Killing PCs
Jun 9, 2012 22:14:48 GMT -8
Post by Deleted on Jun 9, 2012 22:14:48 GMT -8
I take a very straight line approach to this, I let the dice fall where they may. I allow for luck rolls and other PCs to attempt to take the hit for them, but if its a hit and it kills, then so be it.
But its a two way street. My players know that they can one hit my villains and it really BE the villain, not an LMD, clone, illusion etc. If I intended it to be the real deal and they kill them I don't change my mind just because. I have plenty more stories to tell. Let them have their victories. My villains aren't all knowing. they will not know everything the players know. hell they might not know the players are on to them or even who they are., much less have a contingency plan for all of their abilities and skills. I know who they are as people, what they want, will they fight to the death, what they would be prepared for and if the players find a loophole that this NPC wouldn't have planned for, GREAT! Even evil geniuses have off days, pick up their dry cleaning, catch a flick, etc.
But again, they have to expect it to go the other way too. If the players fall into a deadly water trap, they all min maxed and no one can swim, they all die. Allowing players to hang themselves is just fun. I don't design it that way but such happenstances occur. If you consistently do headshots to everyone to guess what's going to happen,... Villains can run, and sometimes so should you, because if you are out matched maybe you need to dig up some help.
I like to sandbox my players and throw everything from 2 bit hoods who don't know what they are getting into to ancient evils that the players should probably just let alone. I feel it provides a sense of realism. Oh no we are 3rd level he would never throw that at us. Yes, yes i would. If your third level characters really do want to seek out the great wyrm's hoard, I might just let you do it. Hell you might even make a couple of trips before it wakes up and kills you.
I guess it comes down to the golden rule; I don't want fudged rolls against me, don't make fudged rolls for me. If I expect the players to have a list of what they do and do not have then so too do the villains. If I expect them not to metagame, then I can't change what the villains know without a damn good reason just because I haven't planned for whatever the players are cooking up.