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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Piratecat" data-source="post: 1250134" data-attributes="member: 2">There's some great advice here; A'Koss and Kamakazi Midget already said some of the things I was going to. The best rule to remember is that actions have consequences. As Orcus said, the people who have designed these dungeons knew about magic and wished to avoid pesky adventurers. That means that you can use some sneaky tactics that don't necessarily screw over the PCs' abilities, but which do make them think creatively.The second thing to remember is that you should make them cautious. This means that you don't have to screw over their tactics every time, but doing so once in a while will make them have more fun. For instance, the PCs have successfully avoided two challenges by having a polymorphed umber hulk burrow under them. At a third similar challenge, they try the same trick - and he falls through the floor into a pit full of acid or water, where the skeletal hydra starts ripping him apart. Do the other PCs jump into the liquid to try and save him? Do they smash away the floor, or does the weakened floor disintegrate when breached (dumping everyone into the liquid), or does the hydra rend the fleeing umber hulk? A fine question - and if the group survives, then hit them with an area similar in appearance to the one they tried to avoid. Now they have to decide whether or not to try the same tactic or something new.This can be done with other types of monsters, too; in certain areas, it's not unreasonable to assume that the priests of Orcus bound a spectre (incorporeal, so it can attack through rock!) or a half-fiendish earth elemental to the areas. Anyone breaching the stone will have to deal with it. This sort of monster is effective because only the burrowing PC is at risk.If they are hiding in rope tricks and are facing intelligent opponents, a wonderful way to keep them on their toes is to have one of those opponents use detect magic to find the entrance to the rope tricks. Then, a handy dispel magic or two will dump the sleeping PCs out on their heads. Let the ambush ensue!  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" />Finally, letting the PCs use these cool tactics is fun for them, so long as it doesn't get boring. People get a huge charge out of circumventing the nasty trap. Just make sure they don't get incautious.</blockquote>

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