I have a few problems with the humanoid monsters often suggested for first-level Dungeons & Dragons adventures. Quite frankly, a lot of them are just too scary for first-level adventurers to face.

Over the years, I’ve developed a few points about what sorts of monsters I want first-level characters to face. They possess these traits:

• The monster is easy to hit,
• The monster has trouble successfully striking heroes, and
• The monster does not deal enough damage to knock out a hero (barring critical hits).

Why these traits? Because they allow the players to feel competent (they get to hit the foe), they give a better chance of the adventurers winning, and when things get bad, the players have enough time to recognise that and flee.

When you look at the standard low-level humanoid monsters in D&D, you get the following:

• Kobolds, who have Pack Tactics and hit too often
• Goblins, who work well
• Hobgoblins, who have too high an AC and deal too much damage
• Orcs, who deal entirely too much damage

Send a party against a couple of orcs, and it is likely an orc fells a character with a single blow. 4-15 damage a swing when a character might have at most 12 hit points? That’s a lot of damage – and then critical hits can make things even more deadly.

If a four-member party loses two characters (either knocked out or killed) in the first round of combat – especially if they lost initiative – how fun is that combat for everyone? They probably must run and abandon their friends.

Conversely, if two characters have lost hit points after one round of combat and the opponents are still numerous or not severely wounded, that’s an indicator that things may go poorly for the rest of the fight. The players now have the choice to retreat rather than push their luck. (And if they try, they can win and feel fabulous, or lose and at least know that it’s a consequence of the decision they made).

This isn’t to say that these dangerous monsters are completely off the table for low-level adventures, but you should use caution when employing them. I generally suggest allowing combats to begin at range (perhaps 80 feet or more) so that the characters have a chance to soften them up with ranged attacks before the most dangerous part of combat – melee – is joined.

It also helps when beginning characters have ranged weapons. Far too often, they don’t. Martial characters should try to buy a sling – if you can’t afford a short bow – even if your Dexterity is poor. Even if you are only dealing small amounts of damage, it’s better than standing there useless as you wait for monsters to approach!

Another tactic that the DM can use in design and the players can then exploit is putting combat in terrain that allows the players to control how the monsters approach them. Choke points in doorways, so only a few monsters can attack at once. Walls, buildings, and objects to take cover behind, especially when the monsters are using missile weapons.

The first level in D&D is unusual because the chances of being killed from a single attack are much higher than what comes later. So, you need to be aware of it and design accordingly.

The trouble with monsters that hit often, who inflict a great deal of damage, or who are hard to hit themselves is that they reduce the effect of tactics – combat becomes more a matter of who rolls well. I don’t feel battles where the main question is, “Can I roll a natural 20 first?” are great.

However, once players are more experienced, you can start to bend these guidelines. Players understand the tactics better and likely can extricate themselves when things go poorly.

When you look at the matters of adventure structure, it is unlikely a first-level party can go through more than two combats before needing to rest, either short or long. Designing a scenario where they don’t get the opportunity to recharge can go poorly. There is a significant element of push-your-luck in D&D dungeon designs. If you remove that option from the players and say, “You must fight these four battles without resting”, then the chance of reaching a failure state through just poor dice rolls rather than any poor decisions from the players is high. Allow an opportunity for the heroes to retreat and come back later – although it is also fair to have a few reinforcements arrive in the meantime.

It is also worth noting that players do learn as they play, so in an adventure with four combats, the fourth combat can be more challenging than the first. The players better grasp how their characters work together and can be more effective, presuming that they still have resources!

The first combat is the most dangerous time for a new campaign because the party doesn’t know how to work together. So, be gentle with them, give them the chance to learn, and then watch them take out foes you’d initially imagine they had no chance of defeating!