Thom's poll of the Week. This poll is a discussion about game balance, and what happens if it suddenly goes out the window. The full question is what would you (or your players) do if suddenly faced with a challenge that is obviously way beyond their capabilities of handling. Like a horde of demons or a large flight of dragons. And stressing the unxexpected part in both senses, that the characters have no idea this is coming, and the players don't either.
How do you handle an unexpetedly overwhelming enounter?
- Thread starter tjoneslo
- Start date
Piratecat
Sesquipedalian
We would try to negotiate. If that didn't work, we'd try the "get them to fight one another" trick that also never works. If we had to we might fight until it was clear that we couldn't win, but more likely we would retreat and try to find another way around the problem.
Heck, this just happened last game, and no one blinked an eye as we evacuated the demiplane and fled. It must be standard procedure by now.
Heck, this just happened last game, and no one blinked an eye as we evacuated the demiplane and fled. It must be standard procedure by now.
El Ravager
First Post
The answer really depends on the character I am playing so I voted for how my current character would react: Attack and see how long I last until TPK. The character I am running now is a Samurai who would rather die than run from a challenge. He isn't dumb -- he won't start a battle with something that will clearly over power him, but if a battle begins or is necessary, he won't run from it.
Psion
Adventurer
Well, your poll seems phrased towards players.
As a GM, it depends on why it was unexpected:
If it was unexpected to me because I had a brain fart and assumed that the party could handle what should be a nuissance encounter, I'll often do behind the scenes tweaking to fix the problem.
If it was unexpected as in "I didn't expect the players to be silly enough to take the mention of a great wyrm as a hook at first level" or "I didn't expect them to try to storm the gates instead of find an alternate way in...", well, I am less forgiving then. I'll usually roll on with the encounter, but try to make the best of it from a scenario building standpoint. e.g., capture the PCs and use that as a hook for a new adventure, negotiate from a position of power, have the PCs ransomed and returned without all their shiny magic items and very much indebted to a lord that ransomed them, give the PCs an opportunity to make a jailbreak and get back on track, etc.
From a player's standpoint, go for the Corbonite Maneuver!
As a GM, it depends on why it was unexpected:
If it was unexpected to me because I had a brain fart and assumed that the party could handle what should be a nuissance encounter, I'll often do behind the scenes tweaking to fix the problem.
If it was unexpected as in "I didn't expect the players to be silly enough to take the mention of a great wyrm as a hook at first level" or "I didn't expect them to try to storm the gates instead of find an alternate way in...", well, I am less forgiving then. I'll usually roll on with the encounter, but try to make the best of it from a scenario building standpoint. e.g., capture the PCs and use that as a hook for a new adventure, negotiate from a position of power, have the PCs ransomed and returned without all their shiny magic items and very much indebted to a lord that ransomed them, give the PCs an opportunity to make a jailbreak and get back on track, etc.
From a player's standpoint, go for the Corbonite Maneuver!
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frankthedm
First Post
If my monsters think they are overwhelmed [prerequirement: able to think] then they will flee. My players tend to either run, argue whether they can win the fight or fight to the death based on character motivations. I allow player's who "Die Well" to keep EXP totals for thier next character so those who have reasons to fight to the death need not suffer for them [ i do make the player pay for the photocopies of character sheets after a while]
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Hot_lil_witch
First Post
I would run away as fast as I could. My dm loves to kill characters, so running away is the best way to handle it. 
My character will RUN AWAY!
This has saved me any number of times when everyone else stays to fight and die, combined with a healthy dose of Hide and Move Silently (a requirement for my characters) I will usually get away.
In fact my current character (a monk) has better hide/move silently skill values than the party's thief.
This TPK has happened to me a few times, and when half the party is already down and everyone else wounded/weakened/out of spells it is time to go....
Scott
This has saved me any number of times when everyone else stays to fight and die, combined with a healthy dose of Hide and Move Silently (a requirement for my characters) I will usually get away.
In fact my current character (a monk) has better hide/move silently skill values than the party's thief.
This TPK has happened to me a few times, and when half the party is already down and everyone else wounded/weakened/out of spells it is time to go....
Scott
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milotha
First Post
It really depends on the type of encounter. In the past we've:
1) Run away if we were hopelessly outgunned by creatures that are unlikely to be kind to enemies or are cannot be bargained with. He who runs away lives to fight another day.
2) Surrendered or negotitated our way out of it. One time we even joined up with the other side to save our skins. If you can't beat them, join them. Then bring them down from within.
3) Tricked them into fighting each-other, or going off in the wrong direction, or thinking we were more powerful than we were. They went that-away.
4) Called in divine or outside assistance- rarely. This could consist of both our god, or a god that was opposed to them![:]](http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png "Devious :]")
Say Vecna, I dare you!
5) Valiantly rushed in for the TPK, only to somehow miraculously through good tactics and good luck survive or not.
6) Burned that wish, fates card, powerful magic item. You're carry around a WHAT in your bag? Retributive strike, anyone? Nothing beats the ring of wishes that everyone in the party thought was a ring of dellusional wishes.
7) Descended into inter-party or GM-Player battles - very rarely. When the supply of caffeine and sugar is running low, it it late at night, and your 20th level party is on the line.
8) Even more rarely. Deus ex machinaed our way out of it by the GM. On those rare occasions when the GM takes pity on the party for a situation beyond their control.
1) Run away if we were hopelessly outgunned by creatures that are unlikely to be kind to enemies or are cannot be bargained with. He who runs away lives to fight another day.
2) Surrendered or negotitated our way out of it. One time we even joined up with the other side to save our skins. If you can't beat them, join them. Then bring them down from within.
3) Tricked them into fighting each-other, or going off in the wrong direction, or thinking we were more powerful than we were. They went that-away.
4) Called in divine or outside assistance- rarely. This could consist of both our god, or a god that was opposed to them
Say Vecna, I dare you!5) Valiantly rushed in for the TPK, only to somehow miraculously through good tactics and good luck survive or not.
6) Burned that wish, fates card, powerful magic item. You're carry around a WHAT in your bag? Retributive strike, anyone? Nothing beats the ring of wishes that everyone in the party thought was a ring of dellusional wishes.
7) Descended into inter-party or GM-Player battles - very rarely. When the supply of caffeine and sugar is running low, it it late at night, and your 20th level party is on the line.
8) Even more rarely. Deus ex machinaed our way out of it by the GM. On those rare occasions when the GM takes pity on the party for a situation beyond their control.
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Patlin
Explorer
I voted "run away" but it does of course depend on the circumstances. If the big bad unstopable monster was attacking me, I'd run. If he was attacking an innocent, I probably wouldn't. I sometimes feel constrained by my concept of right and wrong to act in ways that are clearly unwise.
I remember one game (might have been a runemaster campaign) in which the party was heading through town at night and we happened to see a vampire jump somebody, probably a bum in an alley, if I recall correctly. I immediately opened fire, even though the other players complained loudly that we had no chance to survive. A vampire attacking a victim is just a shoot-on-sight scenario for me.
In another game, my first level AD&D character was confronted 1 on 1 by a Balor. The DM appeared willing to give me a chance... the Balor demanded to know whether I was evil, apparently wanting to conscript me into service. It seemed to me that answering "yes" to that particular question under those circumstances would have made the answer true. I answered "no" and was a smear on the floor seconds later.
I remember one game (might have been a runemaster campaign) in which the party was heading through town at night and we happened to see a vampire jump somebody, probably a bum in an alley, if I recall correctly. I immediately opened fire, even though the other players complained loudly that we had no chance to survive. A vampire attacking a victim is just a shoot-on-sight scenario for me.
In another game, my first level AD&D character was confronted 1 on 1 by a Balor. The DM appeared willing to give me a chance... the Balor demanded to know whether I was evil, apparently wanting to conscript me into service. It seemed to me that answering "yes" to that particular question under those circumstances would have made the answer true. I answered "no" and was a smear on the floor seconds later.
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