Do You Kill off your PC's.
- Thread starter Diremede
- Start date
(Psi)SeveredHead
Adventurer
Killing PCs is hard. You're facing multiple brains, and once combat starts the PCs won't give up. I found a fair number of situations where the EL is quite high but only one PC dropped. All the rest of the PCs have single-digit hit points (in-combat healing!), but all the bad guys are dead.
Furthermore, it's rare that I've killed only one PC. Usually when PCs die it's because the EL is fairly high, the PCs were injured in a previous battle, and I've been rolling lucky. Then I end up with a 3/4PK (three-quarters party knockout). In DnD, spellcasting NPCs always seem to be present when that happens.
Over time, it happens a bit more often. More experience with tactics on my part and also less fudging on my part. There's a slim possibility that PCs will die in my next d20 Modern game. I won't deliberately try to kill the PCs... but the NPCs will surely attempt that!
Furthermore, it's rare that I've killed only one PC. Usually when PCs die it's because the EL is fairly high, the PCs were injured in a previous battle, and I've been rolling lucky. Then I end up with a 3/4PK (three-quarters party knockout). In DnD, spellcasting NPCs always seem to be present when that happens.
Over time, it happens a bit more often. More experience with tactics on my part and also less fudging on my part. There's a slim possibility that PCs will die in my next d20 Modern game. I won't deliberately try to kill the PCs... but the NPCs will surely attempt that!
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Flexor the Mighty!
18/100 Strength!
I don't want to kill PC's, but I feel I owe it to them.
Nyeshet
First Post
I try to make certain they have an understanding of the situation.
If they are in a situation where they might die, and they decide to do something foolish (like rush into an encounter they have been forewarned is likely beyond them) then their deaths are on their own hands.
I don't go easy on them, but I don't go out of my way to kill them. If they happen to die, I can ususally find some way to introduce them to the rest of the group once they finish creating their next character.
Now, there are rare occations where they die by accident (a few lucky hits with uncommonly high damage in an otherwise balanced or even easy encounter, for instance). In such instance I might state that the foes leave the PC for dead and focus on the remaining PCs. After the encounter is over I would perhaps offer a second chance to that player (if the other players are amicable), by offering to have the PC at, say, -8 and stabilized. In other words, regardless of how much damage he took, he really was only 2 points from true death and remarkably managed to stabilize. Such incidences are quite uncommon, however, as I only allow this option if I personally think the death was due entirely to chance. If the PC made poor choices this option will not be offered.
If they are in a situation where they might die, and they decide to do something foolish (like rush into an encounter they have been forewarned is likely beyond them) then their deaths are on their own hands.
I don't go easy on them, but I don't go out of my way to kill them. If they happen to die, I can ususally find some way to introduce them to the rest of the group once they finish creating their next character.
Now, there are rare occations where they die by accident (a few lucky hits with uncommonly high damage in an otherwise balanced or even easy encounter, for instance). In such instance I might state that the foes leave the PC for dead and focus on the remaining PCs. After the encounter is over I would perhaps offer a second chance to that player (if the other players are amicable), by offering to have the PC at, say, -8 and stabilized. In other words, regardless of how much damage he took, he really was only 2 points from true death and remarkably managed to stabilize. Such incidences are quite uncommon, however, as I only allow this option if I personally think the death was due entirely to chance. If the PC made poor choices this option will not be offered.
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Bagpuss
Legend
As a DM I do kill characters, and as a Player I put my characters in positions I expect them to die (sacrifice for the greater good type situations) and get disappointed if the DM fudges just to keep my character alive.
I don't see any reason not to kill characters since they only respawn back at the nearest temple it's not like character death has any real penalty in D&D.
Saying that I'm for kill and be killed in other settings as well like modern and Sci-fi games that don't allow for respawning.
I don't see any reason not to kill characters since they only respawn back at the nearest temple it's not like character death has any real penalty in D&D.
Saying that I'm for kill and be killed in other settings as well like modern and Sci-fi games that don't allow for respawning.
Zelda Themelin
First Post
Yep, sometimes characters die. Sometimes permanent thing, sometimes they come back, in one way or another.
In plot heavy games I am careful to let characters die in some random combats or stuff like that. In games, where raising the death is possible, I don't fudge, but instead let party have possiblity to get their dead party-members back, if they so desire. Then there are some more relevant plot events where permanent deaths/other permanent effects are possibility where I stay neutral and let player's actions and dice to decide how it goes.
In some dungeon-crawls I've run, if character dies, just creating new one, is more likely course, unless party has access to raise dead spells.
In solo games, I never kill character permanently, unless it's campaing ending battle or something.
I am currently playing in one game character who is sort of immortal, though no idea how far it goes. She has died 5 times, and came back each time, with some minor physical changes, leaving her old body behind. And this "reincarnation" takes place without equipment within mile or so of place of death, but random otherwise. Those dicarded bodies can become undead apprently.
This creeps me out, and I am more afraid for character death than ever before. It feels more sinister somehow. We are playing modified Shackled City campaing, so I wonder if this would go together into some element in it. No spoilers, but just wondering.
In plot heavy games I am careful to let characters die in some random combats or stuff like that. In games, where raising the death is possible, I don't fudge, but instead let party have possiblity to get their dead party-members back, if they so desire. Then there are some more relevant plot events where permanent deaths/other permanent effects are possibility where I stay neutral and let player's actions and dice to decide how it goes.
In some dungeon-crawls I've run, if character dies, just creating new one, is more likely course, unless party has access to raise dead spells.
In solo games, I never kill character permanently, unless it's campaing ending battle or something.
I am currently playing in one game character who is sort of immortal, though no idea how far it goes. She has died 5 times, and came back each time, with some minor physical changes, leaving her old body behind. And this "reincarnation" takes place without equipment within mile or so of place of death, but random otherwise. Those dicarded bodies can become undead apprently.
This creeps me out, and I am more afraid for character death than ever before. It feels more sinister somehow. We are playing modified Shackled City campaing, so I wonder if this would go together into some element in it. No spoilers, but just wondering.
QuaziquestGM
First Post
It depends on which game.
The Friday night newbi game with the kids? Yeah, I fudge. And I let them know that I am doing it by only using the GM screen for that damage roll after asking "How many hp do you have left?" They know it is the "kids game".
The Thursday night game with the college group? Hey, you knew that you were joining the game at level 1, the party leader is level 2, the tracks up the trail indicated apes, you heard the plot hook story about the wizard who tried to train an army of apes who got eaten by them, you choose not the bypass the probabal ape abode, and you didn't protest when the leader had the elc 5 cohort to stay and guard the only healer in the party at the wagon 100 yards away from the building that you could just bypass as it is 100 yards off of the trail to the old mine on the map....... All rolls in the open, firing at an ape surrounded by pcs will likey result in friendly fire, and the first guy who says TPK is the one who gets eaten by the one surviving ape while everyone else stabilizes and the cohort walks up and finishes off the apes last 4 hit points. This is the adult game. Difficulty setting on high. (and also the reason that I usually give the NPC "cleric" a psionic level) (the cohort was someone they were supposed to kill but diplomacied into joining them instead....sometimes npcs end up being "treasure")
And occasionally I get some players who are annoyed as they apparently didn't realize that this is the "Grim and Gritty" game. Almost every fight leaves only 1 PC standing to stabilize everyone else and then they hold up for a week and hope nothing comes along to finish them off. Almost all magic items are earned, and the "free" ones all come with plot devices.
Thus far in 2 months I've only had 2 pc deaths (same pc) and 1 recurring npc death. The regular players are loving it.
And anytime I tell anybody the CR of the creature before the walk in...."of course you are hiding in the corner....I told you it was a CR 38...." (APL 25)
The Friday night newbi game with the kids? Yeah, I fudge. And I let them know that I am doing it by only using the GM screen for that damage roll after asking "How many hp do you have left?" They know it is the "kids game".
The Thursday night game with the college group? Hey, you knew that you were joining the game at level 1, the party leader is level 2, the tracks up the trail indicated apes, you heard the plot hook story about the wizard who tried to train an army of apes who got eaten by them, you choose not the bypass the probabal ape abode, and you didn't protest when the leader had the elc 5 cohort to stay and guard the only healer in the party at the wagon 100 yards away from the building that you could just bypass as it is 100 yards off of the trail to the old mine on the map....... All rolls in the open, firing at an ape surrounded by pcs will likey result in friendly fire, and the first guy who says TPK is the one who gets eaten by the one surviving ape while everyone else stabilizes and the cohort walks up and finishes off the apes last 4 hit points. This is the adult game. Difficulty setting on high. (and also the reason that I usually give the NPC "cleric" a psionic level) (the cohort was someone they were supposed to kill but diplomacied into joining them instead....sometimes npcs end up being "treasure")
And occasionally I get some players who are annoyed as they apparently didn't realize that this is the "Grim and Gritty" game. Almost every fight leaves only 1 PC standing to stabilize everyone else and then they hold up for a week and hope nothing comes along to finish them off. Almost all magic items are earned, and the "free" ones all come with plot devices.
Thus far in 2 months I've only had 2 pc deaths (same pc) and 1 recurring npc death. The regular players are loving it.
And anytime I tell anybody the CR of the creature before the walk in...."of course you are hiding in the corner....I told you it was a CR 38...." (APL 25)
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