It's a cliche in tabletop games for the DM to have a character's loved ones (who are generally assumed to be less competent in combat than the character) targeted by their enemies.
OTHER than making your character a friendless orphan, how have you dealt with this conundrum in your games, both as a DM and as a player?
Is there some sort of guarantee that family members are unacceptable DM targets?
An example would be a character who has made his wife promise to leave their children under the protection of a paladin order if he can no longer protect them, so that at least they can live a righteous life.
>>46865739
I just don't talk about them, for the most part. Current Character will occasionally sit down and write out a letter or two before bed whenever he's in a major city, or the likes. Kind of hint at them, but don't really talk about them.
Talk to the DM beforehand, say that "rescuing the family" is a story you'd rather not play out, nor would you enjoy them being killed to up the drama. You are adults, so you can work out for yourselves what is acceptable or not.
>>46865739
>have family in one game
>DM has them kidnapped
Why? Why can I not have nice things?
My current character's a corp brat - parents are relatively high up, and harder to get to than he is. Officially, he's been disowned for his various crimes.
Other than his family, his loved ones are slowly dwindling. His friends have either been picked off or changed identities since the shit hit the fan.
>>46865913
/thread
Unless of course you WANT to play through that kind of plotline. I don't really do it with family per say, but mentors, teachers, comrades, ect are fair game and I flatout let the GM know that if they need a reason to string me along for the plot.
They're mostly across the world and in better positions than my current character.
If you want to go fuck with one of the most important and powerful retainer families instead of their itinerant third child, then be my guest.
>>46865739
>Is there some sort of guarantee that family members are unacceptable DM targets?
No. If the DM wants it to happen it's going to happen. Even if you agree beforehand that it's not going to happen it might happen because the DM wanted to shock you, though you'd be cool with it at this point in the story, or can't think of any other way to raise the stakes.
>>46866197
The fact that they're more important than your character makes it more likely they're going to get killed for drama or plot, not less.
>>46865913
>>46866195
This. And I don't know why DMs killing/capturing family, friends, etc. is so hated by some people here, it has to be some kind of trauma. It's normal for an enemy to target his rival's weaknesses, including beloved ones. It happens in fiction and it happened irl. I do it with players, and players do it with the PNJs. if they're competent, both try to prevent it.
>>46866332
Not really. They're basically so far away and so important to that country that there's no way my character could even get involved in whatever drama might be happening to/near them.
>>46866438
>they get killed
>you're character is the lord of the house now
>>46866513
That'd be a big shift in the campaign that would either require relocating the entire party or my character dropping out of the game entirely due to geographical distance.
So basically, only if the GM and I collaborate to get rid of this character (Not going to happen) or the GM is being a dick and trying to get rid of my character (Not likely to happen).
I'm okay with them getting kidnapped if it allows for plot stuff, but I find it pretty shitty when they're just killed off for drama's sake.
>>46866386
It's a shitty cheap way of ratcheting up drama/pathos/villiany/etc. Dunno how to get your players invested in the plot? kill their character's families off-screen.
Done right it can still work perfectly well, but it's run into the ground by unimaginative storytellers.
>>46866386
Because more often than not it's just for some cheap, CW tier drama and there's no step you can take to prevent it.
>>46866653
>Because more often than not it's just for some cheap, CW tier drama
As opposed to the high quality pathos you normally see in a roleplaying campaign?
>and there's no step you can take to prevent it
Now that's a real thing to complain about.
>>46865739
Family lives on the opposite side of the galaxy and he hasn't seen them in person in years. Also, they think he's still a miner instead of a mercenary.
>>46866587
>>46866616
What if it's needed so the character can advance in it's path? There's no point in killing the characters cousin just because, but for example the loss of the mentor figure while far from original (almost overused in fact) is also useful. The character has to advance and be in a situation where he cannot rely on his father/master/whatever, and while in real life or a novel time and distance will offer that opportunity, it doesn't have to be like that in a roleplaying game. The DM may have to kill it.
Unless it's clear that the player just wants to sack dungeons forever of course.
>>46866935
I'm a little biased. My character was a poor boy from a fishing village and on the first session it was magic nuked.
