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Message: <blockquote data-quote="DM_Jeff" data-source="post: 4162904" data-attributes="member: 3687">Howdy. I have no exacting mechanical advice based on the OP's play sessions, nor is this an excuse for Paizo. Hopefully <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":-)" title="Smile    :-)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":-)" /> it won't become a 4e bash either.To be fair I have not DM'd Age of Worms. I ran Paizo's Shackled City, all the way through from 1st to 20th level. It was very, very tough. My players loved the challenge, and none of them were casual gamers by any means. While running it I read all sorts of posts about how Paizo's adventures err on the tougher side of challenges. I read about entire parties being killed over and over. My group went through the whole thing with the same PCs. Two died and had to be raised. Near TPK's were there, but they always pulled through. 3.x is filled with options and it is vast. I would not have it any other way. This however mirrors what the OP said with AoW being killer, and then Morrus letting us know the opposite with his group. In both cases the words of the day are: "Dungeon Master". It falls on the DM, I have discovered, to tweak encounters based on their player's characters. Don't cry foul yet - PCs can't be expected to have every ability or weapon to deal with any situation anytime. That's just silly, and is what it sounds like they're doing with 4e, I haven't seen it but read plenty so I don't know this as fact.So with 3.x is this a feature or a bug? Sometimes I let the tough encounters stand. This never means I constantly 'downgrade' the monsters to my party, but I do keep an eye out for hotspots that I can foresee causing a problem and adjust them. A DM needs to be on top of the game, not just look at stats and run them static like a solid steel cast (IMO). Instead they need to have the flexibility to know when to twist and turn and still get to the same conclusion: I gave my player's a real run for their money and scared the cr@p out of them without killing them over and over.So, the above question: Feature or bug? Neither. It's a feature for DM's who like to be actively involved in adventure tweaking and creation. It's a bug for DM's who think all D&D rules should be so straight and exacting that everything should be able to be run out of the box. Well, when that day comes there will be no need for a DM. I know a few posters who would say 'good'. Most everyone I've gamed with would never want such a strict system and enjoy the personal touch a DM can bring to his table.Sory for the longness and all.-DM Jeff</blockquote>

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