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First Blood

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
zombiegleemax
Jul 18, 2004 8:28:51 First Blood

An adventurer's first life or death, kill or be killed combat encounter should be a memorable one. Campaigns that gloss over the visceral aspects of mortal combat, reducing it to abstract dice rolling, disservice roleplaying. This article hopes to focus awareness on the importance of one's first kill. Players are encouraged to fully immerse themselves in their character's psyche to more closely examine the range of reactions the first combat encounter is most likely to elicit. The context and aftermath of this encounter serves to define the character and campaign's attitude to violence.

Exhilaration--A deeply seated emotional need to feel more fully alive and powerful is fulfilled. The PC comes out of the experience with a stronger sense of purpose and may even have become an 'adrenaline junky.' This tends to be the most common default reaction to combat.

Religious experience--The PC experiences a religious experience where a meaningful pattern in the events that unfold is discerned. Portents and omens are observed and the PC feels that the hand of the divine (or infernal) is present. Conversely, the randomness of the battlefield can prompt a questioning of one's faith, or even, more severely, it's renunciation.

Admiration/hatred for the opponent--It is possible to develop a sort of grudging respect and admiration for one's opponent and the PC could end up re-evaluating established loyalties and beliefs going so far as to actively solicit the foe to be an ally instead. On the other hand, something about the opponent unlocks a deep and abiding hatred that can manifest as racism to genocidal thought.

Overwhelming paralytic fear or runaway panic--The thought of having to face opponents of dread repute ignites the PC's survival instinct to the point where he becomes a panic stricken animal whose only thoughts are of hearth and home. This perception can also result in giving misleading statements on the number of opponents and their level of deadliness. Sporadic ranged fire becomes 'withering' and a small band of foes becomes 'a legion'.

Abandon the way of the sword--Similar to having a religious experience, the PC strongly identifies with his opponent ('There but for the grace of the gods go I') and the interconnectedness of all life. Violence's inability to meaningfully resolve disputes becomes apparent. Life is too fragile, precious and beautiful to so callously waste it upon ephemeral worldly pursuits.

Confusion--The middle of a battle is a whirlwind of activity with the constant jostling, noise and urgency of the situation. With adrenaline pumping and foes seemingly all around, actions tend to be of the 'hack first, ask questions later' variety. Hesitation could be lethal and PCs could be forced to make wisdom checks to differentiate friend from foe.

Killing and dying are serious matters. A description of the battle's aftermath is of paramount importance in impressing upon the PC the magnitude of what has just happened. From landscapes where armies have butchered each other, to the appearance of a single, open eyed corpse forever frozen in that crumpled pose on the ground, the PC should realize that a major life event has just occurred. Try to imagine the sight and scent of blood everywhere, the cries of the wounded and dying, the sound of prayers of healing and of last rites. Even though the experience of having been in a battle is typically out of the normal range of experience for most, players are encouraged to imagine what that must feel like. Both players and DMs should see the shedding of the 'first blood' as a portal to exploring rewarding combat roleplaying, and not entirely ROLLplaying, experiences.
#2
alchahest
Jul 31, 2004 16:59:18 This is an excellent article, and I agree with it. killing is too easy in most D&D games.

As a DM, I sometimes add little character quirks to NPCs. I think the most effective thing I ever did was have an NPC's young daughter run out of a house when the party's overzealous paladin killed the man for not "accepting the lord." The character actually forsook life as a paladin after that, and never picked up a sword again. Became a monk, and never again went into a church.
#3
silver_tiger
Sep 09, 2004 10:46:38 Excellent comments and observations on NPC reactions to initial combat encounters, FB! But, really, why stop at initial encounters? Life and death combat probably never becomes routine; and, if it does, doesn't that itself say something about the combatant? If players (and DMs) forget a character's response to combat, it's a shame because they're overlooking a wonderful opportunity to explore a large part of that mercenary (because D&D characters tend to be of that ilk) character's vocation and life.

ST
#4
zombiegleemax
Sep 13, 2004 22:19:06 Yes, good post. However, such detailed descriptions should be saved for first combats, and monumental combats. A warrior (and his associated compatriots) quickly gets used to death after several battles. Reserving such detailed descriptions for only such situations prevents them from becoming tedious and taking up too much time. It also emulates the concept of the warrior becoming accustomed to death.
#5
hamham
Sep 17, 2004 12:19:50 Great article.

WHO you're fighting is important as well. A characters reaction to fighting an animal or some ugly monster will probably be very different from a reaction to fighting another human (or whatever race they are). Both the intelligence and the anthropomorphism are major factors in how much a death or fight would affect a character.
#6
zombiegleemax
Sep 23, 2004 13:17:28 There's one aspect you didn't cover, but it really only applies when the character isn't fighting alone. When you have comrades interdependent with you for your (mutual) survival, it's much easier to fight. Many times in battle it doesn't break down to ideology or faith, it's the guys beside you that motivate you to fight on.

And yes, I'm a soldier. ;)

--Kylone
#7
zombiegleemax
Sep 27, 2004 21:10:01 You've written a good article, but you left out two important types of reactions.

Satisfaction--Death is a cold mistress, one whom few desire. Seeing her face-to-face can shake even the sternest soul. However, for you, that first kill brought a deep sense of satisfaction. You realise that you have what it takes to succeed. After all, who can say they have truly lived until they have killed.

Indifference--You have lived an average life and have never been a stranger to violence. Still, killing someone is the greatest taboo. Who hasn't thought about it at least once? So, when you yourself were faced with the choice to take someone's life, at first you hesitated. Yet, you overcame your apprehension, and realized that killing someone isn't the big deal everyone says it is. Ever since then, whenever you begin to think about what it is to end a life, you are reminded of old taboos. Thankfully, you are now able to quickly dismiss such trivial matters.

I think both of these reactions are quite common. They are also realistic, and until now, overlooked as well.

Always,
Bill

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 zombiegleemax Jul 18, 2004 8:28:51	First Blood An adventurer's first life or death, kill or be killed combat encounter should be a memorable one. Campaigns that gloss over the visceral aspects of mortal combat, reducing it to abstract dice rolling, disservice roleplaying. This article hopes to focus awareness on the importance of one's first kill. Players are encouraged to fully immerse themselves in their character's psyche to more closely examine the range of reactions the first combat encounter is most likely to elicit. The context and aftermath of this encounter serves to define the character and campaign's attitude to violence. Exhilaration--A deeply seated emotional need to feel more fully alive and powerful is fulfilled. The PC comes out of the experience with a stronger sense of purpose and may even have become an 'adrenaline junky.' This tends to be the most common default reaction to combat. Religious experience--The PC experiences a religious experience where a meaningful pattern in the events that unfold is discerned. Portents and omens are observed and the PC feels that the hand of the divine (or infernal) is present. Conversely, the randomness of the battlefield can prompt a questioning of one's faith, or even, more severely, it's renunciation. Admiration/hatred for the opponent--It is possible to develop a sort of grudging respect and admiration for one's opponent and the PC could end up re-evaluating established loyalties and beliefs going so far as to actively solicit the foe to be an ally instead. On the other hand, something about the opponent unlocks a deep and abiding hatred that can manifest as racism to genocidal thought. Overwhelming paralytic fear or runaway panic--The thought of having to face opponents of dread repute ignites the PC's survival instinct to the point where he becomes a panic stricken animal whose only thoughts are of hearth and home. This perception can also result in giving misleading statements on the number of opponents and their level of deadliness. Sporadic ranged fire becomes 'withering' and a small band of foes becomes 'a legion'. Abandon the way of the sword--Similar to having a religious experience, the PC strongly identifies with his opponent ('There but for the grace of the gods go I') and the interconnectedness of all life. Violence's inability to meaningfully resolve disputes becomes apparent. Life is too fragile, precious and beautiful to so callously waste it upon ephemeral worldly pursuits. Confusion--The middle of a battle is a whirlwind of activity with the constant jostling, noise and urgency of the situation. With adrenaline pumping and foes seemingly all around, actions tend to be of the 'hack first, ask questions later' variety. Hesitation could be lethal and PCs could be forced to make wisdom checks to differentiate friend from foe. Killing and dying are serious matters. A description of the battle's aftermath is of paramount importance in impressing upon the PC the magnitude of what has just happened. From landscapes where armies have butchered each other, to the appearance of a single, open eyed corpse forever frozen in that crumpled pose on the ground, the PC should realize that a major life event has just occurred. Try to imagine the sight and scent of blood everywhere, the cries of the wounded and dying, the sound of prayers of healing and of last rites. Even though the experience of having been in a battle is typically out of the normal range of experience for most, players are encouraged to imagine what that must feel like. Both players and DMs should see the shedding of the 'first blood' as a portal to exploring rewarding combat roleplaying, and not entirely ROLLplaying, experiences.
#2 alchahest Jul 31, 2004 16:59:18	This is an excellent article, and I agree with it. killing is too easy in most D&D games. As a DM, I sometimes add little character quirks to NPCs. I think the most effective thing I ever did was have an NPC's young daughter run out of a house when the party's overzealous paladin killed the man for not "accepting the lord." The character actually forsook life as a paladin after that, and never picked up a sword again. Became a monk, and never again went into a church.
#3 silver_tiger Sep 09, 2004 10:46:38	Excellent comments and observations on NPC reactions to initial combat encounters, FB! But, really, why stop at initial encounters? Life and death combat probably never becomes routine; and, if it does, doesn't that itself say something about the combatant? If players (and DMs) forget a character's response to combat, it's a shame because they're overlooking a wonderful opportunity to explore a large part of that mercenary (because D&D characters tend to be of that ilk) character's vocation and life. ST
#4 zombiegleemax Sep 13, 2004 22:19:06	Yes, good post. However, such detailed descriptions should be saved for first combats, and monumental combats. A warrior (and his associated compatriots) quickly gets used to death after several battles. Reserving such detailed descriptions for only such situations prevents them from becoming tedious and taking up too much time. It also emulates the concept of the warrior becoming accustomed to death.
#5 hamham Sep 17, 2004 12:19:50	Great article. WHO you're fighting is important as well. A characters reaction to fighting an animal or some ugly monster will probably be very different from a reaction to fighting another human (or whatever race they are). Both the intelligence and the anthropomorphism are major factors in how much a death or fight would affect a character.
#6 zombiegleemax Sep 23, 2004 13:17:28	There's one aspect you didn't cover, but it really only applies when the character isn't fighting alone. When you have comrades interdependent with you for your (mutual) survival, it's much easier to fight. Many times in battle it doesn't break down to ideology or faith, it's the guys beside you that motivate you to fight on. And yes, I'm a soldier. ;) --Kylone
#7 zombiegleemax Sep 27, 2004 21:10:01	You've written a good article, but you left out two important types of reactions. Satisfaction--Death is a cold mistress, one whom few desire. Seeing her face-to-face can shake even the sternest soul. However, for you, that first kill brought a deep sense of satisfaction. You realise that you have what it takes to succeed. After all, who can say they have truly lived until they have killed. Indifference--You have lived an average life and have never been a stranger to violence. Still, killing someone is the greatest taboo. Who hasn't thought about it at least once? So, when you yourself were faced with the choice to take someone's life, at first you hesitated. Yet, you overcame your apprehension, and realized that killing someone isn't the big deal everyone says it is. Ever since then, whenever you begin to think about what it is to end a life, you are reminded of old taboos. Thankfully, you are now able to quickly dismiss such trivial matters. I think both of these reactions are quite common. They are also realistic, and until now, overlooked as well. Always, Bill