Ever feel bad for a monster?

[Bootlebat]

I feel bad for most undead since their (un)lives are described as horrible, and they are usually turned undead against their will. Destroying them seems like putting down a mad dog.

 

[criticalfumble]

During SKT, I got my players feeling pretty awful about what they did to the ignorant hill giants in the Goldenfields. There were two of them together toward the end, ignorant and terrified. The party went all murder hobo on one of them, then this awkward silence descended over the table as I described how the other sobbed over the body of his fallen comrade.

Then I was like "but hey, you gain a level!"

 

[akr71]

As a DM, all the time!

 

[Seramus]

Often. Everytime players kill them for looking ugly, being primitive, or otherwise having reasonable reactions that still result in the players murdering them.

But I get over it, and keep on running!

 

[Immortal Sun]

I actually try to work this into a lot of fights.

 

[guachi]

I rarely try to make my players feel bad but it's really fun when I try because I've always succeeded. I guess because it's so rare in D&D the players assume something really has gone wrong.

 

[5ekyu]

My goal with my best monsters includes invoking some sympathy for them, some degree of seeing part of yourself in them.

That said, another part in my best monsters is making them really really hated.

So it's a matter of degrees.

Bad villain think they are the bad guy.
Good villains think they are the good guy.
Great villains **are ** the good guy.

 

[iserith]

Alignment rules, in many cases, justify why a lot of monsters may be wantonly slaughtered without a hit to the ol' conscience. According to those rules, the evil deities who created certain races made those races to serve them and "have strong inborn tendencies that match the nature of their gods." So most orcs, for example, are evil, act accordingly and deserve what's coming to them. As well, alignment is an "essential part" of the nature of fiends. "A devil does not choose to be lawful evil, and it doesn't tend toward lawful evil, but rather it is lawful evil in essence." You cannot separate the two. And, since they're evil and can do nothing other than act the part, I just can't feel bad when they are bludgeoned, pierced, slashed, and magicked into a chunky goo.

Also, the monster's XP and treasure value really takes the edge off any other concerns.

 

[Bootlebat]

I guess by feel bad i meant more like "feel bad because their existence sounds so horrible even if they are evil" than "feel bad about killing them". Another one (besides undead) is the phaerlock from the Underdark book since it says they live with constant pain for some reason (it isn't really explained why)

 

[Imaculata]

I often try to instill terror in my players by describing the twisted shapes of certain monsters, and making it clear that their characters could suffer the same fate.