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Message: <blockquote data-quote="mmadsen" data-source="post: 5780955" data-attributes="member: 1645">A kindred spirit!  I actually did that analysis too, and a little bit of plot-protection goes a long way.Exactly.  If we expect the party to survive a dozen deadly encounters just to advance one level (of a dozen or more), they need a buffer of plot protection.No one else needs such a buffer though -- certainly not their faceless enemies!D&D definitely conflates plot-immunity with toughness in a way that leaves characters surprisingly vulnerable to threats that don't do "damage" -- and the certainty of a plot-immunity buffer makes big one-time threats oddly non-threatening, especially when you can just refill your buffer afterwards.Who's afraid of falling off a cliff or staring down the barrel of matchlock gun, when it can't kill you?Bringing up <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lanchester's_laws#Lanchester.27s_Square_Law" target="_blank">Lanchester's Square Law</a> reminded me that while individuals don't suffer a death spiral in D&D, groups do; as they lose numbers, they lose attacks.I agree that D&D should be about playing heroes -- or maybe anti-heroes, when you're 13 -- but isn't it odd that anyone and everyone who's good at anything has plot-immunity, not just the heroes?As you point out, even an extreme overmatch won't grant you any kind of immunity, just better odds, and having the odds on your side isn't enough if you want to fight dozens of battles and know your heroes will survive.If you take away plot immunity, fighting to the enemy's death stops looking like such a good option, even when you expect to win.  Suddenly everyone starts behaving more like real people (and animals) and relying on threats rather than outright violence, because a small chance of getting crippled or killed is still a big deal.You may have to write up a post about making tea ceremonies and etiquette interesting, because I'm sure most groups would find that quite challenging.</blockquote>

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