On the existence of unblockable moves and players right to affect policy

[Dar]

Magic missile isn't unavoidable any more?  Lame.

It isn't? Pretty sure it is.

[Brokkr]

My example was magick missile.  For a reason.

Something like chill touch always used the combat system.  While other spells, like magic missile, used something different, typically specific to the spell.

What I am saying is most scripted attacks are not chill touch.  They are magic missile.  Or dragon breath attack.  Or whatever...that doesn't wrap back into the melee system.

[mansa]

Hey Brokkr,

I feel that the game echos might not be descriptive enough.

Does the game tell me that it's a special move?
Do I know if it's possible/impossible to avoid it?
Do I know what I can do differently in the future to overcome the challenge?

Is there a few seconds that may echo "NPC raises up, preparing for an attack" and then a few seconds later of "NPC shoots you with magic missile"?



I feel like giving the opportunity for the player to prepare against an NPC script would be more entertaining and challenging as a game...

[Brokkr]

But then you might live and I wouldn't make my quota.

It is more difficult to script it that way.  As I noted, many scripts don't let you know when you have saved against an attack...there simply isn't any game output.

Much like a DM might not want to get into players adjusting their behavior to have the best outcome because they have read the Monstrous Manual, I am not sure we would necessarily want the answers to all those questions to be yes.  We typically make even the really dangerous scripts survivable, if you make the right choices*.  Not always, but a decent number of times.

*Disclaimer:  Right choices may refer to bringing a large group.  With half-giants.  And hiding in the back.

[Shalooonsh]

Many scripted attacks/actions DO take into effect a defense variable. 

This is because most of these actions can be avoided, by characters with the ability to do so.  Will they always succeed?  No.  Are all of these actions avoidable?  No.

On the issue of stat block consistency, that just makes me laugh.  Players have a whole lot of 'outside of the boundaries' perks to them.  You guys can memorize the terrain, and know how to best use it to your advantage.  You can figure out the best combination of moves to use in certain situations, and plan accordingly with what you're going to be fighting against.  You can kite enemies into bad situations.  There's all sorts of stuff you can do that NPCs can't defend against (unless we notice and take action.)

But yet we throw a few attacks or actions outside of the normally coded boundaries, and someone gets some rumpled tailfeathers about it. 

Kinda makes me want to go build some new kryl now... see how fun we can really make this. 

A dungeon master's job is to make an interesting story.  A dungeon master is 100% there at the table 100% of the time the players are actively playing their characters.  A dungeon master can react to each and every action that a player takes and make sure that there is a realistic modifier in place. 

WE can't do that.  This is a 24/7 game with a good amount of staff, but even with a good amount of staff, even if we had double the amount of staff we currently have, we couldn't watch EVERY action you guys take to make sure they're all realistically responded to.

So because of this there will continue to be unrealistic responses from both NPCs and PCs.  NPCs will continue to have terminator style tracking in some cases, or a complete lack of response to two members of its hunting pack dying to arrows from some guy shooting just on that dune over there within sight.  PCs will continue to get bloodied, race off, sleep for 10 mins, and come back to try again, or jump over the edge of a cliff counting on that high climb skill to save them and let gravity do the work, even though by all rights that NPC should stop at the cliff and just chop your freakin fingers off.

Actions that are outside of the normal boundaries force you guys to think, and to actually apply real threat towards things that might just otherwise be hum drum.  I love them, honestly, and I'm going to continue to put them into the game where I can.  This should be a thinking person's game, not a "My offence and defense should be able to handle this" style game.

[Riev]

The fact that a small group of people disagree isn't grounds for you to even hint at "Then we'll just make things deadlier because fuck you".

Stop being an asshole. You're staff. Be better, or be gone.

[Shalooonsh]

I forget not everyone has a high skill at humor.

My most sincere apologies.

[Dar]

Holy shit. That got sour quick. Geeeez.

[Brokkr]

Holy shit.  That got locked quick.  Geeeez.


Contrary to perhaps popular belief, we do not have to tolerate our staff being insulted or called names.