In a battle, if the enemy has opponents who are your characters counterparts, should you ever challenge them?
I.e. the Wizard duels the Wizard, the Knight fights the Knight, the Rogue tries to assasinate the Rogue.
Or should you try to switch things up and go after a different one. What if the try to do the same?
Other urls found in this thread:
Depends on the game and the specific context.
Focus firing is usually more efficient, but splitting off into duels is, in my experience, often more fun if you're playing in a system with good enough base combat mechanics to warrant it.
Although, mirror duels and switch up duels both have their place.
No. They should be singled out one at a time and the entire party should help kick the shit out of them. That's what teamwork is all about.
I'm pretty sure they might end up thinking the same thing. These guys may be actually as competent as you.
You think you'd be able to protect your weakest member?
If that's the case they will be doing it anyway. If they are going after the weakest member first then we use them as bait, dictate the brawling ground and make them come to us.
If they are assuming we will do that then they are wrong, we will be going after the strongest first whilst we are all still in prime condition to cripple them harder.
Should they be waiting for us we resort to lamp oil, arsenic and cheese wire underhand tactics. The aim is to win, not get boy scout "most honourable fighter points".
Not necessarily. Personal playstyles and tones differ a lot.
In a Wuxia game, for example, splitting off into duels is just what you do. Sometimes you'll get a mass battle but those tend to be the exception, not the norm.
Then they will be duels as rigged as we can make them.
If you aren't stacking the deck beforehand you aren't trying.
>two Summoners
>two Druids that love using Nature's Ally
This isn't a fucking brawl, this is a skirmish.
Not necessarily. The point of a fight isn't always to win at all costs. It depends a lot on the genre, the tone of the setting and the culture you're involved in.
In Wuxia, for example, winning honourably is a big deal, and doing so dishonourably can ruin your reputation. That doesn't mean people don't do it, but they at least try to be subtle about it.
Absolutely. My current party has a group of evil opposites as an enemy, and when they'll fight, they'll fight exactly like this.
But these are counterparts to the PCs. They are by far too dangerous to be left alive and if the price of safety for the masses is a loss of face then I think we can live with that.
And if subtlety has to be sacrificed for that victory then break out the pitch and hand me the matches, if you are a direct counterpart to one of us we know you don't have asbestos skin.
...Alternatively, they're fun recurring villains who you will enjoy seeing off, and look forward to the next time they turn up so you can challenge them again?
How do the Bards fight?
Dueling banjos
Dance off, bro.
>Also
>2 Herald Caller Clerics
>2 Occultist archetype Arcanists
LET THE BATTLE COMMENCE
They perform their art before a crowd of onlookers. The winner is whoever manages to get the loudest cheers from the crowd. The loser is immediately mobbed and devoured by the displeased peasant horde.
Both of these simultaneously
>Epic duels as everyone pairs off against their equal
>only the bards on either side haven't joined the fray yet
>One gets out his instrument; the other does the same
>Lock eyes across the battlefield
>One strums dramatically
>Commence delightfully cheesy powermetal rock-off
Unless they were absolutely the same as my party, I would know that there would be small differences in our abilities and our personalities. All I have to do is work out a quirk or a hook I can get on them, then I can hit those annoying bastards where it will hurt the most.
youtube.com
No.
> Letting any of the DM's NPC's survive an encounter with the party.
Fuck that. Kill everyone. Fireball the fucking king.
Why?
>Not wanting to play to genre.
Your fun is bad.