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In running aDungeons & Dragonscampaign, youll inevitably have to punish your players.
Punishment is the best way to keep things feeling high-stakes and grounded in reality.
Check out these tips!
But, how can you punish players in a way that feels fair?
When Should You Punish The Party?
First, its important to keep note ofwhen its actually fair to punish the party.
Sneak Attack by Evyn Fong
As a DM, younever want to develop a god-complexor make it seem like youre punishing the players unjustly.
Broadly speaking, there are a few timeswhen you should never punish your party.
But when is the right time to punish players?
Sneak Attack by Evyn Fong
When it comes to dolling out consequences, its important tostart with neutral, objective situations.
check that youexplain whythey’re being punished, and assure them thatit’s temporary!
However, there are also momentswhen its fair for a DM to punish the partythat areless neutralandmore subjective.
A Thief by Billy Christian
Dole these out sparingly, but dont be afraid to shy away from these situations, either.
How To Keep Punishments Feeling Fair
Fairness canfeel really subjective,depending on your table.
Civilizations haverules and lawsthat must be adhered to.
The partywas acting unlawfully, and knew this.
Advice Is Ignored
A player wantsto jump across a 100-foot chasm.
Despitewarnings from the DMof the difficulty of this feat,the player tries anywayand rolls a 15.
Despite the decent roll, the player is reminded thatjumping that distance is nearly impossible.
The player stumbles andtakes severe fall damage.
It’s okay to remind the player calmly thatthey were warnedof the difficulty challenge.
Even though this is fantasy,the world has physics and other rulesthat keep things feeling grounded.
The following morning,the party finds the shop burglarized, and they arebanned from the storefor life.
Choices have an impactin this world.
Remind players thatthe stakes are real.
The fun of D&D is thatyour decisions matter, and this is one way to demonstrate that.
After all,a punishment wont feel like a punishmentif theresa silver lining.
Here are justa few examplesof ways you could make the consequences your players sufferfeel like rewards.
They can now show the rest of the party theright way to go.
Beyond the above examples, its also imperative to thinkof extra rewardsyour players can earn bysuccessfully overcoming their punishment.
