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Message: <blockquote data-quote="swrushing" data-source="post: 1252780" data-attributes="member: 14140">I like Piratecat's suggestion and see it as a good thing for an experienced (even only a moderately experienced one) GM to introduce on occasion.As a cautionary note, the downsides of it, were it to occur too often, would be the party coming to expect it. If they get the notion that they can make poor decisions and not have to work thru their own troubles and they **expect**the Gm will introduce some magical problem solver so they don't have to... that could be something that has a negative impact.The specific problem indicated is one where the PCs can choose to alter their tactics to make use of their strengths. They can send part of the gang ahead and leave others back, when stealth is an issue. They can plan around the strengths and weaknesses. My gang had several stealthy and several tanks and they worked around it. Sure, sometimes this meant the stealth boys got caught and support was a few rounds away.The Gm should be designing encounters that highlight the strengths (and to some extent) the weaknesses of the party. So there should be ample opportunity to see stealth as part of the solution as well as opportunities to see being tough and armor clad as part of the solution.Let me diverge for a moment to my recent game, which just shut down. The party had seven PCs and no cleric. They had one multiclassed druid who could throw some healing spells. I could have chosen piratecat's option and had one of them gain some bonus healing abilities. Instead, i left them to their own devices, so to speak. They deliberately sought out the church of pelor in town, started making friends and offering services. They basically wanted to get in good with any healers, especially organized healers, and to use that alliance to gain healing, both items and people, to help offset their weakness. I thought it was a great idea of theirs, trying to diplomatically cover some of their tactical problems. It served for great roleplaying as well as a campaign notion that spawned a great number of adventures and personal attachments. One of the PCs ended up marrying a pelorian priestess before it was all said and done.Had i given one of them a "bell ringer" healing solution, much of this may not have occured.So, for example, if the party is wanting to solve their problem and not necessarily involve splitting up so much, they might befriend various orders and such to get and keep people who could make potions of silence, hiding, sneaking for them on good and friendly and hopefully indebted side. You might be needing to spur them a little by having an encounter where they find such potions or maybe are offered their choice among potions which include these, to give them the notion. Eventually, this alliance could turn into something formidable enough that armor of silence would be a possibility, if only after a really big favor or service. Working this route, instead of the "you are contacted by the bell ringer guy" leaves it still in the hands of the party and shows off the benefits of long term relationships and alliances directly in play. There is a definite sense of accomplishment for the players and not any hint of a sense of "expect the Gm to hand us a solution."At least, thats how it played out with the healing bit in my game.</blockquote>

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