Character Death and Retirement
Texto
Player characters in Legend of the Five Rings live three feet from death at all times, so one or more PCs might well meet their end during the story. Alternatively, a character might be retired from play because they have completed their duty, because they have been stripped of their status as a samurai, or because they have simply become too old for such adventures and wish to spend their final years in contemplation at a monastery. It is recommended that GMs allow a player whose character has perished or otherwise been retired to create a new PC with the same amount of experience as their late character. The possibility of character death can be an important part of Legend of the Five Rings, but it should always be an occurrence that serves to show the stakes of the narrative and makes the story more interesting rather than a “punishment” for a player’s decisions.
Additionally, the GM should keep in mind that death is often the least interesting way a character’s story can end. If the PCs are vanquished in battle, for instance, instead of simply dying, they might be taken hostage (hostages are valuable, after all) and need to escape. If a PC falls into a river from an incredible height, they could die—or they could awaken downstream, gravely injured but alive. Even a lethal blow from a critical strike can often be healed to stabilize a character before the Dying condition causes them to expire, and if no PC is trained in Medicine, an NPC might be able to step in to save their life (likely with an expectation of a significant favor down the road, of course). Sometimes, the dice decide that a PC’s time is up, but frequently, the GM has some leeway to interpret the results as best serves the story.
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Core Rulebook · Chapter 7: The Game Master › Running the Game › Character Death and Retirement · p. 296 p. 299
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Player characters in Legend of the Five Rings live three feet from death at all times, so one or more PCs might well meet their end during the story. Alternatively, a character might be retired from play because they have completed their duty, because they have been stripped of their status as a samurai, or because they have simply become too old for such adventures and wish to spend their final years in contemplation at a monastery. It is recommended that GMs allow a player whose character has perished or otherwise been retired to create a new PC with the same amount of experience as their late character. The possibility of character death can be an important part of Legend of the Five Rings, but it should always be an occurrence that serves to show the stakes of the narrative and makes the story more interesting rather than a “punishment” for a player’s decisions.
Additionally, the GM should keep in mind that death is often the least interesting way a character’s story can end. If the PCs are vanquished in battle, for instance, instead of simply dying, they might be taken hostage (hostages are valuable, after all) and need to escape. If a PC falls into a river from an incredible height, they could die—or they could awaken downstream, gravely injured but alive. Even a lethal blow from a critical strike can often be healed to stabilize a character before the Dying condition causes them to expire, and if no PC is trained in Medicine, an NPC might be able to step in to save their life (likely with an expectation of a significant favor down the road, of course). Sometimes, the dice decide that a PC’s time is up, but frequently, the GM has some leeway to interpret the results as best serves the story.