One of my players, an elf, can be defeatist in attitude. His ally, a human, will probably be killed next session (don't ask why; it is a plot thing) and I am concerned the elf will just give up and return to the town. However, a Raise Dead device is located a little further on in the dungeon. If the elf does not give up he may be able to discover it. (And Raise Dead is unavailable in the town) What kind of hints should I drop about there still being hope without outright telling him that there is a raise dead device there? How do I phrase it? I've written this lengthy scenario and finally my wellspring of creativity has run dry so any ideas would be welcome. Finally, if nothing works and he walks away, would you say he only has himself to blame? or should I be to blame for not directing him more.
How about telling your player, out of character, that it's important that the elf not give up?
Ask him to trust you and keep going in the scenario.
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What's the realistic thing for a person to do when their ally dies? Does it make sense to soldier on or does it make sense to retreat? If some plot-based reason has the human being killed, what would motivate the elf to keep exploring the dungeon rather than leave to try to recover his slain ally or recruit other allies?
Have the dying human request the living elf to promise to keep on going in his memory.
What is the goal of the scenario? How dire are the consequences if they fail?
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Depends on what you have already build in the story.
For example if it is the temple of a god related to this kind of stuff and such, maybe you could have multiple walls that depict the dead comming back to live or could be carvings on an item, maybe they find a journal that gives hints to such pratices taking place in there.
In the end, there are ways to do it, but you must give further info on the whole situation there mate.
Depends on what you have already build in the story.
For example if it is the temple of a god related to this kind of stuff and such, maybe you could have multiple walls that depict the dead comming back to live or could be carvings on an item, maybe they find a journal that gives hints to such pratices taking place in there.
In the end, there are ways to do it, but you must give further info on the whole situation there mate.
You've given me a great idea with the carvings. Thanks. Sorry I can't go into detail but there is an outside chance that one of the players may read this thread. I have already blurred my initial description to throw such accidental peeking off scent.
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You've given me a great idea with the carvings. Thanks. Sorry I can't go into detail but there is an outside chance that one of the players may read this thread. I have already blurred my initial description to throw such accidental peeking off scent.Depends on what you have already build in the story.
For example if it is the temple of a god related to this kind of stuff and such, maybe you could have multiple walls that depict the dead comming back to live or could be carvings on an item, maybe they find a journal that gives hints to such pratices taking place in there.
In the end, there are ways to do it, but you must give further info on the whole situation there mate.
Fair enough. Do keep in mind the 3 hint rule if you arent being direct about it, otherwise your player might not catch the drift.
Fair enough. Do keep in mind the 3 hint rule if you arent being direct about it, otherwise your player might not catch the drift.You've given me a great idea with the carvings. Thanks. Sorry I can't go into detail but there is an outside chance that one of the players may read this thread. I have already blurred my initial description to throw such accidental peeking off scent.Depends on what you have already build in the story.
For example if it is the temple of a god related to this kind of stuff and such, maybe you could have multiple walls that depict the dead comming back to live or could be carvings on an item, maybe they find a journal that gives hints to such pratices taking place in there.
In the end, there are ways to do it, but you must give further info on the whole situation there mate.
Thanks for the Three Clue Rule mention. I didn't even know about that excellent rule advice. I had included two pretty obvious clues, but I think a third will not go amiss!
One of my players, an elf, can be defeatist in attitude. His ally, a human, will probably be killed next session (don't ask why; it is a plot thing) and I am concerned the elf will just give up and return to the town. However, a Raise Dead device is located a little further on in the dungeon. If the elf does not give up he may be able to discover it. (And Raise Dead is unavailable in the town) What kind of hints should I drop about there still being hope without outright telling him that there is a raise dead device there? How do I phrase it? I've written this lengthy scenario and finally, my wellspring of creativity has run dry so any ideas would be welcome. Finally, if nothing works and he walks away, would you say he only has himself to blame? or should I be to blame for not directing him more?
There are a couple things that need to be answered here.
1) Is it the player who has the defeatist attitude, or is the character? There's a huge difference and it's important to know. If it's the player who has this attitude, you have to get to the root of WHY. One or two bad experiences with a killer/cruel GM can completely kill someone's love of the game (regardless of system). If he is a new player and has had rotten luck in game or has played with horrible players/GM's then his attitude is somewhat understandable. Maybe this dude just isn't a fan of the game and gets easily frustrated with all of it. Just talk to him and get a feel for why they have the attitude. Once you chew it down to the bone, you'll know what you need to do to keep your player going. If the attitude is a CHARACTER flaw, then just let the player know that such a character, while initially humorous for a session or two, does tend to get on people's nerves and should be curbed for the rest of the campaign. It's about EVERYONE having fun, not just one player.
2) Is it completely necessary to kill off a certain character? I mean really, REALLY necessary? Is the world going to end, is the villain of the story going to rise triumphantly and cast the realm into a time of darkness and chaos if this character doesn't die? If the answer is no, then don't do it. Simply put. Change the story to fit the player's style. Don't try to change your player's style to fit the narrative. That's just drama for the sake of drama and is a sloppy and lazy storytelling tool. Instead of killing the Human, have him be poisoned with some heretofore unknown concoction. Have one of your players make a skill check to identify it. If successful, they know what it is and what is needed to counteract it. If the priest tries to magic it away, their spell doesn't work because the poison is an alchemical compound that resists magical healing. It gives the player a reason to go on to save his friend. You'll get more people willing to save a friend than to avenge one.
I think the walls with symbolic Resurrection all over the dungeon is a good idea, on the other hand I don't think this
Finally, if nothing works and he walks away, would you say he only has himself to blame? or should I be to blame for not directing him more.
is, when something goes wrong in a game of fun, looking for someone to blame is probably the last thing I'd suggest doing.
I'm generally wary of outright killing close NPC allies (ones a bit more distant is fine, especially if the party has the means to resurrect them should they wish). Kidnapping or otherwise putting them in danger for the PCs to rescue, sure. Xenre's point above, "You'll get more people willing to save a friend than to avenge one," is very true. I'd think about your scenario and see if there are other ways you can accomplish its goal besides killing the NPC, especially if your players tend to get attached to them. It's not a big deal for you because you know that the PC has the means to save them later, but from the player's perspective, it'll look like you just killed off their ally without giving them the chance to do anything about it.
But if you determine that it IS necessary...is the PC religious at all? You could have his god/goddess send him a vision hinting that hope is not lost for his ally. A little deus ex machina (literally), but it might work if they aren't picking up more subtle hints.