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Slight disagreement here. There is probably no good reason to have the players fight the BBEG. However, having the players meet and speak with the BBEG is absolutely worth doing. The reason is simple. The players can be much more invested in killing the BBEG if they can put a face /...

I happen to like the idea of Diplomacy type skills, though my reasoning is different. The simple fact that they exist tends to cause both players and DM's to consider using that sort of approach rather than ignore / autofail it. But I will concede that there are situations in which the skill...

I have to techniques that I presently prefer. The first is to simply have the players hear about him often, typically by description, long before they see him. If they hear about the man in the blood red cloak with black cowl covering his face for a few games, they will respond with...

I read and responded directly to the initial post. I did not read the rest of the thread until later / now. Based on the extra info in the rest of the thread, it does sound like the Dm is being reasonably accommodating. My general opinion on threads of this sort is that if your posting to an...

This is why I hate Dm Fiat I think I would side with the Bard character on this one. You did not use outright DM Fiat regarding the Bard failing to influence the cleric, and you did only use modifiers. But it sounds like you had very nearly decided the result of the players effort in advance...

The only people who I think have ever been entirely satisfied with any edition of D&D would be Gary Gygax, and perhaps Dave Arneson. Everyone else ends up modifying or ignoring certain aspects of the rules of whatever particular edition they play. There are a few things that tend to draw me to...

Coup de Grace is probably a pretty good rule. However, it is a rule that is explicitly designed to explain something that can happen in real life in the context of an abstract combat system. I would suggest that in most cases, a DM is not going to have much trouble simply declaring a helpless...

I played without any mini or mat in 2nd edition. I have found that the trade off is not as significant as you thing. - Players will always optimize their combat actions. They will announce an intent to set up a flank. They will declare that the fireball is centered to maximum effect. I do...

I would haggle with the demon, and try my luck with my bluff checks. I would probably tell Orcus that I am convinced I could get a better deal from Demogorgon or Grazzt. I would also lean towards immortality via an item or artifact rather than undead or demon. If I had to choose only between...

I would go with the Lord Soth book if I was limited to those two choices. My favorite novels from my D&D fiction collection would be the following: Dragonlance: Dragonlance Chronicles and Legends trilogies Lord Toede by Jeff Grubb The Doom Brigade, by Margaret Weis and Don Perrin Draconian...

I really liked this strip. END COMMUNICATION

Contrary to popular belief, Grappling did exist in 2nd edition. It did go by a different name though. 2nd Edition PHB, page 98. Overbearing. - Normal attack roll - +4 or -4 to attacker for every level size difference - -2 to attacker for every leg beyond 2 that the defender has (4 legs == -4...

The concept is actually pretty interesting, but the implementation is lacking in some areas. Run in 3.0 / 3.5, you have combats of 1 or 2 Dire rats going against a full party, which are a waste of time. I would replace most of the Dire Rat encounters with only two encounters (one near the...

Running the undead as they ought to be run may be difficult if we do not have any of the turn undead rules handy. I also think that converting Calcyryx may be very difficult. While you could use the black dragon as a guideline, dragons do not come in Size Small or Medium any longer. If I...

el-remmens rules seemed to me to be more aimed at enforcing good table manners and expediting play rather than creating an immersive experience. I suppose however that the rules could accomplish both. At my games, we are not huge sticklers for role playing based on the stats of the characters...

If I were running a game, I would suspect that the ability to get someone enraged through insults is probably not too difficult. I do think that setting it up so that the other guy appears to be the aggressor would be an ideal use for Insult Diplomacy, as would getting them to act violently...

I have yet to see any sort of D&D expansion for any edition which adds rules that would interfere with DM Fiat. We may however, be using slightly different definitions. I do not think that new classes, races, feats or spells interfere with DM Fiat. To me, DM Fiat is a DM ignoring a rule...

The only thing that ever stops the DM from doing what the DM pleases is the players at the table. In theory, the DM could house rule everything until your essentially playing GURPS instead of D&D. However, some things are easier to modify in practice than others. If I want to have a size Huge...

I think there are two reasons for this. First, while players may outnumber DM's, most people will play what their DM chooses to run, especially if they like playing within their group. If the DM likes 4th Edition, and wants to run it, nothing short of an outright player revolt or someone else...

The biggest fight I have run in terms of the number of combatants was this one: PCs: 1 Cleric, 1 Fighter, 1 Ftr / Ranger, 1 Sorcerer. All level 8 (Ftr/Ranger was 2/6) Opponents: 10 Hobgoblin Regulars (2 HD) 10 Baaz Draconians 2 Hobgoblin Bladebearers (4th level Fighters using dual weilded...