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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Zuche" data-source="post: 6031363" data-attributes="member: 6682151">No, that's one of the most important aspects of Lair Assault. You can tell me why you think the pixie music box would work. I'll tell you when and how it won't. It's not like I'd miss anyone that would walk over something like that. "I'm taking my ball and going home," doesn't impress anyone even when you're the only one with a ball.Good players force a DM to improvise. They also improvise in kind, rather than limiting themselves to a list of powers. Neither puts the success of the forces they command above the entertainment value they offer to all participants in the game. No, the contract is, "We are here to have fun." I had the wizard make knowledge checks to inform his students where and how it was not in their best interest to attack, and I had more than a few of them ignore the advice when things looked hopeless. I made it clear that the wizard had no interest in surrendering, but also made it clear that this did not make him immune to Intimidate checks. (Unlike a previous DM, I did not interpret this to mean that the enemy only took a -2 penalty on its next attack against the one making the successful check.)I've let players attempt to meet a charge with a readied action to misdirect the charging creature over a ledge. I've entertained all sorts of acrobatic stunts performed by people trying to shoot out a trapped window from a safe distance, and when one player asked if this might damage the rope, I looked first to see whether the players would enjoy that possibility before I made it unlikely break check. (That still happened, and it made the victim look spectacular in the process.)Lair Assault calls for balance more than a few times. Most seasons recommend that you avoid focusing all attacks on one player, even when that would make sense mechanically. Taking a PC out of play in the first round tends to interfere with the player's ability to have fun. As such, monsters will avoid focused fire until they see good reason to do so, and I only attempt coup de grace either when the monster lacks a ready alternative target or once it's become apparent that foes need to be taken out as well as down. (Knowledgeable monsters might realize this before anyone is revived, but it usually takes seeing it happen.) I've had both owlbear and pudding spend action points on their respective "finishing moves" because that's part of the hazard they present. (Thus far, it's only been fatal once.)The Lair Assault package also reminds DMs to generally rule in favour of the players where there's uncertainty. It's why a table had mercenary back-up in one session of Attack of the Tyrantclaw, making the ballista a much more viable option. (In turn, they only brought mercenaries once. Repeating that approach would have quickly made things dull.)I could have stretched the fight longer, maybe even ended the lives of a PC or two, if the construct ignored all potential targets until it had taken the paladin (and divine challenge) out of play. In future runs, it may be more discerning about such things, especially if it determines that many of its attacks are having diminished effect. Last night, things had run long enough. It was in everyone's best interest to finish things quickly once the big picture was no longer in doubt.Because, you know, fun. Seriously, who plays with people who want you to hate the game?</blockquote>

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