D&D 5E Any good alternatives to "How do you want to do this"?

[Minigiant]

Sometime between Session 2-4, I ask all the players what the signature and finishing moves of their characters are.

Then when the finalhit is made, I asked "What's your finish?"

 

[Yora]

I never made much effort to narrate the waving of blades and sticks, and I've not really come across players trying to fluff that up either.

But I am also the kind of guy who fast forwards through big battle scenes I've already seen, or skips a couple of pages to see when there's the next dialog during a battle chapter.
The waving of swords just doesn't interest me when it doesn't tell a story.

 

[Don Durito]

So it's from Critical Role?

I didn't know that. I find it sort of annoys me as a player. I can see how it might appeal to many, but it almost feels anti-climactic. These days if I'm going to describe something I want the desription to matter in some way.

 

[Nod_Hero]

"describe how it happens"

 

[Don Durito]

• GM says "You killed them"
• GM Describes gory death
• Another player describes gory death
• A series of tables are rolled and gory death is procedurally generated.
• VTT implements some sort of cut screen finishing moves animation a la Mortal Kombat from the 90s.

 

[tommybahama]

I never made much effort to narrate the waving of blades and sticks, and I've not really come across players trying to fluff that up either.

It certainly speeds up combat when you skip it. But now I miss it when a DM skips it.

There is a middle ground though. Instead of saying "that's a hit" or that's a miss," try "your sword lashes into him" or "he deftly parries your blade."

 

[Magister Ludorum]

As a player I hate that trope. I do not want to come up with a unique death for every mook I drop.

I dislike being put outside my comfort zone. When GMing, I am very descriptive. I want a break from that when I'm playing.

My usual response is something along the lines of "They're not dead because they're not soap bubbles to pop with one hit. They're lying on the ground slowly bleeding out."

One of the things I hated most about 4e was that minions popped like soap bubbles when Ace threw a gold piece at them.

I prefer NPCs and PCs to be playing the same game. In my games they do, character class, class abilities, death saves and all.