DM ego boosts

[Godskook]

So last session was overall enjoyable, but two portions stuck in my mind for the sheer ego-boosting to me as a DM. Since they were amusing, I figured I'd share them with you.

The first was as we were going along at the start of the game. I had shown up 'on time'(as oppossed to early, when I could setup before they got there), and we were roleplaying(er, talking) while I setup. So, they eventually got to a combat area, and I skipped ahead in my unpacking and grabbed my dice. To which, one of my players said something to the effect of: "Oh god, he's grabbing dice, I need a cigarette".

Later, the players fought a footsoldier (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=265125) that was based off a totem-rager pre-build I had previously built as a PC for myself. Back in November, I had gone into great detail about the build, prior to inserting it into the campaign. When the players finally realized that this was what they had just fought and wounded, many an "oh god!" was bemoaned as I just stood there and smiled.

Frankly, my reputation among the group surprises me simply because from my perspective, I've never killed a single PC(had *one* non-lethal TPK), and I give them a lot of options in terms of survivability(they can spend their xp on maxing HD, raising their point-buy or buying additional feats). That said, it amuses me that I've earned a reputation for being a scary DM all the same.

[Greenish]

What's a "non-lethal total party kill" like? :smallconfused:

[Rhawin]

What's a "non-lethal total party kill" like? :smallconfused:

Presumably where you take the party captive, or otherwise incapacitate them.

[Leecros]

I think my reputation as a scary DM comes from my enjoyment of making mazes and watching people try to go through them. When i decided to start DMing i realized that if i added monsters and traps, suddenly i have a challenging dungeon. So every few months on an irregular basis one of my dungeons will be a big maze. I only do it occasionally though since if i did it too much it would eventually get old. I started handing out graph paper to my group whenever they entered a maze-dungeon.

When i see the despair fill their eyes when i pull out that graph paper. It's just...*Sniff* It's just so heartwarming.

[Undercroft]

Mine comes from tapping into my player's fears and using them when building my creepy villains (knowing what they fear IRL and playing on usual player paranoia, etc). Of course have female players helps a bit. I've noticed they tend to be much more squimish than the male ones i've had in the past.

The best is playing on the innate fear people have of "twisted humanity", where you use creatures that they can readily identify as having been human but are now warped/corrupted/twisted into something more terrifying (eg, slaymate in foggy graveyard singing nursery rhymes while rotting maggot-covered zombies and lichen-covered monstrous spiders mob the party). Mostly it's mood and setting i guess. I love building creepy environments and then sending the players in. They get to feel more heroic at the end of it

[HalfDragonCube]

Well, my DM says that he is going to create a antagonist to end all antagonists. He is even going to let me perform my special process involving hamster sacrifice that nets me a Mohrg under my control completely by RAW.

Currently the party is level three.

[Undercroft]

He is even going to let me perform my special process involving hamster sacrifice that nets me a Mohrg under my control completely by RAW.
how does that work? i may possibly use it against my players for giggles

[HalfDragonCube]

how does that work? i may possibly use it against my players for giggles

Right, I'll make a thread of it soon.

Edit: Made the thread. Have a look if you feel like a low-level TPK anytime. it show yu care when you use something more than 'rocks fall, everybody dies'.