Disproportionate Retribution/Tabletop Games: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

** Plenty of darklords are heavily into this trope as well, such as Hazlik, who's plotting cross-planar genocide against his own ethnic group because a few of them once ''forcibly tattooed his head'' and called him nasty names.

** This is actually explained in most settings: The denizens of the evil planes really don't mind being turned into demons. They get to torture and kill people for fun and have the chance for advancement. Sure, being larvae or dretch or mane or lemure isn't much fun, but on the other hand you get to be immortal and (eventually) quite powerful. "Here's the chant: Tanar'ri ''like'' bein' tanar'ri: Raw indomitable power's what's bein' a tanar'ri's really about."

*** The more reasonable way to put it is that they may ''think'' they want it. It's hard to imagine it would be a truly enjoyable existence. A section on "roleplaying a demon" in one sourcebook has this to say:

** ''Any'' soul heading to its deity's plane ends up losing its memories and personalities, eventually becoming part of that plane. The wall is just absolutely bland: no reward, no torment, no one to talk to, just absolute boredom.

** Well... the novel ''Prince of Lies'', a significant portion of which took place in Cyric's (God of murder, madness, etc.) afterlife, indicated that while the hell still isn't 'pleasant', it's at least not 'eternal torment' bad. For example; Cyric's loyal worshippers in life got to be monstrous demons who tortured ''other'' souls in death! That's... that's good?

** The Drow goddess, Kiaransalee, is the Goddess of Disproportionate Vengeance

** The [[Demon Lords and Archdevils|Demon prince]] Graz'zt is probably the least likely demon lord to rip you apart just for existing, even opening his layers of the abyss for trade. Mention that he actually fell in love with Iggwilv, that Malcanthet turned him down, or call his domain "The Little Hells", and he will feed you to the predatory plants in his gardens.

** One sample adventure "For Hate's sake" in the Heroes of Horror sourcebook is made of this trope. Growing up, Samuel (one of the primary villains of the adventure) was that guy who always held a grudge. Eventually he became a priest of the god of this trope himself. He then began taking revenge on all his childhood grudges (granted it's implied that MOST of these didn't involve murder). He eventually becomes complacent...so his god pulls a Poisonous Friend and summons a ghost to take revenge for him, and this time it ALWAYS involve murder. Samuel goes mad with guilt and ends up pleading with the ghost to stop, only to be (depending on their actions) killed by the PC's, who the game master leads to believe he is responsible (which given that his god is also playing this trope for Samuel becoming complacent, he is, in a way).

** The Steel Cobras [[Space Marine]] chapter worshipped the Emperor as an animal totem. The penalty for following the Imperial state religion ''in the wrong way''? They were duly excommunicated, and any Imperial force to see a Steel Cobra is permitted, nay ''required'', to shoot on sight and leave asking questions to the Inquisition.

*** Funnily enough, this goes to show the double standard (or perhaps GW's rather loose concern over what is and isn't canon). Most worlds are left alone if they have adopted a religion that doesn't venerate a Chaos or Xeno deity and puts a figure that can be interpreted as the Emperor at the top.

** Subverted with Exterminatus. You'd think blasting the planet into an unusable wasteland is a bit much, but it's only supposed to be used if Chaos or Tyranid forces have overwhelmed a planet to a point where it isn't worth taking it back (Chaos corrupts everything and the Nids eat everything and thus can lose billions and still have a net gain, so blowing up the surface of the planet will keep them from consuming anything usable) and yes, even the Imperium has it limits for throwing men into the meat grinder. Though given how utterly [[Crapsack World|dystopian]] the setting is, someone, somewhere no doubt has used it for less than proper or sane reasons.

*** There is, in that a planet got exterminated because the taxes payed didn't round up and thus the Inquisition assumed they had started worshipping Chaos. Oooops...

*** The Imperium has also been known to send entire regiments with a mandate to burn the planet if strictly necessary, because someone bought a Tau-made crop harvester.

**** Of course that's partially justified since if that crop harvester had been bought from certain other illegal sources it would cause anyone who took a bite of the crops to turn to Chaos, mutate, or get stricken with a particularly virulent Nurgle disease. If someone gets away with purchasing from the Tau they'll keep buying from other xenos until they get a Chaos artifact in a shipment.

**** See the above about flip-flopping. The Imperium has ''also'' been known to tolerate - or at least turn a blind eye to - limited trading with the Tau Empire provided it's kept low-key. So...DependingOnTheWriter.

* A DM in an especially pissy mood can sometimes do this. Say something not nice about the DM's girlfriend? OOP! Your character just burst into flames!

 

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