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Message: <blockquote data-quote="KarinsDad" data-source="post: 6577228" data-attributes="member: 2011">Merriam Webster: Whim - a sudden wish, desire, decision, etc. (other sources have similar definitions, e.g. an impulsive idea).The key aspect of this is "sudden". Sure, you make an informed decision. But it is not a decision that you plan before the game even starts, it's a sudden decision based on the events at the table. Hence, a whim. This does indeed make it seem arbitrary. It's not fixed by the rules of the game, but depends on the discretion of the DM and is solely based on his preference combined with the situation at hand. Even if you have a system for this (I only do this in x situations), it's still arbitrary if you do not do it every time that particular scenario comes up.This is different than a DM who changes the hit points ahead of time to create an encounter difficulty. That is not arbitrary. That's planned.Whims can be irrational, but they do not have to be. Many NPC decisions are whims of the DM. Attack this PC or that PC. The DM can elucidate a rational reason for it (the monster is attacking the lightly armored PC), but most monsters should typically attack the closest PC (which is also a rational decision often made by real world troops, but a different decision). Both are whims, but not necessarily irrational whims.Most people make informed decisions, but if they do it on the fly without a set procedure or process ahead of time defining when they do it, it's a whim.</blockquote>

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