Rhenny
Adventurer
But you do agree the encounter could have easily swung the other way?
As long as the players realize that they were very lucky then I think it's OK? If they felt like it was a cakewalk then that would be different. Sometimes luck is on your side.
That's how I see it. When I play, I seem to always feel as if something bad can happen at any time, so even when my PC doesn't take damage, or takes only a little, I still feel the fear of possible bad turn of fate.
On the other hand, when I DM, I always feel as if I'm not really challenging the players unless one or more go down.
I think there is a inherent disconnect between seeing the game session as a player and seeing it as a DM. Often, DMs don't even know that players are still challenged even when things go well for them. The key is understanding that the mood of the game and the things the players don't know will always build tension if the DM uses mood and fear of the unknown to build the tension.
That's one of the things I like best about Dragon breath recharge. When a dragon breathes, the PCs are basically left with a lot of uncertainty. Often, if the breath recharges, many of the PCs will be much more threatened if not killed. If the breath doesn't recharge, they have a much easier time. It is the fear that the breath will recharge that keeps the tension level high, and quite frankly makes many players more joyous when they defeat a dragon.
I love your report CapnZapp. I guess it also really shows how important it is (especially at higher levels) to have solid initiative scores!!! If the baddies got the jump on a few of the PCs (the monk for example), those fireballs would have really started the encounter off with a bang.