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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Imaculata" data-source="post: 8225547" data-attributes="member: 6801286">Or the party doesn't want to run, or the party thinks the opponent will catch up to them, or the party thinks they can beat the foe, or the party thinks there will be dire consequences if they flee.All of these are reasonable thoughts for the party to have. I think designing an encounter where the party 'must do x' is flawed thinking, and likely to result in disaster. D&D is a game that is all about choices. As the DM you are their window to the world, they know only what you tell them. So it is up to you as a DM to provide enough information so that they can make informed choices.As a DM, I consider it my duty to present my players with a diverse set of challenges and options, not solutions. I don't throw them into a situation where they 'must run away from the Balrog', because if I did, I might as well be playing the game by myself. Fighting the Balrog should also be an option. And maybe avoiding the Balrog is an option too. I simply frame the scene, while presuming no specific course of action on the part of my players. The design philosophy of 'You must do X to not die' does not fit in D&D in my opinion.So although my players can run into a very VERY tough opponent that is not level appropriate, I will never make the fight unbeatable. Who knows? Perhaps the players come up with a clever strategy that turns the odds in their favor. And speaking from experience, my players do this ALL the time!</blockquote>

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