Times you fucked up as a GM

>be GM
>campaign seeing its end
>run post-showdown summary
>players did really well, solid 8/10
>impressed with some of their good ideas
>actually get praised for my effort
>"Yo, what about that npc we saved?"
>tfw sudden realization
>npc was meant to die to show baddies r bad
>PC's made impossible rolls and pulled npc out
>npc is now being delivered to benefactor's base
>npc will be held there to recover
>a really powerful npc might join them in the future

I may have fucked myself over big time.
How big of a cunt will I be by killing that npc off in an accident?

Times you fucked up big time as a GM thread?

I don't see the problem. If the players try to get him to join the party, and you don't want him to, just tell them he has other important business to attend to instead.

As for the topic at hand, I have a nasty habit as a DM of not giving my players enough information about things, and not realizing it until after the session.

NPC wants to stop with whatever is going on, go home, and spend time with his family/start a family/start a small business.

Honestly, if the party is willing to "waste" resources making sure an NPC doesn't die, you did your job as a DM well.

Whether they stay on as member of the party or go off on their own adventures as a recurring character is up to you but don't kill off NPC's once it becomes clear that the party is attached, just use them as a means of showing off how powerful the enemy is while having them be downed but not 100% dead.

What I forgot to mention, because I'm a dumbass, is that this powerful NPC was on baddies side and now became a "prisoner" of PCs former employer.
So its cell walls, or rather laboratory glass windows, she will be stuck behind for the most part. Unless former employer decides to let her go, which is unlikely.
However, given her abilities, it is possible for her to break out and join PCs running away from everything and everyone on the way.

And I think they do hope for that outcome, or they might get stupid ideas to actually bust her out.

>I have a nasty habit as a DM of not giving my players enough information about things
I usually give my players bits of information through their in-character impressions.
As it turns out it helps immensly and butthurt levels are much lower than usual.

You could just de-power the NPC somehow due to imprisonment conditions or lab experiments or whatever if they're set on freeing her and making her a part of the party.

I was considering that option, searching for a limit that wouldn't seem like an asspull and still work somewhat decently.
Most belivable options would be some sort trauma caused mental disorders, which would limit PCs dependance on her abilities.

She was serving as an oracle for the baddies, literally and metaphoricaly.
Farseeing, pre- and post-cognition, psi specialized human, who was also set up to uphold cabal's personal, psionical communication network.
Decided to help players, asking in return for them to kill her, since she was locked in sensory deprivation tank for years at bbeg base.

Benefactor does not know yet the full spectrum of what she can do, but once he does... it may be another tank for her.

>this powerful NPC was on baddies side and now became a "prisoner" of PCs former employer.
The NPC hatets the PCs and would rather die than help them.

How hard is that? If you decide the NPC doesn't want to die, they may instead "Go along with it" by pretending to help the PCs but sabotaging them when possible.

Its a bit complicated, as I spoilered in >If you decide the NPC doesn't want to die, they may instead "Go along with it" by pretending to help the PCs but sabotaging them when possible.
This does give me some ideas, although psychotic ones... for which they'd probably start to hate my guts, since for the most part they go noblebright in a grayish space fantasy world.

>I usually give my players bits of information through their in-character impressions.
>As it turns out it helps immensly and butthurt levels are much lower than usual.

Can you provide an example?

Is it possible to have the NPC help the party but in a way that the NPC gets caught up in a "oh I'll hold 'em off, *wink*" type thing?

I'd say the most organic and non-disruptive thing in your situation would be doing the second spoiler thing.

Alternatively, what I would do in this sort of situation would be rolling with it, maybe throwing them an encounter or two to curbstomp with their new assets, then one or more of the following happens:
>more/stronger/smarter enemies who are properly notified of the NPC's tactics, strengths and weaknesses appear because the antagonists decide to handle the PCs-defector team-up with extreme prejudice
>PCs allies don't take it kindly to fraternizing with "the enemy", depending on the stakes may not be entirely reasonable about it, possibly leading to a schism if the PCs take her side
>having essentially been given a new life the NPC develops her own agenda which may be at odds with the PCs, can become an independent agent if she's sufficiently powerful

Forgot to add: or you can just worf her to show off a powerful enemy.

What if they're accidentally destroyed by science?

>Can you provide an example?

Hm, lets say the cliche trinity, warrior-rogue-mage, are visiting local lord for an audience
>To warrior player: You notice that this man had seen battlefield before, wearing his scars with pride and having more muscle than belly.
>To rogue player: The place is decorated in a typical for noblemen expensive fashion. Yet, looking at paintings you can notice that potraits of lord give place for scenes of "probably" famous battles.
>To mage player: As you can gather from surrundings, this lord is yet another knight who got himself a position through battlefield.

Its just an general example.
For the most part I mention personal impressions with characters that would likely take interest in specific surrundings or when approaching specific people (based on their backstory + current behaviour).
Of course, if they want more details they just need to ask. But, overall it did help lower butthurt in my group due to "my character would act differently if he knew!" general player approach.

>NPC gets caught up in a "oh I'll hold 'em off, *wink*" type thing?
I already pulled that one off once before, don't think it will work twice.

That actually would work nicely with their noblebright vibe, having them focus on hiding and protecting NPC, rather than just using her abilities to win a lottery.

I don't really want to kill them. I actually like their characters, save for one guy.

Had a session were a character was chasing her rival villain through the forest (alone due to some paralyzing poison shenanigans). She faces him in combat and loses. He was stronger than her right now since she was meant to overcome him later. He tries to leave, not interested in the finishing blow. She sneaks after him and engages again. Is left dying on the ground. No one is around that can help so she bleeds out, leaving the entire subplot for naught.

After the session I remembered that there was an npc I tucked away earlier. It would've made sense for him to be in the area and want to stabilize and save her. In fact, I had him go away specifically so that I could return him at a moment like this. Then I forgot about it at the crucial time. The worst part is that no one saw it happen. So much work from the player and I for naught because of memory failure.

Why didn't the player rape her?

For one thing the girl was the PC. As for why the npc didn't, point 1 would be that I don't do rape in my games. Point 2 would be respect for a fellow student under the same martial arts teacher.

Damn...
How did the player take it?

Well enough. The other PC grieved the character and wrote a song in her honor so it was a proper sendoff. The player then made a few other concepts before settling for a halfling pirate with as many guns as she could afford/carry. It worked out but I would've preferred to continue the martial artist's story.

You've good players, user. I know of some that would throw a shitfit that their favourite PC is dying.

I'm usually trying not to kill my PCs. Of course, I won't stop game mechanics from doing it if they'll do something really risky or stupid.
That actually reminds me of a one-shot I ran for a larger group years back. I had them locked in a shared lucid dream, travelling through surreal surroundings. Once they'd get to a plot point, they'd get out. What I didn't take into account at that time was that the more players you have, the dumber they all get. Since they were stuck, one of players decided to shine by convincing himself and everyone else that the way out of this dream is to kill their PCs. It was the very first and last time I encountered a suicide pact among PCs. It ended up with 6/7 PCs shooting themselves in the head and last girl just sitting there among corpses. Needless to say session was cut short at that point.

One time I was finishing up a Shadowrun session, the players fighting this rogue cyborg like something out of Blade Runner, GitS and Metal Gear. Halfway through the session we were running out of time and I didn't want to have another session, so I had the megacorp that hired the players send an airstrike to mortally wound the cyborg, and put some of the players at risk of dying so the cyborg could save them, which is what I wanted from the beginning, only without an airstrike.

However I was an idiot and realized later on that with the bleeding the cyborg was having from a previous wound, which I forgot to take into account, I could've done the scene anyways without rushing anything. But hey, at least my players got emotional at my Tears in The Rain-inspired speech for the cyborg ninja anyways.

>Your players don't execute him as soon as the cyborg saves them
Your players need to step up their grimdark.

>PCs saved NPC and appear to like him
>Oh no, they can't have nice things in my game, must kill that NPC!

A very big cunt.

>be me
>gonna dm
>3.5
>get everything ready
>spent months making this campaign
>bust my balls, make this peace d' resistance
>game night
>realize i havent eaten or drank anything in over seven months because i was on fast travel mode to get to this point in time
>take 378951 damage instantly and die
welp

...