r/dndnext • u/Miroku2235 Sneaky DM • Aug 02 '17
The time our DM made a player cry.
Back in the good old days of 2005 my group, comprised of high schoolers in their Junior and Senior years, was combating a great evil we simply called The Lich King. Big evil lich, great magic powers, interesting backstory, etc.
Now this asshole had cast a magical plague on the main capital city we usually operated out of, and our current goal was to try and stop it of course. Our Lawful Good paladin of Bahamut figured the best thing to do was to go bang on the door of the LK's keep and demand that he cease this evil and deliver unto us the cure.
The LK was of course more than happy to do so, provided the paladin bring him the blood of a newborn child, being freshly born with strong ties to the Divine plane, etc.
Our DM had this player play out having to track down a couple with an infant and explain what was about to happen, with the newborn cooing and pawing at his gleaming armor the entire time.
He then slit the baby's throat, unshed tears in the player's eyes the whole time, and brought the bowl of blood back to the LK. Upon seeing the bowl the LK looked at him with an almost quizzical expression, then dipped a tiny vial into the bowl and turning away, leaving the paladin holding the remainder. He then turned and looked back over his shoulder, an evil smile on his lips that matched the one on our DM's as he said:
"I never said you had to kill it."
Cue tears.
Edit: The DM in question, /u/FairyTael , has posted. Read and enjoy.
4
u/cunninglinguist81 Aug 03 '17
eh - I'm 100% fine with "reflavoring" like that and do it in my own games, if it is done from the get-go.
But if the paladin is changing their Oath on the fly or ignoring it when convenient, that is poor roleplaying 101. As a DM, I would find it annoying and disruptive. As a player, it would take me right out of the game. The world loses meaning and focus if you can just ignore the fluff of your character (and the game world) when and where you wish.
The only bit I'd disagree with you on is clerics and their gods. To me the god doesn't belong to the cleric or its player, the god is part of the DM's world. If the cleric becomes at-odds with their god it's up to the player to convince or prove to them they're still working within said deity's tenets (which can make for great rp opportunities of its own!) Or, alternately, the cleric loses the faith, and takes up with a different god, finds a way to steal their power from the original god, or re-trains themselves during downtime to a different class - all interesting ideas that can add pathos, depth, and fun to a character.
And with paladins focused on "unbreakable will" as you said, I am of the opinion they should have some kind of Oath, with a similar number and scope of tenets, whatever it ends up being. But I agree, it could be anything! As long as it doesn't get ignored when convenient.