A good possible alternative. However, the original phrase "Coup de Grace" *does* specifically mean "to kill", and is used in that context in the rules.
> Also, we generally only allow FA to important villian types... not joe
> stickpicker. Why drag out a combat?
Sometimes it is Narratively Good for a minor underling to "bounce back" and slow up a too-successful heroband... It might not be a case of dragging out combat, but of slowing down an unexpected steamroller. Now I'll probably be accused of railroading the players, but let me explain...
Sometimes, the players come up with that unexpected plan, or just roll super-well, and the opposition goes down like ninepins, leaving everyone feeling just a little cheated. While a well-deserved and -delivered ass-kicking leaves one feeling "up", a walk-over in the climactic battle can be just as bad for player enjoyment as a impossibly hard challange. Heck, they may be waiting for the other shoe to drop: "It's too easy" is another genre cliche... A well-timed FA by a mere minion or minor henchman might be all it takes to turn a anti-climactic Villain Rout into a rollicking good fight. Maybe he takes out a critical Hero/Follower ("oh no, they got the Healer/Priest/Horses!"), or warns the rest of the Evil Minions(tm) waiting in the next tower over, or tells the main Villain that the heroes are here (those meditation chambers always seem to be *too* well noise-proofed!)
If the Heroes are having a slow go of it, then no, the narrator probably *shouldn't* drag out the combat, it depends on judging the mood of the group, which is one of those skills the narrator has to pick up.
RR
Powered by hypermail