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[Dieb]

[This is a touchy topic, ingame and real-life, so I hope we can stay as classy as possible for this one.]

 

"Death is cheap. Everbody dies. Being sorry is far worse punishment than being dead. Very few people ever feel truly sorry."

-Someone smart

 

 

How do you approach executions? Do you have a moral code you can relate to in every situation? Does the particular greater danger from certain indviduals (magic users etc) in the Dragon Age world bend or change these?

 

Personally, I do not see the value of executions, or death penalty.

 

A living being can make amends, reconciliate, reimburse, improve and teach - a dead one can only scare. And only the ones easily scared. As soon as a bad guy is caught and unarmed, killing them is never necessary. It never yields anything than another body and a guilty conscience. They can always be more useful, even or especially to those they had harmed, being alive than to just make another body. Naturally, I did not execute anyone in DA:I, and was very pleased with the fact BioWare always gave me the option to have my captives serve a purpose or make up for what they have done in some smaller or bigger way.

 

I operated in that fashion, until I got to Magister Livius (responsible for talking the Wardens into all the demon mumbo jumbo). I care for the Grey Wardens as an insitution a lot. I cared for Duncan (especially after reading the books), and I care for and am very protective of Bethany (the sibling arc of DA2 struck a strong chord and plays a big part in why I like the game so much) whom I had made a Warden. Whatever it was exactly, I took this particular thing very personal. To make matters worse, Livius never ceases to be arrogant, and the only solution other than execution or imprisoment was to hand him over to Warden sentence (whom he once controlled already).

 

So I took the ultimate option, and executed him. Only during that cutscene did I realize that I didn't do it to potentially protect Bethany or the other Wardens, but I did it cause he didn't accept he was in the wrong. Ultimately, I didn't want him gone for good, I wanted to kill him for insulting me. That scared me. I didn't undo it, because on the other hand, I felt it's was literally important character developement. I hated myself for being so cheap, and so fake. And it was a good lesson.

 

 

 

"I am for the death penalty. Who commits terrible acts must get a fitting punishment. That way he learns the lesson for the next time."

-Britney Spears

[Lebanese Dude]

Interesting topic, but I fear you're in the company of people who enjoy killing NPCs (and sometimes their own PCs) because they hate them or are annoyed by them and who often complain when the option isn't present.

[Gileadan]

I only ever execute Erimond or whatever that monster's name was. Not as punishment, but as the safest option to avoid further crimes from him.

Letting him live only to have him serve evil again would have made me feel responsible.

[Dieb]

Thanks, but I wouldn't have a problem with that either. The reason why I do things the way I do is because I see myself as unfit to rule over someones life or death. So instead I have my version of common sense & morals fill the gap. "When in doubt, don't cut off heads" seems like a smart modus operandi to me.

I don't know any better than anyone else, though, to be clear.

[Ieldra]

I try to avoid executions because I usually don't have the level of certainty about someone to feel justified in something that final - a life is irreplaceable after all - but some people in DAI are just too dangerous to leave alive. Erimond usually gets beheaded, as does Florianne if she's not killed in the fight, the others vary depending on the type of Inquisitor I play. 

 

Also, OP, is that quote at the bottom of your post authentic? It sounds almost too stupid to believe.

[TheJediSaint]

Kill'em all and let the Maker sort them out.

[Dieb]

@Ieldra Yeah. I remember it being all over the news in my country, back when she was still relevant. Got the phrasing off the net though, but the core is the same. I didn't want this to be all serious, and line dancing puppies seemed emotionally misleading.

[KaiserShep]

LOL, that Britney Spears quote is classic. This is almost as good as Jaden Smith's "How can mirrors be real if our eyes aren't real" quote on Twitter.

 

Anyway, I typically avoid execution as best I can, though I'm surprised that we can't execute absolutely everyone, like Samson. Anyway, I greatly prefer to make use of the people captured by the Inquisition, like Alexius, Servis, etc.. Erimond dies without exception though.

[Dieb]

I have a hard time deciding whether making Erimond a Tranquil is a wiser choice than executing him, or unnecessary cruelty.

 

Is it the same kind of self-pleasing semi-righteousness to say "You loved being a mage, now I take all the "mage" from you!", or is it really turning him into a productive member of the Inquisition as reparation (and preventing him from causing more harm with his magic)?

[esper]

I am very against executions and death penalities in real life.

 

My roleplay PCs tends to have a different view because they usually end up killing around a 100 in one playthrough and I just can't justify such a character to share my moral codex when it comes to death and killing.

 

That said I appriciate that we mostly got good alternatives to cutting of heads.  My Lavellan was big on second chances and killed/jailed few. In fact it is only the Erimond mage and that was because death was a mercy compared to tranquility in her eyes.

 

Where my Lavellan clashed most with my own belief was with Blackwall. I would have saved and spared him, because I think his self-inflicted repentance is worth more, but Lavellan had a strictly 'do not interfere with crimes that have nothing to do with or was commited before the Inqusition'-policy. She let the mayor of Crestwood run because of that too. 

[Aaleel]

Depends on the Inquisitor I'm playing.  I usually don't use my own personal morals for everything as it limits the variety of characters I can play.  Erimond is the only one I've executed so far personally.  But one day I may play an Inquisitor that chooses the I do this for my own power, and just executes people as an example to those who would stand against his Inquisition.

 

But there are also people like the Knight Commander who even though I didn't kill him myself I'm pretty sure giving him to the Templars will result in death, so I just count that as sentencing him to death.

 

Now that I know people actually show up in the dungeon, I may sentence everyone to jail next time just to see what types of conversations take place down there.

[Melyanna]

 

How do you approach these choices? Do you have a moral code you can relate to in every situation? Does the particular greater danger from certain indviduals (magic users etc) in the Dragon Age world bend or change these?

 

I avoid execution as much as I can. The one time I selected the option (I can remember who was being judget), because I wanted to see how the game would handle different choices, I actually felt awful.
This is the same reason why I can't really ever play an evil character in games, and why I didn't want hardened Leliana to be the Divine.

[AlexiaRevan]

I'm pro death penalty in real Life . 

 

In Game , while I can show mercy if one is truly regretting his actions he certainly won't be getting away with some tears and guilty conscience . retribution until the life he took and those he harmed are satisfied . 

 

repeated offender don't get any mercy though . even killing them isnt enough . 

[Wulfram]

I find myself doing a lot of executions in DAI. The people we judge tend to be senior bad guys, often with supernatural powers that make them dangerous. And my protagonist can't be too squeamish about killing people given the rest of the game.

And I find making people tranquil excessively cruel, though I'd consider it if someone requested it instead of death.

[Saberchic]

I only ever execute Erimond or whatever that monster's name was. Not as punishment, but as the safest option to avoid further crimes from him.

Letting him live only to have him serve evil again would have made me feel responsible.

I don't know. A tranquil Erimond seems like a just punishment too.

[sunhair]

I normally avoid execution in game although  Erimond got made tranquil when my quizzy judged him my quizzy figured it this way death would have been an easy way out for him and my quizzy who is a mage knew what mages feared the most. 

[ThreeF]

 

So I took the ultimate option, and executed him. Only during that cutscene did I realize that I didn't do it to potentially protect Bethany or the other Wardens, but I did it cause he didn't accept he was in the wrong. Ultimately, I didn't want him gone for good, I wanted to kill him for insulting me. That scared me. I didn't undo it, because on the other hand, I felt it's was literally important character developement. I hated myself for being so cheap, and so fake. And it was a good lesson.

 

I kind of got same reaction the first time around, he practically goats you into doing it.

 

Sometimes I'm tempted to throw everyone in jail, just to hear the banter.

[Beomer]

I remember another thread about this recently. Erimond specifically. I'll say here what I said there.

I am in favour of dealing with criminals the way they deal with others. It's not just do unto them what they do to you, but do unto them twice of what they do to you so that next time they are terrified of doing wrong.

I made Erimond tranquil because one, he's pretty arrogant and stays that way till you announce this, even when he's captured. Which is not good.

Two, he causes A LOT of damage. He nearly destroys the Orlesian Wardens. He is responsible for the death of Hawke/Stroud/Alistair/Loghain. He is also responsible for the deaths of the Inquisition soldiers who die fighting at Adamant.

Three, it is the only way to make him repent his actions, if only out of fear. It is also the best way to send the message to all of Cory's supporters that the Inquisition is not to be trifled with lightly, and that there will be terrible and brutal consequences for transgressions.

[X Equestris]

Personally, I feel like there are some people in the world who have committed terrible crimes and will never repent. I think Erimond fits this best. Prison hardly matters to those folks, and there remains the chance, however small, that they could escape and cause more harm. So even though he doesn't fear it, I always execute Erimond or give him to the Wardens.

[Fearsome1]

Without a maximum penalty for truly heinous crimes, no other law is terribly valid. I execute those who deserve it, like Erimond. I give those whose questionable actions may have been perpetrated under extenuating circumstances, a second chance to make amends and I exile or imprison those who are sort of on the fence between the cracks.

[Poledo]

I don't know. A tranquil Erimond seems like a just punishment too.

 

It's the best punishment even if your team really disapproves; sadly you have to be a mage to have this option. I definitely take it when I am mage though.

[Nette]

I always tranquil him if I play as a mage or cut his head of if I'm not and I have no regrets. As Cole says "He's an a**hole"  and I couldn't agree more!

[Saberchic]

It's the best punishment even if your team really disapproves; sadly you have to be a mage to have this option. I definitely take it when I am mage though.

Are you sure? My first character was a rogue, but she had the arcane perk, and I swore the option to make him tranquil was there...

[abisha]

in real life i really am for death penalty, not because for the crime them committed but to save the world for a second mistake.

a person never ever change, a murder will be for ever a murder.

 

as for those ingame,

i really never executed or jail them.

being creative and you can give them a penalty worse then death or jail.

 

for instance that girl that came freely for her crimes i send her to deep roads.

Erimond i made him that scholar knowledge is to good to let it die with him.

 

it's sad in reality crime punishments can not be as creative as ingame.

[Al Foley]

It boils down to three main questions for me:  Does the Inquisition have the moral authority to judge anyone?  Is it better to try and convert and utilize your enemies?  Or are they too big of a threat, in any case, and thus execution (or tranquility) is the only real option considering imprisonment uses up resources?  I think this is the question that each Inquisitor has to ask, in their own way.