Killing Off NPCs

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>>55348747
yikes. Fellow GM, I would urge you to take the time to choose well. Whoever dies will make your PCs cherish their remaining friends the more. Yes, some NPCs are going to die, but I have faith in your ability to make it matter. Don't have it come out of nowhere, throw some heroic sacrifices in there, and if your PCs try to save someone, let them. What are they fighting?

>>55348797
to actually answer your question, no. Don't give up the realism, don't compromise your vision, and always remember that in the end, it's their story.

>>55348797
>>55348821
That pic is pretty relevant. I like the show, but It would be Kamina like instead of the rest doing it so suddenly. I rather not give details because I know more than 2 of them check /tg/, but I've put so much thought and exact reason and planning into each separate moment. It'll kinda make them come to peace with themselves as well, to an extent. Knowing that the PCs can carry the torch.

Also NPCs have been at near death, if not dead-to-rights before.

I'd suggest that you give the PCs the option to save at least some of the NPCs. But saving them comes with an obvious cost the PCs might not be willing to pay. As in, you don't know if they will choose to save or sacrifice when you give them the decision

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>>55348872
exactly. I was thinking of Kittan's death too. sounds like you've got it pretty well in hand, buddy. Good luck, may the Muse of RPGs guide you.

>>55348919
I've thought of this. I can only think of one I've made where the character is Locked in, and has no choice in the matter and It's personal.
Saving them would be an effort, but I'd never deny them the opportunity for my own agenda.
I'm just worried frustration would come If Its a hard situation and some are like "What do you mean I couldn't save him, I did this?? why didn't he do this??" sort of thing.
It'd be a conversation that'd fucking kill the moment right away and make the whole scene feel cheap and forced, despite my best efforts

Kill the NPC? No, that would be much too merciful of a fate. I didn't just kill him, I blew his cortical stack out the back of his fucking head, impaled on a half inch pike of depleted uranium. Too bad that lowly shopkeeper couldn't afford more comprehensive backup insurance, that heart warming side character with an upbeat attitude and that nothing can bring you down attitude just lost a year of his life. You know, the year he met the player characters. The year he finally went to rehab and kicked his XP habit. the year he finally got to meet his daughter

>>55348747
Do what you think the players will remember the most. Do you want the players to have an average kiddy glove Disney climax that they forget about in a month, or do you want the entire campaign to stick with them for years?

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>>55348747
I killed 6 NPCs during the last session of my first successful campaign, and have no regrets doing so. Don't worry, anon, you're not that horrible. I am, for accidentally putting in that an NPC that died was cucked.

>>55350568
Killing off NPC's just to make shit memorable is not always the best option, especially if it leaves a bad taste in the audience's mouth when they get invested in the characters and hope to see them reach a favorable conclusion to their stories.

There's a reason why the term "Gainax ending" is ridiculed, and it's because dropping a bad ending after giving the heroes an otherwise unsatisfying conclusion is poor story-telling, especially if it comes the fuck outta nowhere with no way to avert the tragedy.

If they earn it, give the people a goddamned Disney ending, for fucks sake.

>>55352081
>after giving the heroes an otherwise satisfying conclusion
Man, don't know how I missed this typo.

>>55352081

Yes, also, there is always the "realistic" approach, that can led to npc death because it should happen : if the pc like this kind of approach, not killing (or over-killing) npcs might be lack luster for them.

On a side note, I really like the trope of "but he's not dead !" for the last fight : X get wounded badly during the final fight, or is in a crumbling mansion or whatever but after the bbeg demise he comes back.

>>55352210
Tell me of a situation where an NPC death "should" happen?

Because usually when an NPC is killed off because it "should" happen, it's usually the GM arbitrarily offing NPC's for forced drama because they feel as though having a mission in which nobody dies thanks to smart play, proper planning, and good ol' fashioned luck "cheapens" the experience for their players, when it can actually lead to one of the most memorable encounters in the entire campaign.

If you're planning on killing off NPC's just because, you need to step away from the GM seat and give the job to the next person who qualifies because your players will be much better off.

>>55352081
Indeed. If the tone that leads to killing off NPCs is different from the tone of the rest of the campaign, players will not be happy. Plus they have probably seen the sudden tragic ending before in other media. So doing so again will not be memorable.

Now if the entire campaign has had a darker tone, that's a different story.

>>55355020

>I didn't read the OP

>>55352210
OP here, I've thought about this as well.
I think if an NPC is really fucked up, they can get the option to try and save him or press on with them

They would be a very valuable asset, but they are vulnerable and lives will be on the line. Because of that, I'd want their lead up to have perhaps another moment where they can sacrafice themselves if they do follow instead of being blindsided and a bad roll = death. but then I feel from that point its waaaaaay to much in terms of "Scripted Death"