Thread: Killing PCs
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Old 10-12-2018, 08:52 AM   #23
Bruno
 
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Canada
Default Re: Killing PCs

Orcs should be kinda rough on low level PCs due to similar CRs -> character levels, but the CR system is hinkey and spiky [1] monsters are just difficult no matter what.

The general "rule" is that reduced randomness favors players, and increased randomness favors monsters. Random crits and random hitlocations hurt PCs more - if you blow a monsters leg off or get a 3x damage random crit to its skull, well, the GM has more orcs where that one came from. The GM doesn't even have the "penalty" of having to go through character creation or xeroxing a sheet or anything. Similarly, when Og Random Orc fumbles and drops his axe on his foot, it's just funny.

Players may really like dealing out critical hits and hitting brains, but they don't like critical failures, being the victim of a critical hit, or the frustration of failing multiple attacks... only to finally land a minimum damage attack and have it all soaked by DR.

I don't rescue players from ridiculous ideas, but I will warn them. Repeatedly. In game and out. I will give players enough rope to hang their PCs, but only while giving them the Health And Safety Lecture about the risks of tying nooses and wearing them like neckties.

That one time my players decided to investigate corpses being dug up and eaten in the graveyard. At night. Without a light source. Without a cleric or paladin. Without even Holy Water. They then cast Light on a Dull Grey Ioun Stone (a rock that orbits your head like your own personal Moon), walked into the middle of the graveyard, and had a loud argument, with no guard posted.

I'd questioned their plan repeatedly. I rolled to see if the ghouls heard them. I gave them some Per checks to smell ghoul stink and plenty of Perception checks to hear the ghouls sneaking up on them, but they'd built a low Wis party (... matched the players).

I'd also questioned a party where everyone had low Wis.

We gamed out the fight, because that gave them a chance to try and rescue themselves. Didn't work.

I don't go out of my way to kill PCs, but natural selection is a thing in my games.

[1] As in monsters where you chart their damage from turn to turn and it's this stable line until it suddenly spikes and you get 42 damage on the Beguiler. For example. Not as in porcupines [2]

[2] I do lament the lack of Dire Porcupines in D&D. They could have had them shoot quills as in the myth, because it's not like Dire Porcupines make any sense anyways.
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