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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Psion" data-source="post: 1535774" data-attributes="member: 172">First off, let me chime in that my general preferences are to one BBEG or one MBEG wiht a competent retinue of guards. As to why: they are easier to manage, and combat runs quicker when I am not making attacks and saves and tracking HP for a dozen bugbears or what have you.Lemme grab two thoughts here.That doesn't match my experience. I have yet to have a TPK in 3.xe.Do things vary a bit if the party has a good plan or good rolls? You betcha. But that's okay. I play D&D vice diceless/dramatist style games because I like variety and unpredictability.As to why, I am reminded of my last session. The party was fighting a CR 9 black dragon. I expected one of two deaths, but in no small part to my crappy rolls they persevered and were pretty much laying the smack down on the dragon.The dragon realized this and started to retreat. The only one who could really do anything had a sonic pistol with a crappy range increment. But she fired anyways... natural 20. With all damage rolled, the dragon was dropped to zero and had to use an action to land, whereupon it had -1 hp and was dying and the party finished it off.I just don't get those "fickle fate smiled upon us" stories out of more deterministic games.I should note that I use action points in this game. I think with action points, you are a lot safer "pulling out the stops", so to speak. The players will spend what they need to survive.I like a little threat. Keeps the game exciting.I do think, however, after the next probable encounter with a BBEG (a mind flayer against a 6th level party), it might convince the party to shore up their defenses a little. (The psychic warrior has announced his intention to take empathic feedback and hostile empathic transfer as his next two powers. I betcha he might think about a mental defense after next session.)</blockquote>

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