D&D 5E DMs, how do you fudge?

[delericho]

I try really hard not to fudge things. On those occasions that I do (generally because I've screwed up encounter design), I'll generally omit some monster actions and/or have them use suboptimal tactics for a round. Very occasionally, I'll declare a lower damage total than it should be.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Well, the thread was nice for couple of pages before accusations about dishonesty and lies started...

I tend to not fudge. I'm pretty sure haven't done so once during the current campaign I'm running. But I don't consider it an inherently bad thing. Games are imperfect, and if you need to occasionally kick the engine to get the results you want, so be it. Though if you find yourself doing so often, it might be an indication that the system simply is not suited for your purposes.

And the reason why I'm not fudging is simply my own enjoyment as a GM. If the GM so desires, they can pretty much always force the things to go the way they want, and usually even do it so that the players don't notice. But as a GM, I find that boring. I want to be on the edge of my seat too, not knowing what's going to happen. So it's for my benefit, the players wouldn't know either way, and would be unlikely to care.

 

[Oofta]

I fudge for one reason and one reason only: to bring to an end combats that have outlived their purpose, and even then only if there's no other out.

If I want to end a fight because it's a foregone conclusion, I'll just narrate the end of the fight.

I played in a 4e combat against an enemy with ridiculously high defenses. We cleared out their backup and the battle basically ended anything interesting after about a half hour. It took us damn near another hour of constantly whiffing before we finally brought it down.


Never again. Not on my watch, anyway.

I think this is one of the advantages of bounded accuracy, it's rare to hit that in a 5E game. On the other hand, if it looks like a fight is turning into a slog something will change. I'll call it, the BBEG will attempt to escape or call for reinforcements, something. There's many ways of addressing it other than fudging.

 

[DEFCON 1]

There's many ways of addressing it other than fudging.

I myself don't find any appreciable difference between "calling it" and fudging. In both cases the DM is just choosing to no longer play the board game as per the rules of said game. So one isn't any better or worse than the other to me.

 

[Jer]

I don't bother to fudge dice rolls anymore. I used to fudge them to a) save the party from a TPK when I as the DM didn't want to deal with restarting a campaign or b) to end a combat early when we were running late or when it was obvious that the players had won and they were just cleaning up minions.

Now I don't do either - I've adopted the idea of "campaign losses" from 13th age for all of my D&D-like games, so if there's going to be a TPK it becomes a campaign loss instead. And these days if I want to end a combat early I just tell the players "and since you've taken out the boss the minions scatter and/or surrender" and since we're all old people who have schedules, everyone appreciates it.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

No fudging dice, hp or AC. I might knock pcs unconscious if it makes sense or let the enemy flee instead of going for the killing blow if stayinf for the kill would also result in the enemy's death.
Many foes also don't want to die.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Well, the thread was nice for couple of pages before accusations about dishonesty and lies started...

Let's be honest, that is basically the point of fudging threads.

 

[Hex08]

fudging threads.

That sounds gross

 

[Vaalingrade]

That sounds gross

All witchhunts are gross, my friend.

 

[TheAlkaizer]

And also, since when is D&D a game where the DM is supposed to be teaching lessons to his players ? Isn't it a game that everyone, players and DM, play just for fun ?

I always respect my DM, but I would not play with a DM who came to the table thinking that he is there to teach me anything. Fortunately, I have never encountered that kind of attitude in a DM.

You don't need a teacher to learn lesson. When you put your hand on the open stove and burn yourself when you're young, you learn a lesson.

I'm not teaching anything to anyone. But it goes both ways, what you do, allows and forbid at a table, whether it's through explicit or implicit rulings has an effect on the behaviour of the people at the table.