What was your biggest screw-up as a GM?

[bobjob]

Um... HOW did he get that spell at 6th level? He's got to be 17th level MINIMUM to cast it. There are no feats or spells that let you cast spells from a higher level (yes, they can make it so you're able to cast spells you ARE eligible for as if you were a higher-level caster - e.g., longer duration, more HD damage, etc. - but nothing gives you spells that are exclusively for higher-level casters).

One cure for suspiciously high rolls: make players make rolls out in the open.

All players should roll out in the open. I've played in games and watched people fudge die rolls and have suspected others of doing it in games that I've run. If there are books or something in the way, have them relocated. Elements of chance are built into the game for a reason, otherwise I've got a new game called "Just do whatever you want to and you always succeed"

As for GM screw ups, I can think of one or two.

In a WEG Star Wars campaign I was running, I made the mistake of giving the characters a crate of thermal detonators, which two of the characters decided to tote with them back to their ship, but got caught in a fire fight on the way back. A blaster bolt ended up killing the party and taking a nice sized chunk out of a Star Destroyer with them. The lesson I learned from this: never hand out more than one or two thermal detonators at a time.

[devonapple]

The lesson I learned from this: never hand out more than one or two thermal detonators at a time.

In my best Invader Zim voice: "'Never'?? Or 'always'!?

[EldritchFire]

For me, my biggest "screw-up" was during a WEG Star Wars game. One of my players wanted to play a character who had heightened senses, like bullet time. Every time he was in combat he got a +1D to Dexterity, +1D Perception, and +1D to Strength.

Needless to say, he was a combat monster. Anything that could cause him problems was enough to kill any other PC.

I was in high school at that time, so I didn't know any better  >_<

-EF