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[Penny Arcade] Do you use "Magic!" too much or not enough?
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<blockquote data-quote="awesomeocalypse" data-source="post: 4985364" data-attributes="member: 85641"><p>A common trick I'll use when trying to make an NPC or monster seem especially magical, is to take elements of the story or encounter that I was planning to use anyway and refluff them to be a result of that NPCs magic.</p><p> </p><p>For instance, say I have a fight planned with an elite wizard, plus a few minions and lower level brutes and soldiers. I could just have the players walk in to a room with all of the enemies already there and have it proceed as normal...or I could have them walk into a room that contains only the wizard, and then right before the fight begins have him summon the "reinforcements" that are simply monsters I had planned to include from the beginning to make a balanced fight. The fight is exactly the same either way, but the latter approach makes the BBEG seem that much more powerful.</p><p> </p><p>Similarly, if my players are entering a lich's lair and there is a trap, I'll generally just declare it to be an ongoing spell the lich placed there via ritual. It still functions exactly the way any other trap would, but it also serves the additional function of pumping up the lich as a threat in the player's eyes.</p><p> </p><p>Another trick I'll use is to make reflavor skill challenges or skill checks as being in some way magical. For instance, I might have a dragon disguise themselves via illusion as an ordinary human being--but the mechanism wouldn't be an actual power or illusion spell, but rather simply the "bluff" skill used the same way a character would use it for an ordinary nonmagical disguise. If the players roll a good insight check, they see through the illusion.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="awesomeocalypse, post: 4985364, member: 85641"] A common trick I'll use when trying to make an NPC or monster seem especially magical, is to take elements of the story or encounter that I was planning to use anyway and refluff them to be a result of that NPCs magic. For instance, say I have a fight planned with an elite wizard, plus a few minions and lower level brutes and soldiers. I could just have the players walk in to a room with all of the enemies already there and have it proceed as normal...or I could have them walk into a room that contains only the wizard, and then right before the fight begins have him summon the "reinforcements" that are simply monsters I had planned to include from the beginning to make a balanced fight. The fight is exactly the same either way, but the latter approach makes the BBEG seem that much more powerful. Similarly, if my players are entering a lich's lair and there is a trap, I'll generally just declare it to be an ongoing spell the lich placed there via ritual. It still functions exactly the way any other trap would, but it also serves the additional function of pumping up the lich as a threat in the player's eyes. Another trick I'll use is to make reflavor skill challenges or skill checks as being in some way magical. For instance, I might have a dragon disguise themselves via illusion as an ordinary human being--but the mechanism wouldn't be an actual power or illusion spell, but rather simply the "bluff" skill used the same way a character would use it for an ordinary nonmagical disguise. If the players roll a good insight check, they see through the illusion. [/QUOTE]
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[Penny Arcade] Do you use "Magic!" too much or not enough?
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