Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Schmoe" data-source="post: 7397859" data-attributes="member: 913">There are some great suggestions earlier in the thread, but I'll add my own experiences.  I do a number of things that tend to reduce the lethality of the game while still keeping things dramatic.Non-lethal combat.  First, I try to introduce early on that combat isn't always about killing, it's about winning.  Humanoids will surrender or flee, creatures will run away when wounded, etc.  A lot of battles will end with the party victorious and the other side still alive.  I find this encourages them to consider those options when they are losing.Telegraph danger.  I try to give suitable warning when there is overwhelming danger in the area and then make sure there are non-combat ways for the party to deal with it.  But if I do so, I'm also not afraid to use the encounter.  If the party wants to test their mettle they certainly can, but in that case their deaths are on them.  They also can opt to try to flee/avoid/escape/hide, and those are usually the wiser choices.  I've never run a campaign where the party didn't flee in a panic at least a few times.  This isn't strictly about boss fights, but it leads into the next point, which is...Don't always use boss fights.  Don't get me wrong, I have certainly designed and used a few of them, but a climactic encounter is just as likely to be climactic for its dramatic effect as it is for its kill factor.Foreshadowing.  As others have said, when the climax of an adventure is a deadly showdown with a powerful foe, I make sure the party is forewarned and has some opportunity to gather resources or otherwise prepare for the fight.  If the party ends up dying in one of these encounters, then I see it as a heroic death and a suitable end to the campaign.  What better way to go out than in mortal combat with the BBG?Use discretion.  Sometimes, if the chips are down for the party, I find that I don't always have to use the most ruthless tactic to keep the fight interesting.</blockquote>

Verification