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Message: <blockquote data-quote="FormerlyHemlock" data-source="post: 6573166" data-attributes="member: 6787650">Yes, it is. He's on your side of the "fudging" fence, he just does it in a different way. I wouldn't do that kind of fudging either.Here's an anecdote from the no-fudging side:Mid-level PCs (2-8th level) previously got their clock cleaned by a Death Slaad and lost some equipment. Necromancer PC decides to go back on his own to get his gear back, with an army of undead that he raised from a bunch of crucified goblins and such in a haunted castle nearby (long story). There are two players with no PCs in-scene so I assign them to play the Death Slaad and his army of Enkidu, respectively. The battle goes well for the necromancer; he's forted up in a tower and the Enkidus and Death Slaad are trying to get into, but he lands a lucky Bestow Curse (Wis-based stunning) on the Death Slaad just as the Death Slaad turns himself invisible while entering the now-breached tower door. All the undead in the tower swarm the Slaad, who is now invisible and very difficult to damage, as the Enkidu swarm into the tower as well. The Death Slaad fails his saves for three rounds in a row, which (combined with Chill Touch suppressing regeneration) is enough to reduce the Slaad to a handful of HP, I think 2. At this point, the Slaad makes his save and gets an action, which will be "Plane Shift away from this deadly place!" I should mention that the Slaad is now wearing the PC's Robe of the Neutral Archmagi which he is desperate to get back.So everyone declares actions... it turns out that 4 of the undead hit the Slaad, any one of which will kill him... but the Slaad rolls well on initiative, and only 1 of those undead is going to be fast enough to tag him before he Plane Shifts away... but there are Enkidu attacking the skeletons as well, and some of them are going to take out some of the skeletons this turn, so those Enkidu need to roll initiative as well, just as soon as the necromancer player declares which of "his" skeletons was the fast one that is actually going to take down the Slaad this turn. Necro player was really, really nervous knowing that everything was riding on this one decision.To make a long story short, once all the rolls were made, it turned out that the hero skeleton wasn't even hit by any of the Enkidu that turn, so he killed the Death Slaad in time to prevent it from teleporting away. The Death Slaad turned back into Slaad form (he'd been impersonating an Enkidu Ensi), the morale of the Enkidu broke when they saw their leader turn into a giant, dead toad, and the combat was over. Lots of drama riding on that roll there, and zero fudging involved[1]--I wasn't even playing the Slaad, I was just refereeing! Everything really did hinge on that one skeleton's fate at the end.My point: anecdotes don't prove anything. You can have memorable moments no matter which style you choose. IMO they are more memorable when they are provably genuine, but YMMV obviously.[1] Except to whatever extent the players themselves might have been underplaying the Enkidus and Slaads, which by definition they must be okay with. I think the Enkidus might have been deliberately underplayed a little (player didn't want to hammer the necromancer too badly, focused on the undead), but given that they have an Int of 7 I am okay with a little tactical stupidity from them.</blockquote>

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