Battle vs. Frenzied Berserker

[IanB]

I'm shuddenly picshuring a bunk Dralor... I mean, a drunk Balor...

Blashphemy! [hic!]

-Hyp.

I guess it would be more likely to be a word of chaosh if he's been drinking. Or maybe just I love you, man. No really.

 

[Krafen]

If you want a lower key version of a Frenzied Berzerker, try your 10th level Barbarian with fortunate fate (SC) cast on her before the battle.

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

Taking 10: When your character is not being threatened or distracted, you may choose to take 10.

I would tend to think that being in a murderous altered state of consciousness in the middle of a patch of Maianthemum that is trying to tie me to the ground would count as "distracted".

 

[Palskane]

If you want a lower key version of a Frenzied Berzerker, try your 10th level Barbarian with fortunate fate (SC) cast on her before the battle.

Now THAT is an idea... Hmmm...

And IanB is correct. Combat has just been engaged, basically. The druid went first and is in the middle of casting a summoning. Nobody else has yet went.

 

[bestone]

That's not necessarily the case, nor is it necessarily part and parcel of the game, though it conventionally has been. I'd amend what you wrote to say that PCs are sometimes defeated in battle and, IMO, should suffer consequences of their losses. Dying can be part of that, but isnt necessarily so (not in my game, for example).

Im partial to the idea that, the dm doesnt kill the player, the players kill themselves

I dont think you should ever force the pc's into a hoepeless situation where they have nothing they can do but die

Nor do i think you should have a foe that can cut them to ribbons easilly in one hit

but if they come up against a superior opponent (which is likely to happen, infact probably likely to happen several times) which they quickly tell they can not beat, yet they dont choose to run... well. then if they die its not your fault

I just played a game a few weeks ago, with a bunch of players, who ran into a slow moving ooze down some caves... the players attacked it and quickly realized they couldnt beat it, it wore them down and down, and eventually they decided ah "f$&* it" we cant beat it anyways, and they lost hope, and interest, and let themselves die

they seem to have more than enough ways to speed themselves up, or slow him down
sometimes its not always about beating an opponent, you dont have to beat anything you face

sometimes its just about getting by them

Risk and danger is inherent in the game, and it makes it less (imho) fun to know there is no risk, or that you'll always come back to life

 

[Sejs]

Now THAT is an idea... Hmmm...

And IanB is correct. Combat has just been engaged, basically. The druid went first and is in the middle of casting a summoning. Nobody else has yet went.

If the druid gets to finish that spell, the FB deserves exactly what he gets.

 

[green slime]

They should have simply forgotten the deathless frenzy ability. Instead, the FB should have gotten some nice amount of temporary hitpoints, e.g. twice his level or 5 times his class level or something.

Yes. It is such a moronic, stupid ability, that one wonders who in their right mind designed the thing. How on earth are players to know that this particular barbarian is actually a FB, before dealing 200+ damage and find themselves still being assaulted by her bloody mass? At least give the players some more hints on running, and the deathless ability before introducing them to this.

I don't suppose any of the players have the calm emotions spell prepared?

 

[green slime]

but if they come up against a superior opponent (which is likely to happen, infact probably likely to happen several times) which they quickly tell they can not beat, yet they dont choose to run... well. then if they die its not your fault

You can't tell that you cannot beat the FB, as

1) you are dealing copious amounts of damage to her
2) its just that she has, basically, endless hit points, which is something that no other entity in the books have.
3) by the time you realise she is too powerful, at least two PCs will probably be dead. sucks to be them, I guess.

 

[shilsen]

Risk and danger is inherent in the game, and it makes it less (imho) fun to know there is no risk, or that you'll always come back to life

I would have agreed with you a couple years ago, until I worked out that you can remove death from the game and still have a significant amount of risk. In fact, in many ways permanent death in the game reduces a significant amount of risk, since living with the repercussions of failure is one of the biggest risks possible, and permanent death removes that.

Always remember - a good torturer never, ever lets the victim die

 

[Darklone]

Hmm. I usually try to keep my players alive with the choice of encounters, traps and other stuff. Yet, PC deaths occur. Raise dead and other things happened as well and I didn't mind... as long as it's not becoming normal.

Edit: For example, in my last campaign one PC died twice and was raised twice... both times with major changes (halfelf => halfelf/fire-genasi => no further race change but looks changed and half of his class levels have been converted into pyromancer levels )

All other PCs who died stayed dead. Mostly because the group wasn't able to pay or cast or get a raise dead cast.