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<blockquote data-quote="Blue" data-source="post: 7639257" data-attributes="member: 20564">As a player, I'm bored if there is no risk.&nbsp; It cheapens all the rewards, takes away tension, etc.&nbsp; I apply that to how I run.(I've had a character death in a Superhero game.&nbsp; That should tell you something about where I like my threat levels.)As a DM, I often design encounters well beyond fair/balanced.&nbsp; &quot;Deadly&quot; would be common in 5e, though that's not the only game I run.&nbsp; But that's after playing with my group and understanding where their balance point is, and aiming a bit beyond it but not far past it (often).&nbsp; Sometimes it's battles where the players dominate to remind the characters they are heroes, other times it's multiple unconscious because they were over-matched and on hazardous/unfavorable terrain.I roll dice in the open, use average damage for monsters.&nbsp; Players can pick up information from there that I think the characters could pick up - &quot;oh shoot, it hit me on a 6!&quot; is the character equivalent of &quot;it poorly attacks, angle wrong and almost too far away, and still tags you hard&quot;I throw puzzles and challenges into battles as well, win conditions instead, or often in addition, to normal attrition.&nbsp; Often I go in with vauge or no idea how I expect the players to &quot;solve&quot; these, and see what the players do that makes sense.Sounds kinda of killer DM, eh?&nbsp; I love leaving my players with a real fear of death.&nbsp; In the last campaign I had exactly one death, and it was a player purposefully being a martyr to save another from certain, non-combat death.&nbsp; On the other hand, I often littered the ground with unconscious PCs - PCs are hard to kill.Because I'm also my player's biggest cheerleader.&nbsp; I design encounters that they need to pull out the stops just to survive, but then I am the first to say &quot;Yes&quot; (or more likely &quot;Yes but&quot;) to their crazy attempts to survive. I offer Faustian bargains where they can get short term advantage for long term disadvantage, like when they just barely failed destroying an evil artifact one round and another round would have been very hurtful - I offered the last attacked that if he could finish it's destruction - but doing so would also destroy his only magic item, the sword he was using to try and break it.If PCs die, they die.&nbsp; The player can make a new one, usually same level but less stuff (items, contacts and connections, renown, goodwill, etc.)&nbsp; Or they can bring him back.&nbsp; I happen to like 13th Age where bringing back is hard and rare.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Blue, post: 7639257, member: 20564"] As a player, I'm bored if there is no risk. It cheapens all the rewards, takes away tension, etc. I apply that to how I run. (I've had a character death in a [I]Superhero[/I] game. That should tell you something about where I like my threat levels.) As a DM, I often design encounters well beyond fair/balanced. "Deadly" would be common in 5e, though that's not the only game I run. But that's after playing with my group and understanding where their balance point is, and aiming a bit beyond it but not far past it (often). Sometimes it's battles where the players dominate to remind the characters they are heroes, other times it's multiple unconscious because they were over-matched and on hazardous/unfavorable terrain. I roll dice in the open, use average damage for monsters. Players can pick up information from there that I think the characters could pick up - "oh shoot, it hit me on a 6!" is the character equivalent of "it poorly attacks, angle wrong and almost too far away, and still tags you hard" I throw puzzles and challenges into battles as well, win conditions instead, or often in addition, to normal attrition. Often I go in with vauge or no idea how I expect the players to "solve" these, and see what the players do that makes sense. Sounds kinda of killer DM, eh? I love leaving my players with a real fear of death. In the last campaign I had exactly one death, and it was a player purposefully being a martyr to save another from certain, non-combat death. On the other hand, I often littered the ground with unconscious PCs - PCs are hard to kill. Because I'm also my player's biggest cheerleader. I design encounters that they need to pull out the stops just to survive, but then I am the first to say "Yes" (or more likely "Yes but") to their crazy attempts to survive. I offer Faustian bargains where they can get short term advantage for long term disadvantage, like when they just barely failed destroying an evil artifact one round and another round would have been very hurtful - I offered the last attacked that if he could finish it's destruction - but doing so would also destroy his only magic item, the sword he was using to try and break it. If PCs die, they die. The player can make a new one, usually same level but less stuff (items, contacts and connections, renown, goodwill, etc.) Or they can bring him back. I happen to like 13th Age where bringing back is hard and rare. [/QUOTE]

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