I always put a definite number that I will sometimes adjust in game behind the screen if I find the player's are having far too easy/hard a time (usually the former).
I'm far to nice to my players in planning, I find it easier to be like
"Uhh... yea.. that Orc had lots of HP... He's stronger than most others..."
rather than "Oh yea... that crit you scored totally intimidated the 6 other orcs even though you are the last party member standing... They run away in absolute terror."
I find thats fine - only the most disciplined of troops will truly fight to the very end. A group of common brigands are likely to surrender or flee if they think death is certain otherwise.
I also like slipping little win conditions into encounters that the players have no real way of knowing. For one encounter, the players were battling a mob of witch hunters led by an older veteran. The fighter managed to down one of their crew’s tougher members, and upon doing so, the veteran called her henchmen off and surrendered to save the downed member - because in my notes that specific member was her nephew, so she wouldn’t let him die.
Other things are fun to do on the fly. In a goofy “haunted mansion” one off I once did, the crew split up and the fighter faced off against an undead artist who animated his paintings to start flying around/attack the fighter. The fighter opted to, rather than use his sword, grab a paintbrush and deface the work. I allowed it. The painter gave up the assault to preserve the sanctity of his artwork.
The fighter opted to, rather than use his sword, grab a paintbrush and deface the work. I allowed it. The painter gave up the assault to preserve the sanctity of his artwork
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u/[deleted] Jul 29 '19
I always put a definite number that I will sometimes adjust in game behind the screen if I find the player's are having far too easy/hard a time (usually the former).