Is this Fair?

[Kultrum]

Alright, so in a campaign im in war are about to have a mass battle (1000ish goblins). We had plenty of time (in game) to discuss tactics and form a battle plan. however while we were planning the DM was commenting about how every word we said made the battle harder. Now its my belief that he actually does belive the DM's job is to kill the party, not to challenge them and to make an enjoyable game. I don't know what do you think.
P.S. were lvl 6

[DaMullet]

I think he's bluffing, but if he's not make sure you have some contingency plans.

[Innis Cabal]

honestly? Any DM that is out to kill the party shouldnt DM....ever

[Kultrum]

I think he's bluffing, but if he's not make sure you have some contingency plans.

oh don't worry i don't think he can pull it off and we have some hella fast horses just-in-case

[Rahdjan]

I think that to some degree, DM's can't help it. No DM want's to see his campaign, ambush, encounter ect crumble do to exceptional PC tactics. That's why as a player, even though I trust my DM, I always discuss tactics initially away from the DM.

[Ninja Chocobo]

No, it's not fair. 1000 of anything against a level 6 party isn't fair. But, if he does go through with it, here's some suggestions:
I assume that these goblins are low-level mooks.
Therefore:
Cloudkill. And lots of it.
Failing that, Candles of Invocation or scrolls of Gate would also help.
This is, of course, assuming there's a Cleric or Wizard in the party.

[BCOVertigo]

i don't think he can pull it off

A. Your horses are made of meat(goblinfood)
B. He has an army at his disposal
C. He can tell you you stopped existing and it'll be true
Most importantly nothing he does is cheating because he tells you what the rules are.

I think a DM telling people they will die is a bit extreme and indicative of a bad mentality, but telling them not everyone will survive is just funny.

[dorshe1]

scrape together a couple of hundred thou gp and then hire a 20th level wizard to handle it...

[Stevenson]

Eh, depends. You say he made it a bit harder...

He made it a bit harder because he heard you making mince-meat of this encounter, and making it way easy.

Did he make it impossible for you? Or simply harder, so your super tactics might not work?

If impossible, then no. It's not fair.

If the latter, however, is true, then yes, it's not only fair but a good idea.

[Pink]

If the parties brilliant stratgy suddenly makes clear a problem the DM had overlooked, or just shows that it'll be completely too easy anyway, then sure, why shouldn't he make it a challenge. though 1,000 goblins seems challenging enough. Good luck with that.

I wonder though, if someone were to create a game in the pbp boards stating that their goal was to try to kill the players, how many people would sign up?

[Mewtarthio]

If your goal is truly to kill the players, you can't really lose:

"We enter the dungeon."
"You all drop dead from heart attacks. No save."

"We talk to the bartender."
"He's a Tarrasque, and the floor is made out of glue. Poison glue."

[Pink]

Well, killing them more...legally through use of difficult encounters and such would be what i meant.

[Matthew]

oh don't worry i don't think he can pull it off and we have some hella fast horses just-in-case

The DM can kill you regardless. That's the way it is. Dragon appears, you die. He can always 'do it'. Some DMs try to kill parties, but you need to sort that out between yourselves and him outside of the game.

[Da Beast]

If he's just making sure the battle is hard then that's okay. If he is actually trying to kill the party then your group should find a new DM.

[Hallavast]

Maybe the DM is foreshadowing the fact that he has placed a spy in your midst, and everything the spy hears will only give more advantage to your enemies.

[Pink]

<Spy> "Okay, so the PC's are going to be waiting in the back because it's less defended. But we're only going to spend a small force there whose going to distract them and fight defensively while the rest attack the front of the town and eventually make our way behind them. Oh yeah, the DM gave me a couple extra HD to spread throughout our ranks too."

[tarbrush]

If he's just making sure the battle is hard then that's okay. If he is actually trying to kill the party then your group should find a new DM.

Or play Paranoia

[daggaz]

If your goal is truly to kill the players, you can't really lose:

"We talk to the bartender."
"He's a Tarrasque, and the floor is made out of glue. Poison glue."

ahahahahahahaa! Its so funny, because its true!

[Diggorian]

Unless he's giving your characters alot of in-game prep time, some handy materials, powerful allies and exploitable terrain; I dont see you succeeding. I'd run away.

It's not fair, especially if he's metagame adapting the scenario to counter your plans as you make them. Your DM has issues, confront him or quit.

[Kel_Arath]

Alright, so in a campaign im in war are about to have a mass battle (1000ish goblins). We had plenty of time (in game) to discuss tactics and form a battle plan. however while we were planning the DM was commenting about how every word we said made the battle harder. Now its my belief that he actually does belive the DM's job is to kill the party, not to challenge them and to make an enjoyable game. I don't know what do you think.
P.S. were lvl 6

I think this battle is gonne be hard as shart dude. I talked to DM (no names here) and were working this out. Oh ya, and his original plan was that we only knew of the 1000 golbins, its really 9000 goblins and other stuff.

[Kultrum]

I think this battle is gonne be hard as shart dude. I talked to DM (no names here) and were working this out. Oh ya, and his original plan was that we only knew of the 1000 golbins, its really 9000 goblins and other stuff.

... how long does that wall last? Also he does know that will give us 270000 XP each if we win, right? Cause that would up us to lvl 22... So if he thinks he knows what hes doing than we should do it... you kill the weak masses, I'll take the big stuff w/ the rogue alex is heal-wench and we get mike to play a wizard... we win. and if you widen the wall, after I hire laborers to dig a trench in front of where you will make the wall thus slowing them quite a bit and you make a second wall pointing the other way, we will stand back, then only the most strong could hope to get though and I kill them in one hit casue they are all weak and stuff from the 10d6 they just took and if they dont die the rogue flanks and finishes the job. yay! lvl 22 here i come.

[Kel_Arath]

... how long does that wall last? Also he does know that will give us 270000 XP each if we win, right? Cause that would up us to lvl 22... So if he thinks he knows what hes doing than we should do it... you kill the weak masses, I'll take the big stuff w/ the rogue alex is heal-wench and we get mike to play a wizard... we win. and if you widen the wall, after I hire laborers to dig a trench in front of where you will make the wall thus slowing them quite a bit and you make a second wall pointing the other way, we will stand back, then only the most strong could hope to get though and I kill them in one hit casue they are all weak and stuff from the 10d6 they just took and if they dont die the rogue flanks and finishes the job. yay! lvl 22 here i come.

he brought first battle down to a few hundred (this wont last long)

[Rigeld2]

no matter how much experience you gain, you can only gain 1 level from it.

[clockwork warrior]

how long has the dm been planning this? and did they see the movie 300? cause i think they might have gotten some ideas that they thought would make a good game... but really no

[Yvian]

As a DM I have thrown in some clock advancing combat tricks. Each 3 minitues in combat a new summoned creature would pop into effect. I usually tie this to some puzzle that the Characters have to solve. They can either brute force the encournter or think and sovle the puzzle. Same XP. I hate it when characters take 1/2 an hour to disscuse if they are going go dodge left or right. However, your DM seems to be excessive.

[Lolzords]

Probably bluffing like DaMullet said. I have a DM who constantly says "You are soooooo gonna die in this campaign."

As a DM I have thrown in some clock advancing combat tricks. Each 3 minitues in combat a new summoned creature would pop into effect. I usually tie this to some puzzle that the Characters have to solve. They can either brute force the encournter or think and sovle the puzzle. Same XP. I hate it when characters take 1/2 an hour to disscuse if they are going go dodge left or right. However, your DM seems to be excessive.

Another of my DM's gives you six seconds to make a desicion, when your turn starts he goes 6-5-4-3-2-1 and if you haven't made a move by then, tough, next person's turn.

[Kultrum]

oh i forgot to mention we has a day in-game to plan

[Tor the Fallen]

... how long does that wall last? Also he does know that will give us 270000 XP each if we win, right? Cause that would up us to lvl 22... So if he thinks he knows what hes doing than we should do it... you kill the weak masses, I'll take the big stuff w/ the rogue alex is heal-wench and we get mike to play a wizard... we win. and if you widen the wall, after I hire laborers to dig a trench in front of where you will make the wall thus slowing them quite a bit and you make a second wall pointing the other way, we will stand back, then only the most strong could hope to get though and I kill them in one hit casue they are all weak and stuff from the 10d6 they just took and if they dont die the rogue flanks and finishes the job. yay! lvl 22 here i come.

Uh, 10d6 won't matter much when you can only hit 44 out of 1000. If 1/10 their force is archers, that means out of 100 arrows/round, 5 WILL hit, all as criticals. 5 critical hits/round isn't anything to sneer at, especially at level 6. The squishy characters die quickly.

[Sardia]

If your goal is truly to kill the players, you can't really lose:

"We enter the dungeon."
"You all drop dead from heart attacks. No save."

"We talk to the bartender."
"He's a Tarrasque, and the floor is made out of glue. Poison glue."

Of course, in that case you don't really need players around. Just make some character sheets, lay them out on the table, laugh and have at them with scissors while describing the awful horrors that have occurred.
Both the GM and the (absent, playing another game with another GM) players will be happy and fulfilled.

[Diggorian]

oh i forgot to mention we has a day in-game to plan

Well that's something. Enough time to get a building the fortifications montage, like in the first Conan flick.

If you guys, at level 6, can take out even a few hundred goblins ... you MUST post what happens here! It will be the greatest example of DM newbiness EVAR.

Twenty straight-outta-the-MM goblins y'all can handle. If he sends only that many every four hours you wont survive a day. Clerics can only replenish spells/healing once a day; wizards need an eight hour stretch of non-casting. The night raids are gonna suck extra unless half of you have low-light or darkvision and dont need to rest/sleep.

Good news: Unless he wants a TPK, he's gonna nerf his plans or drop a cheesey plot device save you. Either way the party is gonna come out with great fame.