Would you show mercy?

Picture the scenario.

Your in the final room fighting against one of the arch enemies in the entire world, your standing up him about to deliver the final blow when he utters these words . . .

"Please, show mercy . . . . . . "

What would your character do? Would they show mercy with the hope that they have seen the errors of their way to help mankind now? Or do you finish him off knowing that they'ld carry on being evil if you let them go.

It must surely be a dilema that every hero must come under and one that my main hero would certainly show mercy in. Since in my characters mind, it'ld be a case of "well if i now kill them with the option not too, then surely i have taken life and now as bad as them?"

Whats your view on this?

I'd let them live - there's still a chance they could be redeemed sometime in the future - plus, killing them would be lowering yourself to their level.

For the bulk of my heroes, their response would be, "You get ONE chance. ONE." (And although they'd never say it outright, the justice system would get ONE chance. None of this "charged, released, charged, released" crap.)

Giving them that ONE chance makes my heroes better than the villain, who probably gave no one a chance - not innocents, not heroes, nothing.

After that... no mercy. If they want to make it up to society, they'd better believe in reincarnation.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

nope! I've seen too many heroes screw themselves over to be manipulated by those words.
I play 98% villains, I always root for the bad guy, and I know that if I were a villain, that would be my desperation card. but in no way would I get up, dust myself off, and look towards a heroic future. A villain is a villain is a villain.

A good hero would have a plan for that contingency.

Is the AV redeemable? If not, how sure are you of that?

Is the AV capable of being contained/restrained until redeemed/reformed? If they only escape later to kill again, then you've allowed them to kill when you could have stopped him.

I agree with Golden Girl. Then again, I've never believed in the death penalty. I do, however, believe in life imprisonment.

Hmm...

I would think about everything my Nemesis did...

I can show mercy to killing, stealing, maiming and torturing... but if he kicked my cat thats it... no mercy!

Do they give exp?

If they give exp, then I say smash them to Hell and don't worry about it.

If they do not give exp, then I say don't bother with them.

If they might give exp, turn to page 57.

If the Joker could of been cured, he would of been (God knows you have enough brain boxes in the DCU), it just ain't gonna happen.

"Does showing mercy and letting them kill again make you the bad guy?"
Well that's the true sign of a hero now isn't it? If you let them live but they escape you keep on top of the situation and make sure they can't kill again. No hero would 'let' a villain kill, hence being a villain is so much easier, its the whole light side/dark side of the force thing. Dark is quick and easy, light....no so much.

Hmm, my char (Lady Arete) against her most hated enemy happens to be a Circle of Thorn mage by the name of Duncan...
No.. she would not give him that chance, sorry, she hates the Circle with too much of her soul for that.
Then, well she did not start out as a hero... more a redeemed person and practically minded.

My other char Cyrene, is very "soft" (read Heroic minded and warm, forgiving personality), so she would give the arch enemy one chance. However even she would look for any sign of doublecrossing from the enemys side. (villain: ok hero i quit, hero: ok (and turns around), villain: joking (and stab)... err is not even an option)

Volt, your "True Hero" looks alot like a Star Trek dude.