1. Every fight feels like a boss fight.That's epic, isn't it? Great!
but yet they still complain when one CR 8 guy doesn't go down in one turn.Meh. By all means: listen to complaints. But always ignore whining. Besides, how do the players even know the CR of an encounter? And who'd want to one-shot everything anyway?
2. I need to be constantly reminded of PC abilities.That's their problem, not yours.
3. I announce things but not all players hear me, sometimes no one hears me and they deny I ever said it, making me question if I said it at all.Don't doubt yourself - a GM needs a measure of arrogance. You're the Game Master. If they want to hear, they'll have to listen.
4. I forget abilities of my own monsters....yeah, okay. That's bad GMing. Maybe prepare a card with the monsters' main characteristics, as a cheat sheet?
5. I hide all of my rolls, sometimes I roll for a PC and they don't like it.Tough. You're the GM, you have your way of running the game. It'd be nice if everyone agreed, but things like this have to be your call in the end.
6. I'm too slow.That's a pity, and I can see how it would be annoying. But unless your players have a suggestion as to how matters can be sped up, it's something everyone will just have to live with.
7. If I create my own monster, or create my own ability they feel cheated.
This one I kind of agree with.
I don't. You're the GM - you say how the game goes. If your Ogres can levitate at will, they can levitate at will. Just be sure not to call them Ogres without letting the PCs roll a Knowledge check to know about these changes. Players' perceptions may be challenged, but they shouldn't be misdirected.
But that's my opinion, anyway.
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There's a lot going on here, and I really wish I had more time to address every part individually. Long story short, you are not a bad GM. You might be a product of a bad game environment... but I'll save that for when I have time to post later.
For right now I want to point you to Kyle Olson's Combat Manager application. It is an initiative and effects (including HP) tracker at heart, but it is also so much more. It is a searchable rules database, a monster/NPC database, has a random treasure roller, etc. Take a look. It has GREATLY sped up all my games. It has a small learning curve so if you have questions just let me know, and I'd be happy to help you through them. You can apply conditions, and subtract HP from multiple characters at once. Also! You can import your Hero Lab portfolios directly into the players tab. This wont' solve all your problems, but it might make some things go a little faster. :)
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6. I'm too slow.
Our group uses a lot of technology and have a lot of props, (hero lab, roll20, music, pawns, sound effects, trees, doors, blood splatters, special coins pcs get for scoring a critical hit, alters, coffins, tables... just to name a few) so I can't keep up with everything the PCs want. I have asked another player to take over sound effects and he just took over the blood splatters and coins.So PCs enter a room I have to reveal the room in roll 20, get the map positioned right, read the description of the room, place all the props, put pawns on lettered bases, load the encounter in hero lab, spend a few seconds reviewing the abilities of monsters (because I have a hard time remembering the abilities of my own monsters), then play battle music, assign lettered bases to monsters in hero lab, click on "new combat" and GO!! (not all in that order)
if a PC casts a fireball the game lags, write down what monsters are affected, look at the letters in hero lab of those affected, get their save bonuses (and forget consecrate), roll for each one, assign pass/fail on each letter, then assign damage on each letter in hero lab.
I was much more efficient using pencil/paper bout to revert back to that
Do it. It seem that you are using too many props.
People don't hear you but you have music in the background and sound effects. Remove them, it should make easier to hear you.
Some of the props seem nice, but if loading them require to much time and some player get distracted and start to chat with other player the effect is negative, not positive.
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A question: how many players at your table?
My impression is that you are repeating a mistake I did: too many player characters. At low levels it isn't a problem, but at your current level the abilities pile up and there is a lot of modifiers that you need to remember.
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*1. Every fight feels like a boss fight.*
High level combat should feel epic, however, too many fights during the game can water down their impact. Make the fights matter to the story and most importantly the PCs.
*2. I need to be constantly reminded of PC abilities.*
As others have stated it's up to the PCs to track their character's abilities, not yours. If the PC's didn't add a bonus or a save to roll then they didn't get that particular benefit. Player's should be prepared and ready to play when they come to the table.
*3. I announce things but not all players hear me, sometimes no one hears me and they deny I ever said it, making me question if I said it at all.*
This one is easy; when you speak everyone else should be listening, not talking, not joking, etc... This can be hard on Roll20, but you have to set the expectation up before play begins.
*4. I forget abilities of my own monsters.*
This part is solely on you, and again goes back to being prepared and ready to play. Read the abilities of the monsters before hand. If possible make a few cheat sheets. This also goes back to my point above where you have fewer combats but make the ones you do have matter more.
*5. I hide all of my rolls, sometimes I roll for a PC and they don't like it.*
Hiding your rolls is fine, but most players want to roll for their character if possible. Think about it this way; would you want someone to roll for your character that you spent hours putting together? Most likely not.
*6. I'm too slow.*
This one I don't understand; what do you mean by being too slow? Does this pertain to combat, or the game general? I'd like a little more clarification if possible.
*7. If I create my own monster, or create my own ability they feel cheated.*
Creating your own monsters and abilities is fine, but just be sure to be consistent, and try not to make up an ability on the fly just to prevent the players from defeating your creation.
Being a GM is a constant learning process. My best advice is to make sure you sit on the other side of the table as a player. This will give you much needed perspective as a player, and will allow you to see how other GMs handle the same issues that you encounter while running games.
It sounds like you have a couple of issues you need to improve on. First and most important is pacing of the game. You list being to slow as number 6 but it should be number 1. When players are bored they will find a way to entertain themselves usually by talking about other things. This is the worst thing that can happen to a game. You need to simplify and delegate more. You are using too much stuff and it sounds like what you do use is not being fully utilized.
Get the players involved more. Get a battle map and figures and use that instead of the technology. The reason I suggest this is so the players can become more involved in the game. Have the players move the figures instead of you especially if there are a lot of monsters. Have one of the players draw out the map while you are describing it. For mass encounters even have a player keep track of monster’s HP. Nothing is more boring to a player than watching a GM fiddle around with things. By allowing the players more involvement in the game you keep them focused on it instead of discussing the latest movie.
Let the player run their own characters. Avoid rolling for the characters as much as possible. Stop hiding common statistic of the opponents. Combat in pathfinder is an abstraction so the best way to handle it is to let the players have the information they need to judge the monsters. Unless you can quickly and accurately describe the effect of each blow and spell the best way for the players to know what is going on is using game terms. When the player knows he missed by three it allows him to visualize the combat a lot better than you hit or missed. The same thing is true with HP. Even let them know the touch AC vs normal AC so they can understand when the armor took the hit and when they did not even come within a mile of the monster.
Most GM thing of the game as theirs, this is a mistake. A properly run game is a group effort and everyone should be involved. The more you can offload on your players the smother the game will run. Listen to your players when they have a complaint and take appropriate action.
Keep hero labs, but create a portfolio’s for each encounter. Have another portfolio for the party and import them into the encounter portfolio and save the portfolio off before the game. Apply any conditions or spells you know will be in effect before the game. If the players have spells or other adjustments they frequently use have them already loaded but uncheck them. Use the die roller utility for rolling instead of actual dice. This not only speeds thing up but allows you to make rolls without the players realizing it. Open up the portfolio for the next encounter before it happens.
Plan out your encounters and figure out which ones are going to be in the game for the night. Spend a little time before each game session going over each encounter and familiarize yourself with what each creature can do. Don’t worry about the encounters for the next game, or the last game, just concentrate on the session you are running. Look over the encounter and figure out what abilities of both the players and enemies will apply and focus on those. If the ranger has favored terrain that does not apply ignore it, but if it applies look it over.
Avoid using house rules unless there is a good reason for it. Most house rules should be announced before the campaign starts and certainly well before they are used. For the most part house rules should set the tone for the campaign and should mostly be about what is and is not allowed. Making fundamental changes to the game will often invalidate certain characters and tactics so the players should know these in advance.
I have used these methods and recently ran a combat that involved over a hundred opponents without using swarm or mob rules and the entire encounter took about an hour.
The important thing is keep the players attention and prepare for the game.
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RPG Superstar 2015 Top 16, RPG Superstar 2013 Top 16
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I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that you are a fairly new or inexperienced GM. That's not a bad thing--in fact, it's a great thing, because we need more people to step up and GM. But you may have bitten off more than you can chew with high level play. I would guess that your campaign either started at higher levels or that your PCs have leveled up quickly. They might also be over WBL, using a high point buy or a generous stat rolling method, or be using some other high power rules like mythic. Or there might be more than 5-6 players. Any of this sound familiar?
The issue is the game gets difficult to balance and run at higher levels. The CR system breaks down. PCs outgrow their limitations, gaining formidable offenses and defenses.
1. Every fight feels like a boss fight.
If this is what you're shooting for, go ahead. But maybe consider bringing it down a notch. This is only half your responsibility; if you are in an arms race with the PCs, the other half is their fault. Run a good mix of encounters: some below APL, others near APL, some above APL. If your players find it too easy, they should dial back their super-builds so that the game is challenging again. It's blindingly easy to build characters that can roflstomp CR=APL encounters; IMO, it's more fun to play characters that don't. Your players will either enjoy the roflstomp or adjust their playstyles.
As for worrying about them having enough XP to face the CR 21 boss, if they're easily beating CR19s, don't worry about it. They'll be fine, and if they aren't fine, well, that's what raise dead is for.
2. I need to be constantly reminded of PC abilities.
This is not your job, it's theirs.
3. I announce things but not all players hear me, sometimes no one hears me and they deny I ever said it, making me question if I said it at all.
What the GM says is your only way of knowing what is going on. If they don't listen when you talk, don't repeat yourself. Move on. You wouldn't talk over a judge in a courtroom, don't talk over a GM at the table. I'm not above a stern reminder if I think players aren't paying attention to me.
4. I forget abilities of my own monsters.
High level problem, also partially a Herolab problem (though I love HL and couldn't play without it these days). I recommend printing your statblocks and highlighting things you need to remember. Sticky notes or index cards on your screen also help. Sometimes you just forget, and that's OK, happens to the best of us. Don't rewind, just fix it going forward: "dang, I forgot this monster has a gaze attack. Starting next round, everybody needs to make saves."
5. I hide all of my rolls, sometimes I roll for a PC and they don't like it.
Players are not supposed to have all the information. You are. This is your prerogative. "one player refused to tell me his AC so I just started to use what was on my copy of his character sheet and gave him the damage and he refused to take it." < This would get that player booted from my table in a heartbeat. That's not only cheating, it's flaunting it in front of the whole table.
6. I'm too slow.
Trim down the props to what you can manage. Personally, I'd start by cutting the sounds and music. They don't add enough to the game to warrant the constant attention they require. The fact that you assigned them to a player and he isn't keeping up with them should tell you that they aren't that important to your players.
Also, use analog battle tracking. HP tracking in HL is great for a PC, not so great if you have 4 monsters who you constantly need to switch back and forth. I just write it out on index cards. That also saves you the trouble of putting in the base numbers every time, since you can just line through the last set of monster hp on your card and reuse the same base numbers.
When rolling monster saves vs. AoEs, just roll as many d20s as you need and arbitrarily pick which one goes with which monster before applying their save bonuses. The players need never know.
PROTIP: have the encounters in HL open in advance. Use breaks to open the next few encounters. You can open multiple instances of HL if you open portfolios from Explorer rather than the menus in HL.
Bottom line: just because you HAVE all these digital tools, doesn't mean you have to USE all their capabilities if that's not what works best for you.
7. If I create my own monster, or create my own ability they feel cheated.
I have no sympathy for the players here. If they have a problem with this, they should step up and GM.
I loved the old 3.5 mob rules. PF has similar rules for building swarms (swarm subtype in Bestiary) and troops (troop subtype blog post).
In conclusion, sounds like you are suffering from high-level-itis. High level play is not completely untenable, but it is more difficult to manage. I would recommend starting back at level 1 after this campaign is finished, and using a medium or slow XP track so you don't rocket to the high levels so fast. That gives you more time to get acquainted with and adjust to the increasing power levels of both your PCs and monsters.
2. I need to be constantly reminded of PC abilities.
If a player has a constant effect, each time combat starts, he should remind you "don't forget I have aura of dispair". He can remind you every now and then after a Save or Attack roll saying "did you consider Aura of dispair?". After all, you're a human, you can't have in your mind every class abilities from 4 characters.
3. I announce things but not all players hear me, sometimes no one hears me and they deny I ever said it, making me question if I said it at all.
Is this an issue of players losing attention during combat because you take too much time while deciding what to do? Or does this happen because you're doing WAY too much?
If you're using roll20, map should be there, positioning should be there. You don't need music (it's a plus) and other stuffs. If you consider you're taking too much time cut things out until you master everything that is basic and start adding things.
5. I hide all of my rolls, sometimes I roll for a PC and they don't like it.
Hiding rolls IMO is fantastic. Why?
- they can't metagame information. If enemy has a high touch AC, anyone with a decent brain will stop using spells of that type, and focus on Saves.
IE = Wizard targets Reflex Save, you roll a 5 and say "the guy saved against your 25 DC". That Wizard is not going to cast another Reflex Save because he now knows that the enemy Reflex Save is way too high.
-they can't know their own HP. If an ally falls down into negative HP as a DM you say "after a severe blow your warrior falls down". But if then you say he's at -1 and the Warrior has 20 CON, the healer already knows that he has at least 18 rounds to stabilize that guy. If the doesn't know this, his ally could be at -15 and die sound, thus avoiding metagaming.
-players can gauge the abilities of an enemy DURING combat, not after 1 round and using game mechanics.
IE = Enemy casts something. Everyone fails their Spellcraft roll. You say "you feel weakened, as if luck has abandoned you". Now... let's say you just put Misfortune on them as a permanent effect. If they know this, they could easily retreat 30 ft away from the cast to suppress the effect, thus negating your strategy. Why did they do this? Because they're metagaming.
IMO, any roll that tips the players that something is going on should be done by the DM.
If something is moving around so much you can’t hit switching to a different tactic is not metagaming that is common sense. In the real world I can actually see how far I missed by and how fast the person is moving. I can also see if I was so far off my aim that he did not even seem to bother with it, or if he moved aside at the last second nimbly avoiding my attack. Unless the GM is giving incredibly detailed in his descriptions there is no way to get this information. Too often I have seen the GM just tell you if you hit or missed. The characters are not blind and neither should the players be.
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I've had several issues come up in the last few sessions.
Switch to E6 and watch almost all of your mechanical problems disappear. Seriously, if you really drill down into each of your bullet points that has to do with math or stats, the main problem is how high level your campaign is. E6 solves like 99% of the problems in Pathfinder.
The rest of your problems sound like First Fantasy World problems, or issues that pampered, experienced players usually have. "A troll with a ring of fire resistance? That's unfair! I read the Monster Manual so I know trolls are weak against fire! You cheated me!" Waa waa. Don't listen to these clowns because, in the end, they don't really know what they want. These are the same halfwits that will quit a game because it's "too boring and predictable." Sometimes you really need to take a person down a notch before they realize how ridiculous they'd become.
To solve this, put the ball in their court. Ask them this: "Do you guys want a real challenge or just a cake walk?" When they inevitably say they prefer the first option, they'll be forced to stop complaining about custom monsters, hidden rolls, clever traps, high CL encounters, etc.
If something is moving around so much you can’t hit switching to a different tactic is not metagaming that is common sense. In the real world I can actually see how far I missed by and how fast the person is moving. I can also see if I was so far off my aim that he did not even seem to bother with it, or if he moved aside at the last second nimbly avoiding my attack. Unless the GM is giving incredibly detailed in his descriptions there is no way to get this information. Too often I have seen the GM just tell you if you hit or missed. The characters are not blind and neither should the players be.
How can you determine the enemy's ability to resist a will save? Or a Reflex Save?
Are you saying that you can gauge the amount of effort (which rules wise is none, as it's a non action to make a save) it takes the enemy to avoid being burned by a fireball?I mean, I could give you the advantage of noticing that after the fireball the enemy has nothing burned on him, making you understand that he has Evasion, but see, we're still going back to rules. If you know he has evasion, you won't use Reflex Saves anymore, but others.
If you're using roll20, some of the issues you're having with not remembering buffs and debuffs can be fixed by using the aura function on a token for the paladin's aura or by putting a debuff sticker on one of the tokens.
When prepping for a game, I use the crap out of tokens. I load up their HP and their touch AC and regular AC. I use the DM's note function to quickly access init, saves and special attacks and stat blocks. It sounds like I use the tokens the way Charlie Bell uses sticky notes.
Players can't hear you? Stop using music and sound effects, or at least don't use it as much. Play one song for an intro, then that's it.
Pare down to the max you can handle. Delegate out that other crap.
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1. Every fight feels like a boss fight.
So PCs are very powerful level 14 now so much that they can steam roll challenges 3 or 4 CRs higher than they are. they crushed two CR 19 encounters with little damage done to them. but yet they still complain when one CR 8 guy doesn't go down in one turn. if I don't give them the CRs I feel like they won't be powerful enough to take on the real boss fight which I pegged at a CR 21(it's stretched out not all enemies come at once)
If your players are complaining that they don't kill an enemy in one turn, they're complaining about something that should not be a problem. Not all enemies die in one turn. Also, while it's helpful for newer GMs, it's good to remember the CR system is kinda borked to begin with.
My advice for something like this is to build encounters that play off of their weaknesses. For instance, my own group has no full casters, mostly offensive based characters. Their next boss is a level 16 Wizard. As much as I hate to say it, wizards will solve almost every problem with players being able to handle it, built correctly. I also don't love to advocate this, but they're high enough level it won't matter, really; kill some of them. They can afford a Raise Dead. When they enter the Wizard's lair, they get hit with two fireball traps and then they stumble over a Symbol of Death.
How many players do you have, and how many monsters are usually present in an encounter? CR doesn't take into account action economy, and if you have six players against one monster, it's gonna be a bloodbath regardless of CR if they go first. Either give the monster some back-up, or give it additional turns within a round. This is a good thing to do with bosses, especially. If they complain, remind them that you're the DM. Rule #0 is a thing, use it.
2. I need to be constantly reminded of PC abilities.
The paladin emits a consecrate field but I almost always forget to reduce attacks, saves, and damage on undead. This also includes activated spells or effects they put on enemies. like when I forget that the cleric blinded enemy b.
This is only half your fault. Remember, the game should never be you vs. the players. Make sure they remember to tell you these things. If you have a miniature white board or something, writing down effects might be a good idea for you. I game at college and steal a classroom, but if you don't have the option for a white board, get flash cards or have something open on your laptop or something similar that just lists exactly what that effect does and to who.
If you're using Roll20, make use of the GM overlay level. Use the functions the game has for auras for players like the Paladin. There are tools at your disposal, make sure you use them and I think you can nullify this problem. You'll always forget once or twice because you're human, though. If they give you a hard time about that, just remind them there's definitely been a time where they forgot the bard's Inspire Courage or the enemy hit them with a debuff. It happens.
3. I announce things but not all players hear me, sometimes no one hears me and they deny I ever said it, making me question if I said it at all.
I've been told I'm a loud person. so when I say something like it is this person's turn I expect them to start their turn. but when we sit their for several seconds talking about other things in game or out of. I see myself repeating a lot of words.
This is there fault, really. You're the [i]Dungeon Master[/b], they are the players. When you speak, they listen. That is their job. Being a DM takes a certain amount of bravado, and when players don't listen to you and say you didn't say it, you tell them you did and they ought to pay more attention. If a player asks you to repeat something, that's different; then they're listening and just didn't hear you, and you should repeat yourself. But if they don't hear you and it means one of them walks into a pitfall trap and takes 100 damage? Tough.
Honestly, it sounds like some of this also has to do with #6 down below, too. If you're a loud person and they're not hearing you? That's their fault. If you're playing in person and they aren't listening to you, get something heavy and slam it on the table. Always works for me.
4. I forget abilities of my own monsters.
This annoys me so bad, I just end up omitting the entire entry because I don't want to redo the last few rounds, and I want things to be consistent. poison, disease, sneak attack, grab, a really high acrobatics check to negate all those attacks of opportunities, a feat that completely negates something, the list goes on. This might be why PCs are steam rolling high CR monsters.
This one IS your fault. Not that that's a bad thing! As some others have said, it seems like you're a little new at this, so these things happen. Like I said for #2, make flash cards and use Roll20 tools for these kinds of things. This definitely has something to do with your PCs so easily taking out high level encounters. If you forget these things, I say a better thing to do is say "Hey guys, I realized I forgot an ability on this monster. Now, we already played this far without them so we'll keep that the same, but from now on this Monster has X, okay?" If they complain, that's them wanting to steamroll. That's a problem. I recommend going up to my suggestion in #1 in that case and drop an optimized wizard on them.
5. I hide all of my rolls, sometimes I roll for a PC and they don't like it.
When I roll an attack I ask for PC's AC and I tell if it hits or not. I don't ask "does a 32 hit you?" same for enemy AC PCs tell me what their attack roll is and I tell them if it hits or not. I feel it takes the game out of the game and makes it feel more like real life. Their argument is that they would be able to gauge how powerful an enemy is based on what they rolled. one player refused to tell me his AC so I just started to use what was on my copy of his character sheet and gave him the damage and he refused to take it. Sometimes I don't need to ask when I know that there is no way for this PC to boost his AC above my attack roll. I just tell him it hits and he takes this much damage. to speed up play... I'm already slow enough.
This is how you SHOULD roll,if you ask me. Now, I agree that you should do your best to describe how good of a hit/miss it is, but that's narrative, not dice based. If they roll a 30 and the enemy's AC is 22, describe it like they had no chance of dodging that. If the AC is 31 and they roll a 30, describe how he blocks it off his shield/parries it at the last second/deflects it off its toughened hide in the nick of time. If they need to beat a 40, tell them it's an almost effortless block. If that isn't enough for them, they're just trying to metagame. Again, I then refer you to option #1.
The dude who refuses to give AC? He's a problem player, plain and simple. If this guy keeps doing that he's screwing your game, and that's unacceptable. Like, I might suggest keeping a flashcard with your player's relevant stats like AC on it, but you have copies of their sheets so that's good enough. He got hit, he takes damage. Explain why you do this the way you do if you haven't already, but if he continues to refuse to take damage, tell him that's unacceptable and he has to take the damage he takes or he has to leave. This isn't a bluff, though, and that's important. Remove him if this continues.
Depending on how sadistic you are, just kill him off. Find his weakness and exploit it, just kill him mid-session. When he throws a fit tell him why you did it, and say he's no longer welcome. I don't know what his character would be vulnerable to since I don't know his class/build, but there's always something. The most important thing though, is to make sure you are the person in control, not your players. This is a collaborative game, but you have the reins. Remember that.
6. I'm too slow.
Our group uses a lot of technology and have a lot of props, (hero lab, roll20, music, pawns, sound effects, trees, doors, blood splatters, special coins pcs get for scoring a critical hit, alters, coffins, tables... just to name a few) so I can't keep up with everything the PCs want. I have asked another player to take over sound effects and he just took over the blood splatters and coins.So PCs enter a room I have to reveal the room in roll 20, get the map positioned right, read the description of the room, place all the props, put pawns on lettered bases, load the encounter in hero lab, spend a few seconds reviewing the abilities of monsters (because I have a hard time remembering the abilities of my own monsters), then play battle music, assign lettered bases to monsters in hero lab, click on "new combat" and GO!! (not all in that order)
if a PC casts a fireball the game lags, write down what monsters are affected, look at the letters in hero lab of those affected, get their save bonuses (and forget consecrate), roll for each one, assign pass/fail on each letter, then assign damage on each letter in hero lab.
Man, you gotta ditch some of these. I recommend sticking with like, some battle music and your map. Battle music is, in my experience, enough to keep people hyped. Try and keep relevant information like AC, saves, etc. saved in your GM overlay, and use the available bars for HP. Your players don't need to be able to see the HP bars at all, but you see them automatically. Drop the blood splatter and stuff like that, it's just bogging you down. I understand that you're trying to make the game fun and exciting, but if they can't be happy with a map and some music, they've got some sort of problem. This more seems to be a problem of them expecting way too much out of you rather than you screwing up, though.
If you wanna go back to pen and paper, do it. If it feels more efficient to you and easier to control, do it. I think you can make it work if you cut out a lot of this extraneous stuff, but always do what you feel you're best at as a DM. Either of these options will speed up your game, it doesn't matter which. If you go back to pen and paper, though, I strongly encourage investing in flash cards and such for players/monsters, as I said earlier. If you have physical copies of books, buying tabs for your books is a good idea too. If not, you can place virtual tabs in PDFs and you can just bookmark relevant things on websites.
7. If I create my own monster, or create my own ability they feel cheated.
This one I kind of agree with. I wanted to use mob rules from 3.5 easily transferred over. instead of keeping track of 50 CR 1/2s. a mob of zombies... paladin flies over the mob and channels it does 40 or so damage. individually it would have killed all of them outright save or not but as a mob it doesn't. but then the archer dishes out over 100 damage and kills the mob. should I just stop trying to create something new? or transferring ideas from other editions?
Man, I don't agree at all. Part of the fun is making up new monsters and such to sick on the party. Half of the things my party fights anymore are either custom monsters or monsters with custom templates. Never stifle your creativity, seriously. This sounds more like your players being brats than it does anything else. Are your players veterans/experienced players? It sounds like it irritates them because they know the vague stats on these monsters and they're upset that they can't metagame. Even if you don't always make new things, invest heavily in templates for monsters. Remember too, you can give things class levels. If they complain that this isn't right, say in no uncertain terms that you are the DM and this is how that monster works. If you make new things, that is how they work. How would they know it isn't?
Always make the game new and interesting for your players, and for you. Invent new monsters, give monsters new templates. Remember too, that you are within your rights to re-stat monsters as you see fit. Give them new feats and abilities. Your players should be happy that they're getting a new, interesting challenge, not upset about it.
In summary, it seems like a lot of this is more a problem with your group than you. I do have one more question. Are you running a module/AP, or is this game homebrew? If it's homebrew, I might suggest trying out running a module or AP next, as they're a little more structured for newer DMs.
If something is moving around so much you can’t hit switching to a different tactic is not metagaming that is common sense. In the real world I can actually see how far I missed by and how fast the person is moving. I can also see if I was so far off my aim that he did not even seem to bother with it, or if he moved aside at the last second nimbly avoiding my attack. Unless the GM is giving incredibly detailed in his descriptions there is no way to get this information. Too often I have seen the GM just tell you if you hit or missed. The characters are not blind and neither should the players be.How can you determine the enemy's ability to resist a will save? Or a Reflex Save?
Are you saying that you can gauge the amount of effort (which rules wise is none, as it's a non action to make a save) it takes the enemy to avoid being burned by a fireball?
I mean, I could give you the advantage of noticing that after the fireball the enemy has nothing burned on him, making you understand that he has Evasion, but see, we're still going back to rules. If you know he has evasion, you won't use Reflex Saves anymore, but others.
RAW states you know when a person has made the saving throw vs your spell.
Succeeding on a Saving Throw: A creature that successfully saves against a spell that has no obvious physical effects feels a hostile force or a tingle, but cannot deduce the exact nature of the attack. Likewise, if a creature's saving throw succeeds against a targeted spell, you sense that the spell has failed. You do not sense when creatures succeed on saves against effect and area spells.
As to how it happens it could be any number of things. For the reflex save simply seeing them dodge the effect would work. For a will save maybe you sense the spell hitting the persons mind. The point is that magic like many parts of the game is kind of abstract so the best way to let the player know is to simply tell them what happens. Using game terms can quickly and easily communicate the information the players need. Even if you have the linguistic skills to completely describe the combat spending 5 minutes describing each character turn including NPC’s is simply not practical. Either you end up not giving your players the information they need, or you end up boring the hell out of them.
People are forgetting the real reason that we game. The whole point of playing a game is to have fun. If your players are b%*&+ing and complaining about the way you run the game you are doing it wrong. From the sound of the original poster the biggest issue is he wants to be in control of everything and is not able to do it. He needs to delegate more and loosen up his restrictions.
With regards to making rolls: Taking player agency away from the player is an absolute cardinal sin in my book. Never roll for the PCs. It is their character. They roll for themselves. Whether they succeed or fail is in the hands of the die they roll. Not you.
You may be the DM but it is only through the graces of the players that you are allowed to be so. Much like government is a social contract signed by the people, you are a contract signed by the players.
I agree that it seems most of your problems stem from the high level play. Run a low-level campaign and many of your issues will be gone. You're not a bad GM--you are willing to seek out input on how to improve and work at it. How many of your players are working to help improve the game? I would bet none, because they seem pretty entitled/immature from what you've said.
If a PC refused to tell me his armor class, I would tell him "Well, I'll just have to guess and I'll err on the side of lower than higher." If you tell him to take damage and he refuses, I would politely ask him to leave the game and not come back. If he's not going to follow the rules of the game, why let him ruin it for everyone else? How would he react if he hit one of your monsters and you refused to take the damage? Childish nonsense.
I also agree about getting rid of all of the technological distractions and giving the players a little more agency--don't roll for their characters. Have any of them ever been the GM before? People that have no GMing experience often don't realize the work that goes into it.
I disagree on making rolls for players. I make rolls for my players when it comes to things that I don't want them to know. If I ask my players to roll Perception in an empty room, even if all of them fail they know SOMETHING is there. Same with Sense Motive. I roll for them because it makes sense they might notice, but if they roll and they all fail they still know something is up. That said, rolling their attacks/damage for them is a little different.
I also disagree on saying the OP's problem is wanting to control everything. At this point, it seems like the want to control anything, not everything. This game has gotten a little out of control, and he's trying to take control of it back. Which he SHOULD. The game is controlled by the DM. If players complain about the way I DM it doesn't automatically mean that I'm DMing wrong. It can also mean that they're crappy players. The OP has made some mistakes, sure, but they're not the only person in the wrong here by far.
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People are forgetting the real reason that we game. The whole point of playing a game is to have fun. If your players are b+&%+ing and complaining about the way you run the game you are doing it wrong. From the sound of the original poster the biggest issue is he wants to be in control of everything and is not able to do it. He needs to delegate more and loosen up his restrictions.
I cannot disagree with this conclusion any more strongly.
While the game is indeed about having fun, if the players are constantly b$+$+ing than they are wrong. Especially if some of what he says these players are doing... ignoring the GM?, refusing to give information on your character? refusing to take damage? arguing about every situation?... than they should leave the group because that is unacceptable, spoiled brat, childish b*))$#!t.
The GM is supposed to be having fun too, and they put a hell of a lot more time and effort into a game than a player does in almost every case, and if the players are not helping out and trying to facilitate everyone having fun, then they are part of the problem in a bad game environment.
I've had several issues come up in the last few sessions. So much that one player said it was frustrating playing my game. it's frustrating for me also...
Looks like its mostly them, not you. There are a few areas where it looks like you need improvement, but its nothing earth shattering, and I would follow the advice you have already gotten about what to do about those.
My 2 cents about your numbered points.
1. Every fight feels like a boss fight.
Whining because they can't one shot something is immaturity on their part. Sometimes things don't die so easily. Tough. (incidentally, don't advertise the CR, though they may know if its a non custom baddy.
2. I need to be constantly reminded of PC abilities.
Definitely try to remember effects, but yeah, it doesn't hurt as a player to remind your DM from time to time.
3. I announce things but not all players hear me, sometimes no one hears me and they deny I ever said it, making me question if I said it at all.
Pay attention to your DM, players! (also goes into pt 6, as others have pointed out.)
4. I forget abilities of my own monsters.
Definitely an issue, but hopefully some of the other suggestions made will help.
5. I hide all of my rolls, sometimes I roll for a PC and they don't like it.
Hiding your rolls and DCs it totally legit (though I agree that you should narrate the hit or miss in such a way that lets them know if it was close or not), and so is rolling for players when its a roll that should be hidden, like a passive perception or sense motive roll. (Of course you could also start using an innovation from 4E. Essentially, make all rolls that they are not actively trying to make, such as the aforementioned rolls, a take 10 attempt. Add 10 to their bonuses and treat that as their roll on such things. If they want to try to perceive something, they can roll the dice, but if they are not actively searching around or voicing--out load or mentally--suspicions about the Vizier, then use passive.)
Also, the player who refused to take damage is blatantly cheating. He is violating the rules of the game, and f+&@ing up the gamer social semi-contract by trying to essentially filibuster you into submission. I would warn the player once, and would refuse to DM for that player if they persisted.
6. I'm too slow.
Do what works best for your style. If HL is slowing you down, ditch it! sounds affects and music distracting you, ditch em! In the process you will alleviate what you can of the paying attention problem, and any attention span issues that remain are in their court.
7. If I create my own monster, or create my own ability they feel cheated.
This is asinine on their part. Custom monsters are a long standing tradition and one covered in the rules. Its ok, and makes the game more interesting to boot. These guys honestly sound like a bunch of entitled whiners, who complain when they can't gamefaqs all the monsters stats and when their oh so cool builds fail to curb stomp encounters enough. Sheesh.
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With regards to making rolls: Taking player agency away from the player is an absolute cardinal sin in my book. Never roll for the PCs. It is their character. They roll for themselves. Whether they succeed or fail is in the hands of the die they roll. Not you.
I don't agree with this at all. There are some rolls that should be perfectly acceptable for the GM to make. The mere act of rolling the die and knowing the numerical result, sans knowing if it's a success/failure, can be revealing and lead to metagame decisions. Additionally, there are times where the PCS even knowing a check is being made can clue them in to things their characters otherwise wouldn't know.
Lastly, there's nothing whatsoever wrong with a GM rolling behind the screen or in secret. It keeps a certain amount of mystery in the game.
-Skeld
With regards to making rolls: Taking player agency away from the player is an absolute cardinal sin in my book. Never roll for the PCs. It is their character. They roll for themselves. Whether they succeed or fail is in the hands of the die they roll. Not you.I don't agree with this at all. There are some rolls that should be perfectly acceptable for the GM to make. The mere act of rolling the die and knowing the numerical result, sans knowing if it's a success/failure, can be revealing and lead to metagame decisions. Additionally, there are times where the PCS even knowing a check is being made can clue them in to things their characters otherwise wouldn't know.
Lastly, there's nothing whatsoever wrong with a GM rolling behind the screen or in secret. It keeps a certain amount of mystery in the game.
-Skeld
So you ask them for perception checks in every room, regardless of needing it or not. They'll never know when the check actually matters, and eventually they'll just make the checks themselves without you asking. It's a learned behavior based on fear, like the rogue who won't stop sneaking or checking everything for traps because one time a month ago they got a phantasmal killer in their face when they opened a door.
The metagame is no longer meta.
Also just for reference, the PC who clearly refused to give their AC or take damage should of been kicked out immediately.
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I disagree on making rolls for players. I make rolls for my players when it comes to things that I don't want them to know. If I ask my players to roll Perception in an empty room, even if all of them fail they know SOMETHING is there. Same with Sense Motive. I roll for them because it makes sense they might notice, but if they roll and they all fail they still know something is up. That said, rolling their attacks/damage for them is a little different.
Agree with this. A player can ask to make a Perception/ Sense Motive roll at any time and roll it. I make Perception/ Sense Motive rolls for the players when they don't know they even need them.
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So you ask them for perception checks in every room, regardless of needing it or not. They'll never know when the check actually matters, and eventually they'll just make the checks themselves without you asking. It's a learned behavior based on fear, like the rogue who won't stop sneaking or checking everything for traps because one time a month ago they got a phantasmal killer in their face when they opened a door.
The metagame is no longer meta.
Adding a whole bunch of unnecessary rolls to the game in an effort to hide the relevant rolls is a dumb plan (unless you're trying to slow the game down).
-Skeld
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If something is moving around so much you can’t hit switching to a different tactic is not metagaming that is common sense. In the real world I can actually see how far I missed by and how fast the person is moving. I can also see if I was so far off my aim that he did not even seem to bother with it, or if he moved aside at the last second nimbly avoiding my attack. Unless the GM is giving incredibly detailed in his descriptions there is no way to get this information. Too often I have seen the GM just tell you if you hit or missed. The characters are not blind and neither should the players be.
Very easy to describe without giving away the actual ACs.
You miss the target Touch AC: "you have missed the enemy"
You hit the touch AC but you mis the total AC? "The though hide/armor of the enemy stop your blow."
You know why you have missed, but not by how much.
RAW states you know when a person has made the saving throw vs your spell.
Succeeding on a Saving Throw: A creature that successfully saves against a spell that has no obvious physical effects feels a hostile force or a tingle, but cannot deduce the exact nature of the attack. Likewise, if a creature's saving throw succeeds against a targeted spell, you sense that the spell has failed. You do not sense when creatures succeed on saves against effect and area spells.
As to how it happens it could be any number of things. For the reflex save simply seeing them dodge the effect would work. For a will save maybe you sense the spell hitting the persons mind. The point is that magic like many parts of the game is kind of abstract so the best way to let the player know is to simply tell them what...
You know when someone saves against a targeted spell. Not when he saves against area spells and effects.
Technically you wouldn't even know if someone saved or not against disintegrate, as the disintegration ray is an effect not a targeted spell (but the number of damage dice that you roll is a clear indication if the target has saved or not).
My point is that the game is a group effort. It belongs to the whole group not just the GM. Yes a GM puts a more work and effort into the game then the players, but without the players there is not game. Ronald Regan said it best when he said “You can accomplish anything as long as you don’t care who gets credit for it.” While the GM is of course the final authority he should listen to his players. It sounds like the original poster had his idea on how he wanted to run things but that may not have been the game the players wanted to play in.
As to the player who refused to cooperate. Yes that is going way too far and a GM should not put up with that type of behavior. The best way to handle that type of situation is not to let it get that far. If the player was complaining about how the GM was running the game that should have been addressed long before it escalated to that point. When issues like that come up they should be addressed not left to fester. Some adult communication and discussion is what is needed in these situations.
The original poster has made it clear that he is overwhelmed with keeping track of everything. This is causing problems for both the players and the GM. Points 2, 4, and 6 are directly related to this. This is also contributing to the game slowing down which is probably causing the players to lose interest and being talking about other things. So 4 out of the 7 issues are a result of the GM being overwhelmed. Clearly he needs help. The best way to handle this is to delegate more to the players.
As to the issue of the GM rolling for the players this should be kept to a minimum. I have the players roll almost all their rolls no matter what. I also ask for false rolls from time to time. I do this for two reasons first it that it keeps the players guessing. Second it is a great way to get everyone’s attention back on the game. About the only time I will make a roll for a player is if it is only involves a single character. My players know that I do this so just because I ask for a check does not have to give anything away. But when I do ask for a roll everyone gets real interested in what is going on.
Every fight should not be a boss fight. Don’t be afraid to throw lower level challenges at your players. This is a good way to drain away resources from the party. It also allows them to enjoy the hard earned powers they have achieved. At this level you can also throw mass numbers which can be fun. In most boss fights the players have the advantage of the action economy this is a good chance to turn the tables on them.
2. I need to be constantly reminded of PC abilities.
The paladin emits a consecrate field but I almost always forget to reduce attacks, saves, and damage on undead. This also includes activated spells or effects they put on enemies. like when I forget that the cleric blinded enemy b.
Oh my gosh I am the worst at this. I'm getting better at remembering invisibility, but Dirge of Doom consistently eludes me.
4. I forget abilities of my own monsters.
This annoys me so bad, I just end up omitting the entire entry because I don't want to redo the last few rounds, and I want things to be consistent. poison, disease, sneak attack, grab, a really high acrobatics check to negate all those attacks of opportunities, a feat that completely negates something, the list goes on. This might be why PCs are steam rolling high CR monsters.
My advice: When you have a major monster, write down the stuff that's important somewhere you'll see it. If there's an aura or something that's constant, write that down extra big. Basically, review the monsters beforehand. Extensively. With a focus on the niggly bits.
Also, consider finding a middle ground between "retconning" and "no consistency". If you forgot Sneak Attack, just say, "This time, the monster goes for your vitals, and you take extra damage." If you forgot poison, say, "This time when it bites you, it clenches its jaw, and you feel a burning sensation around the wound." And so on. Justify "new" abilities as the monster taking a different tactic. Maybe it just chose not to use grab on the target on previous rounds.
5. I hide all of my rolls, sometimes I roll for a PC and they don't like it.
When I roll an attack I ask for PC's AC and I tell if it hits or not. I don't ask "does a 32 hit you?" same for enemy AC PCs tell me what their attack roll is and I tell them if it hits or not. I feel it takes the game out of the game and makes it feel more like real life. Their argument is that they would be able to gauge how powerful an enemy is based on what they rolled. one player refused to tell me his AC so I just started to use what was on my copy of his character sheet and gave him the damage and he refused to take it. Sometimes I don't need to ask when I know that there is no way for this PC to boost his AC above my attack roll. I just tell him it hits and he takes this much damage. to speed up play... I'm already slow enough.
Okay, so this clearly just doesn't mesh with your players. They like to feel like they have agency. I don't think it's a battle worth fighting—explain to them why you've been doing it, clarifying that maybe you don't want them to know how powerful the monsters are, then concede. There are better ways to inject flavor. Besides, knowing how high the monster rolled can be a powerful mood-setter on its own. "Oh, god, it rolled a 32?!"
Also, when do you roll for PCs? Perception and Sense Motive I could understand, but otherwise, they probably feel like they're being controlled too much. Players prefer to do the rolling.
Our group uses a lot of technology and have a lot of props, (hero lab, roll20, music, pawns, sound effects, trees, doors, blood splatters, special coins pcs get for scoring a critical hit, alters, coffins, tables... just to name a few) so I can't keep up with everything the PCs want. I have asked another player to take over sound effects and he just took over the blood splatters and coins.
So PCs enter a room I have to reveal the room in roll 20, get the map positioned right, read the description of the room, place all the props, put pawns on lettered bases, load the encounter in hero lab, spend a few seconds reviewing the abilities of monsters (because I have a hard time remembering the abilities of my own monsters), then play battle music, assign lettered bases to monsters in hero lab, click on "new combat" and GO!! (not all in that order)
if a PC casts a fireball the game lags, write down what monsters are affected, look at the letters in hero lab of those affected, get their save bonuses (and forget consecrate), roll for each one, assign pass/fail on each letter, then assign damage on each letter in hero lab.
I was much more efficient using pencil/paper bout to revert back to that
Definitely downsize your repertoire, and put players in charge of more of this stuff.
Also, consider writing down the saves/AC on a separate sheet that you can adjust on-the-fly. And make templates of the common area effects like fireball that you can just move around the board.
This one I kind of agree with. I wanted to use mob rules from 3.5 easily transferred over. instead of keeping track of 50 CR 1/2s. a mob of zombies... paladin flies over the mob and channels it does 40 or so damage. individually it would have killed all of them outright save or not but as a mob it doesn't. but then the archer dishes out over 100 damage and kills the mob. should I just stop trying to create something new? or transferring ideas from other editions?
Creating your own monsters and rules is part of what makes GMing interesting. Sometimes it doesn't work. Sometimes it does. My advice: Take the rules and monsters to this site first and ask for feedback. People here can tell you what might backfire.
Oh, something about downsizing: Ask your players. Work out what your group really likes. Some things work, some things don't. Maybe the music makes things really fun, but Herolab and sound effects don't really add anything. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Also, the more secrets you keep from the players, the more mistakes you'll make, and the more you have to manage on your own. Just a thought.
Hey Buddy,
First of all, thanks for being a DM! It's hard! I know because I've been trying to be a decent one myself.
As for advice, I'd lose some of that stuff. As a GM you have enough to keep track of. Don't make it harder by format shifting too much and fiddling with music and too many things. Just focus on the core stuff, which is the game and the storytelling.
I sometimes forget all the stuff my monsters can do. I find it helps if I write notes out about them on index cards and make a plan ahead of time about their tactics. This should also make encounters a bit more challenging.
As for difficult players - if they won't change, ask them to leave or just don't invite them back. While the GM is not a dictator, they are in charge, and if you decide that the player is disruptive, you have every right to ask them to go.
As my girlfriend said when I was hemming and hawing about removing a player from my table whose personality and habits did not jive with me and other players "this is not a charity, or a church social group, you don't have to include people you don't like, it's your fun time."
Also, consider throwing the big bad at folks and then sitting them down for a chat and asking them about ending the campaign and starting a new one. It sounds like you're not quite ready to GM high level play. It's okay! I'm not either!
This one might be hard for folks, they may want to hang on to their characters and keep going but it doesn't sound like you're having fun. And it sounds like they aren't quite satisfied either.
And I will echo others in suggesting a slow or medium experience track so you have time to get to know the game better. Also, if you can, go to organized play! I learned so much from playing with battle-hardened GMs.
Oh, and it helps to play a published adventure. I would humbly suggest the SWORD OF AIR. It's amazing and it's very very difficult. Maybe your players wouldn't like it, I don't know! But if you can get a reset have a good discussion about what the next campaign looks like and if you are going for a published adventure, see if you can get them on board with whatever you choose.
1. Every fight feels like a boss fight.
Unfortunately that's just part of how higher-level play goes. Try making fights more interesting with things like puzzle challenges in them instead of simple stat blocks being thrown at them.
2. I need to be constantly reminded of PC abilities.
Keep notes! Have a little sheet that gives you a quick breakdown of every PCs abilities, either passive or active. Notes are a godsend.
3. I announce things but not all players hear me, sometimes no one hears me and they deny I ever said it, making me question if I said it at all.
A very consistent problem between groups. I take a very serious approach to commanding the attention of my players, getting all of their attention and waiting for their silence before saying something of importance. Kind of like a classroom full of children :P
That isn't to say don't let them talk about other stuff, but keep it down to a few minutes at most.
4. I forget abilities of my own monsters.
See #2. NOTES! They really are a godsend.
5. I hide all of my rolls, sometimes I roll for a PC and they don't like it.
Tough luck for them. A lot of rolls need to be made in secret, and a number of rolls are RAW supposed to be rolled in secret. Explain to them the reason that the meta-knowledge can ruin their approach to a situation. I would also systematically go through what kind of rolls you would want to roll in private. If you want to be really stealthy about it, try using a digital roller and not even letting them know you rolled it. Or just roll dice sometimes that mean nothing. Every session I throw around 20-40 die rolls that are completely meaningless, and my players know this, so they never know when one of my rolls actually means something.
6. I'm too slow.
Cut down on the tech. The special effects, IMHO, are just a distraction. Music, sound effects, blood splatters, etc. should all simply be covered by colorful narrative. Describe what's happening. Use your imagination! That's the best part of a tabletop game like this, your imagination is the only limit to the possibilities!
I don't even allow my players to have tech devices open at the table. They can text occasionally or look up the effects of a spell or w/e, but I have made it very clear to them that I don't want the distraction of open technology at the table whenever it's unnecessary.
Also, try doing maps ahead of time. Can be pretty lifesaving.
I would definitely recommend going back to paper.
7. If I create my own monster, or create my own ability they feel cheated.
Just give them a quick note that it's a homebrew creature and that the abilities aren't standard. If they don't like that, you should talk to them about it. Some people only like things that are already pregenerated, but in my experience the majority of players really love when the GM throws some personal flavor into the world.
~~~
Keep it going man! Being a GM is a hard job but very rewarding. You're also clearly very interested in being good at it. Don't forget to remind your players of GM appreciation day ;)
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Now that I'm at a computer, instead of my phone, here's my take on your bullet:
1. Every fight feels like a boss fight.
I don't see that you're doing anything wrong here, mechanically, as a GM. The range of encounters you throw at them should be just that, a range. Some encounters should be easy, some on the mark, and some should be tough. Remember that CR is a rough (very rough, in many cases) guideline. There's a certain amount of judgement that comes into play, especially at higher levels. Also keep in mind that a single opponent is going to be killed through action economy alone. It might be better to have a sinlge powerful enemy coupled with a group of low-level threats. It gives the players someone to be challenged by and bad guys to mow through all in one encounter.
It sounds like part of the issue here is player expectation. Maybe they expect all encounters to be easy, or they don't like to be challenged and they just want to play in the mode where they steamroll everything. This is the kind of thing that you have to talk to them about.2. I need to be constantly reminded of PC abilities.
There's nothing wrong with this, especially at higher levels. The players have a metric butt-ton of possible options and effects they can bring to bear at any given time. You shouldn't be expected to keep a mintal talley of every effect on the table at any given moment. Here, the players should be their own advocates for what bonuses/penalties/etc. affect themselves, their allies, and opponents. your job is adjudication of those effects.
3. I announce things but not all players hear me, sometimes no one hears me and they deny I ever said it, making me question if I said it at all.
My group gets talky sometimes. When they get to chatting about something at the table while we're gaming, I usually wait patiently and stare at the offenders until the wisen up. If that takes longer than 30 seconds, I'll keep right on going with the game. If that still doesn't work, I'll interrupt them (firm, but polite) and ask them if we're gaming or not. That usually jolts people back into where we are. exactly one time, I just packed up my things that told them to let me know when they wanted to start gaming again. You need to figure out what works best of your group.
4. I forget abilities of my own monsters.
Dude, I do this... Every... Single... Game. Just roll with it. Forgot to apply an aura this round? Do it next round! Forgot these bad guys get Sneak Attack? It's ok. Something that I do sometimes for a given foe is to write down a few things to remember (like 6 at most) on a sticky note and stick it to the inside of my GM screen. I look at the note every time that creature's turn comes up ("Don't forget the heat aura!" "Move to flank!" "Immune to Fire & Electricity!").
5. I hide all of my rolls, sometimes I roll for a PC and they don't like it.
Here's how I do it: Announce who creature will attack. Roll behind screen. Ask player, "Does X hit your normal AC?" Player answers, damage is dispensed. I don't roll behind the screen and tell the player I hit. That's going to feel like it's just getting made up on the fly. Give a number to compare against their AC. I've covered up-thread why i think secret rolls are ok, so I won't rehash that.
6. I'm too slow.
I think you're doing too much. I can say that because I've been where you are, with props, sound effects, etc. Nowadays, I use my iPad to remote to my PC and run Hero Lab so that I have all my adversary stats and can apply modifiers/conditions. Otherwise, i don't use any technology; it's all dice, pre-drawn maps (or drawn on the fly!), books, and minis. Too much tech becomes a serious hindrance because you;re trying to manage too many things at once.
7. If I create my own monster, or create my own ability they feel cheated.
Unless your custom monsters are slaughtering PCs with little effort, or are otherwise woefully unbalanced for their CR, this is nothing but your players being whiny.
Someone mentioned "player agency" up-thread, but player agency doesn't mean the players have a say in all the decisions; it means the players control the things their characters would control. The Gm handles the rest. That's why the game has a GM.
Edit: Being the GM can be hard, so don't make things extra hard on yourself. Balance player expectation with what makes sense to you from both a rules standpoint and a game management standpoint. I don't know how experienced a GM you are, but it takes practice and you'll make a lot of mistakes along the way. It's ok!
-Skeld
Agency has only been mentioned with regards to rolling for them, which is something you should generally keep to a minimum. And be consistent about it! Tell them in advance, "I generally roll Perception and Sense Motive for you guys to maintain suspense," for instance.
The point Skeld makes about PC abilities and bonuses is a good one, though. Make sure the players understand that it's their job to keep track of that stuff first-and-foremost. You have enough to manage on your end without also managing their end all the time.
There is already a lot of great advice here but I will one thing regarding players not paying attention and you not being heard. Do not be afraid to take control of your table. Don't be a jerk obviously, but you need to be more assertive. A single game session can ebb and flow between serious and casual, but let them know when it's time to be serious.
A whiteboard is invaluable for high level games. Put it on the wall and write down all persistant effects.
Just writing "Heroism, Haste, Bless, Raging Song, Desecrate, Darkness" up on the board in big letters will constantly remind you and your players to take those things into consideration when they roll.
You can also use it to track individual effects witth long durations. "Bob is poisoned. Jane has 2 negative levels" up on the board will remind you to have them make those subsequent saving throws and for them to roleplay thier malady.
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It sounds like you could stand to take things back to basics.
Retire your current game. Let the PCs win. Maybe even use them as influential NPCs in your next game.
Tell your players you want to play at earlier levels with reduced options to allow you some time to really practice your GMing skills in a less complicated game.
You might consider picking up an Adventure Path like Kingmaker or Curse of the Crimson Throne, which are older and well suited to a "Core Only" or "Core Mostly" game.
Another interesting option is to tell players you want to do a lower lvel, more simplistic game, but you'd like to see things that are new to you so that you can employ them in later games. Tell them "No Core classes" and make them play characters that are all from more recent sources, encouraging them to play classes they haven't before. A Cavalier, an Inquisitor, an Oracle and a Witch will have similar themes to the classic "fighter, rogue, cleric, wiard" party, but the mechanics will be quite a bit different Everyone will be learning right along with you and showing each other new and interesting things.
Practice your book keeping and organization at low levels and by the time you get to higher level it won't seem so daunting.
Note Cards prepared in advance for enemies can really help you remember their tactics and abilities.
These don't need to be stat blocks. You'll have those elsewhere. I'm talking about notecards that lay out how the creature behaves.
It could be something as simple as writhing Sees through smoke, swims through lava and rock, Power Attack and use obscuring mist as smoke for an Underworld Dragon.
It could also be more complex. I had an Antipaladin enemy once who's attack pattern was Power Attack, Cornugon Smash, Hurtful for extra attack.
Any hit causes free Demoralize. Aura of Cowardice removes fear immunity.
Any Demoralize of +5 over DC causes Command and Frightened.
Dominated villagers and skeletons are valid Cleave targets. Cleaving Finish lets dropped "allies" become extra attacks on threatened PCs.
Slain flaming skeleton minions explode
Then as status effects piled on I added them to the note card.
It was a very complicatted encounter that woud have been much harder to run if I hadn't created a cheat sheet for myself.
A lot of good advise above but I would like to add.
If you are good friends with any of the players ask them what they like and do not like about your games.
If you are not good friends with any of them, then just take the good advise from the above posters and if things do not get better soon find a different group to play with or DM.
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I've had several issues come up in the last few sessions. So much that one player said it was frustrating playing my game. it's frustrating for me also
I'll chip in with my $0.02:
1. Every fight feels like a boss fight.
Beyond a certain level, PCs simply will not be challenged by combat. When they get up in the high levels, you need to start finding other things for them to do. By all means let them bust heads from time to time - they earned all those combat feats! But the real problems at this level should go beyond violent solutions: mysteries, puzzles, logistical issues, moral quandaries, etc. Don't be afraid to invent problems which you don't think are solvable - they're clever, they'll come up with something. The bad guys need to challenge them on a higher level. Just make sure that they players are getting to make meaningful decisions about how to solve the issues before them.
2. I need to be constantly reminded of PC abilities.
I tell all my players: "I am not responsible for remembering your abilities. You play your characters, I've got enough on my plate." Rolling in the open aids this immensely. Trying to remember everyone's abilities and keep all the math behind the screen, the numbers begin to feel irrelevant to the players.
3. I announce things but not all players hear me, sometimes no one hears me and they deny I ever said it, making me question if I said it at all.
Sounds like you have too many players. Check to make sure they're paying attention. Feel free to rap on the table and throw chips at anyone looking at their phone. Discourage cross-talk.
4. I forget abilities of my own monsters.
Everyone does that. When designing an encounter, try to have only 1 complicated creature and make the rest relatively basic.
5. I hide all of my rolls, sometimes I roll for a PC and they don't like it.
Rolling in the open solves a lot of issues. I recommend giving it a try.
6. I'm too slow.
Streamline your setup. Do as much as you can beforehand. Don't sweat details. And if something is holding up the game, make a summary ruling and move on. Be firm about this with your players.
7. If I create my own monster, or create my own ability they feel cheated.
Creating threats that break the rules or don't operate by normal game logic is a great way to challenge the players, but you have to be judicious with it. Such things should always be mysterious and their mechanics should never be explained to the players. Just giving an otherwise normal Giant a special made-up feat which increases his combat effectiveness will feel like a cheat. On the other hand, if he's a weird mutant tied to an unusual or haunted location, who from the very first moment they see him is obviously breaking reality and sanity just by his very existence, then the players will probably be intrigued rather than annoyed.
So, this:
So PCs are very powerful level 14
...and this:
20 CR 8s each with over 100 hp
equals OMG.
If I were at that level and had to deal with 20 enemies with 100+ HP each, I'd object simply due to sheer boredom. These are not "epic" fights, these are slogs. The martial types I have at that level can dish out 100 HP on a good turn, if the dice are on my side. So I could take out an enemy per turn, especially if a spellcaster on my side is doing an area of effect spell to weaken my targets. But that still means 20 rounds to take them down. I assume the cleric/priesty-type and ranged/rogue-type will also contribute, but they're not the main damage dealers. So maybe we take down 2 enemies per round, average. That's still 10 rounds. If it turns out to only be 7 rounds because we were better than we initially gauged, that's still not good, because the psychology of seeing that many triple-digit-HP enemies on the battlemat will make many players have an initial reaction of "Ugh, lame" regardless of the end result.
Also, as far as previous replies in this thread, I wanted to say to everyone that I think you are doing the OP no favors when you tell him he's fine or that he's doing OK and it's the players that are at issue. I totally agree that his players are combative, but that's because OP fosters that with his handling of the game. I understand that Chris Lambertz just removed some negative posts, but I assume they were incredibly hostile or something. We need to be able to criticize the OP if he's going to have any hope of identifying problems and addressing them.
The OP himself (herself?) admits to having entire groups stand up and walk out. There is no way that a person would see that problem start to repeat and think, "Oh it's just bad players, again." At least, not with the information we have at hand.