Conflict and its consequences

[Morrolan]

I'm seeking comment on ths idea that comes from Gimf's thread on conflict and the discussion on ways to create sustained conflict that doesn't involve simply snuffing the other side.  http://www.zalanthas.org/gdb/index.php/topic,31655.0.html

Other commenters please feel free to repost your comments here as well.

Thanks!

The only approach I can think of is keeping coded track of how many "kills" a PC has and allow that affect how he is reacted to by certain classes of beings: spirits and demons, for instance.  Allow kills of sentient beings to affect one's "balance" with the world.

Yes, this is moralistic and high-handed.  But krathdamnit, it might just work.  I know it wouldn't stop a PC of mine from killing, but there would be coded results for being a homicidal maniac.  And most PCs would have no way of knowing this information.

Note, unlike traditional MUDs and things like that, I'm not distinguishing "good" from "evil".  I'm saying that killing people, in a magickal world, might have magickal/spiritual consequences.  Killing "bad guys" still could leave a "stain."  Being cursed by a magicker could leave a stain with the same effect.

EDIT to add: or using certain types of spells, as well...

I would especially like this if it were implemented in the following ways:

1) Not too heavyhanded.  Killing someone once might not be the end of the world in Armageddon.
2) Have the effects be time-dependent.  Whatever this rating is, it regens over time.
3) Have the effects be psycho-spiritual for the most part, not hard-coded spanking for bad behavior:

Code Select Expand


think Krath, it's been a long day of killing people.  Big job, well paid.
You think:
    "Krath, it's been a long day of killing people.  Big job, well paid."
> sleep bed
You go to sleep in a comfy bed.
Ok.
(some time passes)
[b]The shadowy shape of "insert ldesc of someone off the kill list" appears before you.[/b]
>wake
You wake and sit up.
think Been a long time since I slept through the night.

You think:
Been a long time since I slept through the night.

See?  No judgement about how you'll react, no handcuffing about how your character reacts.  No assumptions that the person is a "ghost" or a "memory".  Just there.

4) Allow any coded spanking of homicidal maniacs to be decided by staff on a case-by-case basis.  But the data is attached to the pfile.

Morrolan

[Mood]

I don't like this. If it's a spiritual thing, I personally don't think it fits with Zalanthas, and if it's a psychological thing... well, I'd rather not have automated code dictating that.

[ale six]

Yeah, I don't like this either. I don't think the code would be a very good enforcer of this sort of thing. Plus, what happens to templars/soldiers/PCs who kill a lot because it's what's required of them? After a while they'd be chased by so many demons they wouldn't be able to do their own jobs?

Curses, though, I do like.

[Sokotra]

I think it's an interesting idea.  Maybe it would work if there was just a "chance" of a bad dream or something like that happening... which may cause you to lose some sleep or some other effect.

[Gimfalisette]

I think it's an interesting idea. The idea of having a magicker put a curse on a PC that would do this is entirely awesome. I played a character who killed plenty of humanoids (both PC and NPC), and it would have been neat to have some kind of lasting effect from that...not that I couldn't RP stuff about psychological burdening out anyways, and did, but still...neat.

[Rhyden]

Meh.

I'd rather rely on players to determine how their violent actions affect their characters emotionally and physically.

The spiritual example would definitely be neat to see used in a magicker's curse, though.

[jstorrie]

A magickal curse that affects someone based on how many kills they have is a neater idea, I think. Maybe something interesting for the drovian/nilazian analogues in 2.Arm.