The Barbarian has had a rough session. A couple rough sessions actually. They’re not built for much outside of fighting, but the plot for this game has taken a turn towards a more narrative-driven adventure. It’s been hard to give them the spotlight since they’re not great at all the little skill checks that have come up, and the player behind the character hasn’t shown much interest in acting or playing their role.
Now that we’ve finally got into a long-awaited fight, our dear, sweet Barbarian landed a huge swing and secured a critical hit, allowing them to hit for just a metric ton of damage to the big bad. This was the perfect moment, exactly what the player needed to be involved, an excellent chance to let their character shine… but the bad guy still has 3hp left.
Well… next turn I guess. Oh the dweeby Rogue hit for 12, well… How do you want to do this then?
NO. BAD GM. BOOOOO.
First off, “close enough only works for horseshoes and hand grenades” is bullshit. Anyone who has a government job only does it to satisfy “close enough” because they know they’re not getting fired. Secondly, you should absolutely spoof the last few HP of an enemy if it helps the pacing of your game. There is no reason to rob your Barbarian (from the example above) of their spotlight moment, and the satisfying feeling that they’ve contributed to the narrative, just so you can squeeze out 3 more points of damage on a boss.
The opposite is also true. There’s no reason not to keep a boss alive for just one more turn so that the next hitter can put them down if that’s the player who just needs a little moment. Identifying when to make these calls is one of the things that can separate a good GM from a great one. The numbers work for you, they always have. When they dare to stop working for you, you change them and make them work for you anyway.
The “big secret” of any TTRPG is that the game that is disguised as “rules” is actually just a long list of suggestions to facilitate a story told through collaborative effort. Your players roles are defined with rules that help them act as characters in the plot. Their special abilities and unique characteristics are all just ways that they break those rules. Fighters attack harder and more often. Charismatic characters tweak the disposition of other characters to fit their whims. Mages do whatever they want most of the time, breaking so many rules they often break the in-universe rules as well. The book outlines all the ways they’re allowed to break the rules, but it won’t do the same thing for you as a GM.
That’s on purpose. If someone bothered to outline all the rules you were “allowed” to break, that’d just be more rules. It’s a funny paradox like that. So go with your gut. Your Barbarian is finally off their phone, invested in the outcome of this big swing. Let them enjoy it. Trust your gut about the game pacing and spotlight sharing. You “master” the game. Not the other way around.
“The secret we should never let the game masters know is that they don’t need any rules”
–Gary Gygax
Archfossil 