Sharing Hindsight

[Zappo]

As you guys in english-speaking countries say, hindsight is 20/20.

So, what about sharing some of that? Errors you players have made which could have been avoided. Mistakes from which you should have learned.

Think about the last time one character of yours got killed, and tell us what you could have done to prevent it.

I've recently lost my half-elf bard to a poisoned crossbow bolt, and between the fact that I've mostly been a DM and me being a good player, I had kinda forgot how much it sucks to get killed. Especially with a bard, which IMO is the most survivable class of all, if played well (despite lacking damage-dealing capability, it has skills and powers to get out of almost anything).

The situation: after a fight with a tough undead, we had set up a camp to rest. During the combat, a few NPCs had fled, and we noticed that they were especially good at hiding and sneaking.

First mistake. We should have noticed that these guys were too stealthy for normal soldiers. And we should have wondered why they fled and didn't come back.

I told the elf in the party to guard us while we slept for most of the night, since she doesn't need to sleep much.

Second mistake. Never use only one guard. Also, just because you're an elf doesn't mean you've got good Spot and Listen.

We got attacked and she didn't notice until they were on us. They had poisoned weapons, with STR-hurting poison. One of them grabbed a girl NPC that was with us and started getting away. I cast expeditious retreat and went after him, planning to follow him as he fled and then using my bardic song and spells to stop him and interrogate him.

Third mistake. I didn't really need expeditious retreat. I should have used my wand of shield instead.

The guy, instead, dropped the girl and attacked me. He critted, too - ok, that was just bad luck. In my round, I attacked him with little success.

Fourth mistake. I severely underestimated these guys. I definitely should have gotten away after the crit.

Then, a hidden crossbowman shot me dead. The damage wasn't dangerous, but the 7 CON damage dropped my HP to a ridiculous amount, so that it killed me.

Fifth and final mistake. If these guys used Strength poison, they could use Constitution poison. I didn't think about this.

 

[RangerWickett]

I've learned not to play Dwarf fighters. They just can't do enough for my tastes. I really should stick to spellcasters, because even if they're weaker power-wise, they have more tricks, and I like having tricks.

I have one major piece of advice for GMs out there, though. Don't level up the party too quickly, or else you'll have a hard time adapting to what they can do. When 3e came out, I said, "Hey, let's have a high-level game. Everyone's 15th level. I want to see how the rules work."

What ended up happening was that a few dozen summoned elementals squashed most of the foes, and whenever my 'smart' bad guys tried tricks, the PCs had three tricks to match 'em. Case in point: villainous counterspell mage stands high atop a tower, taunting the PCs who are on the ground, since he's safe inside an antimagic field. He figures he'll tell them his spiel, then teleport to safety. Too bad the 15th level cleric summoned a huge earth elemental that toppled the base of the tower, stunning the mage long enough that the PC warriors finished him off. Scratch one bad guy.

At high level, it's so much harder to let the PCs see the villains before the final climactic fight. Players don't seem to get the literary staple of seeing the villain early on, getting thrashed by him, then beating him at the climax. Sheesh, players: they can be so inconsiderate sometimes.

 

[Jeph]

Never let the players have high explosives, unless you can deal with it when they actually use them. Thermal detonators make HUGE explosions.

 

[The_Gneech]

• Be wary of stat drains; a couple of lucky stirges could become a TPK
• Trolls make for very boring combats (isn't it dead YET?)
• Until you have proof otherwise, assume your players will choose the wrong option every time
• If the DM is obviously setting you up to be captured, surrender
• Make sure everybody knows when and where the game will take place
• If somebody can't EVER get there on time, consider finding a replacement
• Make the players describe just exactly WHERE they're carrying all that stuff (you've got HOW much gold in a purse at your belt?)
• If you're trying to decide between "wrap it up for tonight" or "just one more encounter," always wrap it up
• Sometimes, the people who claim to want to play the most, are the ones who show up the least
• Do not underestimate the power of flavor text
• Start small, and stay small as long as you can. Once the big guns come out, they'll never be put away again.

-The Gneech