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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 3225846" data-attributes="member: 143">Well, that assumes that they "won" the fight. After all, some weird stuff happened there at the end. But fair enough; I'll address your example of this battle in game terms. But let me begin by saying that I'm not going to change the style of the story, and if it bothers you that much (and if my reply below does not sit well with you), then things will probably get worse, not better, for you as the story moves forward. Even in my P&P and NWN games, as a DM I tend to play fast and loose with the "rules" when it suits the story. My NWN games, in particular, tend to be a lot like this story, with desperate last-minute victories pulled out against seemingly insurmountable odds. Sometimes I make it too tough or too easy, and I have to nudge things one way or the other on the fly. Don't tell my players, they'll think I've gone soft. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" /> Luckily there are other stories and campaign journals here that hew more closely to the actual D&D ruleset and take fewer liberties with the dice, if that is your preference. *pulls up the hood with a loud creak*The vrock could have easily stayed behind after taking that crit from Dar. It was due up for a full attack that most likely could have done both Talen and Dar in rather easily (5 attacks, the lowest at +13 [i.e. not likely to miss much against AC17 for both opponents], average total damage output 46 points with all hits). In case it isn't clear from the description, Dar's putting at least a full points of PA on almost every single swing now. But after the demon's DR (remember, Valor is Lawful, not Good), it really didn't take all that much damage, even factoring in the bonus damage from the axiomatic nature of the sword, and the rather garish description of the hit. I don't remember how much PA I figured for this attack, but say +4, for [1d8+7 (STR) +8 (PA) +1 (sword) +2 (WS) ] x2, +2d6 axiomatic, -10 (DR), for 42 damage (assuming average damage on each roll). The apes and centipede delayed it, but didn't do any real damage (the centipede could have done 1 point on average after DR). Varo got in two hits on the demon, a readied inflict critical wounds and an inflict serious just before it kicked the crap out of him. He saved the first for it to touch him, thus defeating the mirror image. Once he took the hit, he should have fallen back, but he stayed and hit it with the second spell, and then took a full attack, which you saw the results of in the story. Let's say both beat SR but it made its save (+10 Will against DC 17/16) vs. the first spell, and got unlucky and failed on the second. So it took 4d8+7/2 (12) and 3d8+7 (20). We're just lucky that Good is in short supply with the DBs, or that extra +4 AC and on saves from the aura in the temple would have likely been insurmountable. Okay, writing this has reminded me of why I keep the mechanics in the background.  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />  I've probably missed a few things but that's basically what happened. So after the crit the demon was knocked down to maybe 41hp from 115 originally. Many sentient creatures would flee after taking more than 2/3rds damage, but vrocks' "deep love of battle frequently leads them into melee combats against heavy odds", and it was smart enough to know that its two remaining adversaries were on the brink of death, and not likely to get another chance to attack it. So why'd it leave? As you'll recall, the spectre suddenly dropped out right before this battle as well (if it had been there, the DBs would have had no chance at all). So ultimately the answer is literary rather than mechanical, there's more going on here behind the scenes, and we certainly haven't seen the last of the vrock. Story update in a few moments.</blockquote>

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