Do you kill PCs?

[Happy Monkey]

We use open rolling so that means once in a while someone dies. For these occasions, raise dead and such are used. Unless it is the cleric, which it has been twice, they usually have to visit a temple.

Before being raised they need to feed the coffers, have testimony from a reliable source of their worthiness, speak with dead or divination to see if they are even keen to return and be the subject of the clerics divination to reveal their true standing.

That is for raise dead. Most of those things get billed, clerics are very busy people.

Not always do the clerics want money, sometimes they will require an appropriate service (and a quest).

Most folk do not agree to be raised unless they are in torment, but if that is the case they are usually not wanted back.

The xp loss sucks for everyone but too bad. I am thinking of an alternate system as I don't really like xp loss at all.

 

[Henry]

PalladiumMan, I tried to e-mail this to you first, but your e-mail adress was not reachable.

I appreciate your contributing to our boards, but we don't allow personal inflammatory insults between posters - our goal is to keep things civil. We respect differences, but not insulting language. I would appreciate it if in the future you not do so.

Thank you,

Henry
Moderator
ENWorld

 

[Sanackranib]

player death

It is generally expensive, usually time consuming, and always hurts (XP loss) to bring characters back. My players know this - as well the fact that usually I don't make it impossible (just sometimes difficult) to recover the body and find a priest willing to cast the spell. Becuase of this they have a healthy respect for death.

 

[Kastil]

I have, to date, killed off two party members at the players request. I'll usually give them the option on how they die though. One decided to leave the game (just as well, damn min/maxer!) and I gave him the option of giving a parting post. He didn't so his character was a nice ritualistic sacrifice.
The other thought the character he created didn't mesh with the party well so he went out heroically in in the classic good vs evil way. Paladins, go figure.
I do not like killing off PCs but, as they say, stupid is as stupid does and some cannot take the hint if a building falls on them.
::sighs and mutters, looking at the player in disgust:: You know my character generations rules. Roll them bones!

 

[CRGreathouse]

I just killed off a PC yesterday.

He was cut off from the rest of the group (scouting ahead) and angered a greater earth elemental by stealing its gems. The elemental made a low grumbling sound, and looked at the PC. The PC responded by dropping the gems in his hands (but not his sack he had used to scoop up many of the gems) to draw his longbow. The elemental made a menacing sound and waved its 'arms' slightly. The PC then lets a full volley of arrows go...

 

[Doc_Subtlety]

I feel that everything I allow into my game should support the genre I'm aiming for.

In a gritty game, I make raising the dead a big deal. Sometimes it's simply impossible. That's fun. It makes people take combat and daredevil stunts seriously. (Think about how lame Conan would be if he didn't risk his life to do the things he does.)

In my present game, I am basically running Amber: the average PC level is 31, and PCs are almost impossible to kill. True Resurrection has been known to come in potion form. This is cool because people have to solve their problems through roleplay and complicated schemes - nobody can get rid of a competitor with simple violence. This is also cool because the PCs can work directly against each other without the hard feelings piling up.

*shrugs*

Either way, I'm against fudging dice to help the players out, most of the time. I feel it's my job to keep the story moving, not protect the PCs from themselves.