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General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
Attacking defenseless NPCs
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<blockquote data-quote="robus" data-source="post: 7626813" data-attributes="member: 6801558"><p>I'd adjudicate it just like any other action a PC might take. I think [MENTION=97077]iserith[/MENTION] and others have summed up my point of view well in that this is really just a case of action resolution. The player wants their character to take out the unsuspecting guard with a single arrow shot. As they have time to take the perfect shot and an arrow to the head seems likely to kill an orc outright I can see that the action is achievable but has a cost (if the ranger misses the camp will be alerted). In my OP I was setting the DC to simply be the AC of the orc (because again the ranger has all the time in the world) - but other factors might complicate the ability check (perhaps there's a strong crosswind, or it's raining, or its dark). In that case I might set a separate DC.</p><p></p><p>As for these other situations I would probably rule differently. If the creature is suitably tough skinned enough then absolutely not, a single shot to kill is impossible, no roll required. An unsuspecting humanoid Arch-Druid? They can certainly try... <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p>And, absolutely, I'm not interested in applying this against the PCs. They're the heroes of the story, they get to do the cool stuff. If their actions lead them into danger then sure they'll feel some pain, but I'm not interested in "gotcha'ing" them (which is what that would entail). But I'm totally fine with the player's "gotcha'ing" my NPCs - that's fun!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="robus, post: 7626813, member: 6801558"] I'd adjudicate it just like any other action a PC might take. I think [MENTION=97077]iserith[/MENTION] and others have summed up my point of view well in that this is really just a case of action resolution. The player wants their character to take out the unsuspecting guard with a single arrow shot. As they have time to take the perfect shot and an arrow to the head seems likely to kill an orc outright I can see that the action is achievable but has a cost (if the ranger misses the camp will be alerted). In my OP I was setting the DC to simply be the AC of the orc (because again the ranger has all the time in the world) - but other factors might complicate the ability check (perhaps there's a strong crosswind, or it's raining, or its dark). In that case I might set a separate DC. As for these other situations I would probably rule differently. If the creature is suitably tough skinned enough then absolutely not, a single shot to kill is impossible, no roll required. An unsuspecting humanoid Arch-Druid? They can certainly try... :) And, absolutely, I'm not interested in applying this against the PCs. They're the heroes of the story, they get to do the cool stuff. If their actions lead them into danger then sure they'll feel some pain, but I'm not interested in "gotcha'ing" them (which is what that would entail). But I'm totally fine with the player's "gotcha'ing" my NPCs - that's fun! [/QUOTE]
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