> Character gets knocked out during fight > Spend an hour

>>49047897
Hope you learned your lesson: don't get knocked out.

>>49047897
This is why I avoid Vampire larps.

>Friend invites me to a Masquerade game. Claims there will be plenty of cute goth girls there.
>I crack out my black three piece suit.
>The game turns out to be a total sausage fest.
>The head storyteller has the new players all start off staked.
>We grab a table in back and play cards.
>The storytellers never come . After a few hours we all leave.

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At least you didn't get mind controlled and actively make the situation worse against your will.

>>49047897

Play a system with faster combat. Being knocked out for the whole fight stings a whole lot less when the fight doesn't take two hours.

>DM takes control of character
>Says it's for plot purposes, so something can happen for the story that needs to happen
>Does something that has a lasting effect and brings discomfort

>>49049339
>where da girls
>dey comin' bro

>>49049420
One of my players missed a session so for some fun I made his character (a barbarian) get dominated by the villain of the week, a Drow Wizard. In response the group Sorcerer ALSO dominated the Barbarian.

I thought this was clever so I threw the Sorcerer a bone by saying that the Sorcerer and the Wizard had to make opposing CHA checks in order to give orders to the Barbarian.

>>49050840
Ok that's pretty cool.

>>49050840
I laughed

>>49049339
>getting into RPGs for the pussy

Not smart.

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>>49049420
>GM says my character gets mind controlled
>no roll to resist it, no way to avoid it, no saving throw against it
Oh no, my will to keep playing has suddenly and mysteriously vanished.

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>Players never buy health potions because the bard can just burn all of their spells on pick-up heals
>2 sessions before the bard's player leaves I give them a magic club of healing, has a couple charges each day that are useful for picking up people who are injured but not *too* injured that it'll kill them before healing them
>The Bard's player leaves and they have that as their only health restoring feature
>Botch rolls and nearly kill 2 downed teammates with it on first attempted use
And that's how they began to invest in potions of healing.

>>49047897
This honestly is a hard thing for GMs to avoid in order to swing anything resembling a nonlethal tactic.

The players may resort to nonlethal force, but anything that keeps them from doing anything (whether they can shrug the effect off or not) just strikes them as...well, frustrating. Sometimes unfair, in the way the GM applies it.

Point is, enemies have to go full lethal and resort to tactics the PCs can reasonably counter, or else the game becomes boring.

Speaking as a GM who wants to occasionally hit the PCs with a stunning effect, I'd like good workarounds for this. Anyone have protips?

>>49052465
if it was me i'd do shit like warp them into different dimensions and shit.

>>49052465

Fellow GM here. I've got nothing, sorry.

I hit my players with driders last week.

>barbarian and rogue
>vs 3 driders
>driders keep draining their strength with poisonous bites
>rogue eventually falls to the ground, unable to move
>barbarian is left with only a 6 in the strength stat, but finishes last drider off
>two more driders start coming because of a bad roll
>barbarian has to leave rogue behind in order to escape

Luckily, my players found this kind of amusing and the rogue's player wanted to make a new character anyway. She was cool with it. Helps that I'm making her new character the same level as the barbarian, but with no more experience than the level base. (Yes, I use experience. Exceptional plays, whether using combat or not, get rewarded individually along with the group getting combat experience together.)

Now, with mind control, there's a way to avoid it. Instead of playing the player's character for them, have them play in-character. That's what the same two players are doing in a short horror campaign I'm doing. They're loving it so far, having to play on my side for the time being.
>"Oh no, D&D for a horror campaign? It can't be done!"

>>49047897
cry harder, bitch nigga

>>49052465
Use tactics and combinations that are practically available to the players. How do they usually handle a hard encounter, like something they can die from because /they/ botched it?

Maybe create mirrors of themselves that use what they can. It'll be annoying for them but at the same time might force to realize how to actually utilize what they can actually do.

Basically, if you haven't already, make NPC encounters that are made as PCs made with the same options available to players. Then apply it in a way that allows a blow-for-blow encounter. Try it with a FEW enemies that are powerfull. Then maybe the same with a bunch of weenies running around.

I don't know man, I had a hard time with what you're talking about.

Honestly the most exciting session my players had basically went: Inside dungeon - encounter with 3 yet powerful enemies built as regular classes - 1 weak enemy controlling traps - shocking event - oppurtunity to rest (maybe) - Being chased by moderate encounter - Deadly encounter with elaborate battlefield

Sprinkle loot, surprise rooms, and cryptic shit around. Playing music sometimes makes a difference.

It just sucks when the players don't like a challenge beyond "mash A to win". I'm still trying to get good enough as a DM to do better for both the players and I. Good luck with your games.

>>49047897
>mfw specifically chose a system that takes PCs out of commission for a long-ass time when they KO.
At least the fights go quickly, and the player can continue controlling a still-conscious henchman instead.

>>49052407
What players need to invest in is a cleric or other healbot. Those guys can be freaking heal-factories when they want to be.

>>49052985
They have currently driven what was supposed to be a good-leaning inquisitives agency campaign into running the monster race mafia's enemies out of the lower city.
There are probably few clerics willing to run with them at this point, not that there's a lack of willingness thanks to plenty of corruption, but the stupid and dangerous things they embroil themselves in.