Vendrax's page

Let's replace 'medusa' with 'human', 'elf', 'halfling' or 'elf'*. Is the immediate instinct to charge in and kill their progeny? Well, to anyone except those who have young children and are suffering from sleep deprivation and the need to get some angst from their system?**

As for the (oft repeated) argument 'but she's got a petrifying gaze' - you are seriously telling me you can't think of a number of ways to deal with that immediate problem? Then perhaps handing the creature over to a lawful authority (leaving her there after blinding to die of dehydration or starvation probably doesn't exactly qualify as 'good' either in my estimation).

Hmm, a lawful authority in the region. Does the monk belong to a monestery nearby? Is there a Cleric in the party with a church in the area? All legitimate options which fit a Law-type alignment.

* Dwarves deliberately not included. All stunties are evil***
** Yes, a deliberately flippant comment. Apologies to all the sleep deprived mums and dads out there who don't feel the need to kill (yet)
*** Yes, I'm a speciesist.

Back in 3.0 (wow, so long ago!) was part of a party that, when the GM started the 'you all meet in a bar routine', showed him our character sheets. Same race (elf), same last name (in this case, Blackhand).

Party ended up being on the dark side of the alignment spectrum (I believe the GM ended up calling us albino drow) and, as a result, is on record as saying that if we ever try that again then those (new) characters eill die. Immediately.

Given the situation as described by the GM, I'd hope nobody my RPG would attack the medusa (ie abused, chained up, giving birth). In part because one of the women in our group would likely stab someone to death with a pencil (given that I'm sitting closest, that would be me). In part because 'gut instinct' says this is wrong to me (ie based on the society and environment that I grew up in). Partly because something very strange is going on and bears further investigation (an intellectual exercise).

Whilst in could be argued other times/societies have gone by the rule 'kill the men, women, children and beasts of the field' (and I'm still stuck on why cattle and sheep would represent a clear and present future danger). Ethnic cleansing, however, is generally reviled in these days and times. The act would be acceptable in (1) and decried in (2). Given PC are generally the Big Damn Heroes, were generally looking at (2).

Even in the morally ambigious/no alignment Shadowrun and Cyberpunk worlds that I have run, this action would be seen as 'evil'. This includes campaigns where players (as a sideline) collected corpses(often people that they'd just made dead) to sell at body part clinics (ie organlegging).