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DM advice: How do you NOT kill your party?
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<blockquote data-quote="Blue" data-source="post: 7397382" data-attributes="member: 20564"><p>I <em>routinely</em> throw very difficult encounters at my party, as well as traps and situation that I don't know how they will get out of. My between session planning is usually deadly*.</p><p></p><p>(* Or cakewalk - there are times they need to curbstomp foes to remind them of how badarse they are now, and with super easy foes (goblin patrols for level 8s) I just let them montage and each gets to tell quickly one cool thing they did in slaying/capturing them all.)</p><p></p><p>BUT, while I often throw at them twice or more what a fair fight would be, at the table I'm their biggest cheerleader. My group regularly comes up with plans on how to turn the tides, using the interesting hazards or clever uses of spells/items, and at that point I say YES a lot. Now, it's off "YES, BUT...", with some cost to their action, but I remember I run a heroic and not gritty game and let them get away with things the protagonist would get away with in a good book - not straining disbelief, but cunning, foresight and audaciousness can be rewarded, even if they come at a price.</p><p></p><p>Had a battle on a skyship and the rogue failed a Dex check and slipped off the sdie and then natural 1'd to climb back up. Would have fell a few miles to his death but another character was at a ballista loaded with a harpoon w/ chain, and shot him through. Character was out of it for the combat, but didn't die.</p><p></p><p>Oh, and I roll all my dice in front of the players - they know a streak of luck can spell doom and that I'm not fudging anything to save them. Gives them great incentive to plan and think.</p><p></p><p>For all that, I haven't had a single combat death this campaign, which is 4+ years. Had it be most everyone down, had characters one shoted from perfect health <em>without a crit</em>, and still they pull it off if they know you're cheering for them, no matter what slaytastic craziness you've designed between sessions.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Blue, post: 7397382, member: 20564"] I [I]routinely[/I] throw very difficult encounters at my party, as well as traps and situation that I don't know how they will get out of. My between session planning is usually deadly*. (* Or cakewalk - there are times they need to curbstomp foes to remind them of how badarse they are now, and with super easy foes (goblin patrols for level 8s) I just let them montage and each gets to tell quickly one cool thing they did in slaying/capturing them all.) BUT, while I often throw at them twice or more what a fair fight would be, at the table I'm their biggest cheerleader. My group regularly comes up with plans on how to turn the tides, using the interesting hazards or clever uses of spells/items, and at that point I say YES a lot. Now, it's off "YES, BUT...", with some cost to their action, but I remember I run a heroic and not gritty game and let them get away with things the protagonist would get away with in a good book - not straining disbelief, but cunning, foresight and audaciousness can be rewarded, even if they come at a price. Had a battle on a skyship and the rogue failed a Dex check and slipped off the sdie and then natural 1'd to climb back up. Would have fell a few miles to his death but another character was at a ballista loaded with a harpoon w/ chain, and shot him through. Character was out of it for the combat, but didn't die. Oh, and I roll all my dice in front of the players - they know a streak of luck can spell doom and that I'm not fudging anything to save them. Gives them great incentive to plan and think. For all that, I haven't had a single combat death this campaign, which is 4+ years. Had it be most everyone down, had characters one shoted from perfect health [I]without a crit[/I], and still they pull it off if they know you're cheering for them, no matter what slaytastic craziness you've designed between sessions. [/QUOTE]
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DM advice: How do you NOT kill your party?
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