When PCs clash ... to the death

[Driddle]

Would you allow two of your players' favorite PCs to go head-to-head in an arena show-down, knowing that one of them would likely end up dead and the losing player is going to be seriously ticked off?

 

[Darkness]

For what reason?

 

[reveal]

Would you allow two of your players' favorite PCs to go head-to-head in an arena show-down, knowing that one of them would likely end up dead and the losing player is going to be seriously ticked off?

No.

 

[reveal]

For what reason?

I was going to ask that, but he said the losing player was going to be seriously ticked off. Even if there was a reason, if a player was not doing this because they wanted to, I wouldn't allow it. I assume since the player would be ticked off, the circumstances wouldn't be under their control.

If it's not fun for all the players I usually try to avoid it.

 

[Henry]

I'd allow it with the understanding that it was solely for fun, and that it was a "what-if" scenario only. Bragging rights are separate issues, because once you lay down a specific arena, conditions, etc. you can say that for this contest only the wining PC had a superior chance. If either party was going to be sore about the outcome, I wouldn't allow it.

In fact, years ago two players wanted to do this in my 2E campaign to see who would win. Between a Wizard and a Cleric, the ultimate winner was the wizard with the old "touch teleport him 500 feet up" trick. The wizard even had the brass to wave bye-bye at the cleric on the cleric's way down.

 

[reveal]

I'd allow it with the understanding that it was solely for fun, and that it was a "what-if" scenario only. Bragging rights are separate issues, because once you lay down a specific arena, conditions, etc. you can say that for this contest only the wining PC had a superior chance. If either party was going to be sore about the outcome, I wouldn't allow it.

In fact, years ago two players wanted to do this in my 2E campaign to see who would win. Between a Wizard and a Cleric, the ultimate winner was the wizard with the old "touch teleport him 500 feet up" trick. The wizard even had the brass to wave bye-bye at the cleric on the cleric's way down.

The session before last saw a player not able to make it. The rest of us created 3 characters apiece and had a "gladitorial combat" scenario. Basically we fought for bragging rights. It was a lot of fun.

 

[Rystil Arden]

I wonder why the word "allow" is included in the question, though. If this is a staged arena setting, then it seems that the DM has forced this plot element upon the players to begin with, something that I would have avoided in the first place if possible. That said, to rephrase the question into

"Would you allow two of your players' favorite PCs to fight each other lethally and or assassinate each other during the night, knowing that one of them would likely end up dead and the losing player is going to be seriously ticked off?"

My answer is: Yes I would, and I have done so before. Sometimes, when one of your party members is a Lawful Neutral wizard who drifts to evil by making pacts with devils and slaughtering an entire village of defenseless barbarians in homage to an Archduke of Hell, and another character is a Good Outsider, something like this is bound to happen eventually. Really, there's nothing I could do about this in game except some sort of deus ex machina. Out of game, I would express my displeasure to the player, whether or not she was acting in character.

I pose this open and possibly less-one-sided question: If a player openly announces at the gaming table for everyone to hear: "During my watch, I use my Silence token, pull out my Scythe, and Coup-de-Grace Bob" what would you do as the DM?

 

[eris404]

Would you allow two of your players' favorite PCs to go head-to-head in an arena show-down, knowing that one of them would likely end up dead and the losing player is going to be seriously ticked off?

That sounds terrible to me and seriously not fun. If a conflict came down to that, whether in game or out, I'd have to step in and have a talk with 'em first. The game should be fun first and foremost and if someone's feelings are getting hurt, something is wrong.

edit: Is the DM setting this up?

 

[the Jester]

Would you allow two of your players' favorite PCs to go head-to-head in an arena show-down, knowing that one of them would likely end up dead and the losing player is going to be seriously ticked off?

If they both chose to do so, yes. I don't think I'd force them into this situation without mind-control magic or something akin to it being involved.

 

[Arnwyn]

Would you allow two of your players' favorite PCs to go head-to-head in an arena show-down, knowing that one of them would likely end up dead and the losing player is going to be seriously ticked off?

Allow? As a DM, that's not my decision to make.

If there is a risk of being "seriously ticked off", why would a player agree to do such a thing?