The Cheese Treaty, anyone else have one?

[cyber-yukongil v2.5]

sometimes people die in quick and dramatic fashions. Did it ruin the game that the NPC was killed that way? If not, let it slide, if so, then you need to be a more stickler for the rules. They are there to keep things like that from happening. It's definitely a balancing act. You don't want to err too blantantly either way between rules and realism. Instead of thinking a called shot to the head is instant death, think that the loss of hitpoints or sdc is instead just a graze, not a full on penetrating shot to the apricot. Or describe the loss of hitpoints as a face defiguring shot, but the guy keeps on coming, showing how much of a badass he is. "Silver Bullets" or one-shot-kills should be rare in a game and really only used with dramatic licensing.

[bigbobsr6000]

Not made treaties but have and continue to use these tricks from time to time. It keeps them on their toes.

1. Reflective spell whatever the damage is done to the NPC is done to the PC instead.
2. Only to find in the end they were fighting the Villian's doppleganger.
3. At some trigger point a spell, trap door, x number of minions appear, etc. event happens. Trigger point EX: 1/2 MDC, SDC, or HPs gone or low on PPE/ISP.
4. Villian just vanishes in a puff of smoke, flash of light, etc.
5. The Villian they are fighting is a perfect android replica of the original.

Well, you get the idea.

[cyber-yukongil v2.5]

Well, it first came up when I tried running an old ad&d module. The adventure included a couple level draining specters and one PC (A level 7 mage), fell victim to three hits, bringing him down to level 5 permanently. In the same game the tank of the group (A dwarf no less) took a Finger of Death and failed his saving throw.

After the module, my players got tactful and confronted me. They said that level draining and instant death spells were seriously ****ed up and wanted me to knock them off. I told them if they stopped calling every shot and try to use stun-kill tactics, i'd removes these effects. They all agreed, thought it was reasonable, we moved on.

yes indeed, old d&d was horrible with all the instant death effects and level draining, it could seriously screw your pooch without any chance whatsoever. Tis why I prefer 3.x you have a chance against everything. Mostly.

[wolfsgrin]

Use alignment restrictions. Those tactics are not very becoming of a hero. If they persist, yank some exp, or take a level for playing out of character and the guilt and sorrow they feel for comitting such acts justifies the drop in level or the inability to use new exp. Now if this is in their alignment limits just play as dirty. Snipers are great humblers, as well as ambush. If they break treaty, do what most people do, retaliate. As a GM you have much more ammo than the player.
Thing is, you can't force your players to play a certain way. You either have to comprimise/treaty, or find a new group. That sucks but sometimes its the reality. You could also make your biggest offender run a game...... But get him/her all excited about running then start throwing the monkey wrenches you've been thrown all along. Kinda of childish but so is knowingly breaking a table rule that allows everybody to get, for the most part, what they want out of a game; FUN!
good luck

[Rahmota]

Nope no treaties of any kind. If the bad guys want the players dead they will try to kill them using the means and tactics they and their alignment will think of or be capable of. If the players can do it they are permitted tot ry and do it. They all recognize that any actions their character takes will have a reaction and effect in the game world and anything they do will be taken note of.

So nothing is taken off the table.

[CushionRide]

the thing i see here in your discription of it is that it was your players last resort, then i would say thats ok, now if he was head shotting every time he could that would be totally different, i do hope when your players are doing called shots you take the modifiers into account