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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Schmoe" data-source="post: 2064213" data-attributes="member: 913">Faced with something as overpowering as a deity, I think that its mere presence should warp reality in unusual ways.  There is a story hour (Piratecat's story hour) that captured this very well, IMO.  The encounters with divine beings are toward the last 1/4 of the story hour.  For things that are less obvious, it becomes difficult to distinguish between dramatic description and a clue that the opponent overmatches the party.  You can try to give clues by relating the creature's actions to the PCs' abilities.  Here are two examples of an initial clash against a swordfighter, one a typical mercenary, the other a master swordsman who could shred the party:Mercenary: "You open with your best lunge, and the swordsman throws his sword wildly up to parry, just barely saving himself from a deep wound along his chest."Master Swordsman: "You open with your best lunge, and effortlessly his sword appears from nowhere to parry.  As you struggle to recover your balance, you are forced to spin wildly away as the swordsman smoothly turns his parry into a counter you've never seen before.  Only luck saved your neck."Here's another example, using dire apes:Dire Ape (a good match for the party):  "The beast stands and beats its massive chest, letting out a brutish roar.  Its foul breath puffs out in the cold air as crouches to leap at you."Advanced, Fiendish Dire Ape (would decimate the party):  "The beast towers over you, and its muscles ripple as it beats its massive chest.  One look at its thick arms and claws tells you that if it got a hold of you, it could break you like a twig.  Its skin is reddish and hard beneath the black fur, and unearthly malice gleams in its eyes."That said, having been both player and DM, I know that it's a hard concept to convey.  All I can say is that players should learn that every encounter should be treated with caution, and you should never enter battle without first thinking about how to escape or otherwise end the battle if the tide turns against you.</blockquote>

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