DM vs. Player

[Greg K]

, or you must be really happy for having the only perfect group on Earth.

The most perfect group on earth? I can't say since I have not met every gamer or group out there. However, I definitely think that I have been lucky and every day that I read message boards, I am more thankful for the players that I have had over the past 15 years with one exception. The one exception had an attitude like the player in question- it was my other players that showed him the door.

And, if I encountered players like the OP described, I would rather not game. The other players might be fine, but their playstyle is not one I would enjoy. And, I definitely would not play with one like the player in question. No gaming is better than bad gaming.

 

[Wild Gazebo]

A player should always have control over his character. Though, said player should realize there are consequences to his actions: both in game and out.

That being said, if a player told me I couldn't tell him what his character knows...I would be very tempted to run the next few minutes of the game with as little detail as humanly possible. What an inane idea. How would the game even run?

 

[Charwoman Gene]

The character knows perfectly well that the sword thrust is likely to kill the dwarf. They can fully take the action anyway, and should be censured in game by the other party members (and the resurrected dwarf).

The bigger concern is if this is motivated by larger player whiny-hurt feelings.

 

[billd91]

Strike that. After, reading that the whole group's attitude was the dwarf be damned, I'd pack my books and tell the players to find a new DM. The session and the campaign are over (assuming that group had no reason to hate the dwarf PC to the point that they would let him die).

I have to say that this is a bit of an overreaction. People get into fights and adventures knowing there are risks. Could there be extenuating circumstances like availability of healing/raising magic or the general threat from the boss monster to other people that might make the death of a fellow PC warranted? There certainly could be.
It may seem cold blooded to not prevent someone's murder in these circumstances, but with death potentially being a revolving door, I don't see it as being out of the question. The pain and trauma may be unfortunate, but it's not like the character can't be ultimately fixed.

 

[Halivar]

I sometimes play characters with severe lack of reasoning (negative Wis mod). What should be obvious and what are obvious are, in such cases, very different animals. I get very much into my characters, and often, for the sake of getting the character right, make sub-optimal decisions; sometimes those decisions have deleterious affects on myself and others in my party.

For a DM to come in a tell us (the players) what our characters think? It's his table. If he makes a ruling, we'll stand by it. Next week there will be a new DM.

 

[Kzach]

The pain and trauma may be unfortunate, but it's not like the character can't be ultimately fixed.

In the setting I'm running, Raise Dead is an 11th-level ritual and only available to those who have undergone a Ritual of Dedication to a God. Not to mention that there are very, very, very few 11th-level people with the ability to cast it. By very, very, very few, I mean in the realm of maybe one person per state/county/barony etc. And even then, only if you're lucky enough to have personal influence with them through family (most characters come from the nobility anyway) or friends or through deeds accomplished.

In other words, highly unlikely at 1st level

 

[vagabundo]

That sounds great, I'll snag it for my own game.

While the player was being a bit of a dick, I would not stop them from attacking.

The DM has the right to tell the player what his character knows and it is up to the player to decide what the character will do with this knowledge. We all do things we just know are a bad idea before doing it and we still do it, so it may not be out of character to attack anyway - whatever the players real motives were.

It think it was a very interesting situation and it should have sparked some creative solutions from the players. Maybe even a skill challenge to diffuse the hostage drama.

To be honest, you both lost; a good opportunity for something memorable, but I don't think you were at fault, just one of those things really.

 

[Raven Crowking]

The DM can tell the players what is known to the characters; the players decide what the characters think about what they know.

I've had a villian hold a dropped PC, ready to coup de grace, in order to make an escape. It's a valid tactic. If the PCs don't think so, then they can try to save their stricken friend before the villian can act. If they succeed, great. If not, have the villian behave appropriately (which isn't always carrying through on his threat, btw).

Simple as that, IMHO.


RC

 

[Fenes]

The DM can tell the players what is known to the characters; the players decide what the characters think about what they know.

Exactly.

 

[GlaziusF]

A readied attack is an immediate reaction, not an immediate interrupt. If one of your ranged characters want to try to make a called shot to knock her out, or one of your stealthy characters wants to take advantage of her shifting attention to get behind her and wrench her stabbing arm, that's fine.

...also what kind of boss only does 9 points of damage on a critical hit? Was she a caster?