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<blockquote data-quote="James Gasik" data-source="post: 9182857" data-attributes="member: 6877472">I will say that while I've used &quot;Quantum Ogres&quot; (and their cousins, Quantum Encounters) in the past, where I adjust things based on what the players do, it always felt like me to be cheating.It's not really cheating, per se.&nbsp; But I presented the world, and set the parameters for the challenge, and the players, through pluck, ingenuity, or dumb luck, overcome the challenge more easily than expected.&nbsp; I got some advice from a more experienced DM that basically came down to:&quot;Step back.&nbsp; Look at the situation.&nbsp; Ask yourself if this affects the world.&nbsp; Were there survivors to tell the tale?&nbsp; Is there a greater scope villain who will have to step up their plans as a result of this?&nbsp; If not, you always have more challenges. Let the players have their win.From this, I took a &quot;let the dice fall where they may&quot; approach.&nbsp; I always roll openly, so my players know I'm not fudging them*.&nbsp; Sometimes, this has led to encounters getting out of hand, but the players usually surprise me, so I've yet to lose more than one PC at a time.&nbsp; *If I'm going to fudge, I tell the players what I'm going to do.&nbsp; If I made a mistake, I'll offer compensation.&nbsp; If the encounter had an unfair element, I'll promise not to do it again.&nbsp; It's not really a big deal to overturn a death that shouldn't have happened if I had my head screwed on right.&nbsp; And if I'm having a hot streak of crits, I've been known to look at a crit rolled against someone on low hit points, say &quot;nope&quot;, and reroll it (I call it &quot;DM Inspiration&quot;, lol).&nbsp; Because defeating PC's is easy.&nbsp; You can always set up a no win situation.The challenge of the Dungeonmaster, in my opinion, is twofold.&nbsp; Make things that are challenging, but not beyond the party's ability (unless properly telegraphed- you want to go fight the red dragon at level 2, I'll let you know I think that's a bad idea, and let you do what you will), and above all else, make the game enjoyable.If someone wants maximum difficulty and the assurance that PC death is not a possibility, but a certainty, I know a few DM's who will happily rip up or burn the sheets of their dead characters in front of their faces, and put a stamp on their DM's screen with a hearty laugh.&nbsp; I don't take pride in that sort of thing because I find it detrimental.&nbsp; I want characters who have grown, developed as people, and have connections to the peoples and places they encounter.&nbsp; Sure, characters can (and will) die, but that's not my preferred outcome.&nbsp; I've seen adventures end, campaigns stop cold, and players just lose interest and move onto other pursuits because a character died.&nbsp; Plus now I have the hassle of working in the new PC when there might not be a good spot to introduce them, and everyone will have to gladly accept this stranger out of the blue as their new bosom companion!**I know there are ways to combat this by introducing NPC allies and the like.&nbsp; But when you're storming an Ice Giant fortress miles from anywhere, introducing &quot;Bob the Fighter you all met five sessions ago&quot; suspends belief, lol.But that's just part of my preferred style.&nbsp; Some like it, some don't.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="James Gasik, post: 9182857, member: 6877472"] I will say that while I've used "Quantum Ogres" (and their cousins, Quantum Encounters) in the past, where I adjust things based on what the players do, it always felt like me to be cheating. It's not really cheating, [I]per se[/I]. But I presented the world, and set the parameters for the challenge, and the players, through pluck, ingenuity, or dumb luck, overcome the challenge more easily than expected. I got some advice from a more experienced DM that basically came down to: "Step back. Look at the situation. Ask yourself if this affects the world. Were there survivors to tell the tale? Is there a greater scope villain who will have to step up their plans as a result of this? If not, [I]you always have more challenges[/I]. Let the players have their win. From this, I took a "let the dice fall where they may" approach. I always roll openly, so my players know I'm not fudging them*. Sometimes, this has led to encounters getting out of hand, but the players usually surprise me, so I've yet to lose more than one PC at a time. *If I'm going to fudge, I tell the players what I'm going to do. If I made a mistake, I'll offer compensation. If the encounter had an unfair element, I'll promise not to do it again. It's not really a big deal to overturn a death that shouldn't have happened if I had my head screwed on right. And if I'm having a hot streak of crits, I've been known to look at a crit rolled against someone on low hit points, say "nope", and reroll it (I call it "DM Inspiration", lol). Because defeating PC's is easy. You can always set up a no win situation. The challenge of the Dungeonmaster, in my opinion, is twofold. Make things that are challenging, but not beyond the party's ability (unless properly telegraphed- you want to go fight the red dragon at level 2, I'll let you know I think that's a bad idea, and let you do what you will), and above all else, make the game enjoyable. If someone wants maximum difficulty and the assurance that PC death is not a possibility, but a certainty, I know a few DM's who will happily rip up or burn the sheets of their dead characters in front of their faces, and put a stamp on their DM's screen with a hearty laugh. I don't take pride in that sort of thing because I find it detrimental. I want characters who have grown, developed as people, and have connections to the peoples and places they encounter. Sure, characters can (and will) die, but that's not my preferred outcome. I've seen adventures end, campaigns stop cold, and players just lose interest and move onto other pursuits because a character died. Plus now I have the hassle of working in the new PC when there might not be a good spot to introduce them, and everyone will have to gladly accept this stranger out of the blue as their new bosom companion!* *I know there are ways to combat this by introducing NPC allies and the like. But when you're storming an Ice Giant fortress miles from anywhere, introducing "Bob the Fighter you all met five sessions ago" suspends belief, lol. But that's just part of my preferred style. Some like it, some don't. [/QUOTE]

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