Dwarven Defender who polymorphed into a Hill Giant?

[DethStryke]

You might want to recheck your tactics if you couldn't threaten the party with a Marilith.

With all due respect, I don't think you understood my original post and following replies - I was not the DM that ran them through the Marilith, nor was I the one that gave a (then) 9th level character a relic-level rod, etc. etc. All of this happened before me - it's the history associated with the characters.

I can guarantee you, even a 17th level party would be hard pressed to defeat one when I run them. You cannot have that powerful and intellegent of a creature with so many options just roll over for any group. Especially a Demon that is supposed to be a general-level creature. In a toe-to-toe battle, had I been running them then, would have resulted in a TPK - no question. Less than three rounds, I'm sure. The difference is that I would have never had them fight a Marilith! It is a one-sided, poorly balanced idea. The whole thing was just stupid.

The point is that this is the mindset of the group that I inherited - that wonky situations are "normal" and therefore not to be feared, so they tend to charge anything without first considering that it may wipe the floor with them. I'm trying to show them that they should think a few seconds before they act rashly without the TPK learning hammer.

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

I'm up to the challenge of DMing them....

Re-reading my post this morning.. umm, My apology for any offensive tone. :\

Having been invited in to 'break up' a Monty haul game, it can be done...but I didn't go back to be a player or a GM with that group for quite a while. Seems they thought my tactics a bit too nasty {involved an unmarked Ring of Mordenkainens Disjuction hidden where the PC Thief would find it and activate it....literally bringing the house down on the entire party while destroying all thier majic items...}
Eventually some of the players migrated into my normal game and enjoyed playing, but they never got away from being paranoid about almost everything.
{which was a blast in CP2020 and, of course Paranoia }
Some of the players stopped coming around. Pretty sure that wasn't a bad thing, we had players to spare at the time.

 

[shilsen]

The point is that this is the mindset of the group that I inherited - that wonky situations are "normal" and therefore not to be feared, so they tend to charge anything without first considering that it may wipe the floor with them. I'm trying to show them that they should think a few seconds before they act rashly without the TPK learning hammer.

Where the above is concerned, my primary suggestion would be to talk to the players (not the PCs) about it and make it clear exactly what your expectations are of the game and how you prefer to run it. And also find out what their expectations and preferences are and find some sort of meeting point that all of you can live with. Something I tend to find in 95% of posts about DMs having issues with players and players having issues with DMs (not that yours really falls into that category, of course) is that there was insufficient communication between both parties about what they want and expect from the game. If you're trying to change how they play the game, I think it's only fair to tell them so, especially since they presumably play the game the way they do because they enjoy it.