Kae'Yoss
First Post
Don't get me wrong. I'm both against DM's who are trying to kill the players by playing to much by the rule (or are ignorant of the party's needs and play a module just as it is written) and against punishing players to be smart.
But there's a difference between smart and smart-ass: there's a line between acting smart and trying to abuse the letter of the rules to get rather more advantages that you are due. Sometimes smart players approach that line, and maybe even cross it for a couple of inches, and the DM should tell them. But sometimes charakters start several leagues beyond that line, and won't listen to the DM because it's in the rules, and then you should teach them a more practical lesson by doing the same as them. I've seen that and I know what I'm talking about, believe me that! (and on the forums we also have sometimes people like that, like the one who wanted to play the gold halfdragon troll with the ring of acid resistance, so noone could kill him)
Of course, the DM shouldn't make it to obvious and absurd: Just letting some beasts attack only because they didn't set watches is stupid, but If they're bandits who watched them for some time and saw that they don't guard themselves properly is logical. He should remind them about setting up guards "normally", though.
In the case of the "travelling bag" (and I think that it can really piss off the DM if he needed the party to travel by foot to find something, being sure they can't use magic travel yet because of party size, and they are putting someeone into their back of holding!): If adventurers advance in level, they tend to achieve greater goals. If they operate in the same area most of the time, they are due to become heroes (or, in the case of evil parties, the bounty for them rises to five-digit-numbers). And the very definition of hero is that they step on some big time villain's toes for a living.
So it is only sensible that he sets an assassin (or a group of assassins) on their heels, which doesn't have to confront them on the city square, but much rather shadow them and learn about their habits, doings and plans. And if you happen to know that the party wizard tends to put his friends into a bag before he teleports, you know that a) he is to weak to teleport them properly and b) he will be alone when he arrives at his destination. So you only have to know where there are going (you could even assure that you know by telling them - posing as a noble or something, sending them somewhere and even providing them with descriptions for his teleportation.....
Usually, those lessons shouldn't be fatal, but they should put the players on edge and make them clear that they have to behave sensible (would YOU travel in a luggage to save the ticket?).
But there's a difference between smart and smart-ass: there's a line between acting smart and trying to abuse the letter of the rules to get rather more advantages that you are due. Sometimes smart players approach that line, and maybe even cross it for a couple of inches, and the DM should tell them. But sometimes charakters start several leagues beyond that line, and won't listen to the DM because it's in the rules, and then you should teach them a more practical lesson by doing the same as them. I've seen that and I know what I'm talking about, believe me that! (and on the forums we also have sometimes people like that, like the one who wanted to play the gold halfdragon troll with the ring of acid resistance, so noone could kill him)
Of course, the DM shouldn't make it to obvious and absurd: Just letting some beasts attack only because they didn't set watches is stupid, but If they're bandits who watched them for some time and saw that they don't guard themselves properly is logical. He should remind them about setting up guards "normally", though.
In the case of the "travelling bag" (and I think that it can really piss off the DM if he needed the party to travel by foot to find something, being sure they can't use magic travel yet because of party size, and they are putting someeone into their back of holding!): If adventurers advance in level, they tend to achieve greater goals. If they operate in the same area most of the time, they are due to become heroes (or, in the case of evil parties, the bounty for them rises to five-digit-numbers). And the very definition of hero is that they step on some big time villain's toes for a living.
So it is only sensible that he sets an assassin (or a group of assassins) on their heels, which doesn't have to confront them on the city square, but much rather shadow them and learn about their habits, doings and plans. And if you happen to know that the party wizard tends to put his friends into a bag before he teleports, you know that a) he is to weak to teleport them properly and b) he will be alone when he arrives at his destination. So you only have to know where there are going (you could even assure that you know by telling them - posing as a noble or something, sending them somewhere and even providing them with descriptions for his teleportation.....
Usually, those lessons shouldn't be fatal, but they should put the players on edge and make them clear that they have to behave sensible (would YOU travel in a luggage to save the ticket?).