Why can we not kill NPCs?

[Gilderoy Lockhart]

I don't mean this as in GTA killing spree for the lulz, I'm talking about the A-holes that call me a freak and other names. One NPC even said he'd attack me if I don't go away..

This quest made me ask this. I just saved a child from some monster, brought them back their parents, didn't ask for payment, and I get ridiculed for my appearance by people who are most likely missing teeth and smell like goats.

Why can't we at least beat them senseless with our fists? We can straight up kill guards but not plebs?

[Modus]

Lore reasons, for the most part. A response like what you’re suggesting is mostly emotional and isn’t logically sound (beating up a peasant won’t actually change anything except protect your ego). Witchers have suppressed or at least diminished emotions due to their training, so allowing that in the game wouldn’t make sense… their training is too deeply ingrained in them for that to happen. Now, there is actually a witcher school (that of the Cat) that has particularly emotional (at least in terms of anger) and sporadic witchers, a side of effect of their own unique training, but Geralt isn’t from that school. Witchers are also reviled by many as part of the lore. If you were to be able to kill anyone that made a bad comment in your direction, you’d end up killing/beating up most of the NPCs which doesn’t really make sense from the perspective of role playing or immersion… witchers are assassins for hire, not serial killers or thugs. So, the options the game devs had was either block combat with these NPCs entirely (as they did) or deviate away from the source material even further than they already have and completely change what witchers are, either by allowing them to be illogical murders or making them beloved by all in the realm.

[ΆΡΗΣ]

assassins "cough cough" monster slayers is preferable, just because 4-5 kings get murdered in the game series tsk tsk

[Synopse]

Most NPC have plot armor. This game is a graphical novel, but a cool one...

[vee-kay]

Actually, it is realistic.

In real-life medieval era and prior eras, knights and other famed named (titled) warriors used to be challenged and waylaid at any time, by rival wannabe warriors or even by bunch of peasants who were afraid to attack solo but daring to be foolhardy brave as a crowd.

Geralt the Witcher is world famous, not only as a witcher, but also a veteran of wars and innumerable combat encounters against the deadliest foes & monsters of the world.

His very presence and his legendary name (and his many nicknames, such as: The White Wolf, The Butcher of Blaviken, Ravix of Fourhorn, Graylocks, Gywnbleidd, Garvand, Weidmolol bool, Geralt Roger Eric du Haute-Bellegarde, Gelbert, Duvvelsheiss, Gernant, White One, Snow White, Abomination, Mutant, Freak) means he is danger personified. And such a dangerous persona inevitably attracts dangerous enemies. And sometimes, his weird unsettling aura attracts some riffraff pretending to be dangerous.

If Geralt were to kill or beat up every single nobody or somebody who foolishly tried to fight him, then Geralt would leave a festering pile of dead and/or broken bodies in his wake, as he roams the violent deadly Continent.

It's not that Geralt cannot kill at will, of course he can. But he chooses not to. Because his long life has taught him patience and precision. The White Wolf keeps his cool and his silver/steel sword ready, when other lesser (mortal) men would piss their pants in sheer terror or run away with panicked screams.

Oh, did I mention that Geralt is the son of a druid mother, and that Death itself dogs his footsteps?
{LINK REMOVED}https://www.gamersdecide.com/articles/geralt-of-rivia-the-witcher

Beware - ye all violent vagabonds, who dare tryst with The One Who Death Itself Dare Not Claim till he has given his destiny its due.

[Valden21]

Most of the inhabitants of the setting only know the stuff about witchers that "everyone" knows, and we know how credible THAT is. Furthermore, he's also got all these rumors flying around about him, like about how "he killed Foltest" (nope, Letho did that), that "Butcher of Blaviken" nonsense (again, no, for they were bandits who had infiltrated Blaviken while disguised as villagers), and so forth. The combination of those two factors means that everywhere he goes, he's either met with fear, contempt, or just plain stupidity. Killing those fools, or just beating them up, won't help his reputation.

[vsepogodniy]

Cause they are under the church protect)

[Wantoomany]

He killed a few civies once and was forever branded the Butcher Blaviken.

[Valden21]

Originally posted by Wantoomany:

He killed a few civies once and was forever branded the Butcher Blaviken.

No, he killed bandits who were DISGUISED as villagers. That particular incident happened in the books.

[Wantoomany]

Leading the average villager to believe he murdered a bunch of their kind. Hence the name.

[Valden21]

Originally posted by Wantoomany:

Leading the average villager to believe he murdered a bunch of their kind. Hence the name.

That's precisely what I'm saying. Geralt was acting in defense of the village, but the villagers didn't realize that the time. Hence, they only knew what they saw, and what they saw was utterly inaccurate. They spread that misinformation to other villages, and THAT got the rumor mill going. Witchers are already kind of regarded as murderhobos in the setting, so the rumors just made Geralt's reputation worse.

[Wantoomany]

And that circles back to my original point of why Geralt doesn't kill random NPCs. Even if you the player might rationalize it, it's not worked out well for him in the past. As the Butchet of Blaviken situation demonstrates. Even justified, it permanently harmed his reputation.

[Linfried]

Mr. Witcher, if you go and kill the very people who call you a savior then who will be left to grant you reprieve? I suggest you calm down and learn to let the commoners go about their lives.

[Valden21]

Originally posted by Wantoomany:

And that circles back to my original point of why Geralt doesn't kill random NPCs. Even if you the player might rationalize it, it's not worked out well for him in the past. As the Butchet of Blaviken situation demonstrates. Even justified, it permanently harmed his reputation.

That's precisely what I'VE been saying, too.

He KNOWS that rising to their comments won't help. That's why his reactions don't get violent unless it's obvious the people making the comments are set on a fight.