To Kill or Not to Kill?

[Immortal Sun]

The "above info" takes chance out of the equation. It's akin to resolving a Strength contest simply by comparing Strength scores. Not that there's anything wrong with doing so. That seems to be as valid a means of resolving Strength contests as any other.

When I run a chase, I divide each participant's speed by 5 feet to get their "speed modifier." I then make the chase a contested roll using 1d20 + "speed modifier" + proficiency modifier if proficient with an appropriate skill: Athletics for running, climbing, leaping and swimming; Acrobatics for hurdling obstacles.

That's the quick and dirty version, so I can resolve them as easily as a grapple. I have a more in-depth version for when I want to run them as a sort of skill challenge, but the quick version works for most scenarios.

WAT.

Hold on, let me quote myself.

You can choose move and take an action that may affect your enemy's ability to follow or you can Run.

There's the chance, right there. Do you choose to do something that might slow down your enemy, or do you do just keep running?

 

[MechaPilot]

Was it better that the character survived? I think so. I’m not saying killing PCs is bad, I’ve done it plenty times, including two TPKs, but in this instance it did not serve the greater story (for my table I thought). BUT in order for me to justify the PC surviving there had to be some sort of cost.

The PC lost a masterwork shortsword and an animal companion, he was humiliated, gained a personal enemy and learned a valuable lesson about the deadliness of orogs. Earlier in the session I had a Troll sunder his masterwork bow. That cost was sufficient for me, maybe next time I'm not as lenient and demand a higher cost or maybe there is no next time.

As DMs we face these kinds of decisions/choices often. I find that the way I might run such a scenario very much depends on the campaign and the particular situation.

I'd be curious to hear from DMs, but especially players what they think of when the PCs are, for lack of a better description, let off the hook.
Do they feel cheated? relieved? Does the fiction need to make sense and/or there to be an appropriate cost? Some other requirement?

As a DM, but also as a Player, I think the way you handled that was fine. The orog, who presumably enjoys torturing his prey when he can, took to toying with the ranger when he felt he had the ability to kill him at his leisure. Sounds in-character for a creature like that.

The PC escaped, but there was a price for it. That also sounds fine. Choices were made, and those choices had consequences; strong ones. Sure, the PC may have survived when he shouldn't have, but there was a cost for his survival. In any work of fiction, a character losing a good companion and a fine weapon just to come out alive, but not victorious, is a harrowing day for that hero.

 

[MechaPilot]

WAT.

Hold on, let me quote myself.

There's the chance, right there. Do you choose to do something that might slow down your enemy, or do you do just keep running?

The PC is using her normal movement speed versus double the movement speed of a pursuer (movement speed + movement speed again for the dash action). If both parties have the same speed (generally 30 feet for a PC), and if the PC's action reduces the pursuer's speed by half, then there's simply no change in the distance between them. The pursuer would have to both be hindered by the fleeing PC and choose to do something other than dash toward the object of its pursuit for the gap between them to change.

And that's assuming they move at the same speed. Most of the foes in the monster manual have speeds that exceed those of the PC races by at least 10 feet. In some cases, these foes have almost double the PCs speed. If a PC flees at 30 feet and successfully hinders pursuit to half speed, a pursuer with a 40 foot speed taking the dash action will gain 10 feet on the fleeing PC. A hindered pursuer with a 50 foot speed will gain 20 feet on the fleeing PC.

And all that, of course, assumes the hindering attempt is successful.

Unless your hindering rule reduces the pursuer's movement by more than half, or reduces movement and prevents taking a Dash action, a fleeing PC is never going to widen the gap between her and a pursuer of equal or greater movement speed, and movement speed isn't determined by chance. Thus, chance is removed from the equation.

 

[Imaculata]

I think you handled it just fine. There was a price to pay, but the price wasn't the death of the pc. Instead, you allowed play to continue, and gave the player a good reason to want revenge on his new nemesis.

 

[Draegn]

I agree with other posters that what happened was fine, for, the story continued and an additional plot arc was created. I wonder if the possibility of the ranger and orog becoming friends exists?

In my game our paladin has been captured and ransomed by a robber knight three times now, twice with her men. All this due to a combination of bad luck with the dice, failed planning, splitting of the party and her wizardly backup player running away during combat.

This happened at second, sixth and eleventh level for the paladin. Now the other players ask about her "boyfriend", and if he will ever kill her. To which I reply stop filling her cloak with silver, boots with electrum, helm with gold and gloves with gems and jewelry and find out.

Jynefer (character name) is determined to reclaim all the treasure along with her personal effects that were taken. If she is captured a fourth time would you make it final, continue the "dueling" or something else?

Her character portrait

 

[Wiseblood]

Sadras, you should be proud you turned a dice disaster into a dynamic situation filled with emotional impact.