First Time DM (will update as the story goes)

[playerjj430]

So im trying to DM seriously for the first time. I am going to run the dragons demand one shot, and I have the party mostly ready, however two of my buddies have hinted that they are basically going to minmax the living hell out of their chars. so im not sure how I should deal with it if they manage to basically de-rail the story by managing to kill the bbeg at like lv2 o___o
I dont want to hinder them because I believe that these games are for creativity.
Can I have some tips please :smallfrown:


(update: just had our first game yesterday, i enjoyed the experiance, as did the players, and as I expected they delivered, not as bad as I was expecting, but they still destroyed every giant centipede and Kobold I sent at them)
Current Party:
Human Cleric Of "Jack the Craked" (pronounced cracked)
Half elf ranger
Drow Summoner
Drow Bard

[Lightlawbliss]

When they min max, there will be one or more mins. Use those mins against them. For example, a player (pali) in a campaign I was in got really good charging on his huge Hippogriff. He never thought he would need a range weapon and would always have his mount... it's amazing how easy it is to make situations where the Hippogriff couldn't even get to the fight and the enemies are at a distance. The BBEG even took advantage of this by running down a 5 ft hallway and flying over a pit. The pali was the first one there and couldn't even pull out a sling for a parting shot.

[Barstro]

Smarter people will come along (EDIT: see, one ninja'd me while I was working on other projects). In the meantime;

Do all the things that kind DMs do not do;
1) Learn the PCs' weakness and use them. I do not mean to arbitrarily change the module. The BBEG can certainly have scry spells or a network of spies that let him know who the PCs are and he can prepare as any normal strategist would. Put in traps and other features that play to BBEG's strengths and hurt the PCs.
2) Use annoying spells. Black Tentacles (or whatever the real name is) just sucks; people are trapped and cannot do anything. Good time for BBEG to flee and have minions lob arrows. You KNOW the PCs are going to use those spells; no reason BBEG cannot as well.
3) PCs need to should use spells and abilities sparingly in case of future fights. BBEG can blow through everything in one encounter. Do so.
4) Follow the actual rules. Just because a player says a spell has a certain effect doesn't mean that it does. Look it up and disallow it if necessary (and allow the player to take back the action. If the DM says the spell doesn't work like that, it's only fair to assume that the PC already knew that even if the player didn't).
4a) Track encumbrance.
5) Use traps often. Nobody likes them, so most DMs don't use many/any. Since DMs don't use them, nobody spends time searching or disarming. Bring back the traps. Make the PCs use resources to find or heal from them.
6) Don't have the BBEG fight early. It can be a sub-lieutenant or an illusion.

EDIT-2) Min/Max means "Glass Cannon". So many DMs are afraid that players will cry when DMs take advantage of the "glass" part of the equation (most likely because they do cry). Too bad. The player chose to make a weak character and try to take advantage, the DM has every right to respond in kind. The above Charger story is a perfect example. Grapple spell-casters, use ranged attacks from the other side of a chasm, flood the area with mud and use Water Walk, get some dogs with bees in their mouths and when they bark, they shoot bees at you.

[Amphetryon]

Addenda -
4b) In cases where you're not following the actual rules, be clear, be consistent, and be fair.

Be clear: Whenever possible, tell your players ahead of time if, for example, you're changing the way Polymorph and its ilk work in your campaign.

Be consistent: Make sure the PCs and NPCs are operating under the same rule-set. Don't have an ability work by one interpretation for the PCs, and a different interpretation for the NPCs. This seems obvious, but it appears to come up with some frequency in actual play.

Be fair: If a player stumbles upon a particular ability or combination of abilities that threatens to break your game, you're generally within your rights to ask that the ability be changed, either in how it works, or swapped out for another ability. You should ask the player to do this as soon as the ability's issues in the campaign become apparent, and possibly retcon anything that went completely sideways as a result of this accidental exploit, rather than letting the player (or the NPC!) continue to cause problems with an ability that breaks your game. You should also allow the player opportunity to explore available options once you've hit the broken ability with the nerf/ban-hammer.

5a) Don't use traps to arbitrarily punish a group for not having a dedicated trapfinder. If your game is going to feature traps, the players need to be made aware of this fact, preferably before character creation, but during character creation at a minimum, so that they can at least consider strategies for dealing with them.

[Barstro]

Addenda -
5a) Don't use traps to arbitrarily punish a group for not having a dedicated trapfinder. If your game is going to feature traps, the players need to be made aware of this fact, preferably before character creation, but during character creation at a minimum, so that they can at least consider strategies for dealing with them.

Absolutely. But it just makes sense that each important area has some sort of trap, even if it's just to sound an alarm. The other side of this coin is to have some treasure get destroyed because a rogue was not there to prevent it from happening.

Depending on how knowledgeable you are or how much you want to prepare, you can make BBEG or a lieutenant be a Master Summoner. Being able to run away (and not need to worry about future fights that day) allows the Master Summoner to use all his summons right away. With a standard action casting time, duration of minute/lvl, and decent time to prepare, the PCs had better get some Protection From _____ spells, or get ready to cry.

[Barstro]

I dont want to hinder them because I believe that these games are for creativity.

Remember, no matter how powerful the BBEG is, you have the ability to make him leave the fight (he could easily get called away on more urgent business). This is all just to try to force the PCs to spend some time/resources getting getting rid of the "glass" part, weakening the "cannon" part, and allowing the fights to be fair instead of having a lucky roll cause an automatic win/loss.

[Chernobyl]

So im trying to DM seriously for the first time. I am going to run the dragons demand one shot, and I have the party mostly ready, however two of my buddies have hinted that they are basically going to minmax the living hell out of their chars. so im not sure how I should deal with it if they manage to basically de-rail the story by managing to kill the bbeg at like lv2 o___o
I dont want to hinder them because I believe that these games are for creativity.
Can I have some tips please :smallfrown:
Sounds like player smack talk to me. I wouldn't worry about it. They all start out at first level, so how much min-maxing can you realistically do? Just run the adventure as written and you'll be fine.

A couple of tips:

Get their character sheets in advance and look up all of their feats / skills / etc. Make sure you understand what they can and can't do.
Same thing with the monsters. Make sure you understand how to use their special abilities. Play them like they were your PCs.
Don't fudge any rolls.

Hope this helps.

-Chernobyl

[jaydubs]

So im trying to DM seriously for the first time. I am going to run the dragons demand one shot, and I have the party mostly ready, however two of my buddies have hinted that they are basically going to minmax the living hell out of their chars. so im not sure how I should deal with it if they manage to basically de-rail the story by managing to kill the bbeg at like lv2 o___o
I dont want to hinder them because I believe that these games are for creativity.
Can I have some tips please :smallfrown:

Well, you could actually just ask them not to do that. "It's my first time DMing, and I'd really like it to go well. I won't ask you to eagerly follow every plot hook, or try to railroad you into doing exactly what the story says the characters are supposed to do. But please don't go into it planning to intentionally derail the story either."

Power level works the same way. Explain what you are looking for, with some examples of what would be too powerful for the game. Because honestly - anyone with good system mastery, who is trying to break stuff, will succeed. Unless you use lots of DM fiat or counter with equally optimized stuff. The former is annoying for players, and the latter involves lots of work. A gentleman's agreement to just not do that is to be preferred, unless your group has fun playing around with crazy builds to counter each other. (Some groups do, and then it's A-okay.)

[nedz]

Absolutely. But it just makes sense that each important area has some sort of trap, even if it's just to sound an alarm. The other side of this coin is to have some treasure get destroyed because a rogue was not there to prevent it from happening.

One of the most effective traps I ever used was a simple Alarm spell. The high level rouge detected a magical trap but couldn't remove it. In the end the party trigger it and waited to see what would happen, ..., the adversaries buffed up.

[Lightlawbliss]

One of the most effective traps I ever used was a simple Alarm spell. The high level rouge detected a magical trap but couldn't remove it. In the end the party trigger it and waited to see what would happen, ..., the adversaries buffed up.

slightly offtopic: That reminds me of a time I "trapped" a door to close itself (or should I say slam itself) when it was not held open. The enemy in the next room happened to have a good listen modifier.

[3.54L]

Well, you could just use the rules. I suggest digging a few broken spells and use them against the players. Something stupid, like weapons of any moth (Familiar) with a cloud of knives spell shared. Then moth can stupid shoot players with knives as free action. Should make them wonder if they are up to minimum maximum conflict with you.

[jordan.k93]

Pre approve character sheets
Pre approve spells, beware of Kelgore's Gravemist, shivering touch, pain of blade and fear, and any combos.
Make an example character and show it, and say "You must be atleast 'this' unoptimised to play"
Learn rule 0


Personally, if you are unsure on what BS they players might bring out, go to each individually with what you estimate to be a fairly average encounter and ask "What would you, or could you do in this situation?" and get a gauge for how much BS they can unleash.

Also, as a general rule of thumb, ask the players to "Play Nice."

[loodwig]

I have a sorc in my group that I've been GM'ing for the past few months, and every week he casts glitterdust. Mind you, I didn't know the full power of this spell initially, so it pretty much just ended the battle right there due to (mostly) my ignorance.

My solution:
Enemies (henchmen of the BBEG) cary a defense against this spell, or an outright immunity (blindsense != immune to blind). Clerics show up in encounters with frequency. SR is now a thing. Enemies flank and don't always appear all at once. More encounters happen each day. The sorc can still overcome, but not with the same trick every fight (it gets boring for everyone). And the same sorc found himself nearly in the jaws of a giant spider last week, which made things interesting.

I wouldn't worry about being broken; perhaps schooled, but not broken. Anyone who acts like a total munchkin in game is doing it wrong. I have more fun with the fact that my players get into their characters and act like... actors (mostly because half of them are). I don't give a damn if you have a badass greataxe or feats that boost cloudkill. If you are just in this to win the fight, you're doing it wrong. It's all about the experience, and the DM is to create an immersive world where the players must not only think about overcoming obstacles, but also a world where they want to live. This is role playing, which is decidedly different than playing Halo or WoW.

[Lightlawbliss]

... This is role playing, which is decidedly different than playing Halo or WoW.

offsubject:
Halo and Wow are both Roleplaying games, just a different type.

also, different people play differently and what is terrible for you could be how they play.

[bjoern]

offsubject:
Halo and Wow are both Roleplaying games, just a different type.

also, different people play differently and what is terrible for you could be how they play.

I feel the most important thing is that the whole table is on the same page so to speak. If you've got a table of low to no op, and one guy playing a tier 1 and steam rolling, then there will be problems.

If a role player sits at a table full of high optimizers, he may find himself overwhelmed by the encounters.

The great thing about d&d is there are multiple valid and fun ways to play it. Unfortunately they don't usually work together at the same time.

[Pex]

Or . . .

Don't run the game and do something else with friends who want to play with you instead of against you.

Now I have no problem with min/maxing. It is not an inherently bad thing. It's not a crime for a player character to be good at something. However, if the players are intentionally wanting to ruin your game then screw the game and screw them. It's not worth the aggravation.

[Darkweave31]

Or . . .

Don't run the game and do something else with friends who want to play with you instead of against you.

Now I have no problem with min/maxing. It is not an inherently bad thing. It's not a crime for a player character to be good at something. However, if the players are intentionally wanting to ruin your game then screw the game and screw them. It's not worth the aggravation.

Yeah, this. If they want to screw you over when you're trying to run a fun session for them, then they really need to consider their reasons for playing...

That said, they may have just been teasing.

Best advice I can give you is to be flexible. Be ready to improvise when they do something unexpected. If you find yourself in a situation where you don't have anything, ask them what their characters do and use that as a springboard for the session. Also the rules come second to running a fun session.

[gooddragon1]

Or . . .

Don't run the game and do something else with friends who want to play with you instead of against you.

Now I have no problem with min/maxing. It is not an inherently bad thing. It's not a crime for a player character to be good at something. However, if the players are intentionally wanting to ruin your game then screw the game and screw them. It's not worth the aggravation.

Agreed. If you're brand new as a DM even looking at char sheets might not reveal the insanity they could use. Personally, I'd run the game as I planned it. If they trample it in 5 minutes then so be it. It'll feel like playing a game with cheat codes. It's fun for exactly those 5 minutes. Then they might realize (like I did (not from min-maxing in my case necessarily)) that the game is no fun without a challenge.

I envision the following (overdramatization):
"Yes, your ability allows you to locate the leader and teleport to his location"
"Your celerity ability allows you to ignore initiative and the combo you have presented deals damage normally. The leader drops. Congratulations, you have beaten down the X of Y location and saved the population of Z-ville. The governor rewards you well and notes that you are always welcome in Z-ville." *roll credits*
"What do you mean is that it? That's the campaign I had written down. Well yes there's more written down than that, but your methods were effective in defeating the leader without needing to follow the clues or fight his lackeys. I suppose if you wanted to hunt them down you could, but I don't see how they'd present much of a challenge to your characters."
and so on...

[Jermz]

There's a lot of good advice here, but I'd like to point out again that you should definitely review their character sheets before they show up for the first session. Know which abilities they have, get to know their tactics, and sit with the players themselves and ask them what kind of build they plan to roll with. You definitely need to be on the same wavelength as the players - or rather, they need to be on the same wavelength as you.

Anything that you don't like, or you feel could get out of hand, discuss this with them and offer the players an alternative. I'm not a huge fan of the so-called 'fighting back' strategies here, since you claim you're a new DM and there's no need to cause unnecessary strife and make the players feel like you're intentionally gunning for them. However, there's merit to this kind of approach, as long as you keep it within the rules and don't bring a knife to a gunfight (well, at least not too obtrusively...). Beware that this doesn't escalate into some kind of arms race, however.

As the DM, you have the ultimate say. If none of these options work out, you simply can decide that you don't like something specific about a character build and ban it. If it doesn't fit in your world, if it's overpowered, if you feel like you don't understand it well enough, there's nothing wrong with not allowing some material. There's no need to have all the options on the table, especially if you're a new DM.

Being a player, in my opinion, is much easier than being a DM. A player has one character to focus on and work with. A DM has to focus on ALL the characters, while taking a slew of other information into account. Thus, if you're worried about things getting out of hand, just limit them to begin with.

[Vaz]

In regards to traps, they're a feature of the game similar to spellcasting.

Some see it as a HP tax, or something else, like poison say, or diseases etc. If the players want to minmax, then you can minmax back. If they don't dip resources into trapfinding (which can be done through little more than taking 20 on a gather information or a Knowledge (Local) check to locate someone who can trapfind for them, which requires little more than 2 cross class skill ranks at the very most, or failing that, summons, carrying a big stick, etc to trigger non-resetting ones), then that's like not properly preparing to counter spellcasting, etc.

[RegalKain]

As a DM who allows everything at the table. I make a rule to my players when we start. I am not responsible for any bonuses they have. I keep track of their penalties only. If they to hit and ac begin fluctuating to much I'll make copies of their sheet. Generally speaking though it works and helps to cut down on the info you keep track of. You don't have to remember person A has mind blank and person C has blur. If they forget after the results are tallied and the turn is over its on them. YMMV though this approach works for my table and I. I'd also familiarize yourself with monster manuals 2 through 4 as they carry quite a few nasties in them. Don't be afraid to toss in the occasion am oddball encounter. You can later use it as a plot point and it throws your party off.

Edit: It should also be noted my table plays with gentleman's rules in. I won't use broken spells/loops if they don't. And as the DM you always have more resources to cheese with if your players do want an arms race. This escalates until its a tpk and usually follows with a "let's play for real now".

[loodwig]

offsubject:
Halo and Wow are both Roleplaying games, just a different type.

also, different people play differently and what is terrible for you could be how they play.

I'd call them more games with RPG elements than actual role playing games. The focus is the game mechanics, not the immersion into your character. Then again, maybe some people think they're master chief when they play halo, and really get into the characters and story. *shrug*

Also, please don't interpret this as a derisive claim against other forms of gaming. I am quite a fan of StarCraft and very much enjoy the online immersion factor gained by that game, though I wouldn't say I ever feel like a character in the game. It doesn't mean I don't have a ton of fun repelling a ling rush with a 4 gate expansion push. My point was more that if you're playing D&D or PF with the goal of getting the best stats or taking advantage of the literal mechanics, then I personally feel you're missing out on a much better experience, or worse still might be depriving your fellow players of the same.

[KillianHawkeye]

I'd call them more games with RPG elements than actual role playing games. The focus is the game mechanics, not the immersion into your character. Then again, maybe some people think they're master chief when they play halo, and really get into the characters and story. *shrug*

Halo is not, in any sense, a roleplaying game. It is a first-person shooter with a story. :smallannoyed:

If you want a roleplaying game that still lets you shoot aliens, play Mass Effect.

[Anlashok]

The focus is the game mechanics
If that disqualifies you what would you call 3.5?

[Milodiah]

If that disqualifies you what would you call 3.5?


Why yes, it does have game mechanics. Books of 'em. But it's got more then enough roleplaying, which is why I play it.

[Suichimo]

Also, please don't interpret this as a derisive claim against other forms of gaming. I am quite a fan of StarCraft and very much enjoy the online immersion factor gained by that game, though I wouldn't say I ever feel like a character in the game. It doesn't mean I don't have a ton of fun repelling a ling rush with a 4 gate expansion push. My point was more that if you're playing D&D or PF with the goal of getting the best stats or taking advantage of the literal mechanics, then I personally feel you're missing out on a much better experience, or worse still might be depriving your fellow players of the same.

I can assure you, he wasn't interpreting that as an attack on other forms of gaming. It was more that what you said implied that your way to play the game is the correct way to play it. Even in this paragraph you do it again with "if you're playing D&D or PF with the goal of getting the best stats or taking advantage of the literal mechanics, then I personally feel you're missing out on a much better experience, or worse still might be depriving your fellow players of the same".

People play the game differently and for different reasons. That doesn't make them wrong or mean that they're missing out on anything. They just have different goals.

[jiriku]

two of my buddies have hinted that they are basically going to minmax the living hell out of their chars. so im not sure how I should deal with it if they manage to basically de-rail the story ... I dont want to hinder them

I'm seeing a slightly different question here than many others have responded too. It seems like you're not asking us how to prevent the minmaxing to occur, but rather you're asking what to do if they derail your story through unrestricted minmaxing.

Fair enough.

Identify the strengths their characters have which enabled them to derail the first story. Then tell another story, one in which the use of those strengths will not prove overwhelming. For example, if they can kill most level-appropriate opponents in a round or two, tell a story in which your ability to quickly kill something will be more or less unrelated to success (perhaps a murder mystery, or a quest emphasizing exploration, collection of artifacts, or a race against time). By all means, give them encounters where they will have a forum to use their abilities and enjoy the fruits of their hard work. But build your story to be resilient.

[Milodiah]

If they min-max damage, then just sit there with a straight face and inform them that (for the reason of your choice) lethal force is not authorized. The bounty says to bring them in alive; the villain needs to be interrogated; the 'enemy' is actually an ally who has been dominated; there are dozens of reasons for your PCs to be constrained in terms of just slaughtering everything on the battlegrid.

[Segev]

Ask them to let you know of any immunities they have, and what they consider their primary tactics (as well as how they work, if it's not immediately obvious).

Look at your module, and see what the AC and to hit rolls of things are, as well as their saves.

Figure out the highest you want to have to roll on a d20 to make a save for your monsters, and the lowest you want the PCs to have to roll on a d20 to hit your monsters. Combine that with the values for saves and AC and to-hit bonuses of your monsters to calculate a maximum AC, to-hit bonus, save DC, etc. that you want to see. Tell your players that, no matter how they optimize, they may not have their AC, saves, to-hit bonus, etc. higher than the values you have determined.

Min/maxing can't beat a hard "no bonus higher than this" limit. The tricks you'll have to watch out for then are ways to bypass the need to roll entirely. (Abrupt Jaunt, wind wall, that sort of thing.)

[KingAtomsk]

I'd say a really important thing is to remember - YOU ARE THE DM. YOUR WORD IS LAW.

By this, I mean if your players threaten to derail the campaign in such a way that it is no longer fun, don't be afraid to flex your proverbial muscles and give them a swift kick in the rear with the power of DM Fiat.

Your player is about to one-shot the BBEG?
You: "Your attack has no effect."
Player: "What?! Why not?!"
You: Roll a <Spot/Spellcraft/Knowledge> check (set the DC arbitrarily, unobtainably high)
Player: *rolls*
You: "You don't know why it didn't work."

D&D is a game, but it's also a story-telling medium, and you -as the DM- are playing the game too. The rules exist to determine the outcome of regular play, but don't be afraid to set them aside and resort to "rules of narrative necessity."

[loodwig]

I can assure you, he wasn't interpreting that as an attack on other forms of gaming. It was more that what you said implied that your way to play the game is the correct way to play it. Even in this paragraph you do it again with "if you're playing D&D or PF with the goal of getting the best stats or taking advantage of the literal mechanics, then I personally feel you're missing out on a much better experience, or worse still might be depriving your fellow players of the same".

People play the game differently and for different reasons. That doesn't make them wrong or mean that they're missing out on anything. They just have different goals.

You're absolutely correct. After I had posted it I read what I wrote and felt it sounded defensive, and I didn't mean it to. I was clarifying that RPGs aren't the only type of game worth playing. And honestly, I was just emailing back and forth with the group I have, giving advice to the newer players on whether or not it's better to get +1 natural armor or +1 attack for a druid. So yeah, it's as much about the mechanics as it is about role playing, and both are IMO very fun. So I now kind of disagree with my previous statements.

[loodwig]

I'd say a really important thing is to remember - YOU ARE THE DM. YOUR WORD IS LAW.

By this, I mean if your players threaten to derail the campaign in such a way that it is no longer fun, don't be afraid to flex your proverbial muscles and give them a swift kick in the rear with the power of DM Fiat.

Your player is about to one-shot the BBEG?
You: "Your attack has no effect."
Player: "What?! Why not?!"
You: Roll a <Spot/Spellcraft/Knowledge> check (set the DC arbitrarily, unobtainably high)
Player: *rolls*
You: "You don't know why it didn't work."

D&D is a game, but it's also a story-telling medium, and you -as the DM- are playing the game too. The rules exist to determine the outcome of regular play, but don't be afraid to set them aside and resort to "rules of narrative necessity."

100% this!

One of my favorites I did a few months back.

"Roll perception"
<rolls>
"You thought you might have seen something, but it was nothing."
"I roll again"
"Nope, you're reasonably certain there's nothing there."
"I roll again anyway."
"You feel stupid for wasting time."
"I roll again. There's no threat."
"The sun sets, your fingers are tired from combing the walls of the cave. Take 10 points of nonlethal damage. I can do this all night."

Sure enough, failed rolls later didn't derail the game.

[Amphetryon]

I'd say a really important thing is to remember - YOU ARE THE DM. YOUR WORD IS LAW.

By this, I mean if your players threaten to derail the campaign in such a way that it is no longer fun, don't be afraid to flex your proverbial muscles and give them a swift kick in the rear with the power of DM Fiat.

Your player is about to one-shot the BBEG?
You: "Your attack has no effect."
Player: "What?! Why not?!"
You: Roll a <Spot/Spellcraft/Knowledge> check (set the DC arbitrarily, unobtainably high)
Player: *rolls*
You: "You don't know why it didn't work."

D&D is a game, but it's also a story-telling medium, and you -as the DM- are playing the game too. The rules exist to determine the outcome of regular play, but don't be afraid to set them aside and resort to "rules of narrative necessity."
Many on this forum, among others, would argue strenuously that a plot that cannot survive the premature death of a BBEG isn't much of a plot, and that the above tactic - particularly as pertains to the 'unobtainably high' check to understand the attack's failure - is railroading.

D&D is a story-telling medium, but most players on the forums will argue it is not the DM's story, at least not exclusively. If the PCs kill the BBEG, that becomes part of the story, which grows from there. . . hopefully as a natural consequence of the action to that point.

[dascarletm]

I'd say a really important thing is to remember - YOU ARE THE DM. YOUR WORD IS LAW.

By this, I mean if your players threaten to derail the campaign in such a way that it is no longer fun, don't be afraid to flex your proverbial muscles and give them a swift kick in the rear with the power of DM Fiat.

Your player is about to one-shot the BBEG?
You: "Your attack has no effect."
Player: "What?! Why not?!"
You: Roll a <Spot/Spellcraft/Knowledge> check (set the DC arbitrarily, unobtainably high)
Player: *rolls*
You: "You don't know why it didn't work."

D&D is a game, but it's also a story-telling medium, and you -as the DM- are playing the game too. The rules exist to determine the outcome of regular play, but don't be afraid to set them aside and resort to "rules of narrative necessity."

I've got to say do not do this.

That's pretty poor DMing in my opinion, and is only really going to exacerbate the problem rather than fix it.

[nedz]

I'd say a really important thing is to remember - YOU ARE THE DM. YOUR WORD IS LAW.

By this, I mean if your players threaten to derail the campaign in such a way that it is no longer fun, don't be afraid to flex your proverbial muscles and give them a swift kick in the rear with the power of DM Fiat.

Your player is about to one-shot the BBEG?
You: "Your attack has no effect."
Player: "What?! Why not?!"
You: Roll a <Spot/Spellcraft/Knowledge> check (set the DC arbitrarily, unobtainably high)
Player: *rolls*
You: "You don't know why it didn't work."

D&D is a game, but it's also a story-telling medium, and you -as the DM- are playing the game too. The rules exist to determine the outcome of regular play, but don't be afraid to set them aside and resort to "rules of narrative necessity."

I wouldn't ever do this. At this point you are no longer running a game, and when you're caught out you will lose all sense of suspense and drama — not to mention credibility — and you will be found out, eventually.

[Milodiah]

If you want to safeguard the BBEG, then maybe try safeguarding the BBEG. You don't need to use DM fiat to do that, there are literally thousands of ways to do it inside the rules of the game. And a well-crafted personal defense for the fellow will be much more admired than "nuh-uh, you can't hit him cuz I said so!"

Because the above is literally what you would be doing.

[loodwig]

If you want to safeguard the BBEG, then maybe try safeguarding the BBEG. You don't need to use DM fiat to do that, there are literally thousands of ways to do it inside the rules of the game. And a well-crafted personal defense for the fellow will be much more admired than "nuh-uh, you can't hit him cuz I said so!"

Because the above is literally what you would be doing.

Good point. I'm a fan of a contingency dimension door, if you need the BBEG to get away. Then again, why just one BBEG? I love in movies when you have this powerful lead up to a powerful oponent who is then taken down in one hit, one shot, one boom. You don't expect it, because it totally averts the trope. So, maybe the better plan is tuck & roll. That said, the BBEG is your king on the chessboard, not the queen. That's the role of the "dragon," not the mastermind :)

[nedz]

I don't really use BBEGs. The nearest I come to that is a senior noble or head of a guild — and if you take them out they have an Heir/Regent or Deputy/Replacement, assuming they don't just get raised that is.

[Milodiah]

BBEGs exist because it feels good to kill a guy and then watch the problem melt away. Obviously the world doesn't work like that, and mine usually don't include that type of thing unless I can justify it. Unless you've got some kind of cult of personality or pyramid scheme, cutting off the head isn't going to work. Even then, you run the risk of creating a martyr.

[bjoern]

Its been mentioned before in other threads but I'll mention it again because of works.
If a character gets really good for whatever reason or heck even the whole party. Have them encounter a mirror of opposition . It basically creates an exact copy of the creature that is compelled to slay the original. Get copies of all the PCs character sheets and have a battle where they all have to face off against themselves. The duplicates (controlled by you) can use whatever clever tactics they've used in previous encounters.

[Milodiah]

Be certain to give them a traumatic fear of mirrors afterwards.

I'll have you know that "this barbarian has a traumatic fear of mirrors" resulted in me creating the first dungeon of the setting in the process of justifying the aforementioned traumatic fear of mirrors.

[killem2]

I started DMing in 2011. I had many of these threads and I would advise you to go to as many websites as you can to get as much feedback as you can.

First of, your friends aren't doing ANYTHING. Your first DM session should not be an arms race. It is an unhealthy start to a DM-Player relationship.

See, when you are the DM you choose the baseline, you choose the sources, you choose the what goes. And I can tell you right now, if my players told me something like this, I'd make sure they understood this is just a game. And with no DM you have no game. DM are the hardest quality piece you can find to complete a gaming circle.

With that said, you should allow the basics to start. That what I did. When I made my first ever session, they could use races and classes from the core rule book and nothing else. As I got more comfortable, I started to allow things out side of that. In addition, you are smart to choose a pre made adventure. While it sounds fun to create your own adventures, it is very difficult to do if you do not have dedicated time to it and you want to do it right.