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Here's a question, related I hope. What do you do if a character is dead set on killing themselves? Not in a "I charge everything" way, but more like this example.
I had a player who wanted to swim across the water in a cavern. The bridge was right next to her, and 3 characters had already crossed it (in fact the whole party crossed it on their way to the dragon). I told her the current looked very strong and that she shouldn't try to swim it. I told her this 3 times and finally she just jumped in. Failed her swim check, sucked under, swept into the next cavern, grappled by a roper and killed horribly.
In this situation, would you save her or not?
Related to earlier posts, most of my players have learned that if they split from the party it may go badly for them. Not because I will try to kill them or can't handle it, but because there is strength in numbers, whether you're playing Pathfinder, Deathwatch, or Battle Cattle.
p.s. Ok I have never played Battle Cattle but it's just too funny not to include.
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Here's a question, related I hope. What do you do if a character is dead set on killing themselves? Not in a "I charge everything" way, but more like this example.
I had a player who wanted to swim across the water in a cavern. The bridge was right next to her, and 3 characters had already crossed it (in fact the whole party crossed it on their way to the dragon). I told her the current looked very strong and that she shouldn't try to swim it. I told her this 3 times and finally she just jumped in. Failed her swim check, sucked under, swept into the next cavern, grappled by a roper and killed horribly.
In this situation, would you save her or not?
Related to earlier posts, most of my players have learned that if they split from the party it may go badly for them. Not because I will try to kill them or can't handle it, but because there is strength in numbers, whether you're playing Pathfinder, Deathwatch, or Battle Cattle.
p.s. Ok I have never played Battle Cattle but it's just too funny not to include.
That's a great question, Balodek.
I never let players play their characters not in character. Meaning: I don't allow characters in a game do things they would obviously not do. Problem solved.
The Mighty Thoth-Amon has left his mental signature.
It's also a classic trope of Saturday morning Kung Fu movies as well, and Lucas was more likely been drawing from that source, given that much of the plot for Star Wars itself waslifted from Kurosawa's Asian classic "Hidden Fortress".No, Luke was always the hero. Obi Wan is an NPC. He exists to a) give Luke the mission, b) give Luke a magic sword and c) provide exposition. Obi Wan is a straight up Mentor archetype, and in the Campbellian heroic myth the mentor usually dies at the end of the first act, since the hero doesn't need him any more.
Lucas openly stated that he drew influence from Joseph Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces which maps out the archetypal hero's quest. Considering that you can find this cycle in many tales, it's not surprising there are similarities with Kurosawa.
As to the original question, I've only circumvented a TPK once, and that was after the fact. The story arc was a whole "save the world from impending doom" scenario, and the party was integral. Their actions on their first adventure had (unknowingly) set the coming apocalypse in motion. An unfortunate accident involving a neophyte character and a bag of beans took out the entire party during a treasure divvy after an adventure. So I had the gods decide to send them back to set things right.
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It's 3. Prove me wrong.
Okay, okay, you could be Stephanie Meyer. She doesn't know anything about writing either.
Blast you for making me research this... >.<
Stephenie Meyer graduated from Brigham Young University with a bachelor's degree in English.I would say a bachelor's degree in english trumps a 4 month course, regardless of intensity.
You'd think.
But have you read her writing?
Here, I'll just let Stephen King say it:
"Stephenie Meyer can't write worth a darn. She's not very good."
Direct quote from the greatest contemporary writer.
I myself have an Associates degree with at least 2 semesters based on writing and an interesting class on myth and fiction... As it wasn't my major I certainly don't feel the need to brag about it. But I'd say it would certainly match up.
Haven't you been reading this thread? Your degree is worthless, because education is worthless, and studying and learning things doesn't make you more knowledgeable.
If you think it does, you're just uppity.
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Actually you wouldn't have a clue how much (or how little) study any of us may have done.
I know you have done any, because you've been making pathetic and lame little attacks at me all last night, while completely failing to back up any of your arguments.
You have now compeltely given up any attempt to actual back up any of the nonsense you spewed in this sad, sad attempt to attack me personally.
I am responding to your continual reference to your qualifications, the sum of which appears to be that one rather minor certificate. It's great you went along to a short course, but the way you were trying to sell it I was under the impression that you had some significant qualifications.
No, Stop lying, Shifty. Why are you a liar? Why do you need to lie so much? I made one reference to my qualification, you are the one who keeps bringing them. I was entirely truthful about what those qualifications are, you (in your ignorance) assumed that they were more than are, but your ignorant assumptions are not my fault.
I'm struggling to find any lit by you (your name was on your cert, even google doesn't know you)
Stalking me? So that you can harass me? All because you can't defend your arguments?
You're a really sad little man, Shifty.
IF THIS IS YOU - the only place that came up with hits on your name, and frankly if thats the quality of your 'poetry', brother, where do I even begin.
That's not me.
So, you ever going to explain how you can figuratively wander into something? Ever going to explain what exactly you meant by glass house?
No?
You can't?
Didn't think so.
And because it's so easy to kill PCs, the only time PCs die is because the GM wants them to.You're the DM. Anything that happens as a result of your decisions is under your control. That includes the decision that something should "realistically" happen. You decide what is reality, so you can't claim that your hands were tied and it was out of your control.Except that I (and the others, I suspect) make the decisions about the world *first* and then have the world react in the way it reasonably and realistically would based on the actions of both the PCs and NPCs (within the rules of the universe in which it is set and not the real world, strawman much?).
So, in *our* games, if your level 4 character leaps off a cliff without magical protection down onto the sharp pointy rocks 300 feet below, well, we roll 20d6 and you're probably making a new character (or, at the very least, costing the party some resources from a ressurect). And you're right, as the GM, I'm choosing for it to happen - I'm allowing gravity to continue to work the way it always does outside any external interference.
From how you present things, if that character wrote a backstory, or his player was having a bad day, or he had plot-immunity because he's secretly the son of the king -- the result should either be to have something appear from nowher and save him (Maybe like Spiderman does in Family Guy?), the freakiest updraft ever -- or you roll 20 1's (which, according to probability theory is *so* unlikely that if everyone in the world rolled 20d6 right now, the odds are *still* more than 500:1 against it happening).
As a player (and GM), I like when the reality is consistent - I like knowing that actions have predictable consequences (or at least ones that make sense within the scope of the environment) -- because if they don't -- again-- why take any actions in the first place?
I removed some posts replying to posts removed yesterday that I missed.
I also removed subsequent replies to those posts.
Also, I think this thread is done. If you want to discuss TPKs, GM behavior, or the relative lethality of different play-styles, please make another thread in this forum, or resurrect one of the ones already floating around.
If you want to get in shouting matches over your personal preferences, please don't.