If I ask for a saving throw roll please do so in your private thread. So, if I ask for a Reflex Save and your bonus is +5 it would be
Dice Roll:
1d20+5
(19)+5
Total = 24
. I will detail in the game thread if you succeeded or failed and the consequences. Same thing applies for a skill check that I may ask for. I am trying to keep the game thread uncluttered with misc. disc throws. Note: DO NOT EDIT POSTS WITH DICE ROLLS!!! If you made a mistake on the dice roll, just roll another one.
Shamelessly Stolen from another DM On How a Round Works (thanks Mad Gondsman):
Since we're all throwing a bunch of actions and numbers into a bowl and stirring it up, it can get convoluted, but it seems to only get complicated when the rules begin to interfere. In these instances, we'll throw a flag on the play and stick the rule books in the penalty box. This calls for a lot of judgement calls on everyone's part, but everyone I've gamed with has been a good sport and I've never had a player try to exploit this unfairly.
I present the encounter. I try to paint a vivid picture for the players and set the stage and mood for the encounter.
I don't typically use maps, but I try to include distances, ranges, difficult terrain, concealment bonuses, and all of that crunch-type information at the bottom of each combat post. If I don't place something along those lines, feel free to take creative license with your actions and assume that the Drizzt Do'Urden clone is within bowshot. I won't use the "fog of war" against your character. If you're in rocky terrain, feel free to leap atop a rock and take a higher ground bonus.
You roll for initiative and state your actions for the first round. My preference is to leave actions open-ended, but I'm not going to be a curmudgeon about it. Here's an example, to illustrate my point:
Example 1 Conan leaped through the air and with an overhead chop, aimed to split the last rot-toothed,peanut-picking brigand from crown to crotch. Sadly, his attack roll was inadequate and he missed terribly. There would be no lamentation of any women on this round.
Example 2 Conan leaped through the air and brought his mighty broadsword down upon the last rot-toothed, bastard of a brigand, intending to split him from crown to crotch. He relished the thought of crushing this peon, driving the rest before him, and hearing the lamentations of their women.
The second one allows me a lot more freedom to move things around, obviously. If you anticipate a change, include an OOC if/then statement.
Also, bad rolls can be mitigated by good posts. If you failed a skill check or a save, but did it with a spectacular post, I won't always change it to a success, but if you leave it open ended I may give you partial success.
Hit the Play Button. From a realistic perspective, everyone is acting simultaneously. Each round lasts approximately six seconds, but a lot can happen during that time. After everyone has made their intentions known and made the proper rolls, I will summarize it, putting it all into order and let everyone know how the rounds unfolded. It sometimes helps to read anything within a fieldset marked "DM" with a really bad English accent or as if it were being narrated by Morgan Freeman or Ian McKellen.
This is also where allowing me some freedom will pay off. If Conan had narrowly missed or just had a bad roll and the peon didn't have a chance next round, I'd fudge the roll and end the encounter. There's no point in dragging everyone through another round of combat just to finish one thug that has no real impact on the progression of the story. If this were a battle with the big bad boss and the fate of the world hung on this one swing, perhaps you should use a Hero Point. I'll be a lot less likely to fudge rolls in situations where something is on the line... unless we're looking at a TPK. In that case, maybe it's really time for you to use a Hero Point.
At the bottom of the post, I will revisit an overall description of the battlefield, including ranges, bonuses, etc. painting a new picture for everyone to base their next 2 rounds of actions on.
Knowing which rules to break is a large part of the madness. Breaking the order of initiative isn't going to have any real impact on the story. Approximating distances instead of relying on hard numbers is encouraged. If you see that someone missed an attack against a foe that is threatening the party in a big way, feel free to notice the predicament and act accordingly.
Every DM/GM handles things differently, but this has always worked for me. The bottom line is treat the rules as a rough footpath rather than train tracks. If it's plausible and makes for a good post, go for it.
Last edited by Mark the Hammer; Jan 2nd, 2012 at 10:40 AM.
No. Because there may be times that I want to bend rules to allow you to act first and I would rather you to not know when that happend. I will not cheat you out of winning intiative ever but I forsee time that I want you guys to win.