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<blockquote data-quote="Aberzanzorax" data-source="post: 5192341" data-attributes="member: 64209">Smaller doses and red herrings.I'm running the Drow War Campaign...(minimal spoilers below, but ye've been warned).&nbsp;&nbsp;The players are in a &quot;stonehenge like&quot; circle when dark gobllins crawl out of shadows...but they crawl out as if pulling themselves out of darkness. Each of them is bathed in wisps of black and their right hands look even darker, as if they had just dipped them into a vat of oil or tar.&nbsp;Game rules: these were completely normal goblins apart from appearance, the way they came into view, that they had &quot;infinite&quot; javelins made of shadowstuff (i.e. 5 javelins each), and that they melted into pools of black oil when they died (normal &quot;difficult terrain&quot; as per dead body).&nbsp;But every single thing was a red herring, in reality...or to be more accurate, an enriched detail meant to color the encounter, but not actually causing game effects.&nbsp;The players? They were FAR more afraid of these goblins than any goblins I've ever seen. Heck, they were probably more afraid of them than they would have been of shadows. Avoiding puddles of oily black stuff? (Oh, yeah, gotta mark those on the map). You got it.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In my experience, players learn that only relevant details are included. Throw in any extraeous (not even confusing or misleading) details, and it will set player (including myself when I play versus dm) minds spinning.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Another, separate way to do this is with a prop. I collected rocks as a kid...and I have some cool and strange looking ones. I can only imagine their reactions if , amongst the treasure they find on someone (be it BBEG or single low level normal orc), I handed them a real world rock and said, &quot;and also this&quot;.&nbsp;We'd spend a good hour talking about that rock. &nbsp;&quot;Does it detect as magic?&quot; &quot;No.&quot;&quot;Do any of my knowledge skills tell me what it is?&quot;(checks for relevant, and unlikely skill of stonemasonry or geology.)&quot;No.&quot;&quot;What does it feel like when I touch it.&quot;&quot;Here, take it. It feels just like this.&quot;&nbsp;and so on...</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Aberzanzorax, post: 5192341, member: 64209"] [b]Smaller doses and red herrings.[/b] I'm running the Drow War Campaign...(minimal spoilers below, but ye've been warned). The players are in a "stonehenge like" circle when dark gobllins crawl out of shadows...but they crawl out as if pulling themselves out of darkness. Each of them is bathed in wisps of black and their right hands look even darker, as if they had just dipped them into a vat of oil or tar. Game rules: these were completely normal goblins apart from appearance, the way they came into view, that they had "infinite" javelins made of shadowstuff (i.e. 5 javelins each), and that they melted into pools of black oil when they died (normal "difficult terrain" as per dead body). But every single thing was a red herring, in reality...or to be more accurate, an enriched detail meant to color the encounter, but not actually causing game effects. The players? They were FAR more afraid of these goblins than any goblins I've ever seen. Heck, they were probably more afraid of them than they would have been of shadows. Avoiding puddles of oily black stuff? (Oh, yeah, gotta mark those on the map). You got it. In my experience, players learn that only relevant details are included. Throw in any extraeous (not even confusing or misleading) details, and it will set player (including myself when I play versus dm) minds spinning. Another, separate way to do this is with a prop. I collected rocks as a kid...and I have some cool and strange looking ones. I can only imagine their reactions if , amongst the treasure they find on someone (be it BBEG or single low level normal orc), I handed them a real world rock and said, "and also this". We'd spend a good hour talking about that rock. "Does it detect as magic?" "No." "Do any of my knowledge skills tell me what it is?" (checks for relevant, and unlikely skill of stonemasonry or geology.) "No." "What does it feel like when I touch it." "Here, take it. It feels just like this." and so on... [/QUOTE]

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