DMs only: Do you actually track numbers behind your screen?

[Thanee]

So be honest. Do you actually keep track of all the esoteric digits?

Almost never.

The numbers I use are still pretty accurate, tho, but I don't keep notes. I have no trouble mentally keeping track of the numbers needed and I only really make up those that are needed and don't bother about the rest. When I 'make up' an NPC, I figure out what relevant skills, feats, equipment are necessary (takes just a moment, sometimes I need to quickly look up a feat or an item or something, tho), leaving some parts blank (I don't use up all feats for combat stuff, just because the only time an NPC is encountered is in combat, for example). There's a good amount of guesswork involved, but these guesses are pretty accurate... accurate enough to be within the boundaries of the level/CR I'm aiming for.

In my PbP game it's different, there I track almost everything accurately (again, only the necessary info, for example an NPC entry in my temporary data file might look like this: "Bandit I 15/28 Ftr1/Rog3 S12 D16 C14, WF, WF: Rapier, CE, ID, MW Rapier"), but with the way these games work, it's hardly doable otherwise, if you want the NPCs to act in a consistent manner.

Bye
Thanee

 

[palleomortis]

Well, somtime I will. But I usually just wing it. I dont have a screen, so If I don't know somthing, well, then I have to look it up. I have a strange memory tho, and I will remember things that I didn't think that I knew, so it usually works out.

 

[Celebrim]

Yes, I do.

To not do so would be to take too much responcibility for the story on to myself. Without an unbiased idea of what is 'truth', essentially I'm only allowing my own preconcieved notions for what should happen to occur and I'm not allowing the players (or thier characters) to really shape the story.

I do oftenfudge in favor of the PC's to prevent something totally unplanned from ruinning a session, and I've occassionally fudged in favor of NPC's when the challenges that I've placed in front of the PC's seem to be too much of a cake walk. But on the whole no matter how well reasoned I find fudging in favor of the NPC's to be, I've usually found cause to regret it so I try to keep disciplined and stick to what I designed.

 

[palleomortis]

Well, somtimes it's nice to just say that the PC's picked up on the idea and did it on their own. So that's usually when I wing it true. I usually kinda glance at the numbers and if it looks like they did it, then they did.

 

[Henry]

Driddle, you missed the knock-down drag-out thread aboutt his very topic by about a week. (I'll have to look it up).

As for myself, I don't keep track of every NPC stat, except for the majority of the major NPCs, and I definitely keep track of hit points, an attack bonus, AC, and damage, about as much as I used to under 2e. I do use to my advantage the fact that with so many variations possible with skills, feats, and classes, that any extra ability that an NPC has can be easily explained.

As a famous person once said, "rules are for players."

 

[The Shaman]

I think the numbers matter, for many of the reasons outlined already by others, but also because I like to be surprised as well. As a GM I'm not telling a story - I'm not concerned about narrative or drama. I merely create the environment and the circumstances from which a story flows, as told by the players, by me, and by the element of chance - the players contribute the narrative, the dice the drama.

As the principle describer of the action, I try to make the pieces fit together as much as I can, but when chance dictates that something unexpected occurs, I resist the impulse to nudge the universe.

With this in mind, tracking monster hit points, creating appropriate stat blocks, and living with the consequences of the dice are all things that I do.

 

[Victim]

Yes. I don't use a screen, and roll everything in the open.

 

[der_kluge]

Yea, I was recalling there was a flame-intensive thread on this topic recently.


I think this is very much a matter of personality, and what people are comfortable with. Me, I'm not overly comfortable with adlibing the abilities of people, and I feel like I need to justify the abilities and attributes of monsters, etc, within the confines of the RAW. I'm not comfortable saying things like "well, just because!", I'm a rules oriented person in that way, I guess.

 

[kenobi65]

So be honest. Do you actually keep track of all the esoteric digits? Isn't it OK for the ends to justify your means?

Mostly, esp. for stuff that relates to combat. I want to run it "right", so I stat out the stuff that'll matter. I don't worry about how many ranks the NPCs have in Craft...

 

[AuraSeer]

So be honest. Do you actually keep track of all the esoteric digits?

Yes. D&D is a game with rules. If you want to chuck most of the rules and wing it, that's fine, as long as everyone else agrees to play that kind of game. You need to be honest about it.

Don't pretend to do something different than you are. Do not ignore the rules behind the screen while you force the players to follow them. That's called cheating, and lying to the players. Some DMs apparently get a kick out of this, but I know few players who would call this situation "fun."