What is the worse thing you have ever done/put a character through as DM? (Deaths included)

[Moniker]

Check out the wiki link http://deismaar.pbwiki.com/Gothric+Campaign - it has the basic premise and even the city the campaign is running through (Kahabro) http://deismaar.pbwiki.com/Kahabro -  it's designed to be modular for any setting and developed just enough to identify major locations, districts and the powers-that-be.

[khyron1144]

Not really something I forced the players to do, but a storyarc we're actually playing out now -

Synopsis
The player's characters are all criminals that have been imprisoned within the great city of Kahabro for very serious crimes. The gravity of their crimes would dictate immediate execution (if not torture as well for the rapist), but possess inherent qualities that single them out from the rest of the prisoners. They've been given an opportunity to find reprieve by carrying out a series of assassinations against a group of folk who are potentially dangerous to their mysterious employers. Note that they are forbidden from revealing their true names to one another; all's that matters is the mission. The names they carry are merely monikers given to them by their fellow prisoners. They are forbidden to leave the city, as all can identify them in the streets; they wear sorcerously-bound bracers around their wrists. This is a calling card of sorts for who they are. Moreover, they're forbidden to break any laws in the public eye. Even though they suspect that their employers are the wardens of the cities, they must act in complete secrecy as a cell unto itself. They have no formal contact with anyone, outside of their employer's faceman named Geralt. They must work in complete secrecy.

Now, this isn't such a bad set-up for a story. But their backgrounds really paint the premise of the story in a very different light...

Sounds rather Suicide Squad to me.

[khyron1144]

In my early days of DMing, I was mostly using either AD&D 2e or D&D (the big boardgame-like one that was meant to ease people into RPG cocnepts and encourage them to buy the Rules Cyclopedia).

I was not especially aware of either Rule 0 or good at fight balancing.

I usually had access to only one player (my dad).

The most bad DM! kind of mistake I made was having him play the PC with he rolled up with one hit point exactly as rolled up.

The good news is that after that PC died in the first room of the dungeon I instituted a maximum hit points at first level house rule.

[dolalmoth]

Upon reading this name of this topic and nothing else, I must tell you about my 2 greatest dming mistakes ever and how fun they were.  I play dnd.

So one day in the magical land of I didn't draw a map yet, and after 2 sessions and 5 levels, I decided it to be a holiday.    I chose Christmas and gave everyone a large warship.  When they began a slave trade, tavern, and all out war, I realized I had gone too far.  So naturally I did what every powerful dm would do, and I created thirteen new moons that completely dried up 99% of the water on Didn't Draw a Map Yet and destroyed everything I had given to the PCs. They were very unhappy.

[dolalmoth]

after reading everything else, I feel as though my story doesn't fit...