Helping The PCs Prosper
This is a DM Guide article I posted on my website, and believe it is perhaps my most controversial. I think it could spark some great debate. So here we go:
As a Dungeon Master, you have the power to influence your game in a way that a computer never could. You can tip things in favor of the PCs when they're in a tight spot. You can fudge dice rolls. You could make the monsters make tactless decisions in combat. You can let NPCs offer a cheap or free resurrection.
Why would you want to do such things?
Because the type of Dungeon Master who would kill off a character without regard for how much time and effort was invested in that character, without consideration for the character's value in the ongoing story, without concern for the character's overall impact on the game, is the type of Dungeon Master I would never want to play with. Would you?
If Player A is using a pre-generated character, pays no attention to the plot, cares nothing for roleplaying, and invested zero time in fleshing out his character's personality or appearance, should his character be given equal weight to that of Player B, who spent four hours writing up a character background, actively roleplays his character, is engaged in the storyline, moves the plot along, and converses with NPCs using appropriate medieval language?
I fervently believe he should not.
Before killing off a PC, consider what that character contributes to the game, to the story.
Ask yourself these sorts of questions:
* Do the other players like this character? Do I like this character? Is this character annoying? Is this character detestable? Would everyone be happier if this character was killed off? Would the players cheer upon this character's death?
* Does this character add anything special? What makes this character different from any other level 4 fighter with a bastard sword? Is this character a cliché? In five years, will I remember this character's personality? Can I give an accurate description of this character without using mechanics terms such as Fighter?
* Is this character tied into the plot? Will the story require any rewriting if this character is killed off? Does the character have any unique ties to NPCs?
Work with your players -- your goal should be to be able to respond positively to these questions. Try to tie their characters into the gameworld and the plot, and for those players that go the extra mile, subtly reward them by not leaving their character's ultimate fate to bad luck.
Do I speak heresy? Discuss.
As a Dungeon Master, you have the power to influence your game in a way that a computer never could. You can tip things in favor of the PCs when they're in a tight spot. You can fudge dice rolls. You could make the monsters make tactless decisions in combat. You can let NPCs offer a cheap or free resurrection.
Why would you want to do such things?
Because the type of Dungeon Master who would kill off a character without regard for how much time and effort was invested in that character, without consideration for the character's value in the ongoing story, without concern for the character's overall impact on the game, is the type of Dungeon Master I would never want to play with. Would you?
If Player A is using a pre-generated character, pays no attention to the plot, cares nothing for roleplaying, and invested zero time in fleshing out his character's personality or appearance, should his character be given equal weight to that of Player B, who spent four hours writing up a character background, actively roleplays his character, is engaged in the storyline, moves the plot along, and converses with NPCs using appropriate medieval language?
I fervently believe he should not.
Before killing off a PC, consider what that character contributes to the game, to the story.
Ask yourself these sorts of questions:
* Do the other players like this character? Do I like this character? Is this character annoying? Is this character detestable? Would everyone be happier if this character was killed off? Would the players cheer upon this character's death?
* Does this character add anything special? What makes this character different from any other level 4 fighter with a bastard sword? Is this character a cliché? In five years, will I remember this character's personality? Can I give an accurate description of this character without using mechanics terms such as Fighter?
* Is this character tied into the plot? Will the story require any rewriting if this character is killed off? Does the character have any unique ties to NPCs?
Work with your players -- your goal should be to be able to respond positively to these questions. Try to tie their characters into the gameworld and the plot, and for those players that go the extra mile, subtly reward them by not leaving their character's ultimate fate to bad luck.
Do I speak heresy? Discuss.