Scary Monsters.

[zylosan]

Kromm wrote this

"The good GM convinces PCs not to go after scary monsters by giving the monsters a bite to go with the bark. Making it clear to the players that they'll die on the first turn of combat is the right way to make monsters scary."

How do YOU go about conviencing your players in game that attempting X will be a real death trap rather than a heroic challenge that NPC's fear to take on but heros accept.

For example. If Bob and Tim are happly killing every "monster" they meet (school children, nuns, cattle, members of a disadvantaged ethnic heritage (orcs), etc. When Sid the NPC tells the characters that the cave ahead is home to a terrrible monster that no man can defeat. (small white rabbit being popular.) How do you distinguish this as a real GM warning that your going to die if you do this dumb ass rather than simply more flavor text. (said small white rabbit wiped out a quarter of the party before they wised up.)

[Crakkerjakk]

Let them encounter it in passing and let the dice fall where they may. It attacks a farmstead, they spot it and pursue, and it casually knocks one of them through a wall before disappearing into the night.

Also, If you don't have "casual combat encounters" in the first place, the players will be used to reconing all threats before they walk up and start a fight anyways.

[CousinX]

An evocative description can do it ... taking the time to describe what makes this creature more threatening than the last manticore or roomful of orcs will establish in their minds that this is something new, and looks badass, so should be approached with caution.

This works for creatures with a deceptive appearance as well, if the PCs are paying attention ("Look at the bones!")

[Gurps Fan]

First, give the PCs a very challenging foe, like a knight, ninja, combat android, you name it.

Second, let the PCs fight against him for a few turns, and make them realize it's quite a hard fight. (This step is optional if they already knows he's a difficult enemy.)

Third, enter the Scary Monster, and describe that it kills the "challenging foe" instantly in front of the PCs. Eat him in a single gulp, petrify him with a mere gaze, tear him apart with touch of finger, or whatever.

This is my "run away!" signal.

[Nymdok]

Build up and secrecy.

I generally advise not letting the PCs encounter the 'rabbit' until its plot appropriate. Untill then, only show the destruction/carnage/whatever that might give them pause.

Once the 'rabbit' shows up, the pcs are going to want to have a go, its in the nature of PCs and fundamental to moving the story along. Only let it happen when YOU as the GM think its a good time.

In the standard 'keyed encounter' adventure, this is normally done by keeping the 'rabbit' on the 'bottom level' of the adventrue. As adventures have a tendency to be more plot driven these days, have several possible encounter locations in mind, that way the rabbit can show up at a time and place that YOU choose. This way, you still get a nice story, the players should still get a heckuva fight, and if you select your optional encouter areas carefully, it can all make seamless sense to the players. A good example of this is the old Ravenloft module (I6 I think it is) where you can potentially have strahd show up where ever you need him to (or where ever the cards say he should show up).

If you leave that controll to the players, unkind dice can leave PCs or 'rabbits' dead before their time.

Nymdok

[teviet]

After going through a few characters, players usually learn to investigate their foes before provoking an attack.

TeV

[Luke Bunyip]

Let Bob and Tim meet Larry, Harry and Fred down the local inn. They can either exchange stories "Watch out for abbotesses, they are really good and throwing hymn books", or they can have a non fatal brawl. Whatever the outcome, let the players establish that Larry, Harry and Fred are major NPCs.

Now, later on, they can hear (either from LHF or some obliging community gossip), that LHF have been contracted to go kill a fluffy white bunny. If the players decide that THEY are going to go kill the bunny, fine. But when they get to the bunnies lair (umm, *cough* burrow) the PCs find the mutilated remains of LHF. Maybe a shattered spear, a broken sword, stoved in helm....