Cheating DM: Puzzles

I often create puzzles that I don't know the answer to. I drag it out until just a HINT of frustration sets in amd then BANG,next good idea from players is the answer! In 37 tears they never caught on to this.

Cheating DM: Puzzles

I often create puzzles that I don't know the answer to. I drag it out until just a HINT of frustration sets in amd then BANG,next good idea from players is the answer!

OSR creature 5(?) Black Cat (boss fight)

Ok for session 5 Im planning a big boss fight with a mystical Black Cat. 18 ac 9 hp(as an effect it teleports away when missed. Great spell resistance.

It will purr and rub against them as traps appear wandering monsters attack them cave ins and spears fly out of nowhere

Really looking forward to this one!

DM Rant Ten: The PCs Are HEROES!

Even at first L , the PCs are special, even if you are running a gritty city game the PCs are something head and shoulders above the rabble. Fame should be just around the corner for them. They are the Apex Preditors, treat them as such!

New Monster: Stone Throwing Devils

Ok can't give you detailed stats on these, more like guidelines.

They look like typical devils 1-2' tall ,dead black in color, they would be very stealthy except for their incessant chattering.

They are a swarm and due to their great speed will surround and swirl around the party getting three attacks against each party member per round for minor damage each attack (poss totaling significant damage total over round). there is a 80% chance per attack that they will work major mischief on 25% of the party instead of damage(switching weapons, pulling down pants , stealing shields etc.) AC should be about chain(even thou they are super fast, they are unarmored and densely packed) Use group HP and make it sugnifigant. at about 60% damage they will all make prank attacks and then run away.

(yes they are based on the MTG card)

The Cheating DM: Player Death

Ok so we've established my cheating ways. How do I justify player death? The short answer is mostly I can't. I haven't killed a PC in the longest time. There actually have been complaints. Came very close this week thou, critical hit on Stone Mage put him 1 hp from death. It's something I've grown so soft on. I almost always reserve PC death to poor playing and very special boss encounters (That I have completely stated out) The 21 yr old me would be MYSTIFIED by the games I run today. I am planning on bringing back the "soirit a littel thou. We'll all see if I pull the trigger on this.

The Cheating DM: Dice rolls

Ok we've already established I play fast and loose with my monsters, so what about the dice?

I view the dice as a guideline, not set in stone. I don't even often give my monsters a set to hit number. It's almost like I do "high/low", but not completely. I take into account AC, a bit.I've had a very few canny players realize this and always go with Con instead of Dex. They tried to share the wisdom but luckily for me, they were unable to impart this wisdom. I extend this to the players to some degree. Last night I played and the cleric was rolling terrible on his channels. He rolled particularly low on his last one(6 on three D6). So with my eternal motto of "What does it cost me?" I let him reroll(he got an 8 the second time). I will often do this with a player who has been consistently rolling low damage, again "what does it cost me?" The players will even say "What does it cost you?" in supplication, usually I'll give in.

Monster saving throws are tricky with this, I am very inclined for monsters to "fail" rolls that involve damage.
Saves that lead to minor penalties to hit and damage are also likely to fail.

Don't let the dice get between you and a good game.

That's all for today got a lousy nights sleep and there is housework to do!

The Cheating DM: Monster Hp and Awarding Kills

Ok in all but the most complex of battles , I almost never give HP to monsters. I just sort of wing it. I've got three basic categories, "Orcs, Ogres, Boss"

"Orcs" are your basic cannon fodder. 1-2 hits are a kill unless the players roll really bad, don't pay much attention to how much they do for the most part.

"Ogres" are your Gnoll Chieftain's, your bugbears your minor boss etc. These usually I let die after 35-50 Hp mostly 3-6 hits or so. I am fairly careful to regulate kills on these types.

"Bosses" have a huge range till they die, usually I'll wait till the party has used about 75-90% of their resources before it drops. Sometimes if the players have a great plan I'll let it die like a chump.

Now there is one rule I use with this, if I am winging the encounter (like usual) I don't kill pcs. Never. PC death I reserve for Major encounters that are carefully planned out and can with bad play lead to a TPK. This should be reserved for the rarest occasion, when the stakes are very high.

This being said my #1 ability I possess are my compelling combats, it's s much easier to do when the fight ends pretty much exactly when I want it to I am the KING of railroading DMs but remember I was able to sustain a 31 year long campaign this way. This way is prob for very advanced DMs but it is quite liberating.

Carefully award kills and spread the wealth!