Genuinely using flow charts for dnd combat has made it so much easier for me. aabria iyengar I salute you.
because seriously. Not only does it help you to devise useful tactical scenarios ahead of time it also lets you think 'what would a character do in combat' both as a DM and a player (esp as someone who really prefers RP)
Because how a swashbuckler pirate fights is gonna be way different from say a swashbuckler who's a duellist and a bit of a braggart. Pirate for example might hide and chuck some knives or get in, stab, get out, but an arrogant duellist will want to remain in combat and stay on the offensive because they want glory.
Both are really interesting as PCs for RP reasons, but as bad guys they're also fun - different methods are required to fight them. This got away from me bc I went into a DM spiral of 'ooh fun swashbuckler bad guys'
but my point is thank you aabria