What do your PCs do with prisoners?

[Falkus]

In my DnD Fourth Campaign; they gave prisoners another chance. They let them go with a very strong warning to change their ways. Anybody who was caught fighting them a second time was executed; including a memorable occasion where the scion of a major mercantile house was hung from the neck on the mast of their ship after he tried to sink it.

In my Shadowrun game; prisoners are interrogated, then left where they are when the team moves on.

In my Zeitgeist campaign; prisoners are handed over to the RHC or Flint Police Force.

 

[TheYeti1775]

Depends which campaign and which character involved and any special circumstances.

1. Local Authority
2. Summary Executions
3. Question Release
4. New Trap Finder
5. Recruited

Any of the five could happen. And I've had one character who has done all five in a Star Wars Campaign.

 

[kitsune9]

Kill, eat, torture, befriend, or seduce, usually in that order.

Ewwwww.....

 

[kitsune9]

Most of the time my players let them go unless they pose a serious threat no matter how they release them. If it's serious, they'll make an effort to take them to the authorities or gun them down right then and there. For the most part, they are not really into revenge killing.

 

[Kzach]

The last dungeon I had was 18 miles from town. Through a forest. It would have been a major hassle for the group.

So murder is just more convenient?

I get that it's an imaginary game, but why do people always revert to selfishness and evil, simply because they can get away with it and there are no consequences?

 

[Elf Witch]

So murder is just more convenient?

I get that it's an imaginary game, but why do people always revert to selfishness and evil, simply because they can get away with it and there are no consequences?

Because DMs let this kind of behavior go unpunished and they don't reward mercy.

In dungeons and out in the far wilderness it is much hardier to deal with prisoners especially if it means having to stop and go back to a town. Most of my dungeons are filled with monsters and undead to avoid this.

As a player found out in my game there are consequences, he was playing a cleric of Deb'fo a lawful good god in Kalamar who is all about honor. The cleric gave his word that if the prisoner told them everything he would protect him. The prisoner did and the cleric walked away knowing full well that the rogue was going to kill him.

He was surprised when he found that his god was not answering him and his divine magic had disappeared.

He was a little angry but then admitted that he was hoping to get off on a technicality and started playing his character in a way to atone for his misdeed.

 

[The Shaman]

In our Flashing Blades campaign, the first time the adventurers took prisoners, one escaped and the other they killed, slitting his throat and slipping the body into the Seine.

The last time they took prisoners, they turned both of them over to the provost-martial.


Way back when, our free trader crew in a Traveller campaign took three prisoners who attempted to hijack the ship. We were beyond the Imperium, in a system that had no laws applicable beyond the mainworld's atmosphere. The only law was literally the captain's.

So we held a trial and cast lots to determine the hijackers' fate; one crew member argued on behalf of sparing the hijackers, while another argued for their execution. At the end of trial, the vote was four-to-one in favor of execution; we drugged all three, then spaced them.

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

Because DMs let this kind of behavior go unpunished and they don't reward mercy.

Also, asking the players to both take prisoners and dispose of them properly while simultaneously making sure that they do not have time to take a break from the dungeon else the Big Bad's nefarious plans will inevitably succeed will usually result in the prisoners getting the shaft.

If there are any. Ours tend to fight to the death, regardless.

Brad

 

[Hussar]

Because DMs let this kind of behavior go unpunished and they don't reward mercy.

And I think that's it in a nutshell. The players are choosing the option that is going to get the best results for them, and well they should. The choice, far too often, boils down to:

1. Take the prisoners back to the authorities. During the trip, the DM will do everything in his power to have the prisoners escape, and, of course, the dungeon will be that much more difficult because the players took the extra time.

2. Take prisoners and try to extract information. The DM will cock block any and all attempts to gain any pertinent information and anything that is revealed will always be a lie.

3. Off the prisoners and dump the bodies. The DM will accept this with few or no reservations and the game proceeds as scheduled.

After years of DM's pulling 1 or 2, it's not really shocking that players will choose 3 more times than not. If you want your players to actually take prisoners, DON'T DO 1 OR 2!

 

[Elf Witch]

And I think that's it in a nutshell. The players are choosing the option that is going to get the best results for them, and well they should. The choice, far too often, boils down to:

1. Take the prisoners back to the authorities. During the trip, the DM will do everything in his power to have the prisoners escape, and, of course, the dungeon will be that much more difficult because the players took the extra time.

2. Take prisoners and try to extract information. The DM will cock block any and all attempts to gain any pertinent information and anything that is revealed will always be a lie.

3. Off the prisoners and dump the bodies. The DM will accept this with few or no reservations and the game proceeds as scheduled.

After years of DM's pulling 1 or 2, it's not really shocking that players will choose 3 more times than not. If you want your players to actually take prisoners, DON'T DO 1 OR 2!

This is my point exactly it comes down to the DM.

If a DM makes it hard to take prisoners then the players will learn not to take them because it is just easier and there is no reward but as I said before if a DM rewards players for showing mercy then players are more likely to take prisoners.

As a player I have played with DMs who screw you every chance they get if you take a prisoner so in those games I am right their making sure everyone is dead.

These DMs also tend to punish you for having family and friends so I tend to make an orphan loner in those games.