Should bad guys stabalize?

[AuraSeer]

I only roll the dice for named NPCs, because they're the only ones who might have enough ambition to cause problems later. A mook who happens to regain consciousness won't chase after the people who kicked his butt; he'll just limp home and contemplate a new career.

If the PCs need a live captive for some reason, like interrogation, I assume that 20% of the unconscious mooks have made the first stabilization check. Of course, any that are clearly dead-- below -10 hp, disintegrated, vorpalized, whatever-- are removed from the count first.

 

[bweibeler]

Yes. At least for intelligent monsters and NPCs. The PCs can usually get some useful information from them if they live and are taken captive.

 

[Sejs]

Generally, the way I do it is when a mook goes down, I give 'em one stabilization roll and leave it at that. If they make it, fine, if they don't then I just assume they're dead. Less bookkeeping for me.

Named badguys and plot important NPCs I handle just the same as if they were player characters.

 

[Psion]

Uh, why not?

I do stabilize cannon fodder, but only for the purposes if the PCs are interesting in taking them prisoner.

Singificant NPCs, always. One NPC that the PCs left for dead will come back to haunt them in my game.

 

[diaglo]

Singificant NPCs, always. One NPC that the PCs left for dead will come back to haunt them in my game.

that's why i kill and eat all my enemies.

Dark Sun Kender Halfling... read the story hour in my sig.

 

[Liolel]

I only stabilize folks who aren't cannon fodder.

Almost exactly the way I do it, with one exception. If the party wants to see if any enemy stabilized so the enemy can be healed and questioned then I would check for cannon fodder. Otherwise its not worth the effort.

 

[Squire James]

Unless at least one PC specifies an obvious desire to keep someone alive, I don't roll to stablize anyone. It is SOP for bad guys, mooks or otherwise, to "play dead" if they hit exactly 0 hp. Most guys who survive in this fashion go home and rethink their lives, as Obi-Wan might say. A few can't help but to get entangled in another evil plot, and it allows me to add comments like, "One of the mooks looks kinda familiar, but you can't pinpoint why."

 

[Bauglir]

that's why i kill and eat all my enemies.

Dark Sun Kender Halfling... read the story hour in my sig.

Once we get high enough level in most games I play, BBEGs tend to keep coming back again and again, even if we kill them.

So now we kill them, and feed them to a barghest.

 

[Sejs]

Dark Sun Kender Halfling

Heh, okay now then class, which one of these four words does not belong in this set?

^_^

So now we kill them, and feed them to a barghest.

Heh, yeah. Lesser Planar Binding: Garbage Man Of Evil.

PC: I want you to eat this guy's corpse and devour his life-force.

Barghest: Alright, and what do I get in return?

PC: You get to eat this guy's corpse, and devour his life-force.

Barghest: Oh. OKay then, sounds good. Here's my card, give me a call if you ever need this sort of thing done again.

 

[Ferret]

I allow everyone to have a chance to stabalize. Doesn't matter if its an evil NPC, some nameless commoner, or the Big Bad.

Thats what I do, I've never had to do much though.