So a PC is doomed(or if nothing else has written me into a corner)

[Jayngfet]

So I'm DMing a low magic game, the plot so far:

The PC's stopped some bandits, who were revealed to be part of some rebellion. They managed to capture a leader of the local section of the rebellion. However before he was hanged he managed to perform(oratory) and incite the population, martyring himself.

After that the local feudal lord was murdered, once again this session they managed to catch the killers. The problem is now one of them went down to question some other rebels.

The problem is where it went from there.

When the prisoners were unable to do what he wanted he slit their throats, with a guard nearby, I've also mentioned several other guards around the fortress.

Essentially the problem is he's a second level threat who just angered the halberd/glaive wielding guards, in the middle of their own fortress. Barring Deus Ex Machina I've no idea how to make this work with him not coming out a corpse.

[quick_comment]

Have a paladin/knight offer him quarter. If he doesnt take it, sucks to be him.

If he surrenders, the paladin/knight will hold him prisoner for the courts, as their oaths demand.

[sadi]

The no back down from a challenge thing, means he can attempt to intimidate them at something ridiculously high. He can attack them, and flee the area. Or he can die. Just because the player did something that has to quality as extremely evil and stupid shouldn't mean he gets a free pass. He has options, most of them will, and should lead to his death.

[Mando Knight]

He can die. He acted like an idiot and overstepped his bounds. He is a murderer, so he can be treated like one.

[Kylarra]

Have him forcibly conscripted into some dangerous quest.

[wykydtron]

I would agree with the above, the pc shouldn't run but fights until he *wink, wink* comes across a secret passage way that will lead him, if not out of the castle atleast further from the prison. *Wink, wink*

[Seffbasilisk]

Threats look like stupid barbarians. He slit throats of prisoners under official protection, so, the guards should work to take him down to negatives, stablize him, and bring him before the courts.

If you really don't want him to die for his actions, then deus ex machina. I don't recommend such, as then PCs will have less fear of death.

I say cut him down, heal'm up, and make him dance the hemp fandango.

The other PCs can attempt a daring rescue, find a local hero to do so, or find someone to replace him.

[Jayngfet]

Then there's the alignment issue.

When I said odds are this would shift him into evil he claimed it was a mercy kill(they showed clear signs of torture). He however mentioned nothing of it being a mercy kill when he actually killed them, or during the actual session.

[PId6]

Evil. No question about it. Offer surrender; if he refuses, oh well, bye bye. If he does surrender, quick trial and gallows at noon. Problem solved.

[PinkysBrain]

I don't see why they would kill him and at this level fudging the rolls to avoid taking him below -10 should be easy ... given the unstable political situation it doesn't seem impossible for him to be pardoned of this, desperate time, desperate measures.

If he manages to kill guards and they raise the alarm things get a little more difficult (but the new guards won't necessarily know right away he killed their brethren, if he gets out of sight of the bodies they still won't go for the kill). Once he is in a cell some dark and shadowy character can always come in to offer to spring him in return for a couple of favours (signing a magical contract which works like Geass).

[Killer Angel]

After that the local feudal lord was murdered, once again this session they managed to catch the killers. The problem is now one of them went down to question some other rebels.
When the prisoners were unable to do what he wanted he slit their throats, with a guard nearby, I've also mentioned several other guards around the fortress.

I'm not sure I've understood all.
The guards were at the service of the murdered lord?
If yes, then I don't think they will react too hard on someone who slits the throat of the killer: the PC has done something they will have done by themselves, if not for orders.
Offer the pc to surrende and a trial... with a sentence very soft.
In real life, no government punish too hard peoples which kill the enemies of said government.

The alignment changing is another issue...

[Jayngfet]

I'm not sure I've understood all.
The guards were at the service of the murdered lord?
If yes, then I don't think they will react too hard on someone who slits the throat of the killer: the PC has done something they will have done by themselves, if not for orders.
Offer the pc to surrende and a trial... with a sentence very soft.
In real life, no government punish too hard peoples which kill the enemies of said government.

The alignment changing is another issue...

I've explained poorly. They did manage to already get the killers, however they only said as such to the authorities less than half an hour ago, so not many people would know about it. Meanwhile these guys being killed attempted to break into the manor the next day.

[Killer Angel]

I've explained poorly. They did manage to already get the killers, however they only said as such to the authorities less than half an hour ago, so not many people would know about it.

Ah, OK.
Then, if you want to be kind, the guard will ask to surrender, otherwise, they simply beat the crap out of him (with the flat side of the swords?).
Later, he will have time to explain his reasons...

[Jayngfet]

Ah, OK.
Then, if you want to be kind, the guard will ask to surrender, otherwise, they simply beat the crap out of him (with the flat side of the swords?).
Later, he will have time to explain his reasons...

He kinda already did

When the guard went "What the hell"

He simply said "They were in the way and couldn't do what I want, so they're obsolete"

[PId6]

"Take down the maniac serial killer. Use lethal force if necessary."

[kamikasei]

When I said odds are this would shift him into evil he claimed it was a mercy kill(they showed clear signs of torture). He however mentioned nothing of it being a mercy kill when he actually killed them, or during the actual session.

He was employing a tactic known as "lying".

So, this lunatic not formally under anyone's authority just murdered prisoners for not having the information he wanted, while the guards were watching, and justified it as "a mercy killing" and "they were obsolete". The guards' proper reaction should be just as PId6 describes.

Out of character, point out to the player that his character is not omnipotent and cannot afford to act as if no one else in the game world can hurt him, and that he himself should not be bringing a slavering sociopath to the table.

[Shpadoinkle]

He can die. He acted like an idiot and overstepped his bounds. He is a murderer, so he can be treated like one.

Seconded. If a PC does something incredibly stupid, he dies. This PC meets the requirements.

[lord_khaine]

the guards should ask for his surrender, if he accepts, he ends up in jail, and the rest of the party might be able to talk him out.

if he refuses, he gets the honor of going down in a blaze of glory.

[Grey Knight]

If you're feeling generous, the comment by several posters about having a knight offer him a chance to surrender could open up some plot possibilities for you, depending on your world. Think of it as an opportunity! Say he gets sentenced to life imprisonment on The Rock. Only one man has escaped from The Rock before --- but, oops! He's the leader of the rebel movement that the PC killed members of. How can the PCs convince/trick him to talk? Or: while imprisoned awaiting trial, he uncovers a ghost, or a concealed half-completed escape tunnel from a former prisoner.

[Farlion]

Your credibility as DM is at stake! Don't let him get away with this! Imprison him, then hold trial. But remeber, that the fact that he brought back the killers speaks for him.

Have him sentenced to some years in prison, maybe even slave labor or fighting in the arena!

Then have some lord sneak down to him and set him free with the words: "I'm on your side. He was a bastard anyway, he deserved to die. I would have done the same thing in your position. Go now, but remember, you're in my dept. I'm known to collect them"

1. Nice story hook
2. your player may be a bit pissed about being put to jail first
3. the dept will surely be collected (and it won't be a pleasant one)


And don't forget to shift the characters alignment to evil. (If you play with alignments)

Cheers,
Farlion

[Leewei]

The guards were willling to torture prisoners, so the PC probably wasn't doing anything they'd find objectionable. They'd probably want to bring the PC before the lord's heir to find out what to do. If the heir likes the PC, he'll literally get away with murder. If the heir dislikes him, he gets to take the place of the rebels (clearly being a co-conspirator who killed them to keep them quiet).

Either way, make the heir as sarcastic as possible. Belittle the PC for his cowardly act. "So, brave hero, slit any more prisoners' throats today? I've a dragon that you might fell. Allow my men to bind it properly for you, first!"

Make it clear to the player that his decision was downright slimy, and that playing a character who had a bit more idealism could be quite a bit more fun for him.

[kamikasei]

The guards were willling to torture prisoners, so the PC probably wasn't doing anything they'd find objectionable.

You might not take very good care of your stuff, but I bet if someone came in to your house and started smashing it up you'd be annoyed at them. Killing prisoners removes any use you may have been able to put them to - having someone doing it on an unpredictable whim is extremely problematic.

[RagnaroksChosen]

Seeing as the pc is level 2 in a low magic game.
I would allow him to throw down with the guards if thats the path he chooses. Just make sure he can escape(open window daring run what have you.) if the campain goes tword I'm running away from this organization then so be it.. all th emore fun for your players.

[Project_Mayhem]

He can die. He acted like an idiot and overstepped his bounds. He is a murderer, so he can be treated like one.

Thirded. My group have always played with real consequences for poorly thought out actions, and while it can seem harsh, it increases verisimilitude and makes players really think about what they do. Or die repeatedly.

[DragoonWraith]

I really can't imagine a situation where a PC has more justified his character's death.

[Knaight]

Capture, quick trial, draw and quarter in the public square. Describe this in great detail. Death in combat or hanging doesn't make enough of a point about how truly idiotic this is.

Actually, have them interrogate first, and mention him being "obsolete" right before the drawing and quartering. Poetic justice always makes a point.

[Primal Fury]

My first DM did something I always hated: All guards in any given town (regardless of it's size) were always infallible and invincible. I now realize that he made it that way to prevent this kind of crap from happening. Stealing stuff was hard, but so was commiting murder. If he's going to act like a murderous, sociopathic butt-hole, treat him like a murderous, sociopathic butt-hole: Kill'em.

[BRC]

Throw him in the cells, to be executed at dawn.

If nothing happens, he dies, his player makes a new character, and his ghost returns, angry at the party for not springing him.

If he escapes on his own he runs off, perhaps to join the rebels, perhaps to flee the country, whatever. Under this scenario, the Player makes a new character, and the old one returns, perhaps as a friend, perhaps as a foe.

If the PC's spring him, they all flee, perhaps they join up with the rebels.

Alternitivly, he is captured, but the king offers him a quest to atone for his crimes. The party can help him out and get a reward, but he dosn't get diddly. Make it somthing humanitarian like escorting refugees or supplies through dangerous territory.

[kamikasei]

Capture, quick trial, draw and quarter in the public square. Describe this in great detail. Death in combat or hanging doesn't make enough of a point about how truly idiotic this is.

I'd be inclined to go the opposite route - "They attack and subdue you. You're slapped awake right before you're hung - you get about two seconds of consciousness before you die. Moving along..."

Don't indulge stupidity like this with attention and spotlight time. Make it a matter of "Mmmm, you did something stupid in a childish plea for attention? Your character is now gone. That's all there is to it." Now, this isn't general advice any time a player does something stupid - in this case, having the guards actually subdue him in a real fight, and actually describing his death or giving him a chance at redemption, would be reasonable. I'm speaking more to the case where a player is being deliberately disruptive in order to remain centre stage.

[Keshay]

How did the PC slit the prisoner's throat with his bare hands?
I know he didn't have a weapon with him when the guards let him into the prisoner's cell to question him, I mean that would just be totally incompetent and foolish on the part of the guards to let a guy they (apparently) hardly know into a protected area without first disarming the individual.

Even if he did have a weapon, was he alone and unmonitored with the prisoner in the cell? If not does he have Quick Draw and an insane initiave modifier?

I would say that a player may have reasonably expected to be able to act with impunity in this situation since you had already let him do so up to this point. Simply taking (or trying to take) player's weapons away in a social situation clearly sends the message that "Hey you're not supposed to kill this guy" pretty clearly. You apparently did not do that. Now if he had a hidden dagger on him and killed the prisoner with that after handing over his other weapons, that's a different story. Hang the dumbass or go with any of the other fine ideas presented here on how to get out of the situation.

Not that it takes any of the responsibility off the shoulders of the player for doing the incredibly stupid act, but consider your part in allowing the situation to arise. Sure, you may not have expected your player to kill a guy in custody in cold blood, but unfortunately it is your job to anticipate these sorts of things. Be better prepared in the future. In the very least take weapons away when entering a prison. Regardless of militarty, law enforcement or Player Character affiliations, the only people allowed to be armed in a prison are the guards, that's just common sense.