[3.5] New Personal Record for Fastest PC Death

[Drakevarg]

So, I managed to kill a PC in the first round of today's session.

What happened was that after last session's effigy wolf attack, the Legionnaires the PCs were with made the decision to head to the closest secure shelter they could think of, which was a cave located at the bottom of a nearby cliff. Said cliff was roughly 100 feet tall, and wet with ocean spray. The only way down was a narrow walkway that lead halfway down before doing a switchback and continuing to the bottom. It was steep, wet, and uneven.

The first one to try going down was Kharn, the party Barbarian. I had him roll a Balance check, which he missed badly, causing him to plummet the full 100 feet to the rocks below. Taking 30 damage, which would have put him at -9 even IF he was at full health (which he wasn't, the effigy wolf fight having taken place all of 5 minutes ago in-game), and he went splat.

After a series of hijinks, including most of the people involved scooting down the path on their butt for a +4 bonus, they made it to the bottom with a mere four NPC casualties. (Two Legionnaires and two militia, all who fell with Kharn at the top.) The others were in pretty bad shape as well, with another militia unconcious and another with two broken legs. One militia had deserted when he saw all his superiors die (only one Legionnaire survived, barely, and stablized at -7 HP after a 100 ft fall) and the last one had a sprained ankle from falling twenty feet towards the end of the trail.

Now here's where things start scootching slightly off my rails. (Not overmuch since I didn't expect the Legionnaires to last too much longer anyway.) The party Rogue/Cleric of Doresain, Kurosu decided that this was a perfect time for a backstab, since they were working with the Legionnaires under duress anyway. So she coup de graces the unconcious Legionnaire, and makes an attempt on the wounded-but-functional militia. The party Ranger, Hikari, joins in and they drop him in a few rounds, finishing off the militia with the broken legs soon after and coup de grace the final, unconcious militia.

I'm going to stop here with a quick observation: Hikari is Neutral Good. Her only explanation for her decision to kill her allies was that they were acting like ***** earlier. (They were Elves in an Orc-allied country, so they met a good deal of racism from the Legionnaires.) Is this kind of out of line for her alignment, or would it be justified due to their earlier behavior?

Anyway, after killing off all the Legionnaires and looting them, they make their way inside the cave. It's damp, so they climb up to another level and make camp there. That night, Hikari stands watch and starts hearing skittering noises all over the place. Not wanting to take any chances, she wakes the party and they get ready for a fight. Their opponents turn out to be half a dozen six-foot-long centipedes. Kurosu freaks out on account of her bug-phobia, but unfortunately we have to cut it short three rounds in since the game shop we hold our games at was about to close.

So, she won't be happy the next few sessions, since centipedes make up about a third of the encounter list in this cave.

Anyway, the last thought for today's session: Kharn's player has resolved to play a LE Warforged Warmage, a defective model tossed out of the local baddies, called the Brass Legion. He intends to play him as a scheming, manipulative bastard with an HK-47 speech pattern. Any recommendations on builds for him? He'll probably be starting at 3rd level.

[herrhauptmann]

Any recommendations on builds for him? He'll probably be starting at 3rd level.

If you're the DM, why are you building the characters for the players?

[Drakevarg]

If you're the DM, why are you building the characters for the players?

I'm not. I'm looking for suggestions to then in turn suggest to the player.

[Marnath]

Balance checks suck, because no one wastes points in balance. I guess kharn's player will know to tie a rope around his waist next time.

[Alleine]

I'm going to stop here with a quick observation: Hikari is Neutral Good. Her only explanation for her decision to kill her allies was that they were acting like ***** earlier. (They were Elves in an Orc-allied country, so they met a good deal of racism from the Legionnaires.) Is this kind of out of line for her alignment, or would it be justified due to their earlier behavior?

Eh. If she had given a better explanation along the lines of it being the best possible choice at the time(rogue kills an npc, she holds back the rogue, then what? The other Legionnaire won't be very happy.) then I might have let it slide. Just saying "Well they were ***holes" doesn't sound NG to me.

If you're the DM, why are you building the characters for the players?

Considering the number of PC deaths in the campaign so far, I think they might all be willing for a little DM help.

[Drakevarg]

Balance checks suck, because no one wastes points in balance. I guess kharn's player will know to tie a rope around his waist next time.

Hikari's got four ranks in it, though she's a Ranger and has skill points coming out her ears.

[Marnath]

Hikari's got four ranks in it, though she's a Ranger and has skill points coming out her ears.

well yeah, there is that. But a barbarian hardly knows how to dress himself.

[Coidzor]

What's that system where you can kill several PCs during chargen and make the players have to start rolling all over agian?

[Marnath]

I'd let your player have a better point buy if he wants to be a warforged warmage because of the -2 to the casting stat. At best, he'd be looking at a 12 or so, barely good enough to cast at all.

[Drakevarg]

I'd let your player have a better point buy if he wants to be a warforged warmage because of the -2 to the casting stat. At best, he'd be looking at a 12 or so, barely good enough to cast at all.

Pretty sure he could pull of a 16. Or are you still thinking of the 1d6+8 thing?

[Marnath]

Pretty sure he could pull of a 16. Or are you still thinking of the 1d6+8 thing?

I did a couple sets of sample rolls, and It seems like that'd be uncommon. Plus, that would equal 14, still not incredibly awesome. But I guess 14 would be good enough if you're not going to high levels.
*edit: I was thinking 2d6+6.

[Drakevarg]

I did a couple sets of sample rolls, and It seems like that'd be uncommon. Plus, that would equal 14, still not incredibly awesome. But I guess 14 would be good enough if you're not going to high levels.
*edit: I was thinking 2d6+6.

2d6+6 could get you an 18, which would in turn result in a 16 post-modifier. If you averaged out with straight 13s or something, than yes, the stats would suck. As averages are wont to do.

[Marnath]

2d6+6 could get you an 18, which would in turn result in a 16 post-modifier. If you averaged out with straight 13s or something, than yes, the stats would suck. As averages are wont to do.

You might consider letting the player have that one as a gimme, and rolling the other 5. Because warmages are worthless unless they have cha.

[Drakevarg]

You might consider letting the player have that one as a gimme, and rolling the other 5. Because warmages are worthless unless they have cha.

Maybe I'll do that as the "oh look you're a PC you're so speshul" bonus from now on. PCs always get one 18 automatically. (I hate not having at least one 18, myself. Besides, gotta do SOMETHING to stem the tide of butchery.)

[Marnath]

Maybe I'll do that as the "oh look you're a PC you're so speshul" bonus from now on. PCs always get one 18 automatically. (I hate not having at least one 18, myself. Besides, gotta do SOMETHING to stem the tide of butchery.)

That sounds like a great idea. It totally fits, because the PC's are usually supposed to be special.

[Drakevarg]

That sounds like a great idea. It totally fits, because the PC's are usually supposed to be special.

Personally, I've always liked the idea that PCs were special simply because they were simply more tenacious, lucky, and crazy than the general population.

[Marnath]

Personally, I've always liked the idea that PCs were special simply because they were simply more tenacious, lucky, and crazy than the general population.

Being naturally really strong, tough, dextrous etc. is a form of luck. Lucky to be born better than normal people.
Besides, you can have both! Win-win.

[Skorj]

What's that system where you can kill several PCs during chargen and make the players have to start rolling all over agian?

Well, the originl Traveller rules has a very elaborate system of determining backstory, social status, etc, by die roll. I've seen several PCs die during chargen in that system. I even had a PC succeed well enough retire to his Baronal palace during chargen.

It seems like Paranoia should work that way, but I don't think it does.

[Drakevarg]

So nothing on the Warforged Warmage?

[Psyx]

Considering the number of PC deaths in the campaign so far, I think they might all be willing for a little DM help.

You can't help stupidity. Would you walk down a rocky cliff-path without any training and without any kind of safety rope?


"or would it be justified due to their earlier behavior?"

"Judge: I murdered him because he was a bit of a ****** earlier."
"Well that's ok then. I can see that you're a good person."

No: It's not really acceptable. Do you consider yourself a 'good' person? If so: Would you stab someone in the back and slit the throats of a few injured people because they made some form of '-ist' comment?

[Heliomance]

Psh, that's nothing. Not only have I had a character die in the second round of the campaign, it was his first round of life. He was a dragon, and he died the same round he hatched, torched by one of his clutch-mates' breath weapon.

(It got retconned, but still)

[Psyx]

Being naturally really strong, tough, dextrous etc. is a form of luck. Lucky to be born better than normal people.

I figure that 4d6-drop-low is far better than 3d6 and enough of a lucky break for starting PCs.

[BRC]

In a game of Paranoia we had a PC die before gameplay actually started. They answered the question on "Do you enjoy your secret society" when filling out the Mandatory Bonus Duty Assignment Questionnaire.

[Drakevarg]

No: It's not really acceptable. Do you consider yourself a 'good' person? If so: Would you stab someone in the back and slit the throats of a few injured people because they made some form of '-ist' comment?

Less "make '-ist' comments" and more "stomp an Elf repeatedly in the face because a) he's a stinkin' pointy-eared Elf, and b) he only spoke Elven and his tone seemed offensive."

[arguskos]

Psh, that's nothing. Not only have I had a character die in the second round of the campaign, it was his first round of life. He was a dragon, and he died the same round he hatched, torched by one of his clutch-mates' breath weapon.

(It got retconned, but still)

I've had a player die three times in one hour of real time, approx 5 minutes of game time. Lucky crits with x4 weaponry does that.

[Aidan305]

Took out a cleric once half and hour in to his first session with a well-placed harm spell. The player then established a routine of having a character die every four sessions from then on. Generally due to his own stupid mistakes.

We still joke about it.

[Mr.Smashy]

Playing Exodus: a post-apocalyptic rpg, i have had a character die roughly every game session, generally towards the end of the night. Primarily because it is a very un-forgiving system, secondarily because the DM did not really explain half the situations we went into as well as he probably should have.

My first character died about 30 mins into the first game.

[Marnath]

No: It's not really acceptable. Do you consider yourself a 'good' person? If so: Would you stab someone in the back and slit the throats of a few injured people because they made some form of '-ist' comment?

It is important to know that combat was initiated by the rogue, not hikari. Joining your friends in battle is different than murdering allies. Especially if they were sort of keeping you prisoner anyway.

[nedz]

I had a new player die twice, in successive combats, on different days, in the same square.
It was a huge room as well.

[chiasaur11]

Less "make '-ist' comments" and more "stomp an Elf repeatedly in the face because a) he's a stinkin' pointy-eared Elf, and b) he only spoke Elven and his tone seemed offensive."

Well, I'm sure the judge would give a pass.

Unless he was one of them elf sympathizers.