Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Imaculata" data-source="post: 6782499" data-attributes="member: 6801286">Excellent question. I admit, it is a gray area.Adding extra HP is a one time thing. You might notice that perhaps you may have given a monster insufficient stats to provide a fun and exciting fight, so you boost its maximum hitpoints. This does not negate the damage of the players entirely. It just means that the fight will last a few rounds longer, and will allow the monster to at least do something to provide a fun fight. However, I'm against negating the way the dice fall. If a monster fails to hit a player, due to their armor class, then it would ruin the fun of the players if I would fudge in favor of the monster (by pretending it hit, when it really didn't). After all, armor class is there to prevent damage. What would be the point if the DM constantly ruled in favor of the monster? It would make armor class and attacks bonusses useless. I'm also not going to pretend the players missed a monster, when it fact it was a perfect hit. And if the monster rolls pathetically for the damage of its spell, then thats tough luck for him.As a storyteller, I am secretly on the side of the players. The monsters are there to die, and they are all living on borrowed time. I'm not going to allow a monster to escape, when the dice say that the players win. That would be robbing the players of their victory. When I boost the maximum hitpoints of a monster, I don't feel like I am robbing them of their victory though. I'm just delaying their inevitable victory, to provide more game play. It has to be in service of more fun, and never the opposite.This also extends to monster tactics. I've often made a monster switch targets, just to provide a more meaningful challenge to all the players, and to spare a player that was already down. The monster can be as clever or stupid as I want it to be, for the purpose of providing my players with a fun fight. Having the giant spider boss choose a strategy that is far from optimal, is perfectly fine, as long as the players are having fun.</blockquote>

Verification