Death or Injury of Characters
Fights
If you roleplay often enough, the day will come that your character is going to get hurt, and we're not talking about skinning any knees or getting boo-boos.
Most roleplays, especially action or science fiction roleplays, involve lots of fighting or weapons. Other roleplays will have a lot of emotional angst that may sometimes force the characters into fighting.
When you get into a fight, the most important thing to remember is to not godmod. Using moves in the fight that would be impossible for real people to do, (dodging bullets, super speed, never tiring, etc.), will make your other roleplayers uncomfortable and unable to properly react. One rule some roleplayers apply is the "Try to Lose" rule.
The TTL rule means that you purposely have your character make about two bad moves for every one good. The prolongs fight scenes, allows for excellent writing oppurtunities, and is actually more fun than flat out winning every time.
Once the fight has progressed, it will become obvious who has the upper hand. It is often better to either let them win, or use this time to change the fight from a physical to a verbal or emotional one.
Remember, losing doesn't mean your charrie dies.
Most roleplays, especially action or science fiction roleplays, involve lots of fighting or weapons. Other roleplays will have a lot of emotional angst that may sometimes force the characters into fighting.
When you get into a fight, the most important thing to remember is to not godmod. Using moves in the fight that would be impossible for real people to do, (dodging bullets, super speed, never tiring, etc.), will make your other roleplayers uncomfortable and unable to properly react. One rule some roleplayers apply is the "Try to Lose" rule.
The TTL rule means that you purposely have your character make about two bad moves for every one good. The prolongs fight scenes, allows for excellent writing oppurtunities, and is actually more fun than flat out winning every time.
Once the fight has progressed, it will become obvious who has the upper hand. It is often better to either let them win, or use this time to change the fight from a physical to a verbal or emotional one.
Remember, losing doesn't mean your charrie dies.
Causing Injuries
Really, there are only two rules to hurting other people's characters.
1. If it's not life threatening, buck up and do it.
2. If it's life threatening, consult the other player beforehand. Not everyone is cool with/ ready to have their character go that far.
1. If it's not life threatening, buck up and do it.
2. If it's life threatening, consult the other player beforehand. Not everyone is cool with/ ready to have their character go that far.
Getting Injuries
Obviously, if you fight, you're going to get hurt.
This really all depends on what you are roleplaying. Most mythical beings are hardier than humans and will heal up faster.
If you are roleplaying as a human being without special abilities, the best thing to do it have your character react to the injuries as you would. A little research on how their injury would be healed helps as well to determine exactly how to handle it.
The most common injuries are gunshot wounds and stabbings from swords or knives, but arrows, burns, broken bones, amputations, and concussions can also play a part.
As for magical or mythical creatures, it all depends on the species. If they are stronger than a human, figure about half or three-quarters of the pain and shock a human would feel is taken off of the injury. This method works for healing as well: if it would take a human a week to heal, then three days will do it for a stronger being.
It also depends on what kind of roleplay you are in. In a conversation style roleplay, all injuries are typically gone when you log on the next day unless you are using them for a plot. In a roleplay with a more set structure, like a forum or prose roleplay, the injuries should stick around for a good part of the game.
In any situation where life threatening injuries are involved, the most logical thing to do, (and most plot-makingest thing to do), is to have your character really almost die. As scary as that sounds, you'll know what to do when the time comes, if ever.
This really all depends on what you are roleplaying. Most mythical beings are hardier than humans and will heal up faster.
If you are roleplaying as a human being without special abilities, the best thing to do it have your character react to the injuries as you would. A little research on how their injury would be healed helps as well to determine exactly how to handle it.
The most common injuries are gunshot wounds and stabbings from swords or knives, but arrows, burns, broken bones, amputations, and concussions can also play a part.
As for magical or mythical creatures, it all depends on the species. If they are stronger than a human, figure about half or three-quarters of the pain and shock a human would feel is taken off of the injury. This method works for healing as well: if it would take a human a week to heal, then three days will do it for a stronger being.
It also depends on what kind of roleplay you are in. In a conversation style roleplay, all injuries are typically gone when you log on the next day unless you are using them for a plot. In a roleplay with a more set structure, like a forum or prose roleplay, the injuries should stick around for a good part of the game.
In any situation where life threatening injuries are involved, the most logical thing to do, (and most plot-makingest thing to do), is to have your character really almost die. As scary as that sounds, you'll know what to do when the time comes, if ever.
Illnesses
Sometimes, it's neat to have a charrie be physically sick instead of mentally ill. It adds variation to the game and might teach you something about said illness in the process.
Common illnesses used are big deals, like cancer. Other favorites include eating disorders, (which are mostly mental, really), STDs, or progressive diseases that will cause a character to go blind or lose a limb.
Again, research is key.
Less threatening illnesses, like a bad cold or the flu, etc., will be easy enough to throw in and are suprisingly versatile to plots. Nothing makes an adventure more intense than someone coming down with scarlet fever in the middle of a hike.
Common illnesses used are big deals, like cancer. Other favorites include eating disorders, (which are mostly mental, really), STDs, or progressive diseases that will cause a character to go blind or lose a limb.
Again, research is key.
Less threatening illnesses, like a bad cold or the flu, etc., will be easy enough to throw in and are suprisingly versatile to plots. Nothing makes an adventure more intense than someone coming down with scarlet fever in the middle of a hike.
Dying
Here's the biggie.
Death is always fascinating, but having you character die is no joke. You need to be very sure that you want them to die and you need a plan for after you let them.
Most kill their charries or let other players kill them when they are bored with it and want to make a new one. Once this happens, the character is dead.
Some have reincarnations, as in the soul of the dead charrie goes into a new body, usually supernatural.
Other have them stick around as a ghost.
Really, letting your character die is seen as a last ditch effort to keep things interesting. Usually it's better to drop the roleplay than start killing your characters.
Death is always fascinating, but having you character die is no joke. You need to be very sure that you want them to die and you need a plan for after you let them.
Most kill their charries or let other players kill them when they are bored with it and want to make a new one. Once this happens, the character is dead.
Some have reincarnations, as in the soul of the dead charrie goes into a new body, usually supernatural.
Other have them stick around as a ghost.
Really, letting your character die is seen as a last ditch effort to keep things interesting. Usually it's better to drop the roleplay than start killing your characters.
Inactive Massacres
This is seen mostly in a forum roleplay with some sort of darker theme, like action or sci-fi.
When many players in a forum roleplay become inactive/ join and never play, the OP or another player will suggest a massacre.
In the massacre, a big event such as a zombie hoard/ natural disaster/ charrie going insane is used to both push the plot foward more and to literally kill off inactive players.
If you are an inactive player, chances are your character will be torn apart and killed in a highly entertaining manner for the sake of the plot.
If you need to be inactive for a while, (due to school, vacation, grounding, illness, alien abduction), you should alert the others to your problem. They will thoughtfully preserve your character until you return or until the roleplay dies out.
If you return to a roleplay and your charrie has been massacred, it is your fault. No one is to blame but yourself for being inactive. I am aware that this sounds barbaric and rude, but this is just what happens. If you are irresponsible, you have to put up with the consequences.
If that is the case, move on to another RP, (never return to the one you got massacred in unless you've made nice with the other players), and try not to let it happen again.
When many players in a forum roleplay become inactive/ join and never play, the OP or another player will suggest a massacre.
In the massacre, a big event such as a zombie hoard/ natural disaster/ charrie going insane is used to both push the plot foward more and to literally kill off inactive players.
If you are an inactive player, chances are your character will be torn apart and killed in a highly entertaining manner for the sake of the plot.
If you need to be inactive for a while, (due to school, vacation, grounding, illness, alien abduction), you should alert the others to your problem. They will thoughtfully preserve your character until you return or until the roleplay dies out.
If you return to a roleplay and your charrie has been massacred, it is your fault. No one is to blame but yourself for being inactive. I am aware that this sounds barbaric and rude, but this is just what happens. If you are irresponsible, you have to put up with the consequences.
If that is the case, move on to another RP, (never return to the one you got massacred in unless you've made nice with the other players), and try not to let it happen again.