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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Janx" data-source="post: 4573664" data-attributes="member: 8835">Here are what I believe the OP's stated facts are:he rolls init, attacks and damage in the openhe rolls stealthy secret rolls privately (stuff PC's don't know the results of)he changes an action from an attack, if it would kill a PC (ex. not attacking a below 0 PC)So here's the thing. In most games I ever play as a PC, I never attack downed monsters.  I assume they will stay down (unless my parties loses, which then they'll get healed).  Which is the same policy my party follows when we beat the monsters.I suppose we might cut their throats after the fight, just to be sure.  But I don't recall actively doing that.  And as GM, I'd advise NOT doing that to PCs, because you more surely eliminate  a PC (which could actually have survived the fight, taken prisoner, be brought back later as an angry NPC or something).  Basically the comic book trick of don't make a death too evident, or it'll be lamer to bring them back later as a surprise.Now if you've got a party of 5, and 1 PC is down to a few hit points, you have a choice.  It makes sense to throw another attack, and weaken the party's force.  However, you risk killing a PC, and if you're too successful, you get a TPK eventually.Personally, I say take a PC down to negative.  It will scare the party.  Nobody's dead yet, but they just lost 1/5 of their attacks for the round, and 1 other PC will have to rush to aid them (getting you 2/5 fighting force neutralized).After that, be wary of really trying to kill PCs.  You've set up a situation where a PC could die, IF the party fails to coordinate/rally, roll well.  This creates tension, and the FEAR of death.  It also makes it where the GM didn't kill the PC, so much as the party failed to keep the PC alive.Killing a PC is easy.  Pick the lowest AC guy, and have almost all the bad guys attack that 1 PC (with the others to act as flank buffers). Keep attacking until the PC is -10.Fear of death is useful.  Actually killing PCs, not so much.  It kills plotlines, backstories for a player.  It forces them to start over (if they can't get raised, which seldom happens in my game).I'd also recommend using fewer combat encounters, but make them tougher and more significant.  Consider almost any fiction.  The protagonist doesn't slog through a dungeon and fight 20 encounters before the BBEG.  There's maybe 3 fights.  So for pacing, you can skip all that dungeon crawling crap.  Secondly, by having fewer combat encounters, you'll make the ones that happen matter.  Your PC can't die meaninglessly on the way to the muddy marsh to face the BBEG if you skip having 20 meaningless encounters with goblins on the way.</blockquote>

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