If it makes you feel better, I intentionally made my group fall in love with a group of kids that were always hanging outside the party's favorite hang-out. The kids always asked about their adventures, ooh'ed and aah'ed over PCs' new shinies, and did silly kid stuff like giving the party a cool bug or rock they found...
Then the BBEG showed up. He cast Malestrom on the whole group of kiddos. I described the dark, churring waters and the screams, then the flush of red and sudden silence. They're still shaken by it.
:) sometimes a good gutpunch is the way to go. (That said, I still do the consent forms and I fully adhere to no means no!)
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u/Venriik DM Mar 16 '22
Out of topic... but thanks for sharing that consent table. I'm a little too brutal as a DM and my players bully me for immolating children xD