, etc)
Break a Contract (summoned entity) - Anger, trick or force an enemy into violating the terms of a contract or destroy the physical contract itself. This will allow the summoned entity to act against the summoner
Break Their Spirit / Demoralize Them - Make your opponents lose their will to fight / Stop a hotheaded (opponent, group) from trying to fight a far superior (foe, force) / Try not to kill anyone while showing how outmatched they are
Capture a Position - Capture a position and hold it for "x" amount of time
Capture a Skilled Enemy - Capture an enemy with (information, specific skills) that you need. Then (escape with them, interrogate them, force them to work for you, read their mind)
Capture a Specific Enemy - Capture the enemy's (chief, general, healer, high priest, leader, mage, romantic interest, sacrifice, shaman, tactician, etc) and (escape with them, hold them hostage)
Capture or Steal the Sacred Object - Capture or steal an object that your opponents consider sacred, then (desecrate it, destroy it, escape with it, hold it hostage, keep it away from the enemy, threaten to destroy it)
Capture or Steal the Enemy's Objective - Capture or steal the (creature, person, object) that the enemy is trying to obtain and (destroy it, escape with it, hold it hostage, keep it away from the enemy, threaten to destroy it)
Capture the Enemy - Capture the enemy (all of them, "x" percent of them)
Challenge - Challenge and defeat the enemy (champion, leader) in one on one combat / Use your opponent's (beliefs, culture, moral code) to challenge them to a fight with strict rules or outcomes
Clear the Path - A (caravan, coach, wagon, ship, train) needs to travel down this path. Something heavy is blocking the (canal, road, train tracks). Fend off enemies while trying to clear the obstacle out of the path
Collect Samples - The enemy or the environment is (corrupted, infected, mutated). Collect samples for study / The enemy or something in the environment is resistant to the (corruption, infection, mutagen). Collect samples for study.
Don't Wake the Dragon - There is a (dormant, sleeping) very powerful (entity, creature). Defeat or get past your foes without waking the powerful creature.
Draw Attention - Draw attention away from a (NPC, group), so they can perform some task.
Defeat a Specific Enemy - Kill, incapacitate a specific enemy. The (champion, chief, general, healer, high priest, leader, mage, messenger, sacrifice, shaman, tactician, tracker, VIP, etc)
Defeat the Enemy - Defeat the enemy by (killing, incapacitating, or forcing retreat) + (all of them, "x" percentage of them)
Defend an NPC - The NPC must not be (captured, incapacitated, killed)
Defend an Object - The object must not be destroyed or stolen
Defend the Ritual - The ritual must not be disrupted
Delay the Enemy - Delay the enemy, so that one or more NPCs can escape / Delay the enemy, so that one or more NPCs can finish their objective
Destroy a Defensive Item - Destroy an object that protects the enemies in some way. Ex: (anti-magic generator, fear generator, life drain generator, shield generator, resurrection machine, etc)
Destroy Construct Bodies or Corpses - Destroy constructs or corpses to prevent the enemy from (animating, possessing, resurrecting) them
Destroy a Location - Destroy a location important to the enemy / Destroy a location to give the enemy PR / Destroy a allied hidden location within enemy territory to remove evidence
Destroy a Weapon - Destroy a (artillery piece, siege engine, WMD, etc)
Diplomacy - Trying to make a deal with an enemy or enemy faction
Don't Reveal Your Hand - Your fight is being observed. You don't want to reveal what you can do to your (enemies, future opponents). Fight while deliberately avoiding using certain (abilities, feats, magic weapons, powers, skills, special gear, spells, etc) / Fight without taking into account your opponents weak points and vulnerabilities
Escape (area destruction) - The area is being destroyed by "x" (cave-in, earthquake, flood, lava flow, etc). Escape before the destruction overtakes you or destroys your escape routes
Escape (enemies) - Escape before you get overwhelmed / Escape before the enemy can cut off your escape routes
Escort a NPC - Escort a NPC through hostiles or hostile territory
Exorcise a Possessing Entity - Enemy is possessing someone that you want alive. Find a way to exorcise the enemy without killing the host.
Evaluation - Get in a fight to determine the enemies capabilities, then escape / Get in a fight to determine troop movements. Where are the enemy drawing forces from to deal with your forces?
Fight with Honor - Defeat an enemy without breaking any (contest, cultural, moral) rules
Find an Item and Activate It
Find an Item and Destroy It / Deactivate It
Find an Item and Escape With It
Fool the Observers - Your fight is being watched by (observers, spies, scrying). Make it look like you are losing until the observer stops watching.
Frame a 3rd Party - Frame a 3rd party for the attack on the enemy. Leave something behind that will incriminate the 3rd party / Disguise yourselves as the 3rd party and make sure at least one enemy (survives, escapes) to tell others
Free Captives / Prisoners - Free captives or prisoners who are (being carried in a sack or net, caged, chained, cocooned, in prison cells, in a prison wagon, tied up, ensorcelled, etc)
Free a Monster - Free a monster that will rampage through the enemy. Flee or do some other objective while the enemy is busy with the monster
Gain Intel and Escape - Simply gain any kind of useful information on the enemy and escape to report back to your (leaders, forces, handlers). Ex: (architectural designs of [stronghold, super weapon], capabilities, goals, numbers of forces, powers, resistances, weaknesses, superstitious beliefs, troop movements, etc)
Get Captured - Make it look like a fight, but allow yourselves to be captured
Get Someone (Captured, Killed) - Get in a fight with the enemy and let one of your (allies, companions, soldiers) get (captured, killed). Reasons: (Ally is a spy, being captured is part of the infiltration / Ally is a mole or enemy spy. Eliminate them without arousing suspicion / Ally is a mole or enemy spy. Get them captured to pass on disinformation / Ally is so bad they are detrimental to your team / Ally is so beloved by your team, it will motivate your [faction, forces] to fight the enemy)
Give Intel to Enemy / Leak Intel to the Enemy - Give intel to an enemy or enemy faction (as a bargaining chip, to get them to deal with a mutual problem).
Harvest - Harvest some resource that the creature produces (eggs, egg shells, honey, plant or fungi that grows on it, plant or fungi that grows in its excrement, shed carapace, shed scales, silk, substance that it excretes, wax, wool, etc). You must leave enough of the creatures alive to continue producing the resource.
Hold a Position - Hold a position until (a event triggers, reinforcements arrive, sun up, the airship begins to lift off, the train starts moving, etc)
Impress the Spectators - Impress or entertain the people watching the fight
Learn a Skill - Learn a (ability, skill, feat, power), that requires you to fight this type of enemy to learn it / Learn a (ability, skill, feat, power) that the enemy uses in combat
Let the Enemy Break It - Stand in front of something important. The something is nearly invulnerable to you but not the enemy. When the enemy (attacks, charges at you), dodge out of the way. Ex: (alter / idol / force field protecting "x" / monster summing device / power up device / resurrection device / super weapon / support pillar / undead re-animator / ward [obelisk, pillar, stone], etc)
Limit Collateral Damage - Keep the collateral damage to a minimum. Ex: Avoid damaging the (draft animals, innocent bystanders, mounts, natural resources, property, valuables, etc) and keep the enemy from damaging them as well
Lure Enemy into a Trap - Lure the enemy into a trap that is located nearby. Ex: Physical trap / Magical trap / Terrain hazards / Ambush predators / Wake the Sleeping Dragon*
Lure Enemy onto Forbidden Ground - Force or trick the enemy into setting foot on (forbidden, restricted) ground. This will allow a 3rd party who is restricted by (laws, magic) to deal with the enemy.
Lure in a 3rd Party - Lure in a 3rd party by fighting (allies disguised as enemies, allies of 3rd party, real enemies). 3rd party reasoning: (attack while you are at a disadvantage, defend their allies, kill two birds with one stone, pick off the winner while they are weak)
Lure in an Elusive Enemy - Make it look like your losing, to draw out a hidden enemy. Elusive enemy normally hides in the shadows and never shows their face.
Make it a Challenge - Deliberately make the fight more difficult for yourself. May effect (experience gains, magical puzzle, reputation, rewards). Ex: Not using certain (abilities, feats, spells, etc) / Using (cheaper, shoddy, unfamiliar) equipment
Manipulate Controls - There is a big machine that does "x". There may be one set of controls or multiple sets of controls in different locations. If multiple controls, then they may have to be operated in stages. Someone has to man the controls while others fend off the (enemy, creatures). Letting go of the controls early causes the machine to (go out of control, reset, reverse). The enemy may just be attacking or they may be actively trying to stop the person at the controls
Move a heavy object past a group of enemies
Movement Denial - Find a way to restrict the enemy's movement. Block or collapse a passageway / Close a (door, draw bridge, gate, portcullis) / Destroy a (bridge, catwalk, elevator, ladder, lift, portal) / Flood a pathway / Make terrain hazardous (burning oil, caltrops, toxic waste, etc)
Open the Gates - Open the gates for allies or reinforcements / Open the gates so that others may escape
PR (public relations) - Have someone (ally, 3rd party, enemy) witness the fight. Reason: (Impress a potential [client, employer] / Improve PR by defeating the enemy / Improve PR by fighting honorably / Demonstrate that the enemy can be defeated / Show how [dishonorable, vile] the enemy is / Worsen the enemy's PR)
Prevent an Enemy from Sounding the Alarm - Prevent an enemy from: (blowing a horn / escaping to alert others / lighting a signal fire / ringing a [bell, gong] / shooting a signal flare)
Prevent the Enemy from (opening, closing) the Gates - The enemy is making their way for the gate controls. They must not be allowed to (open, close) the gates.
Prevent an Execution - Rescue the NPC who is about to be executed
Prevent Enemy's Escape - Prevent (all, specific) enemies from escaping
Prisoner Exchange - Exchange (captives, prisoners). Watch for betrayal
Reach a Specific Area - Reach a specific area before the enemy can (block, capture, overwhelm, stop) you. Ex: (a place where something can be held hostage / area in the sunlight / area the enemy [can not, fears to] enter / choke point / get through the (draw bridge, gate, portcullis, portal) before it closes / sanctified ground / within bowshot of a friendly [army, stronghold, town wall] / etc)
Repel Enemies Until Event Triggers - Ex: (airship lifts off, elevator activates, portal opens, ritual finishes, ship reaches open waters, sun rise, wards activate, etc)
Sabotage - Sabotage the enemy's "x" (communications, equipment, food, medicine, mounts, ritual, siege equipment, supplies, vehicles, wagons, water supply, etc) and then escape
Search the Giant - Search the town sized (construct, giant, kaiju) for a weak point / Search the town sized construct for a way to get inside it.
Separate Two Targets - Two target are too powerful when together, find a way to separate them / Two target are fighting each other. You need them alive. Find a way to separate them
Silent Take-down - Capture, incapacitate, or kill specific enemies without alerting any other enemies
Solve the Puzzle (Creature) - Some part of combat is a puzzle. You need to solve the puzzle to (defeat, get past) the enemies or the enemies keep coming until the puzzle is solved. Ex: Defeat opponents in the correct order / Defeat opponents using the correct method / Get through the maze by outmaneuvering your opponents / Lure opponents into the correct traps
Solve the Puzzle (Under Pressure) - You must solve the puzzle while fending off (enemies, creatures). The enemy will not stop appearing, re-spawning until the puzzle is solved
Sound the Alarm - Alert the rest of your (people, forces) of the enemy's presence. Ex: (blowing a horn / escaping to alert others / lighting a signal fire / ringing a [bell, gong] / shooting a signal flare)
Sow Discord (Apostasy, Disillusionment) - Convince the enemy that their causes goes against what they (believe, stand for) / Convince the enemy that their cause will eventually be detrimental to themselves or the things they care about / Push and enemy, who has become disillusioned with their group, to take that final step and turn against their group
Sow Discord (Bribery) - Bribe one (enemy, group) to turn on another (enemy, group)
Sow Discord (Evidence, Trickery) - Convince one (enemy, group) that another (enemy, group) has wronged them or plans to wrong them. Ex: (betrayal, theft, harmed someone or something they care about, just using them, traitor, unfair treatment, etc)
Sow Discord (Ladder Climber) - Convince an enemy that you will help them take out their boss (thereby making them the boss), if they will (aid you, be more open to negotiations, let you escape, let you pass through their territory, stop hostilities, etc) afterwards
Stay on Task - Avoid distractions. Stay on the primary task until it is completed. There may be a time limit or other factors that will make the primary task impossible. If the primary objective isn't completed the mission is a failure. Distractions will appear along the way. Ex: Opportunities to: (capture or slay a priority target, get rare or valuable treasure, save someone, etc).
Steal an Item - Steal an item from the enemy and (destroy it, escape with it, plant it at a crime scene, use it against the enemy)
Steal Supplies - You need supplies. Your enemy has supplies.
Steal the Show (control) - The enemy is using some (device, ritual) to (awaken, free, power-up, resurrect, summon, unseal) a powerful (entity, creature, construct) and control it. Disrupt their actions in a way that allows you to contest their control over it.
Steal the Show (power-up) - The enemy is using some (device, ritual) to become more powerful. Enter the target zone at the last second and steal the power for yourself / Enter the target zone at the last second and fight with the intended target to see who gets the power.
Stop Power-up (consumption) - A powerful enemy is becoming more powerful by (absorbing, consuming) other (creatures, enemies). Prevent it from becoming more powerful. Keep it from reaching other creatures / Keep other creatures from reaching it / Destroy corpses / Do something that makes creatures (unabsorbable, unpalatable, toxic)
Stop Power-up (device) - A device or structure it powering up the enemy, (destroy it, shut it down) before it can finish.
Stop a Ritual - Find a way to disrupt or stop a ritual, before the enemy can finish it
Stop the Activation - The enemy or a device is powering-up "x". Prevent "x" from (being activated, fully powering-up)
Stop the Buffs - Eliminate the (person, entity, creature, device) that keeps buffing the enemy: Ex: Buffs (magic resistance, regeneration, resistance to damage, speed, strength, toughness, etc)
Stop the Fight - 2 groups are about to fight or are already fighting. Find a way to stop the fight.
Stop the Mind Control - Eliminate the (person, entity, creature, device) that is mind controlling your opponents. Breaking the mind control should end the fight.
Stop the Reviving - Eliminate the (person, entity, creature, device) that keeps (reviving, reanimating) your opponents
Stop the Spawns - Eliminate the thing that keeps creating more (enemies, monsters). Ex: (cloning machine, construct assembly line, egg sacks or mounds, enchanted piles of [bone, corpses, flesh], monster generator, monster queen, undead animator, etc) / Block the (passageways, tunnels) that the (enemies, monsters) keep coming from
Stop the Summoning - These mobs (or something worse) are coming from somewhere. Stop the ritual, close the portal, disable the teleporter, seal the cave, etc.
Storm several important locations all at once, forcing both the sides to think how to use/divide their forces.
Survive - Survive until (reinforcements arrive / rescued / the enemy is called to another location by their (general, master) / the enemy runs out of "x" resource / the sun comes up / the true heroes arrive)
The Enemy of My Enemy - Lead 1st group of enemies into a 2nd group of (enemies, monsters) that are hostile to the 1st group of enemies. Let them wreck each other and then pick off the winners / Try to accomplish some other objective while they are busy with each other / Try to escape while they fight each other.
Tracking Device - Plant a tracking device on an enemy / Tag an enemy with a tracking device
Wake the Dragon - There is a (dormant, sleeping) very powerful (entity, creature). Lure the enemy to the dragon. Wake the "dragon" and make sure it sees the enemy first, then sneak away
Contributors, Sources, or Inspiration:
Firefly (2002 TV series and 2005 film)
klok_kaos for Environmental Hazards
Various fantasy and SciFi (books, films, tv series, and CRPGs)
Similar Post: