The problem is, you don't know it has these horrible dangerous overpowered killing attacks until it hits you. You have no way of knowing it's a gigantic glass cannon before the fight starts. Unless the DM lets you know through old journals or other kinds of warnings. It could be neat, but only if the party is aware that their objective is to kill it without ever being touched. Otherwise the party's introduction to the fight concept is "one of you has died".
I have to butt in here.
I'm sorry, there's real mechanical problems with the LFH, and then there is just whining at the GM. This is whining.
I get the point about arbitrary character death to a point, but if you don't want to risk a a no-save death, don't go into a dungeon crawl. Having to draw up a new character or two is part and parcel of the experience, and no GM should be expected to hold your hand through the adventure they carefully built with the task of challenging you. Getting through alive is your job, and it's not SUPPOSED to be easy.
You don't need a knowledge check to employ simple common sense. If you encounter a new unknown monster that's made entirely out of fingers, I have to think that if I was at the table, one of the first things I would say, and I would expect other players around the table with me to echo it right back at me and be thinking the exact thing is, Hmm. A creature made from fingers? Finger theme very likely means high chance of primary attack being some kind of nasty touch attack. Probably shouldn't let that thing touch me if I can avoid it. You don't need to see exactly what nasty horrible unmentionable thing will happen if you are touched to know that coming into contact with a monster like this is A Bad Idea.
OK, well, that's... your gamestyle. My own DM would never, ever hit anyone with a no-save death unless they clearly were asking for it or deserved it due to their own blatantly dumb actions. Ever.
It's fine if you want to play it that way, but not everyone plays with the 'making new characters is part of the fun' line of thinking, and it seems silly to tell others that's how it should be done. There are many different ways to play.
However, it does raise the perspective that maybe Thunt's campaign is run this way. So by all means, use this monster in high-death games and be merry. There are many campaigns in which it wouldn't have a place, though.
OK, well, that's... your gamestyle. My own DM would never, ever hit anyone with a no-save death unless they clearly were asking for it or deserved it due to their own blatantly dumb actions. Ever.
It's fine if you want to play it that way, but not everyone plays with the 'making new characters is part of the fun' line of thinking, and it seems silly to tell others that's how it should be done. There are many different ways to play.
However, it does raise the perspective that maybe Thunt's campaign is run this way. So by all means, use this monster in high-death games and be merry. There are many campaigns in which it wouldn't have a place, though.
Dude, the player ripped a piece off the monster and tried to eat it. He deserved it.
__________________
Witty sig here nosey, aren't ya?
Dude, the player ripped a piece off the monster and tried to eat it. He deserved it.
I'd say this is arguable. I mean he's a lizardfolk with no significant other attack methods to fall back on. Considering his bite does as much damage as a shortsword and his body is adapted to take SERIOUS damage he'd be at least entitled to a save, if only because at that point he has no real options.
I'd say this is arguable. I mean he's a lizardfolk with no significant other attack methods to fall back on. Considering his bite does as much damage as a shortsword and his body is adapted to take SERIOUS damage he'd be at least entitled to a save, if only because at that point he has no real options.
He had an option -- leave the finger poking out of the hole in the glass the heck alone. And thus he deserves the consequences of failing to do that.
To metagame for a second, when you see a monster like that removes from you by exactly one destructable barrier, the correct reaction is to move on as quickly as possible, disturbing as little as possible. Because it's obvious there's a mistake you can make that will set the monster loose. SAure, the GM is going to look for a way to inflict that segregated monster on you anyuway, but that's no reason to make it easy.
Dude, the player ripped a piece off the monster and tried to eat it. He deserved it.
I probably would have given him roleplaying XP for that actually, especially after his whole foodual orientation crisis; this monster didn't look mechanical after all
Otherwise the party's introduction to the fight concept is "one of you has died".
Responding to that:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Androgeus
which is kinda what happened in the story
Responding to Androgues:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sholos
Which works in a story. Players tend not to like randomly dieing.
Appearing later in the thread:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Elystan
Just like in the comic!
Did you even read Linker's post? Or the posts after that? Linker's entire point was that in a game having a monster show up practically out of nowhere like in the comic and instantly killing someone is a good way to ruin the players' fun. In addition, someone else already made basically the same comment that you did, and I responded to that same comment. There is a reason games and movies/comics/books have completely different means of their stories being told. What's good in one might be horrible in another.
__________________
Tali avatar by the talented Thormag.
Yhea, I was going to put something about a fair DM would give some warning that it could do 1 hit kills, but was far too lazy to type one more sentence.
__________________
"Three blokes walk into a pub. One of them is a little bit stupid, and the whole scene unfolds with a tedious inevitability." - Bill Bailey
Androgeus' 3 step guide to Doctor Who speculation:
Sorry, my point was that you had already made the exact same comment as the other person and that I had responded to you. Not that I was responding to you again.
__________________
Tali avatar by the talented Thormag.
Apparently, Dies refused an offer he couldn't refuse. Didn't he noticed the horse's head?
Thats no way to talk about Duv.
__________________
"Interdum feror cupidine partium magnarum Europae vincendarum"
Translation: "Sometimes I get this urge to conquer large parts of Europe."
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nerd-o-rama
Traab is yelling everything that I'm thinking already.
"If you don't get those cameras out of my face, I'm gonna go 8.6 on the Richter scale with gastric emissions that'll clear this room."
When I die, I donate my body to the cause of whatever ******* finds it first.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bloodgruve
Really though, how effin scary would the beach be if an octopus could launch itself outta the water at a 200' move speed every 6 seconds. I'd never go to the beach again... I thought flying sharks were scary...
Blood~
__________________ ChowGuy - The LaChoy Dragon - Servant of the Tiger and disciple of the Wanderer The Hall of Wonders - HeavenGames Fantasy Role Playing and Creative Writing Forum.
Go, Biscuit, go! Also, I have to agree with Draconi Redfir on the penultimate panel. That pouch just looks weird.
__________________
Steam ID: Sir_Dwar_Of_Ebberon Testing the Monk: One-shot encounters designed to answer the Monkday question once and for all (or at least give us one more thing to link to each time it does come up). Monk players and DMs needed!
Haha, wow. Biscuit sure is getting a lot of mileage out of both his one-liner and also his great cleave feat. The vipers don't stand a chance unless Riss can do something.
*edit: Apparently the switch-beast wandered off. It doesn't seem to have come with him.
__________________
Witty sig here nosey, aren't ya?
Ah, always good to see large amounts of annoying creatures hit by an axe.
It does make me wonder what has happened to the Vipers' excellent battle tactics, though. Maybe they're only good when attacking from ambush?
Tactics, as a general rule, only work until someone throws out a proverbial left hand and everything falls apart. A centuries old monster-man crawling out from the earth and hacking your guys up is as far a left as anybody can throw.
Xykon's First Rule: There's always a level of force against which no strategy can stand.
__________________
"Justice is a blade that draws blood from the innocent and wicked alike. And raised high, it can lead a charge that changes the world forever."
This avatar of Anders from Dragon Age 2 was provided by Dorian Soth. I didn't do it.
The Atlas is also goofy but it has that whole "Stay Puft Marshmallow Man" menacing smile thing going for it. The guy who drew that one up was obviously taken to the Nutcracker when he was a child... and he was screaming in terror the entire time.
Spoiler
Quote:
Originally Posted by Enterti, Cogidubnus
Glyphstone, out of all the playground I think you scare me the most...
So am I the only one who thinks Biscuit somehow took Intuitive Attack for his axe?
__________________
Unskilled writers use "said" and "asked".
Amateur writers use "whispered", "shouted" and "questioned"
Skilled writers use "demonstrated", "ejaculated", "murmured", "explained", "queried" and "demanded"
Masterful writers use "said" and "asked".
Dreamer Pony is by Akrim.elf.
Spoiler
Baiyan, God of Joy, by GryffonDurime, while the C.U.T.E Scardycat and Dreamer are by Tomb Raven.
RSS Feeds: 
Re: Goblins IX: For that, you shall DIE!
