NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="CM" data-source="post: 6467119" data-attributes="member: 18340">As others have mentioned, create situations where the non-combat resolution might end up being more rewarding. Perhaps instead of wiping out an enemy it can be turned into an ally against an even greater foe? This came up in my game recently. A random encounter with a lone, angry stone giant ended up with the party recruiting him to aid in an attack on the barbarian raiders who killed his pet saber-tooth tiger's cubs.Create a delicate situation which requires peaceful communication. Perhaps the party encounters a supposedly enemy faction who are in the middle of negotiating a non-aggression or even mutual defense pact with the locals. The party could find themselves in hot water from both sides and end up as fugitives.Make sure your important NPCs are memorable. Each one should have some kind of hook that triggers a positive or negative memory in the players. My Icewind Dale campaign's party has been traveling with an old dwarf woman named Gerti who is a retired guard captain. She's a smartass who holds her own in battle and carries herself with a swagger that's memorable to the combat-focused players in that group.Be sure to take baby steps. Most of the players I know are about 2/3 combat-oriented and 1/3 story/RP/exploration-oriented (myself included). That said we do have sessions with little to no combat from time to time where we still accomplish a great deal, usually investigation or exploration. The recent Murder in Baldur's Gate and Legacy of the Crystal Shard adventures this group played through both primarily featured antagonists who are human and where unprovoked violence (especially MiBG) would make for a bad choice. The party frequently had to achieve their goals through negotiation and investigation. Despite (or perhaps due to) the sometimes limited opportunity for combat, I think these are some of the best adventures I've run in years.<ramble off></blockquote>

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