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<blockquote data-quote="Frum" data-source="post: 1498250" data-attributes="member: 6256">Dealing with hard encountersI would agree with some of the other posters on easy encounters.&nbsp; If the encounter is too easy, let the players win easily, and perhaps add another encounter if they get too cocky.If the encounter is too hard, then it depends on the importance of the encounter.&nbsp; If the encounter is a 'setpiece' combat, I would let the chips fall where they may.&nbsp; I find that players appreciate their victories that much more if they are hard won, and won fairly.If the encounter is simply a random encounter, where the results don't matter too much, and the players are outgunned because of your faulty design, I would say that it is worth it to give the player characters an out, if the players can think of one.For example, in my last session the player characters had just retrieved a fragment from a religious relic they have been searching for from one part of a major thieves' guild.&nbsp; The characters forgot to check for traps when looting treasure, and because of strength damage, two of the six were incapacitated and helpless.The characters took their friends to a safe place in the city, and they planned to leave the city that evening, after getting some provisions and replenishing supplies.&nbsp; I expected that, and there was a chance that a scouting group from the thieves' guild would find them after they went shopping.&nbsp; The encounter was designed for the six of them to handle-but only two of them went shopping.&nbsp; Unfortunately for them, the two characters faced an encounter designed for six.I didn't think that was really fair, and they faced very likely death.&nbsp; But, one of the players decided to have his character call for guards, rather than stupidly fight the thieves.&nbsp; I rolled some chances, and in the third round of combat, the guards arrived to take care of the thieves.&nbsp; The characters only had to fight for the two rounds and survive.&nbsp; I reward that kind of thinking.Now, considering that the characters were wanted fugitives in the city, the adventure got more complicated from there, but you see what I mean.&nbsp; I think.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Frum, post: 1498250, member: 6256"] [b]Dealing with hard encounters[/b] I would agree with some of the other posters on easy encounters. If the encounter is too easy, let the players win easily, and perhaps add another encounter if they get too cocky. If the encounter is too hard, then it depends on the importance of the encounter. If the encounter is a 'setpiece' combat, I would let the chips fall where they may. I find that players appreciate their victories that much more if they are hard won, and won fairly. If the encounter is simply a random encounter, where the results don't matter too much, and the players are outgunned because of your faulty design, I would say that it is worth it to give the player characters an out, if the players can think of one. For example, in my last session the player characters had just retrieved a fragment from a religious relic they have been searching for from one part of a major thieves' guild. The characters forgot to check for traps when looting treasure, and because of strength damage, two of the six were incapacitated and helpless. The characters took their friends to a safe place in the city, and they planned to leave the city that evening, after getting some provisions and replenishing supplies. I expected that, and there was a chance that a scouting group from the thieves' guild would find them after they went shopping. The encounter was designed for the six of them to handle-but only two of them went shopping. Unfortunately for them, the two characters faced an encounter designed for six. I didn't think that was really fair, and they faced very likely death. But, one of the players decided to have his character call for guards, rather than stupidly fight the thieves. I rolled some chances, and in the third round of combat, the guards arrived to take care of the thieves. The characters only had to fight for the two rounds and survive. I reward that kind of thinking. Now, considering that the characters were wanted fugitives in the city, the adventure got more complicated from there, but you see what I mean. I think. [/QUOTE]

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