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Message: <blockquote data-quote="AbdulAlhazred" data-source="post: 7327215" data-attributes="member: 82106">I'm not sure combat has a specific goal in either 4e or any other particular form of D&D. I mean, we played a LOT of 'classic' D&D. There were a lot of reasons to fight a battle. I guess the 'default' reason was 'lootz', but that got stale pretty fast. I think 4e's default is at least nominally the same, but in both systems some form of story advancement, implying conflict resolution, was always pretty prevalent, IME. Granted, there were surely times when we were not in the mood to think about anything but mayhem and loot.Yeah, you'd have to spell out the possibilities. I think MOST situations make the combat outcome primary, as losing a combat is usually fatal. Once you're dead, typically, other considerations become moot. Still, I can imagine some other scenarios for sure. Another common pattern might make the combat the most immediate concern, but winning the SC part could have more long-term strategic consequences. This could be a good scenario for putting the PCs on the horns of a dilemma. Win the battle and survive, but allow the rift to open and eventually destroy the world (requiring some much more difficult process to fix). The PCs could of course instead elect to die in order to avert the greater evil. A really clever scenario might make that the only other viable choice! Of course, being D&D, death need not be the end. In fact the story arc which [MENTION=6696971]Manbearcat[/MENTION] has outlined could well be one where that sort of choice would be interesting. The PCs could elect to sacrifice themselves, perhaps the one character being described might even do so partly out of a feeling of guilt, as a way of penetrating to the core of the mystery at hand. Certain rituals and protections, or perhaps the favor of certain beings being first gained, the characters could guarantee themselves to awaken in an undead state. Still capable of self-willed action they could then work 'from the other side'. Of course they might find it difficult to return to a normal existence after such a sojourn. It would certainly be part and parcel of some interesting PP/ED material!</blockquote>

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