Should an NPC bad guy get to coup de grace?

[Alcamtar]

I let the players set the tone of the game: if they CDG everyone they come to, then they can expect the same treatment.

If the noble heroes never leave survivors you can hardly expect the evil nasties to be nice! By strict PHB definition a Good person values life and fights to defeat the foe, not kill them; slaying the fallen is evil.

I also take tactical lessons from the players. Frankly they have a lot more time and incentive to develop optimal tactics than I do, and surely NPC foes worthy of their steel are just as smart. If they abuse a spell or tactic, they are assured of an exciting return game! Anyway if the PCs think CDG is a wise tactic then so be it.

If the heroes have an honorable reputation, leaving fallen foes alive and honoring their commitments, then an intelligent foe is likely to use a fallen PC as a hostage, threatening CDG unless a bargain is struck. If PCs have a dishonorable reputation, CDG at will.

Intelligent foes: CDG since they'll expect a cleric to be nearby or at least a healing potion, and it's always smarter to eliminate a foe sooner rather than later.

Stupid or easily intimidated foes: No CDG unless evilly vicious. If you can't escape, attack the most obvious threat, not the bodies on the floor.

Mindless Undead: Leave no survivors, CDG even if it provokes an AOO, after all you have no sense of self-preservation. Makes zombies a little scarier.

Lawful foes: may race to help their comrades rather than waste time on a fallen foe.

Hunters: Devour immediately, unless distracted. When wolves bring down a sheep they don't keep attacking until the herd is massacred, they all stop to eat and ignore the others unless distracted. A really big critter might be hard to distract too...

Mike

 

[Li Shenron]

What do you think? If you were a PC and I did/did not CdG would you be upset? As a DM, how often has this come up and, when it has, how have you dealt with it?

As a matter of fact, I rarely have the NPC do CdG against the PC.

It doesn't feel realistic nor smart to me that someone would want to waste precious combat time to make sure a dropped foe is really dead, while the others are still a threat. Sure, the dropped foe may be healed by some ally and come back in action, but most of the time it's a wasted round, and it always smells like metagaming (actually you're taking advantage by a quite generous rule about CdG as a FRA).

At the same time it doesn't feel appropriate to me that characters in the fantasy world are all mercyless and bloodthirsty people who want the opponents dead. In some circumstances that could be true, there are assassins hired to be sure you're dead, there are encounters with the BBEG who had enough of your party spoiling his grand plans... But most of the times you just want to win the battle, and doesn't even necessarily mean the last of your opponents must be dead, although that is mostly always the result.

 

[green slime]

As a matter of fact, I rarely have the NPC do CdG against the PC.

It doesn't feel realistic nor smart to me that someone would want to waste precious combat time to make sure a dropped foe is really dead, while the others are still a threat. Sure, the dropped foe may be healed by some ally and come back in action, but most of the time it's a wasted round, and it always smells like metagaming (actually you're taking advantage by a quite generous rule about CdG as a FRA).

At the same time it doesn't feel appropriate to me that characters in the fantasy world are all mercyless and bloodthirsty people who want the opponents dead. In some circumstances that could be true, there are assassins hired to be sure you're dead, there are encounters with the BBEG who had enough of your party spoiling his grand plans... But most of the times you just want to win the battle, and doesn't even necessarily mean the last of your opponents must be dead, although that is mostly always the result.

Exactly. Most of the time, it shouldn't even require beating the enemy to unconsciousness. Once it is obvious that one side is the better, and that there is nothing to be gained in further battle, parley, surrender, or retreat are the names of the day. Of course there are always the maniacal, suicidal, fanatical, dim-witted, and rabidly insane.

 

[just__al]

One of the reasons I like this site is for discussions like this. I now have a real good idea of when opponents would CDG the PC's. Seldom, unless it's in their nature (like wolves seperating a PC from the "herd")

My pc's however aren't too particular about killing fallen foes after the battle is over. Although they are usually ok with just letting dying goblins or orcs or whatever bleed themselves out. Probably a side effect of my rolling a single stabilization roll for non-importants.

 

[S'mon]

Well think about risk assesment. If I drop the pc to zero and he's out of the fight, I may prefer to spend the next round dealing with his still standing buddies, or helping my allies. If the're dealing with me, there's a chance he may not stabalize and die anyway. When they were all taken care of, I could go round and mop up w/ cdg.

I probably wouldnt have mooks use cdg. Save it for the nastier villains.

That's my approach when I'm running NPCs - usually they don't bother to CDG; although if they've seen a downed foe healed & returned to the fight they'll certainly CDG 2nd time round. Occasionally a particularly EEEVIL villain will CDG even if it isn't the tactically best option, but that's rare.