Just coming to the conclusion of a more or less improvised campaign with a very mutable group. It went from 8 to 5 to 9 players over the course of 5 months.
The characters just completed the campaign versus the evil Lich that had been making their life hell for a while, but just as the campaign session was ending, the evil characters within the party have just declared attacks against the rest of the party. Now this means that I effectively have a party versus party fight.
Part of me wants to allow it because regardless of how it ends there is no real consequence to it post game, i.e. the characters are going to be junked at the end of the session. However, if I was playing in this, then a last minute fight to survive against people that were my allies for ages would bug the hell out of me, and would to a degree ruin the game.
On saying all that however, I don't really want to use DM fiat to say that they (the evil characters) can't attack the rest of the party.
Any tips?
Well, let them kill each other....and then have the allies of the party come and help the good ones...all the allies of the party that can come there.
That could work at a push, my only issue being that I would then have something like 13 characters all with actions, some of them having a combat tactic of spawning as many summoned monsters as they can in as short a period as they can and so on. It took them 20 minutes to sort out one round last night, and that was with just 9 of them. I can see it becoming two rounds of combat per hour, and we only have 3 hours.
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Well, that could be a problem, but it can be fixed.
Pre roll all the NPC s actions prior to the sessions and note down the results and then compare with decisions during combat. That could speed up stuff...also if a character is taking more then a minute (or less) to decide what to do, start counting down from six and when you reach zero tell him that his/her character does nothing for a single round.
That's how i do it. A character does not have all the time in the world to decide what to do. Neither should the player.
Well, I assume you are worried that the good characters are going to be upset and feel the campaign was ruined since the evil characters initiated the attack, one would assume they like the idea. DM fiat is IMHO a bad idea here, but you can ask the good players how they feel about it. If they think it will be fun go for it, if they don't, then try to talk it out amongst your group. Now that you have started it however, its going to be hard to stop without DM fiat.
Well, let them kill each other....and then have the allies of the party come and help the good ones...all the allies of the party that can come there.That could work at a push, my only issue being that I would then have something like 13 characters all with actions, some of them having a combat tactic of spawning as many summoned monsters as they can in as short a period as they can and so on. It took them 20 minutes to sort out one round last night, and that was with just 9 of them. I can see it becoming two rounds of combat per hour, and we only have 3 hours.
If its the end of the campaign I would let it happen. It would be for some at least an interesting climax. Especially if there has been tension between the good and evil characters throughout the campaign. As for the combat lasting a long time, its the last of the campaign? Its ok if it takes a whole session or more. Sure it will drag a bit if everyone shows up, but this is a big dramatic ending, it is supposed to be drawn out. I am a big proponent of player agency and then dealing with the consequences there in. I dont think fiating away their actions is the way to go. I think if you let this come to pass, and bring back allies and friends to help or hinder, it will make for a very memorable ending to the game.
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Bah if the campaign is over then end with a fade to black.
"True to their nature, the evil men attack the forces of good. But that is a tale for another time."
Leave it unresolved and let the players forever discuss who would win. Avoid hard feelings over character killing.
You could also have some lingering effect from the lich's magic hurl the characters to different areas of the world or universe.
Obviously the players of the evil characters want the fight, so talk to your non evil players before the next game and see if this is what they want as well.
If they want it too then spend a couple sessions and duke it out to the bitter end. If they don't then fade to black as another poster suggested and NEVER tell either side who wins or not.
In either case, don't take a side. If the good characters would have help from allies who would know, then bring them. But the same for the evil's.
Just make sure it is something that all the players want to do. If they all don't then either fade to black or feel free to narrate what happens in the final fight to your own satisfaction, taking into account everyone's status when the attack is declared.
@Kolokotroni The session must end next week simply because I am going back home for the summer vacation, and am not willing to take a 400 mile round trip each week at $100 a pop to run it.
@Karkon I actually really like this idea about fading to black, might even try it to be honest.
Bah if the campaign is over then end with a fade to black.
"True to their nature, the evil men attack the forces of good. But that is a tale for another time."
+1 I like this idea. The game is over anyway, and the DM has done his job. End it like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Weapons are drawn and one side charges... The End.
Any tips?
Rocks fall, everyone dies.
Seriously.
Of course, I am adamantly opposed to PvP unless the players are all OK with and everyone knows about it from the onset.
Letting the 4 evil wizards decide at the end of the campaign that they're finally going to hulk out on the party would, as a player, piss me off to no end I would probably resent you as a GM and the other players. I would likely walk away from the table and quit playing and not tell anyone what my stats were if they tried to "run my PC" without me present.
Sometimes GM fiat is the only answer. Personally, I'd be really pissed if you let it happen.
Edit: S$+!, just realized this is an old thread. Still hate PvP and my answer still stands.
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Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away...
There was this group of do-gooders that traveled across many planets. These 2 do-gooders (let's call them Jedi) had some constructs with them (let's call them droids) and they would travel wherever their masters would send them, solving problems.
Until one day, 1 do-gooder did something evil. And he turned into something monstrous (let's now call him a Sith).
Many years later, Player versus Player combat happened. And it was awesome.