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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lord Zardoz" data-source="post: 4362400" data-attributes="member: 704">A DM using coup-de-grace on the players is both mean and fair.  My own opinion is that a DM using that against his players is wielding a very dangerous weapon.  Coup-de-grace is a legitimate tactical option that has a big chance of backfiring on a DM.The points against doing so are obvious.  It is pretty hard to maintain a consistent narrative feel in a game when the cast of the main characters tends to die very often.  If everyone dies, its difficult to move the story forward.  On top of that, it can very quickly build player resentment if Horace the Heroic, the champion of Pelor who held the line at the Battle of Badon Hill, and advanced from 1st level to 12th ends up meeting his end at the hands of a lowly bit of Orc cannon fodder who pulls the coup-de-grace after a Hill Giant dropped him to negative HP.But there are reasons that make it an option worth using.For one, it sends a message to the players that you will extract a bloody price for their misjudgements within the game.  Assuming that not every opponent will do this all the time, it can get the players attention that you were serious when you said that this particular band of villains was particularly blood thirsty.Tactically, it will force players to protect fallen allies and try to bring them back to their feet rather than letting them wait until you mop up the opposition.  A villain can hold the fallen player hostage as well.  A readied action to coup-de-grace a PC if they do not surrender might make the players stand down.  It might give the primary villain time to escape if they have to stop the leutenant from finishing their friend.  Finally, at high levels, death is just a speed bump.  Unless your about to finish the cleric, all your doing is forcing the players to raise the fallen ally.END COMMUNICATION</blockquote>

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