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<blockquote data-quote="kigmatzomat" data-source="post: 3073199" data-attributes="member: 9254">Retreat is an option, but sometimes not a good one.&nbsp; The validity of retreat is based on both the characters and the DM.&nbsp; In one campaign we had a crapload of dwarves (3 of 6 PCs were dwarves).&nbsp; Speed was rarely an option.&nbsp; The fastest we got was when the monk &amp; barbarian would carry the dwarves.&nbsp; Our main methods of escape broke down to lobbing several flasks of oil/alchemist fire and caltrops.&nbsp; That only worked as long as the DM would play the NPCs as unwilling to jump through a wall of fire or pursue after having stepped on a nail. By the same token, I've had waaaaay too many animals willing to fight to the death over the years.&nbsp; IMO if it isn't a creature with rage, specifically listed as being extremely territorial, or protecting their young, animals should think fleeing, or agreeing to not pursue, is a good idea at ~1/2 hp.&nbsp; As a GM, I've seen the converse; players who will sink their teeth into a foe that is more than willing to walk away from a fight and force it into a death battle.&nbsp; After a couple of those, I tend to have a frenzied berserker, draconian who explodes when killed, or other &quot;living warhead&quot; creature around.&nbsp; Every so often I'll have the person trying to surrender be an undercover officer of the law, resulting in the players being hunted for their murder.&nbsp; (Mwa-ha-ha!&nbsp; RBDM fun!)&nbsp; Overall, I think it is up to DMs to have a pre-campaign chat about retreat, surrender, parley (Arrr!) and ransome.&nbsp; I personally love ransome and it is so very rarely used.&nbsp; In a world where it is a fairly common event, ransome should be an appealing option.&nbsp; By the same token, sometimes highway robbery should be considered a toll for keeping down the monsters.&nbsp; Assuming, of course, the robbers are content to take a small sack of coin and not go for the horses &amp; gear.&nbsp; The greedy robber either moves on quickly or keeps their thefts below the irritiation level of the masses.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="kigmatzomat, post: 3073199, member: 9254"] Retreat is an option, but sometimes not a good one. The validity of retreat is based on both the characters and the DM. In one campaign we had a crapload of dwarves (3 of 6 PCs were dwarves). Speed was rarely an option. The fastest we got was when the monk & barbarian would carry the dwarves. Our main methods of escape broke down to lobbing several flasks of oil/alchemist fire and caltrops. That only worked as long as the DM would play the NPCs as unwilling to jump through a wall of fire or pursue after having stepped on a nail. By the same token, I've had waaaaay too many animals willing to fight to the death over the years. IMO if it isn't a creature with rage, specifically listed as being extremely territorial, or protecting their young, animals should think fleeing, or agreeing to not pursue, is a good idea at ~1/2 hp. As a GM, I've seen the converse; players who will sink their teeth into a foe that is more than willing to walk away from a fight and force it into a death battle. After a couple of those, I tend to have a frenzied berserker, draconian who explodes when killed, or other "living warhead" creature around. Every so often I'll have the person trying to surrender be an undercover officer of the law, resulting in the players being hunted for their murder. (Mwa-ha-ha! RBDM fun!) Overall, I think it is up to DMs to have a pre-campaign chat about retreat, surrender, parley (Arrr!) and ransome. I personally love ransome and it is so very rarely used. In a world where it is a fairly common event, ransome should be an appealing option. By the same token, sometimes highway robbery should be considered a toll for keeping down the monsters. Assuming, of course, the robbers are content to take a small sack of coin and not go for the horses & gear. The greedy robber either moves on quickly or keeps their thefts below the irritiation level of the masses. [/QUOTE]

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