expanding coup de grace situations for rogue campaign

[Wolfepuppy]

Ok, so I have a group of all rogues. They mostly do things in the shadows, focusing more on thieving than fighting. I was contemplating expanding the coup de grace situations a bit. For example: if someone were to sneak up on a guard who was completely unaware that guard could be considered helpless. There are a few trainings behind this. One if they had to go toe to toe with every guard they faced they would soon be dead. Yes they try and avoid the guards and much as much as possible, however it is inevitable that they will have to face sine eventually. Second, it's not too far fetched. If someone doesn't know you are right behind them, slitting they're throat or putting a bolt through the back of their skull would result in instant death. I could see exceptions for example those with lightning reflexes perhaps or uncanny dodge.What do you think, would it absolutely ruin the game?

[Larrx]

I don't think it would break the game at all. There are a number of situations in fiction that D&D doesn't model particularly well. Stealth murder is one. Mexican stand-offs are another. In D&D, someone having a knife at your throat is not ideal, but it doesn't convey the gravitas you might want it to. I think this change could make a particular sort of game more fun.

It doesn't really jive with the heroic fantasy/super hero/action movie tone of a typical D&D adventure, so I would never suggest it as a general house rule. It can, however be perfectly fine for a particular campaign.