|
If there wasn't the risk of dying*, then the game really isn't a game. If there was no chance of bad things of happening, why roll dice? Why not just sit around a table and tell a story?
Or perhaps look at it this way: At least this was a pregen and wasn't a character they were invested in. Being dissolved in acid at 9th is worse than dying as a pregen at first.
|
|
I think, in that situation, I would fudge the damage. Or the crit. Or possibly tell the player that Zarta Dralneen was feeling just incrediblygenerous that day and he decided to spring for a raise dead, although you might have to work it off, if you know what I mean. (Obviously that last one would depend on the audience.)
Unless it was an experienced player. Then they die if the dice command it, obviously.
|
I was present at the gameday bdj is speaking of.
The player in question isn't exactly brand new. He plays occasionally, but hasn't been around since a Con we had last fall. He had a character of 2nd or 3rd level, but had lost his chronicle sheets. He was willing to start a new character at the 1st Steps table.
In retrospect, we should have offered to let him play a higher level pregen in one of the other games and the VC and I could have regenerated his chronicles afterwards.
Hopefully, he hasn't given up and we can recreate his first character. Damn you, Ledford!
|
I will say that the crit rules are one of my least favorite things about Pathfinder, and one of the few areas where I actually prefer the 4e D&D rule. In 4e, a roll of natural 20 on the die just means you do max damage, not more damage than you'd normally have been capable of. So you skip the damage roll and just do the max that could have been rolled.
|
|
So I feel bad now. This past weekend I ran my first scenario for my local PFS group. We had a bunch of new players, so I ran a First Steps 1 table for them. One of the players was playing a pre-gen of Reiku, and let's just say she didn't survive the scenario. Unfortunately, her neck met the axe of the great Ledford, and the 28 points of damage he did on the critical hit would have been enough to kill her even had she not already been at 2 HP.
So now I feel bad. I killed a brand new player playing his first scenario. Thankfully, the rest of the group managed to survive and finish off the scenario.
Let us know if the player returns. All that matters is that people are having fun.
|
|
Could always have been worse. There's a certain regular in our area who TPK'd a batch of newbies last year.
And with actual newbies, don't be afraid to fudge an open roll to avoid character death. (That's not a 20, it's a 2.) I honestly don't think ANY of the regulars would object. I certainly wouldn't. Growing the local player base isn't a bad thing.
Experienced player? Dice fall where they may.
|
I'm of the mindset that I never kill brand new players. When running a tier 1-2 i ask if this is anyone's first character and if so i go easy on them, i.e. crits dont happen unless i know they'll still be standing. This comes from attending a con 5 years ago where there was a DM who would specifically target new players because they were "easier targets". After a TPK with half the party being brand new players, which the DM was very proud of, I clearly heard one player say, "well, at least I know I'll never play THAT game again."
Once I know they've got some experience under their belt, the softballing stops. Enemies fight according to how smart they are--animals that arent pack hunters may not flank, but that 14 int and wis rogue will be backstabbing and using every terrain advantage around, aiming to take foes out as quickly as possible. And any dice land as they may.