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General Tabletop Discussion
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Making it fair, unkillable/puzzle monsters
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<blockquote data-quote="iserith" data-source="post: 7837047" data-attributes="member: 97077"><p>I don't know anything about Doctor Who, but it sounds like this is just a monster that has particular rules that, once learned, make them possible or even simple to defeat.</p><p></p><p>In my view, to make this setup fair the DM must telegraph the strengths and vulnerabilities of the monster in some way prior to the challenge. It doesn't have to be totally explicit - just clues that could help the PCs arrive at the solution to the puzzle, seeded into the adventure in a way that makes sense in context. Erring on the side of "too obvious" is probably a good call since we DMs tend to think things are more obvious than they are when communicated to the players.</p><p></p><p>Once you've done that, it's up to the players to figure things out when they're facing the monsters. If they put together the clues with the descriptions you're offering during the challenge and figure out an optimal way to defeat them, great! If they don't and find themselves crippled with age or even dead, they should at least be able to look back at the clues they received prior to the encounter and realize they had everything they needed but simply failed to make the connections. That is the bar you have to reach with these clues and descriptions to make it fair.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="iserith, post: 7837047, member: 97077"] I don't know anything about Doctor Who, but it sounds like this is just a monster that has particular rules that, once learned, make them possible or even simple to defeat. In my view, to make this setup fair the DM must telegraph the strengths and vulnerabilities of the monster in some way prior to the challenge. It doesn't have to be totally explicit - just clues that could help the PCs arrive at the solution to the puzzle, seeded into the adventure in a way that makes sense in context. Erring on the side of "too obvious" is probably a good call since we DMs tend to think things are more obvious than they are when communicated to the players. Once you've done that, it's up to the players to figure things out when they're facing the monsters. If they put together the clues with the descriptions you're offering during the challenge and figure out an optimal way to defeat them, great! If they don't and find themselves crippled with age or even dead, they should at least be able to look back at the clues they received prior to the encounter and realize they had everything they needed but simply failed to make the connections. That is the bar you have to reach with these clues and descriptions to make it fair. [/QUOTE]
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