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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Verdande" data-source="post: 5204643" data-attributes="member: 69093">I don't have much experience with 4th edition, but this is really a timeless question.You should describe only that which the characters could know. They'll certainly know that the creatures are goblins, unless goblins are rare creatures in your world. If it's tall and grim and covered in scarred fur and has long, lanky arms that reach almost to its feet, then tell them that. Don't tell them that it's a "Murk Troll Ambusher" or whatever the silly name it has in the book.Similarly, you only tell the players the abilties that it uses, and not the name unless you really want to. If the troll in the above example has a "Fearsome Grab" ability that it gets to use, and you roll x dice and it does x damage, don't tell them the mechanics and how often it can use it and the range and whatnot. Tell them that the damn troll's grabbing them and what it does.That's the motto here: Show, don't tell. You can sit and read out the stats line by line, which is boring, or you can make up what it looks like and the horrible shredded skin it wears on its head or whatever, and give your players an awesome experience.My players can't remember how much hit points they had or what in the world they roll when they're casting Pneumonia Blast IV, but they all remember the Plague Orc (from the module I'm creating, no less) that used its intestines as a weapon.And yes, it's part of the challenge. 4th edition tends not to be nearly as good about it, but a large part of the game is challenging the players, through their characters, to succeed and prosper. Telling the players what the Burbling Demonspawn Acolyte has for its powers and its hit points total is no different than telling the players exactly where the traps are in a corridor and who's behind the horrible plot to turn the villagers into jello. Keeping the players in the dark makes it harder, more unpredictable, exciting, and fun, and I have the exact same inclinations when I'm a player.</blockquote>

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