From: "Tim Hall"
> The other two PCs decided wisely to run away, but the third of the
> group (Iodeth) decided to stand and fight against an unknown,
> invisible, and very powerful foe which has already left a trail of
> dead NPCs behind it.
>
> I don't really want to post "you're dead, no saving throw, please
> create me a new character", but I don't want to violate internal
> consistency either.
>
There's some uncertainty here, so the following has as many questions
as suggestions.
1. PC's have to die from time to time.
It's an unfortunate fact that it's very difficult to make a campaign feel
urgent and dangerous unless PCs die from time to time. Has this
group ever seen you, as GM, kill a character? Do you think that
they feel that this is possible or might this death be necessary to
encourage caution in future? Is it possible for you to kill one of
this group without damaging the campaign (in the sense that the
group playing become disconnected and stop playing)?
2. How much warning have they been given?
Reading the log I didn't get the feeling that they were entering a
situation which could easily kill them all. They still seem to be
searching for information and trying to establish the identity and
nature of the danger. To be killed by something they didn't know
was here may well be realistic, but it also tends to disappoint
people. This might be an opportunity to indicate the nature of
the foe by having it immobilise the PC while it casually kills the
other fighters, becoming so wrapped up in it's sport that it
allows the PC to overcome the immobility and slip away. The
combat should be sufficiently brief and bloody to suggest
escape as the only sensible option.
3. Is death the only possible outcome?
If the foe can easily kill then it can just as easily capture. Would the
PC have any value to it?
Given the nature of the campaign perhaps the foe might find it
more useful to leave the PC alive, but with a deeply hidden command
or inhibition that the foe can call on in future. If this foe is intelligent
and seeking to overcome a powerful organisation then turning an
enemy into a weapon may be both useful and appealing. This hidden
gaes can then be hinted at in future (if you want to give the party a
chance to identify and remove it) or simply dropped on them at the
worst possible time (if surviving the encounter should be enough of
a clue).
Chris Tutty
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