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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Midknightsun" data-source="post: 4011450" data-attributes="member: 46459">Okay, I see what you're saying, and perhaps I didn't clarify my point.  The point I was attempting to make, is that we, as players, knew from a previous encounter with two mind flayers that the law of averages was against us.  We got blasted repeatedly in that first encounter until half of us were down. . . . and pretty much removed from the fight for its entire duration.  It was only my character (an Elan Fighter/Psion), and the Psion (Nomad) who were left after the first round of blasting, the other two out of the fight before they began.  This wasn't tense, it sucked because one bad roll meant we were helpless for a good 1/2 hour or more of game time.  Had it been a couple rounds, then I might not see it as as much of an issue.  It was, IMHO, overkill as far as the duration that one was stunned on one bad save against a (fairly high DC) mind blast.  It was a virtual foregone conclusion that 5 flayers would have eaten us for lunch, no ifs, ands, or buts.  There was no challenge or tension in meeting 5 flayers.  There was only "you gotta be kidding?" ringing through our heads.  Our odds of succeeding, or even living through that scenario was a virtual zero.  When the odds are stacked aginst me in that obvious of a manner its not a tension inducing moment, its a damn shame.  Had he dropped Terrasque in front of us, it wouldn't have been a far cry worse.  The DM letting us run away was purely a judgement call on his part, as we were surrounded  and maybe an admission that we were in over our heads.  He could have easily called for initiative and probably zapped us before we got out the door.  Now perhaps he didnt intend for us to take them on, but in talking to him, I don't think that was the case.  I think he vastly overestimated our capability to succeed over and over again against a repetitive attack that, once failed against, completely took a player (and eventually all players) out of the action.  And, as our numbers inevitably dwindled from incapacitation, and with Minotaurs behind us, there was just no way. . . period, short of a major fluke of nature in our favor (and if you knew our group, you'd realize this wasn't in the cards).  Now, if that mind blast lasted 1d4 rounds, I might not feel the same way.  At least there would have been a fair chance of someone snapping out of it to rejoin the fray at some useful point in the combat, but as it is currently, there is only tension up and until you fail that save, and then you're done for the combat (and for our other two players, it meant they didn't even get to participate in the only fight of the night other than to make one d20 roll.)Now, as long as it doesn't happen often, I can suck up having to run for my life like my mom just found out a broke her favorite vase, but the pure feeling of complete and utter inability to even participate as a player after one failed roll, for the entirety of a D&D combat (which are often far too long for my tastes) is just not fun.  That's why we ran.  And, yes, it was mostly a metagame reason.  Were combats more easily resolved, it might lighten my dislike of this a bit, but 3-12 rounds of sit out and watch isn't particularly fun to any of our players, nor to me.</blockquote>

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