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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Draxo" data-source="post: 3421488" data-attributes="member: 50009">Eh.. when i'm running i narrate my combats to make the players skills special.  AT low levels they tend to just 'cut' or 'chop' or whatever (though narrated better than that), unless they crit then i narrate something better.  If the blow takes off more hit points, then i'll narrate it as worse.  'The ogre hefts its large club and brings it down upon you.. you jump back, but the tip of the club grazes down your front, leaving you winded and nearly driving you to your knees! It grins menacingly down at you..' ~The Battlemage just got hit for 16 out of forty hit points by an ogre in the last game i run.Was it a 'knockdown' attack? No.  it was just a normal attack combat.If they kill they 'lance their sword through the enemies chest!' or something similar.  If they just roll a 20 its something like 'you swing your sword, an exellent blow!  The enemy just manages to duck and avoid it, your sword slashing and opening a cut along his temple..!' *shrugs*At higher levels.. the monk can roundhouse kick, chop, whatever.. it doesnt make any difference. Those are their unarmed strikes, they can narrate them as they want.  I dont care if they say they're swinging at the enemies head.. it just does damage.  I sometimes narrate it myself when i run to that effect.My reason is. I used to play Marvel Superheroes with another DM.  We used to describe our attacks as heroic.. and he kept putting nasty penalties on our rolls saying 'oh you're tryingt o do this this or that! knockdown, stun, bullrush!  Thats what would happen!'.  We argued 'no, we're just hitting them! We dont want any special effects.. we're just trying to make our combats sound better then 'you hit him' 'he hits you' you hit him' *snore*'  Anyway.. he didnt relent.Our combats just went on as 'ok.. i hit him..''he hits you..''you hit him...'he didnt get the hint.  Unsuprisingly we got bored and the game didnt continue next session.Let your players spice up their game, dont care about wether its would 'mechanicall stun him!' or 'mechanically that shoulder barge is a bull rush!' ask the player if they're trying to bull rush or just attack or whatever, if they just want to describe a heroic attack and not 'i hit him' and not wanting some bullrush, just let them describe it that way.  Dont become another 'you hit him' DM.  =/</blockquote>

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