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<blockquote data-quote="LostSoul" data-source="post: 6162250" data-attributes="member: 386"><p>Some thoughts:</p><p></p><p>1. I think D&D combat works best if the consequences stick around and impact other choices. Some game elements (Wands of Cure Light Wounds/Lesser Restoration in 3E, Extended Rests in 4E) ruin this. Sometimes the consequences of each combat end with the combat.</p><p></p><p>2. I think most exploration tasks are part of a larger whole - they're already broken down. I look at the dungeon or adventure (or, perhaps more accurately, the reason for being down there) as the thing that needs to be resolved, and all the decisions made along the way (which door to take, search the room, pull the lever) add up to finally resolve it.</p><p></p><p>Living dungeons can ensure that victory is not guaranteed - dungeons where the inhabitants react to the PCs by taking away the goal (packing up with the loot, killing the prisoners, etc.).</p><p></p><p>That said, I think that some specific rooms should have multiple decision points. I think about these as Death-Trap Rooms. If the room has a trap that is going to kill you (or some other negative effect, like level drain, losing GP/magic items, or stat reduction), I think there should be a few more decisions made before you get to that point. Working these decision points into other rooms in the dungeon is a neat trick.</p><p></p><p>3. With interactions, I like to use dice rolls, but I use a little trick: if the PCs do or say something that makes me wonder how the NPC is going to react, then I ask for a roll to resolve that internal conflict. I like using skill challenges this way because they provide a nice structure - they tell you when it's finished, and (combined with reaction rolls) how many steps you need to take to get there. So there are lots of decisions to be made there.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="LostSoul, post: 6162250, member: 386"] Some thoughts: 1. I think D&D combat works best if the consequences stick around and impact other choices. Some game elements (Wands of Cure Light Wounds/Lesser Restoration in 3E, Extended Rests in 4E) ruin this. Sometimes the consequences of each combat end with the combat. 2. I think most exploration tasks are part of a larger whole - they're already broken down. I look at the dungeon or adventure (or, perhaps more accurately, the reason for being down there) as the thing that needs to be resolved, and all the decisions made along the way (which door to take, search the room, pull the lever) add up to finally resolve it. Living dungeons can ensure that victory is not guaranteed - dungeons where the inhabitants react to the PCs by taking away the goal (packing up with the loot, killing the prisoners, etc.). That said, I think that some specific rooms should have multiple decision points. I think about these as Death-Trap Rooms. If the room has a trap that is going to kill you (or some other negative effect, like level drain, losing GP/magic items, or stat reduction), I think there should be a few more decisions made before you get to that point. Working these decision points into other rooms in the dungeon is a neat trick. 3. With interactions, I like to use dice rolls, but I use a little trick: if the PCs do or say something that makes me wonder how the NPC is going to react, then I ask for a roll to resolve that internal conflict. I like using skill challenges this way because they provide a nice structure - they tell you when it's finished, and (combined with reaction rolls) how many steps you need to take to get there. So there are lots of decisions to be made there. [/QUOTE]
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