D&D 5E DMs, how do you fudge?

[Blue]

I never fudge. The players succeed or fail on their own merits and luck.

Just curious, one of the rare reasons that will cause me to fudge is because I misjudged the interaction of particular foes with the PCs at my table and it's a lot deadlier than expected. That does not fall under either player merits nor luck. How do you feel about correcting that when you get information that would have been most useful when you planned the encounter?

 

[Maxperson]

Just curious, one of the rare reasons that I will cause me to fudge is because I misjudged the interaction of particular foes with the PCs at my table and it's a lot deadlier than expected. That does not fall under either player merits nor luck. How do you feel about correcting that when you get information that would have been most useful when you planned the encounter?

That and absurdly bad luck. Merit has nothing to do with that, either.

 

[Hex08]

Now that I play most of my RPGs online with Fantasy Grounds I never fudge, because Fantasy Grounds automates so much of the combat it's impossible. Around the table? Occasionally, both for and against the players depending on how capricious I was feeling (I kid). I would sometimes (not often) fudge around a table but usually because the dice or my bad adventure design were ruining the day for all involved.

 

[Helldritch]

Just curious, one of the rare reasons that I will cause me to fudge is because I misjudged the interaction of particular foes with the PCs at my table and it's a lot deadlier than expected. That does not fall under either player merits nor luck. How do you feel about correcting that when you get information that would have been most useful when you planned the encounter?

Easy. I do not adjust.

The closest thing I do that is close to fudging is to play some of the foes less than what would be considered optimal. And I do that only if it is a streak of incredible bad luck.

What players often do at my table is.... to flee away from the fight if the fight goes against them. That is why they have things such as caltrops, ball bearings and spells that remove them from sight and/or slow the enemies. Fleeing is often the better part of valor in my games. Enemies will try to flee, so will the players.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

You can like it or dislike it, but since fudging is is okay according to the 5e DMG, it's not cheating. Not that the DM is even capable of cheating, since the rules serve him and not the other way around. He can abuse his authority, but cannot cheat.

Cheating is dishonesty or deception with regard to the rules. It doesn't matter if the books tell you you can or should do it. Being told "you can totally lie about this on your taxes" does not make it not lying.

 

[Hex08]

Cheating is dishonesty or deception with regard to the rules. It doesn't matter if the books tell you you can or should do it. Being told "you can totally lie about this on your taxes" does not make it not lying.

I doubt we are going to see eye-to-eye here, but fudging isn't necessarily cheating. As stated previously, some rulebooks even tell you that you can fudge so if the rules say then it's valid it's not cheating by definition. Most RPGs aren't competitive so occasionally fudging a die roll (or whatever else may be fudged) in service of the story (or not ruining a good time) isn't a bad thing. It only becomes a problem if it is done too often (how often is too often is up to each gaming group).

 

[bloodtide]

Not the person you were asking, but I have an answer for me about this.

That comment "99% of the time what I plan happens" is where I see a difference.

I guess your saying having the player characters loose a fight is a bad thing? I see it as more of something that will happen from time to time.

As a DM you create the whole game reality...and you can make that reality whatever you want. And when you know your players, you know what they will do. Put a pot of gold(or whatever works) in a spot, and you can be 99% sure your super greedy players will fall over themselves trying to get it. Even if they think, or know it's a trap...greed is THAT powerful. The same way if I describe a pillar of white smoke full of ghosts my scaredy cat players will push each other over having their characters run away.

And it is easy to "stack" combat encounters. Give the foes even just slight upgrades, even just tiny pluses, can push the result. This is even in the rules "feel free to tweak monsters". Take a kobold and add Paralyzing Glare, and you have a new foe. Or add the dimensional shambler to grapple and shift characters to a spot.

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[J.Quondam]

Cheating is dishonesty or deception with regard to the rules. It doesn't matter if the books tell you you can or should do it. Being told "you can totally lie about this on your taxes" does not make it not lying.

Not really. Or more accurately, whether it's "lying" isn't relevant.
The aim is an enjoyable game for all the players. For some tables, "fudging" is the way to do that. For others, it is not.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

Not really. Or more accurately, whether it's "lying" isn't relevant.
The aim is an enjoyable game for all the players. For some tables, "fudging" is the way to do that. For others, it is not.

Then why the efforts to keep it secret--not just "not telling the players while you do it," but going out of one's way to actively prevent anyone ever finding out?

If it's so good for the game, why do so many players get so upset when they find out it happens?

 

[Benjamin Olson]

I don't fudge dice, but I'll alter the hp and abilities of monsters of my own design on the fly within the range of what I think I would have considered had I thought them through better ahead of time, sometimes in favor of the party sometimes against. And if a combat is dragging I'm happy to let a memorable hit that should actually bring the last enemy down to one or two hit points finish them off instead.

One time I made a caravan leader who was just a guy with possibly some sort of adventurer past suddenly become a 5th level Bard when a couple of level one characters who started in his caravan immediately went full-on kleptomaniac, murder hobo. A Sleep, a Suggestion, and a Hypnotic Pattern later they were much better behaved. It was a one shot and the players were 10 year olds who needed the most staightforward lesson in it being a game where sure you can try anything, but you do so in a world of consequences.