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Message: <blockquote data-quote="TarionzCousin" data-source="post: 6298793" data-attributes="member: 31304">I have a group of experienced gamers, most with at least 20 years of regular play under their belts. They coordinate extremely well and figure things out more quickly than any group I’ve had previously. They always try to take one or two prisoners for questioning.So I’m looking for ways to capture and keep their interest. One thing I’ve been trying to do I’m calling “One Clever Thing,” or OCT.Basically, I am trying to include one interesting, unique, or mysterious element in every encounter. For combats, that means at least one unique element, like interesting terrain or something unexpected.What I’ve done so far:In the midst of a weak ambush by two dozen goblins, the PC’s (and remaining goblins) were surrounded by five dozen hobgoblins.A fight in a snow cave vs. a unique snow-drake. The terrain was obviously treacherous, with ¼ of the squares marked as exceptionally slippery. Anyone moving over half their movement had to make a Reflex save or fall prone and slide one square toward the giant hold in the center.A seemingly empty/quickly abandoned storage room in which an invisible quasit was hiding. Enemies hiding behind two doors, waiting to charge the PC’s. One high-initiative PC ran and held one of the doors shut for one round. He was hit by two monsters and almost unconscious, but his action made a huge difference in the fight. Not ambushing the PC’s with bandits when they were traveling the caravan road. Everyone was pleasantly surprised by this. Coming up next session:Fighting orcs in a basement of a ruin obviously “infected” by some sort of arcane hazard. They have already made at least one saving throw each. So why aren’t the orcs affected? Their shaman was prepared for this, and a dozen of his salves are laid out on a table near the basement exit stairway. Will the PC’s deduce what these are? None of them are herbalists. The shaman has a couple dozen other dried flowers, pastes, and salves in his room, one of which is a clue for the PC’s concerning a larger plot point. I half-expect them to gather all of the shaman’s stuff for later NPC analysis.tl;dr What is a clever twist you have included or want to use in an encounter?</blockquote>

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