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The Healing Paradox
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<blockquote data-quote="tomBitonti" data-source="post: 5951562" data-attributes="member: 13107"><p><strong>How many encounters, how many are straight up fights?</strong></p><p></p><p>I think this eventually turns into a question of encounter management. There are two sides to this (at least):</p><p></p><p>1) How frequently does the DM throw fights at the players?</p><p></p><p>2) How hard do the players work to keep potential encounters from turning into straight up fights?</p><p></p><p>The question (2) seems to conflict with the current frequent mode of play, which is to "open door" and "roll initiative".</p><p></p><p>There is a whole different style which would be run more like:</p><p></p><p>GM: A network of corridors evidently extends from the central chamber that you found. A cursory glance seems to show no recent activity.</p><p></p><p>Players: Right. Lets setup a defensive spot, right here, with a palisade to each of the tunnels. Lets get a light down each of those tunnels, and send the spotters ahead to scout them out, but don't go out of sight! Get the ranger to do a careful scan for activity, and get the mage to see if there are any magical emanations.</p><p></p><p>GM: The left-most passage is clear for quite a while, then bends out of sight.</p><p></p><p>Players: Let's leave that alone for now.</p><p></p><p>GM: The middle passage looks like it has a cross branch that might join up with the right passage. There seems to be a very faint disturbance in the dust. Maybe there is an occasional wind that stirs it up.</p><p></p><p>GM: There is a definite aura about fifty feet down the right package. Unless you go down there and study it, you won't be able to tell what it is in more detail. There seem to be doorways just beyond the connecting passage in both the middle and right passages.</p><p></p><p>Players: We take the right passage. The scout moves carefully ahead, scanning for traps, and takes position at the T. The fighter puts up his shield and makes a defensive position while the mage studies the magical emanation.</p><p></p><p>All done very carefully, with a sense of a single slip-up possibly leading to a player death. Hit point loss, other than a trivial few, would represent a player already one mistake away from their death.</p><p></p><p>TomB</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="tomBitonti, post: 5951562, member: 13107"] [b]How many encounters, how many are straight up fights?[/b] I think this eventually turns into a question of encounter management. There are two sides to this (at least): 1) How frequently does the DM throw fights at the players? 2) How hard do the players work to keep potential encounters from turning into straight up fights? The question (2) seems to conflict with the current frequent mode of play, which is to "open door" and "roll initiative". There is a whole different style which would be run more like: GM: A network of corridors evidently extends from the central chamber that you found. A cursory glance seems to show no recent activity. Players: Right. Lets setup a defensive spot, right here, with a palisade to each of the tunnels. Lets get a light down each of those tunnels, and send the spotters ahead to scout them out, but don't go out of sight! Get the ranger to do a careful scan for activity, and get the mage to see if there are any magical emanations. GM: The left-most passage is clear for quite a while, then bends out of sight. Players: Let's leave that alone for now. GM: The middle passage looks like it has a cross branch that might join up with the right passage. There seems to be a very faint disturbance in the dust. Maybe there is an occasional wind that stirs it up. GM: There is a definite aura about fifty feet down the right package. Unless you go down there and study it, you won't be able to tell what it is in more detail. There seem to be doorways just beyond the connecting passage in both the middle and right passages. Players: We take the right passage. The scout moves carefully ahead, scanning for traps, and takes position at the T. The fighter puts up his shield and makes a defensive position while the mage studies the magical emanation. All done very carefully, with a sense of a single slip-up possibly leading to a player death. Hit point loss, other than a trivial few, would represent a player already one mistake away from their death. TomB [/QUOTE]
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