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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Samnell" data-source="post: 3767949" data-attributes="member: 130">I think it's entirely reasonable for players to viscerally hate NPCs that break the rules in the ways that PCs would never be allowed to do. As a matter of fact, I think it's to be expected. The entire practice reeks of DM cheating. The DM gets to use all the toys the players get, but he also gets these other toys that the players can never have. And by the way, his job is to provide your antagonists. It breaks the social contract of the game.My firm position is that if the DM is going to break the rules, and is going to say that the players can never break the rules that way, then he'd best an incredibly good reason. I don't think, generally speaking, designers should ever do it. Not in core rules and not in campaign settings.This is actually one of the things that's turning me off on 4e. Mearls et al have decided to break the social contract with the entire text of a core rulebook.</blockquote>