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Message: <blockquote data-quote="airwalkrr" data-source="post: 6583435" data-attributes="member: 12460">I would, and I have. Of course the situation varies on the experience of the PCs and the type of game they are expecting. I have done so in the Adventurers League for Tier 1 adventures where the players are new when the fight turns against them solely (IMO) because of really bad luck. In one situation, I rolled three natural 20s in a single round (there were quite a few enemies, but it was enough to take two PCs down). One PC died in that fight, but I felt it was unnecessary to potentially TPK the party which consisted of mostly new players, so I massaged the hp down a bit. I allowed enemies to go down if they fell to 1-5 hp. It seemed that one PC death was a powerful enough reminder of PC mortality, and I did not want to seem a mean-spirited DM to mostly new players.In my home campaign, things are different. I have seasoned players, most of whom have been playing for years, even decades. I roll behind a screen to keep my secrets, but I do not change things mid-fight. I allow the dice to fall where they may. My home campaign is a sandbox, and my players know this. They understand that sometimes they may stumble into a fight that they simply cannot defeat without incredible cost, so they usually try to research an area before delving or exploring it. Sometimes they find themselves in over their head because their information was not thoroughly researched or because they underestimated its difficulty, and discretion is the better part of valor, so they flee. On occasion a PC death has occurred due to bad luck, but my players understand this is part of the game. A few other PC deaths have occurred over the years, mostly due to player mistakes, foolishness, or poor planning. Again, my players accept this as part of the game and try to learn from their mistakes.It is not adversarial; it makes the world feel more real to them and myself. They have come to appreciate the fact that I am fair and that the world does not "level up" along with them. For the most part, we avoid "Adventure Paths" and other tailored challenges. When I do use them, I tailor them to the world, not my PCs. This usually involves quite a few changes to the order of the storyline.Incidentally, your OP seems to suggest that one would only adjust hp downward. I have done the opposite. Occasionally I am gauging monster CR and find its hp seems particularly low for its CR. I usually adjust the hp upward unless the creature has very special or unique special attacks or defenses. In these cases I might increase monster hp so that the fight seems a more appropriate challenge. This is especially common with templates applied to low CR monsters in 3e and PF.</blockquote>

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