How likely would your character kill?

[TheQuestionMan]

Re: How likely would your character kill?

 

Cougar - Kill Only to Protect/Save Innocents

 

Nemesis - Strong aversion to killing, but not to violence.

 

Lifeguard - Strong aversion to killing, but then he joined Doctor Destroyer to limit casualties from collateral damage.

 

 

Cheers

 

 

QM

[Egyptoid]

Re: How likely would your character kill?

 

doesnt it all come down to Psych Disads ?

 

My inspiration for all this is Tom Cruise in Minority Report

 

we knew, and he knew, and all week he was saying it:

"I know I'm not going to kill anyone"

 

then, when confronted with the evidence of child molestation,

he says "well I am going to kill this guy after all"

 

of course the CVK purists will point out that Tom did

not succumb to temptation, he did read the guy hs rights,

and was wrestled into killing the guy....

 

but its all about the other Psych Disads and their strengths

on the sheet. if CVK is the only one you've got, then no, you may never kill.

 

but if you have another one also, such as Detests Pornographers

at a higher value, then the GM should be able to push that 2nd button to

the point that CVK may fall behind...

[Tasha]

Re: How likely would your character kill?

 

The following pseudo-rant applies solely to superhero games; Dark Champions and Fantasy are their own genre.

 

This also becomes a campaign-dependent issue depending on just how the GM runs the game. For example, if the players always just come upon The Joker after he's committed a bloodbath, that's one thing. If the GM prefers to actually let the PCs head off that sort of thing, then there's the investigation and lead-in ... the Joker's stealing chemicals and gear that would let him set off a vibratory shockwave that would flatten all of Gotham City. The PCs are given the opportunity to stop him from killing BEFORE it happens, not simply mop up afterwards, by doing the investigation and figuring out what he's doing and where he's doing before he gets the chance, or at least being sufficiently prepared to prevent the catastrophe.

 

That technique seems to work for me, 'cause I've been running supers games for years and the PCs have successfully prevented the disaster every time.

 

Secondly, it depends on just how many casual killer villains wander around in your game world. I've noticed very few in the CU products, which means that the villains with no Psych Lim one way or the other are no more likely to kill than a PC with no Psych Lim one way or the other, aka only when they feel it necessary. Not every villain is a psychopath.

 

It is, furthermore, dependent up on the GM to make it clear where he prefers to draw the line on so-called 'killer heroes' and what the theme, style and/or 'age' of the game is, thus if the player does not like the game in question (I have no doubt, for example, Thia and Billy would hate my gaming style), they can choose not to play in the first place rather than join and not enjoy themselves.

 

Also I find that the more often a Villian escapes from the authorities to plague the Heroes once again. That the players start to get frustrated and start thinking about permanent solutions to the problem. So letting the Villian of the Week remain defeated for a while will keep said Villain out of a body bag.

 

Tasha

[Tasha]

Re: How likely would your character kill?

 

When I first started to play Champions, I came from a background of Hack and Slash, Monty Haul Dungeons and Dragons. So my characters were a bit more blood thirsty. Not casual killers, but they could kill. Now that I am much older, I find my Champions characters tend to have Codes vs Killing, and "Protects Innocents". To me that is part of the Psyche of a hero(ine).

 

Now when I play Fantasy Hero, or other Genres where Killing is ok or even part of the Genre. I am ok with characters who kill.

 

Metalstorm: A mutant with control of metal and magnetics. She wouldn't kill for any reason. Though she doesn't see androids as being "Alive" being all programing and such.

 

13 Black: Uplifted Housecat Mentalist. Wouldn't kill sentients. She saw her whole family gassed to death in the lab that she was created in. So beyond killing the random mouse, or bird, she wouldn't kill anything.

 

Tasha

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: How likely would your character kill?

 

Also I find that the more often a Villian escapes from the authorities to plague the Heroes once again. That the players start to get frustrated and start thinking about permanent solutions to the problem. So letting the Villian of the Week remain defeated for a while will keep said Villain out of a body bag.

 

Tasha

 

Or the other option ... ESCAPE PLANS. Doesn't even have to be cheesy like a teleporter ... just something like a tunnel with an explosive charge that drops the roof in behind him as he flees. Unless it's ALL on the line, once a villain/the villains realize they're outmatched and losing, retreat should be the order of the day.

[Tasha]

Re: How likely would your character kill?

 

Or the other option ... ESCAPE PLANS. Doesn't even have to be cheesy like a teleporter ... just something like a tunnel with an explosive charge that drops the roof in behind him as he flees. Unless it's ALL on the line' date=' once a villain/the villains realize they're outmatched and losing, retreat should be the order of the day.[/quote']

 

Though you SHOULD eventually let the PCs catch the badguy or at least have some allies that give the PCs some sense of a Victory. Basically, it comes down to this. If you don't let the PCs have some ability to change the campaign world by at least being able to more or less permanently defeat the opposition. Then the PCs will resort to means that are less legal/moral (ie Killing). Though there is nothing to say that the PC's have to catch the Mastermind after the first story arch. Just eventually or at least looking like they are making progress toward that ultimate victory.

 

Tasha

[Badger]

Re: How likely would your character kill?

 

Badger- reformed villain, has killed before, might be reluctant in your average everyday villain. A regularly occuring one (such as Batman's Joker for example) Well, yes he will, if he met up with the Joker he would kill him because he would just escape in a couple of weeks and wipe out another 100 people, and letting him live is pointless, and bad for the people.

 

He has tried to keep control of killing since reforming but the temptation is there a lot. He probably keeps from killing more to keep the "boyscout" types in the group off his back. Oh and for the one who killed his family, when he meets up with him, anybody who tries to stop him, stands a good chance of being killed.

 

 

Frosty Bob- essentially a long time soldier and professional mercenary (between wars). No second thoughts to it. Well, he doesnt kill as much anymore. But, he does tend to get into a lot of bar fights.

[Clonus]

Re: How likely would your character kill?

 

Though you SHOULD eventually let the PCs catch the badguy or at least have some allies that give the PCs some sense of a Victory.

 

Of course I don't think that applies when the bad guy is the character's hunted. There's a reason why Hunted is a disadvantage. People keep bringing up the Joker in this regard, but you know, you just know, that if someone killed the Joker, it would turn out to be some brainwashed sap in the makeup.

[Wanderer]

Re: How likely would your character kill?

 

Personally, I find the tying of "Super" campaign automatically to "CvK Required or else you are running a dirty dirty Rusty Iron Age scumfest campaign" both tiring and just a tad bit patronizingly moralistic.

 

TB

 

I agree so enthusiastically that I shower rep on you.

 

As for the main topic, I generally despise extreme pacifism and strong CvK, so I won't ever use either for ongoing characters (the very most I can come close to, is either a moderate "Prefers not to kill", or a strong "Won't Murder", meaning cold-blooded, planned killing; as it concerns my characters, those who deserve killing will get it, especially in combat).

 

OTOH, I'm rather fond to use Honorable and/or Protects the Innocents as the hallmark "heroic" Disadvs, so my characters typically have a "noble warrior" streak and won't indulge in casual or gratuitous killing.

 

Even so, when confronted for irredeamable evil, clear and serious menaces to themselves, their friends, companions, loved ones, innocents, civilization, the biosphere, mankind, etc. or any "war" situation where the opponents know what they are doing, are using lethal force, and disregard the opportunity to surrender, they will be glad to kill with no grief or remorse. Live by the gun, die by the plasma blast.

[Vondy]

Re: How likely would your character kill?

 

Our game centered on a black bag counter-intelligence / commando unit in the 1950's who happened to have super-powers. It was more pulp-noir-atomic-horror-espionage than straight-up super-heroes. All of them were likely to use potentially lethal force if the stakes were high-enough and they were out of time or options. On the other hand, most of them were "normal folk," in the sense that they tried to avoid it in non-military situations, with one or two going out of their way due to it being a part of their character concept. The most extreme of these was a former assassin who was working for the team as a way of redeeming himself . One of the most dramatic and memorable arcs we had was when, after years of taking phenonemal personal risks and almost being killed himself in order not to take a life, he had to throw down and get extremely lethal and kill a lot of enemy agents in order to save several of his teammates. This was after a lot of role-play where he had come to terms with his past and done his penance. It was one of those "this time its justified tropes." After that scenario, however, he went from "Common, Total," to "Common, Strong." He'd still avoid it whenever possible. And, as far as black-bag commando types went, the team tended to behave more like super-feds than super-soldiers in terms of restraint (look up FBI shooting statistics - its extremely rare) - for the most part the team had a Common, Moderate CaK as a baseline.

[incrdbil]

Re: How likely would your character kill?

 

Seer would, and has in his past killed. Not casually, but if the target meets hsi criteria, without problem. He's a menmtlaist, so his ability to look inside soemones mind often enters into his decision. He might opt for psionic surgery over killig, but he views that as perhaps an even worse thign than killing someone.

 

 

Now, bringing his past, his psychological disads into play, a mentalist abusing their powers, or a member of PSI is in a heck of a lot more danger than others.

[Lucius]

Re: How likely would your character kill?

 

How likely is Stormwalker to kill? Perhaps inevitably. He has never taken a life, but it has been prophesied that He will, eventually. He sometimes wonders about it - for example, is it truly Fated, or can it be avoided? - but has grown used to the idea, just as He fully expects one day to die in battle. When a plan puts villains or criminals in harm's way, He is fond of the saying - "They knew the job was dangerous when they took it."

 

Quetzelcoatl killed his first man 40 years ago in Vietnam. He takes killing very seriously indeed, and was incredibly angry once at being tricked into a lethal engagement with people who were supposed to be robots, but he still has the attitude he learned in his first war; killing is something you may have to do, and if you must, you do it without hesitation, quickly and cleanly, and pray about it afterwards. And when you have prayed for those who had to die, and asked and answered the needful questions such as "Did I have another choice?" then you move on and lose no more sleep over it.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary doesn't really play, just likes to watch while I do.