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Ghostwheel Ghostwheel 29 November 2009
5

The Role of "Monsters" in Combat

Something that a GM needs to remember when designing foes for the players - especially foes created using the same rules the players use (humanoid enemies with class levels), is the difference in role between a PC and an enemy.

A PC sticks around. He faces, (in theory) on average, four encounters a day, every day. Generally, the player who makes him is planning on playing him for the duration of the campaign. The PC is created with the intent to live.

An enemy doesn't last all that long. One direct encounter and he's gone. Caput. So long, sirs, and thanks for all the fish. An enemy is created with the intent to die. He's supposed to challenge the PCs, push them hard, but in the end, if all goes according to plan, he should be laying down and…

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Ghostwheel Ghostwheel 29 November 2009
17

On the Failure of Fumbles

Fumbles. They've never been anything more than an optional rule. While there have been, on occasion in different versions of the game, printed rules for fumbles, these have never been part of the core rules. Yet it seems most groups use them. That's not a bad thing.

However, I have come to the realization that most GMs use fumbles without considering the full implications of the set of rules they are using. So I'm going to lay out the implications of fumble rules.

1. Fumble rules always hurt PCs more than they hurt monsters. This is because a PC makes thousands of attack rolls over the course of a campaign, whereas a monster that lasts 10 rounds and full attacks each time with 3 attacks (total of 30 attacks in his lifetime) is considered an …

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