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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Saeviomagy" data-source="post: 1923097" data-attributes="member: 5890">I have never seen these spells used in any other way, unless there was a good reason why capturing the enemy was necessary. So it's simple:Make capturing the enemy necessary.Frankly if you don't do this, you're an idiot. The spell will not keep people tied up forever. Unless they surrender once they're entangled, then duh people will try to deal with them.What other use does it have? Again - if you make capture more important than killing, you'll see less squishing of the poor guy afterwards, but apart from that... it's a save or be taken out of the fight spell.So, what, you expect people to give their target a -2 to saves just so they can then NOT force them to make saves? Again - if critters surrender or flee once crippled with blindness or the like, you won't see the combat happening afterwards.So, what, if you meet a single opponent and you paralyse him, you've all got to wait until he's unparalysed before you can kill him?Because you can't just leave him there - he'll come after you again in a few minutes.Frankly - who cares. Beyond that - first you want your PC's to be less bloodthirsty (no killing paralysed or crippled foes), then you try to make being less bloodthirsty the harder option. Make up your mind.Slow is certainly not a fight stopper. Neither is exhaustion or fatigue. Blindness may be, depending on the creature.In any case - what the hell are the party supposed to do if you just have the monster slog through it regardless?Scenario *Cast slow*. "Well, that's sorted, let's walk onto the next room while the spell wears off, so we're assaulted from in front AND behind".This sort of thing is entirely your fault. A greatsword in a bar fight means that instead of civil disorder, your PC's should be suffering a murder or attempted murder rap. Beyond that, drawing the thing should eithera) Quieten everyone down a whole lot - they were just having a friendly brawl, not a fight to the death.b) Escalate the thing into a fight to the death that goes both ways.Why? If you play NPCs who never surrender, then there's little point in not killing them as efficiently as possible.If the NPC's are as likely to surrender as fight, then your PC's can avoid 50% of fights by negotiating instead of sneaking, which means not blindsiding someone comes with a nice benefit.BST doesn't really work. Scry takes an hour to cast, may fail etc etc. Scry/buff/teleport is usually more likely, and even then it's not foolproof. Essentially if the bad guys are THAT susceptible to SBT, then they were never a challenge to your PC's in the first place.Yes.Instead of giving your PC's reason to act the way you think they should, you're asking them to remove their brains and act like morons.The fact that they're treating the game like a tactical wargame should tell you that you're doing one of the following. Ask them which, and then adjust.a) You're playing the monsters as though they're just there to die. They're sufficiently bland that the PC's want combat over and done with quickly.Solution - make your monsters into NPCs, not just cardboard cutouts to be knocked down. If you think the monsters are all gonna die, have them surrender. Give creatures important information the party needs. Have monsters ask the party to surrender. Have monsters let the party past. Award experience for monsters that the PC's successfully negotiate with, kill or threaten. Put real-world consequences in place for fights (PC's kill someone in a tavern brawl using a greatsword? The watch comes after them. PC's kill a man in the street - even if he attacks first? Have his brother come looking for them etc etc).b) You're making encounters tough enough that the PC's feel they must do this sort of thing to survive.Solution - tone it down a bit. Throw in some easier fights.c) Your PC's LIKE this type of play.Solution - get used to it, quit GMing, or make the other aspects of your campaign compelling enough to win them over to your point of view.Don't say "hey guys - for the purposes of this game, act like you can't think".</blockquote>

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