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Message: <blockquote data-quote="swrushing" data-source="post: 2523970" data-attributes="member: 14140"></blockquote>Well, for me, it really dpeends more on the "individuals" per se and their own personality and goals. But regardless, it takes a very unusual sort to not be inclined to try and survive.very true.Now, the question becomes some form of "did the players or their characters have any way of knowing that ghouls in your worlds react this differently from other "significantly above average intelligent creatures?" That ghouls typically place getting one more kill over their own survival?usually, when i run game and want to introduce a "this guy won't be making normal rational reactions even though you know he is a smart fellow", i tend to show it before it becomes a PC action thing, especially if its not something the players/characters will get from their normally known material, like say the MM. often this is done either by NPC stories or PC observation of the aftermath of NPC events or even by the tried and true "redshirt technique" where the PCs actually see an engagement where an NPC ally gets to befall the "fanatical" behavior. This is a technique i have found very helpful to let my players know "the rules are different here. Don't expect this but be worried about that..." etc so that if they do happen to befall the fate, they at least have a forewarning of the threat. In the case here, had they had such a scene prior to this, where they saw  a ghoul choose to suicidally ""take one down with me" instead of other more rational actions one might expect from an Int 13 foe who wanted to live, my bet is as soon as one guy gets paralyzed it would become PRIORITY ONE for everyone to try and eliminate the ghoul at CDG range. That not only IMO a good Gming thing but a great scene. I have seen it play out with all sorts of wild desperate "try to save him" gambles as everyone's attention turns from "beat the guy closest" to a very dramatic and tense "can we save billy." I have seen fighters drop their swords and grapple the CDG capable guy, seen clerics rush away from their foes and take AoOs to rush across the room and lay a cure on the guy at negative hit points so he isn't helpless, and so forth when they thought it was one-round-or-he-dies.But, again, this will often come about AFTER a previous scene or event in the current scene has shown them the above average risk. i have found players take "harsh life or death" lessons better when its not their character that is the first such "example" on point for "today's new lesson."Maybe that will be of help to you. maybe not.Enjoy.[/QUOTE]

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