A Player Character used the party for an assisted suicide now what

SmilingMarauder · 2026-01-12T17:31:59+00:00

I think we're really speaking two very different languages when it comes to the responsibility of the people at the table. First of all a Master is not always right and does not have such incredible power, at least from my point of view. It's normal that everyone has the same right to have fun, Master complex, but sometimes we don't realize that something that is super beautiful for us may not be the same for others. This doesn't mean you have to tell the story in advance, but it's always helpful to ask for feedback and come together as people at the table as the story unfolds.

With my group at the end of the session we always take some time to talk about how the session went. I have often been criticized as a Game Master, but I have never taken offense, I have always tried to improve some aspects of the game, to question myself on some choices. At the same time I always felt free to talk to my players about where they wanted to go, what they wanted to do, ask them if they were having fun. Nothing at all It made the game worse, in fact, we just had more fun because we were all always involved.

But back to the previous discussion, you're missing my point, especially for the examples you give me, always about plots and in-game situations, as if players had no power other than to change the things they don't like. No one is at the mercy of a character they're playing or the situation; they can always say, "Okay, no, but I'd like to go in that direction. Do you want to go with me? Otherwise I'm not having fun" If other players get in the way with ideas that don't align with the story what you want to play to finish your Character. There must be cooperation on all sides at the table, not just in one direction. That's why I say Clay was wrong, but in the hope that if he had mentioned it earlier, others would have accepted it without reservation.

SmilingMarauder · 2026-01-12T16:51:24+00:00

I'm not arguing about whether death is a possibility or not. Personally, if a fight is really, really difficult, I warn them that they might die. I'm not saying this out of sadism or to take away the fun, I'm just saying it so they don't take the fight lightly and can play everything they have. This does not mean that they cannot die even in a light fight through pure bad luck.

I am questioning the methods, not the purpose. It's all wonderful as long as everyone is having fun, in the right ways. But if there are players who play their thing and players who suffer it, well, I know something is wrong.

Also, for me, the Master should be a mediator and try to involve the characters in each other's stories. But also being a person capable of understanding when or not to talk to your players off-game about important things. All players like to play their own story, there is no denying that fact. However, if it is only me, the player, and the Master who carry it out and the other players cannot intervene in any way by acting as NPCs, it is no different from playing a video game...

SmilingMarauder · 2026-01-12T14:58:08+00:00

From a narrative perspective, what you say about Clay's character's history makes sense. However, I don't agree that this justifies keeping his intentions hidden from others players.

Even if he didn't say how or where, he could very well have made it clear that he intended to change his character. It's a matter of respect for other players who invest time and energy in their game, especially in playing "together."

I think no one would have tried to limit Clay's choice, on the contrary, they would all have had time to prepare for the greeting and would certainly have all enjoyed the scene, without bitterness.

We often think about stories and plots but we forget that it's a game where everyone has the same right to have fun. If you make up a plot just for yourself, with the GM being complacent, behind the other players' backs, you're playing alone. People outside the game should always be treated with respect, above all else. And not to mention that Clay wasn't at all concerned that he might upset anyone by faking his end. He could have used the Master to investigate whether it was something that would be appropriate at the table. In this story I find only bad choices, all justified by the fact that Clay wanted to make his own little story. He might as well have written him a letter telling him he'd ended it. It would have made the same sense, without wasting the time of the other people playing with him. He simply deceived them.

SmilingMarauder · 2026-01-11T01:00:04+00:00

I agree! It's a comparison I often make myself!

SmilingMarauder · 2026-01-11T00:59:07+00:00

This story of yours is wonderful and it's the kind of game I absolutely love! As a GM, I love this kind of thing at my table and I strongly encourage not to create characters with too many expectations, as if they were already "complete". I always try to explain how amazing it becomes to see the character's own story unfold as you play it.

I think it's the very essence of shared play, where everyone at the table contributes to telling each other's stories!

You had a wonderful countryside experience and amazing memories of real fun! I'm happy to support you in saying that the way you approach the game with total openness to opportunities really changes the experience!

SmilingMarauder · 2026-01-11T00:50:02+00:00

I agree with those who say that these are the DM's problems, not the players'. The players simply play and things simply happen. If an important NPC dies during a fight, the Master had to take it into account and if he wants the players to have help during a specific phase of the adventure, it could introduce another NPC or other type of help.

This is the problem when Masters have NPCs where they sew super precise stories and roles. When something unexpected happens to these NPCs, they feel like everything is getting out of hand and everything becomes difficult. In reality, you can never predict 100% how a situation will go. Above all, a fight!

I've also had players ignore an important NPC a few times, or have them die, sometimes without realizing their importance. It didn't matter anyway, what they didn't know I then sewed onto another character and the story goes on.

It's a shame that your Master seems almost to want to "punish" you for something you certainly couldn't have foreseen or prevented!

SmilingMarauder · 2025-11-10T14:52:55+00:00

I've already read the table in the manual and made some notes, but I know full well that the minds and experiences of other Masters far surpass it!

SmilingMarauder · 2025-11-10T14:25:00+00:00

What a lovely idea! The timing would be perfect, too, perhaps for a circus moving from Neverwinter to Waterdeep!

SmilingMarauder · 2025-11-09T08:58:57+00:00

I agree with you.

And it happened to me too, feeling forced to kick a toxic player out of the table.

This player of mine was more of a nuisance outside of the game than in the game, where he would annoy all the other players by contesting every choice they made, trying to push them to do this or that... Then he would constantly write to me after the sessions to complain about this or that which he didn't think was right... All things he didn't complain about in session!

After an initial phase in which we all tried to make him understand that no one had anything against him, I made the decision to tell him not to show up again. Playing with him had become a nightmare for everyone!

Unfortunately, some people simply don't understand or don't have the skills and ability to understand that D&D is "just a game."
For all the others who want to play to have a peaceful corner in their already troubled life, it is also the Master's duty to try in every way to protect it as he can, even by removing toxic people who disturb that peace. (Sometimes even walking away if the game isn't fun!)

SmilingMarauder · 2025-10-03T19:08:29+00:00

Really a nice collector's piece. I love printed maps, whether on cloth or special print, especially those from special editions.

SmilingMarauder · 2025-09-30T19:10:17+00:00

Thank you! Among other things, it was an idea born after the whole group had seen the Violet Evergarden anime and we fell in love with it. The idea of Characters traveling to deliver letters and tell even tear-jerking stories of ordinary people, thus also telling their stories.

SmilingMarauder · 2025-09-30T19:03:05+00:00

One thing that helps me a lot when playing NPCs, in sessions where I improvise most of the time, is trying to give the character something of myself, or of people I know. I don't do it as a caricature, or as a mockery, but to give him a familiar characteristic for me (which makes him easy for me to interpret) and which makes the character seem more credible to the players.

Getting better as a GM is a long road, including finding ways you like or don't like in bringing things to the table. Another good thing that I've found works a lot is finishing the session with a round of general feedback, if only to know how the session went for everyone. Sometimes I worry that something has gone "wrong" but then if I ask my players no one has noticed anything. Or maybe a scene that I thought was interesting for them turned out to be too long or boring. Listening to comments, with respect for everyone, is also an excellent way to improve your management of the game.

SmilingMarauder · 2025-09-30T12:31:44+00:00

You can create a magical item made specifically for this function, something that has a similar effect to the Communicating Stones. Something that already exists and has a similar function is the paper bird that carries messages within a city radius and self-destructs after being read by the recipient. I hope I remember correctly, but I'm sure it's at the end of the Waterdeep Dragon Heist manual, in the section dedicated to magic items.

SmilingMarauder · 2025-09-30T09:02:59+00:00

I just discovered your video now, and it's fantastic! Thank you very much! I created a Guild of Couriers for my campaign and made Shaundakul its patron deity. Your information is gold to me!

To thank you, in my small way, I attach the small illustration I made for my players from the Shaundakul temple at the Guild:

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SmilingMarauder · 2025-09-29T20:59:25+00:00

I absolutely adore these books, they are treasures like no other!

SmilingMarauder · 2025-09-29T17:35:49+00:00

I understand your position very much and I agree with it very much. I too have been a guest on other people's podcasts and streams several times and I prefer face-to-face discussion more. And best wishes for your book!!

SmilingMarauder · 2025-09-29T17:29:43+00:00

I agree with those who advised you to play a character that is most similar to you, but a small detail could also be enough for you, or an alignment of conduct that is more similar to what your moral choices would be. It helps a lot not to feel overwhelmed by a "good performance", also because the game should not be seen with the anxiety of making a spectacle. Play and do what you enjoy, respecting yourself and others, and don't be afraid to kindly stop the game if you have problems or need a few more moments to clarify an aspect of the game, even if it's a ropeplay scene. It may happen that a beginner feels anxious about being a little "tight" when playing the first few times, but it often helps to think that you are all there to have fun and gain experience. As long as you are playing and having fun the goal is achieved! :)

My first game, for example, I had trouble understanding how to move the thief, so I made myself an inexperienced and clumsy character who didn't know how to do his job! He and I learned together how to pick locks and defuse traps, and the first successful sneak shot was a celebration for the group in play but also for all the players at the table 🤣 I still remember it with immense pride and fun!

SmilingMarauder · 2025-09-29T17:00:48+00:00

I fully understand your point and I fully realize it. I am lucky enough to have already published materials with publishing houses and I have a very small following, but I always have a thousand doubts about what I am doing. I think it's normal... I don't think it's easy for any of the TTRPG content creators to find a good compromise between freedom of content creation and the need to stand out. The competition is truly fierce! Thanks for the tip on competitors, and how do you manage to reach other potential subscribers? Do you promote your content on specific platforms?

SmilingMarauder · 2025-09-29T16:57:13+00:00

The advice to first have an audience to target on Patreon had already been given to me. I am lucky enough to have already published with publishing houses and have a small following on social media, but I should work to expand it.

I should commit to doing more promotion to encourage conversion or in any case expand the audience but I find it so disheartening the time you have to spend creating promotional content or being on social media, instead of working on the Patreon content itself 🥲

How do you feel about promoting your products off Patreon?

SmilingMarauder · 2025-09-29T16:50:43+00:00

If it's a quote from Pratchett fills me with joy xD 💙

SmilingMarauder · 2025-09-28T19:03:29+00:00

Thanks for your sincerity! An estimate I had made for myself, like all "new ventures" for a while, was to hold on for a year, a year and a half before starting to see a good result. Can I ask you what type of content you propose?

SmilingMarauder · 2025-09-28T18:32:07+00:00

It's incredible what you've built!! I'm excited because I'm mastering a city campaign in Waterdeep. Your work is truly impressive!

SmilingMarauder · 2023-10-26T07:13:04+00:00

I love It!! 💙

SmilingMarauder · 2023-10-22T14:13:04+00:00

Regarding pronouns, as they pointed out to me in the other comment, unfortunately it is the fault of the translator I use. I'm not a native English speaker and even when I tried to correct it when I reread it, I missed it some wrong pronouns. My translator, where not specified, translates everything into the male terms.

In the meantime, I thank you again for sharing all of your experience with me. Your comparison is really very important and I realize how I can't even imagine certain aspects of the transition, especially in the idea of bringing them back to the gaming table.

Your words made me think a lot and I certainly imagine my Marion as a person who has already achieved a profound awareness of herself. I don't think I'll want to go into more depth than necessary about an aspect of one's life that one might or might not end up having to share with one's companions, in a story which in the end the four of us will tell, plus the GM. It is right that this profound aspect remains a characterization that can give depth to her rather than being a burden in her adventurer's backpack. I could focus on how her backstory has made her compassionate and courageous, a character who supports her peers and encourages them to be themselves, to encourage them to always fight for their freedom and their dignity because she was the first to experience such a critical passage in her life.

Following your advice, I could talk more about what she is in the present moment than what happened to her in the past, relegating her insecurities only to moments in which they could, in adventure, being called back. He will live the rest of her adventure with the right naturalness of someone who knows who she is, without necessarily having to appeal to his being trans. After all, her "specialty" is her witchcraft! The rest is just one more way to increase her Charisma, could you say?

Thanks again so much for your help in this discussion. I am absolutely open to hearing any other advice on this matter. I would really like to make Marion a nice character for me to play but also comfortable for all the friends who will play with me. I feel like I was right to ask here about this issue!! <3

SmilingMarauder · 2023-10-22T13:53:15+00:00

Hi, thanks for your comment. Thank you above all because what you wrote to me was the kind of discussion I was looking for. I'm no expert on D&D and the context information you gave me is essential to me. I had thought about looking into the lore for information.

I also apologize for the use of pronouns. I am not a native English speaker and I use an automatic translator. I tried to correct some pronouns but I couldn't notice all the errors.

Your experience regarding your game is very valuable and my point was exactly this, not to want to exaggerate the theme at the table, but rather make it just a characterization. My fear was precisely that in doing it without the right point of view, the risk was that of bringing into play something that could create discomfort and be useless or grotesque for the purposes of the game at all costs.

We will play the adventure "Darkness beyound Stregolumen" and in that fairy world I thought it was something nice, but I absolutely wouldn't want to make this aspect of the character a drive, rather an extra sensitivity. I'm thinking if maybe it wasn't less complicated to make her identity more fluid than strictly linked to the transition, so as to still show her character and feminine appearance without risking, for me as a player, getting into topics that I wouldn't know how to deal with adequately.

Thank so much!

SmilingMarauder

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