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How often do you provoke AOO/OAs as a DM?
- Thread starter MacMathan
- Start date
Tequila Sunrise
Adventurer
About once a combat, maybe more. I like provoking -- assuming I get something out of it -- partly because I DM 4e, which is heavy on the HP scale, so I'd rather trade damage freely than be a HP miser. I guess I also just like taking risks -- after all, this is an adventure rpg. If my monster (or my character) dies, there's more where that came from!
Dice4Hire
First Post
As a DM sometimes he monster will just benefit more form an OA or tow. Maybe someone else is near death, and hte monster can put a lot of pressure on the party by moving over, or the guy next to him has such high AC that it is a waste of time attacking him round after round. Many times a simple OA and a move can shake up the fight enough to make it more interesting.
Change OA for AoO if you wish.
Change OA for AoO if you wish.
Oryan77
Adventurer
I just provoked one about 20 minutes ago....and the NPC (merchant 
) got hit by it.
I try to play them smart if they have the intelligence to avoid it. Nobody wants to get hit if they can avoid it. But sometimes, like in the case of the merchant, an NPC might just be frustrated enough that he would react without trying to avoid an AoO. Plus this merchant is a madman in Pandemonium, so it makes even more sense.
) got hit by it.I try to play them smart if they have the intelligence to avoid it. Nobody wants to get hit if they can avoid it. But sometimes, like in the case of the merchant, an NPC might just be frustrated enough that he would react without trying to avoid an AoO. Plus this merchant is a madman in Pandemonium, so it makes even more sense.
Monsters never provoke OAs when it would be blatantly stupid to do so (such as when it might kill them, or when they realize that someone's OA could entirely negate their tactics).
On the other hand, when monsters are not bloodied, they will often provoke an OA if it would allow them to make an attack or action that is more "attractive" to them.
I play very heavily with the ideas that:
An unbloodied monster isn't really hurt yet.
The PCs are tougher than almost all opponents the monster has ever met.
That second one may require some explanation. Most monsters haven't met an opponent that is able to beat them. If they had, they would be dead. Thus, almost all monsters (even really smart ones) are going to assume that they are a match for the PCs. After all, they've always been right so far...
The monster that has met tougher opposition is probably enslaved by it or fighting to avoid it. Thus, these monsters have a choice of fighting the PCs (who might be able to beat them) or facing something which definitely can beat them.
I even explained this to some of my players, when they were surprised that they were able to gain entry to a duergar stronghold (I didn't have every single duergar hiding behind the parapets and shooting crossbows at the PCs until they died). I explained that the security the duergar had posted (orc guards and duergar guards) had always been sufficient to see off intruders, so why would the duergar think a handful of "heroes" could stop them?
This rationale makes provoking OAs the reasonable action of an overconfident (but reasonably overconfident) foe.
On the other hand, when monsters are not bloodied, they will often provoke an OA if it would allow them to make an attack or action that is more "attractive" to them.
I play very heavily with the ideas that:
An unbloodied monster isn't really hurt yet.
The PCs are tougher than almost all opponents the monster has ever met.
That second one may require some explanation. Most monsters haven't met an opponent that is able to beat them. If they had, they would be dead. Thus, almost all monsters (even really smart ones) are going to assume that they are a match for the PCs. After all, they've always been right so far...
The monster that has met tougher opposition is probably enslaved by it or fighting to avoid it. Thus, these monsters have a choice of fighting the PCs (who might be able to beat them) or facing something which definitely can beat them.
I even explained this to some of my players, when they were surprised that they were able to gain entry to a duergar stronghold (I didn't have every single duergar hiding behind the parapets and shooting crossbows at the PCs until they died). I explained that the security the duergar had posted (orc guards and duergar guards) had always been sufficient to see off intruders, so why would the duergar think a handful of "heroes" could stop them?
This rationale makes provoking OAs the reasonable action of an overconfident (but reasonably overconfident) foe.
MacMathan
Explorer
Sounds like you have cats
Aus_Snow
First Post
Close, and equally demonic. Girlfriend.
I try and gauge it by several factors. The tactical intelligence of the monsters, the benefit of doing so, and other roleplaying elements.
In other words, if I think the monster would provoke, it provokes. I try not to metagame that factor as a DM because I feel too much is riding on it. If you never provoke, then you can make entire class builds (in 4e) obsolete, but if you do it too often, you can make combats too easy and foster builds that take advantage of it.
In other words, if I think the monster would provoke, it provokes. I try not to metagame that factor as a DM because I feel too much is riding on it. If you never provoke, then you can make entire class builds (in 4e) obsolete, but if you do it too often, you can make combats too easy and foster builds that take advantage of it.
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