History Main / InvulnerableCivilians

* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'', Dampe the gravekeeper wanders around the graveyard at night. As you pull gravestones and ghosts come out of some of them, the ghosts attack you, but kindly ignore Dampe, who in turn ignores them. Always wondered why the hordes of skeleton monsters wandering around Hyrule field at night didn't march into Lon Lon Ranch and go on a stabbing rampage. Its door was always open.

** That specific case (herbivores and carnivores walking right by each other) was actually addressed in the games latest expansion pack, where in some cases you have predators ignore you to go eat something that they actually hunt (wolves on some sort of moose like animal), though they will gladly start attacking you as soon as they are done 'eating'.

* Exaggerated and lampshaded in ''[[GaiaOnline zOMG!]]'' when a lost little girl is found on the cliffs by the Otami Ruins, unharmed by all the particularly nasty Animated that live there.

** He's still alive and well in ''FinalFantasyIVTheAfterYears'' and has settled with setting up [[BonusDungeon challenge dungeons]] in each character tale, which might or might not mean he's learned his lesson. There's another member of his species that pops up during various dungeons to sell you items which might or might not be him, though.
* The webcomic ''RPGWorld'' lampshades this trope (just like it does for every single other video game trope in existence), in [[http://rpgworldcomic.com/d/20021027.html this comic]].

* Certain areas in ''WorldOfWarcraft'' have wandering predators and wandering herbivores passing right by one another... but so help you if YOU should happen to walk near either of them.

* The Demon Scrolls in ''{{Okami}}'' will happily float right past any [=NPCs=] in the area, but if you get anywhere near them, they actually ''chase'' you out of SuicidalOverconfidence.
* Played straight in ''{{Lagoon}}'' for the SNES, where the first major thing you do is explore a dungeon and do an EscortMission with a little boy. He can't be hurt at all, but goes at quite a slow pace...

** The same in ''TheSimpsonsHitAndRun''.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII2'' has an interesting version, as many NPCs will attack enemies that appear near them on the overworld, but thats purely visual and has no bearing on the actual battle, nor will anyone ever die to these monsters.

** Same for the earlier ''{{Driver}}'' games. Goes to the ridiculous extreme in ''DriverSanFrancisco'' in which pedestrians dodge out of the way of cars as if [[{{ZeroPunctuation}} the Spidey Sense bit them in the taint]].

* In ''CityOfHeroes'', civilians will often find themselves struggling over purses or ancient artifacts, but they can walk through groups of evil body-possessing mages without a problem. Villain-side Mayhem missions are the only times they ''are'' attackable by players, just like enemies and scenery. However, the same attack that puts a dent in a SWAT officer's armor or destroys a car does absolutely nothing to a citizen.

* In ''DarkSouls'', monsters will completely ignore the few [=NPCs=] scattered around the game world. This is a good thing, as several [=NPCs=] are found in the middle of major danger zones will monsters crossing their path regularly while trying to get to you. However, monster attacks will still ''damage'' friendly [=NPCs=], so it's possible for them to die if you get into a fight near them and they get hit by, say, a few stray thrown boulders.

* The civilians evacuating the planet in the second campaign map in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}: DawnOfWar'' are completely ignored by the attacking Orks. In the Orks' defense, killing fleeing civilians it a lot less fun than killing Space Marines.

*** However, Dampe is actually frightened of ghosts in MM, even when there aren't any around. (Yet he has a graveyard in his basement and a giant undead skeleton right next to his house for some reason anyway.)
** Partially averted in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'', in which [[spoiler:Makar and Medli,]] two of your friendly companions that follow you through dungeons, are not ignored by the monsters and can be captured by [[WallMaster Floor Masters]].

* Comedic example: In ''VideoGame/CrazyTaxi'', pedestrians jump out of the way of your taxi when you drive towards them. It's impossible to hit the pedestrians, even if you realistically should be able to. The only exception is that it is sometimes possible to reverse and turn into a passenger that you've just dropped off, but the game doesn't register the collision (the person's body passes right through the car).

** ''VideoGame/TheSimpsonsRoadRage'', however, subverts it. You ''can'' run over both the pedestrian you've dropped off and other pedestrians waiting for a taxi on the road. However, other than complaining at you and being dragged off like every other object you can collide and drag with you, the pedestrians aren't any worse for wear afterwards.
** Same for the earlier ''{{Driver}}'' games.
*** Goes to the ridiculous extreme in ''DriverSanFrancisco'' in which pedestrians dodge out of the way of cars as if [[{{ZeroPunctuation}} the Spidey Sense bit them in the taint]].

* Non-violent partial subversion: In ''[[SuperMarioBros Super Mario Sunshine]]'', the Piantas will sink in the paint/mud/whatever-that-stuff-is if it gets on them, and thank you for rescuing them if you spray it away. They are technically not harmed by enemies, but they can't swim in the paint.

* Used and subverted in ''CityOfHeroes''. Civilians will often find themselves struggling over purses or ancient artifacts, but most of the time, they'll walk through groups of evil body-possessing mages without a problem.
** Also in the villain-side Mayhem missions. These are the only times they ''are'' attackable by players, just like enemies and scenery. However, the same attack that puts a dent in a SWAT officer's armor or destroys a car does absolutely nothing to a citizen.
* The civilians evacuating the planet in the second campaign map in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}: DawnOfWar'' are completely ignored by the attacking Orks.
** In the Orks' defense, killing fleeing civilians it a lot less fun than killing Space Marines.

* While this trope technically does not refer to your inability to hurt civilians, there is an interesting note for ''HarvestMoon''. In HM, if the player were to accidentally strike (or all-out attack) a livestock animal with a farming tool, they will lose a "heart" of affection, and may become sick. It would have been easy to cost the player a similar heart of affection if they strike a civilian, but this does not happen!
** Possibly to avoid annoying the player, as the player will be frequently giving items to {{Non Player Character}}s and it's all too easy to forget to change the held item and instead swing a hoe at them.
* Not a game, but the concept is played with in the webcomic ''Webcomic/KidRadd''. "NPC Invulnerability" possessed by former NPC's makes them useful in dangerous situations, as they don't possess the ability to be hurt. Characters that have both NPC Invulnerability and offensive skills are quite rightly considered some of the most frightening things in existence.

* Annoyingly averted in ''VideoGame/StarTrekOnline''. While players can't target {{NPC}}s, and enemies will rarely attack them directly, they can take friendly fire (especially in the form of [[AreaOfEffect AoE]] attacks) and die. This is especially irritating with plot-critical {{NPC}}s, who MUST be unarmed. Whereas in Cryptic's missions, plot critical {{NPC}}s are often invulnerable, in the UGC (User created) missions, they can't be made invulnerable. If the plot for your UGC mission requires combat in an area populated by civilians, there's a pretty good chance that an unskilled player can render the mission {{unwinnable}} by getting important {{NPC}}s killed in their crossfire.

* Certain areas in ''WorldOfWarcraft'' have wandering predators and wandering herbivores passing right by one another...but so help you if YOU should happen to walk near either of them.

* Used as a plot point in ''SilentHill2'', in which James (the protagonist and player character) wonders how Maria, an unarmed woman, and Laura, a child, could have survived for so long in a town filled with murderous monsters. Turns out that [[spoiler:the monsters and even Maria herself are delusions created by poor James as he goes completely insane.]] Note that Laura, however, [[spoiler:is real.]]

* Played straight in {{Lagoon}} for the SNES, where the first major thing you do is explore a dungeon and do an EscortMission with a little boy. He can't be hurt at all, but goes at quite a slow pace...
* ''VideoGame/ScarfaceTheWorldIsYours''. The main character, Tony Montana, will refuse to fire his gun at innocents. However, running people over is easily possible. Explosions? The pedestrians are just rattled Even if you play with the 'murder spree possible' sub-characters some essential civilians, like the bank tellers, are still impossible to kill. Explosions? Tear pedestrians to shreds.
* Averted in a somewhat bad way in ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'', where monsters would randomly wander into town and slaughter the inhabitants ([[InfantImmortality except for the children]]). ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' fixes this a bit by making sure monster spawn points aren't placed so damn close to town, although you can still aggro monsters and lure them into town.
* Mercilessly averted in FireEmblem games once green "Other" units were introduced. While you couldn't kill them yourself, bad guys would regularly take them hostage and either leave them to be slaughtered by something else or do the killing themselves.
** Averted even harder in [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTellius Path of Radiance]] where in one map a bunch of mercenaries take a bunch of innocent priests in a church hostage, and said priests are actually labeled as enemies. There are also bishops that will attack you and heal their captors, but you are reminded before the battle starts that they are only doing so against their will. The only way to win the map without slaughtering any priests is to shove them out of the way with your foot units, while avoiding the use of ranged weapons against the bishops. [[spoiler:Keeping all of the priests and bishops alive scores you a nice amount of extra experience and the best healing staff in the game.]]

* Exaggerated and lampshaded in ''[[GaiaOnline zOMG!]]'' when a lost little girl is found on the cliffs by the Otami Ruins, unharmed by all the [[DemonicSpiders particularly]] [[BossInMookClothing nasty]] Animated that live there.
* Zigzagged in ''WarcraftIII'': The first level of the Undead campaign registers civilians as enemies, so your troops target them automatically (children aren't invulnerable, but count as neutral, so you have to manually attack them. YouMonster), while other levels have citizens flee into their houses before they can be killed (the houses are part of the scenery).

* In the EA developed ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberiumWars'', you can spot tiny little pedestrians running around in the city campaign missions, they are unaffected by the hordes of tanks driving over them.

Why, because these are InvulnerableCivilians.

* In the EA developed ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberiumWars'', you can spot tiny little pedestrians running around in the city campaign missions , they are unaffected by the hordes of tanks driving over them.

* In the EA developed ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberiumWars'', you can spot tiny little pedestrians running around in the city campaign missions they are unaffected by the hordes of tanks driving over them.

* In the EA developed ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberiumWars'' games, you can spot tiny little pedestrians running around in the city campaign missions they are unaffected by the hordes of tanks driving over them.

* In the EA developed ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer'' games, (specifically Tiberium Wars) you can spot tiny little pedestrians running around in the city campaign missions, unaffected by the hordes of tanks driving over them.

* ''VideoGame/StarFox64'': In the submarine level Aquas, you fight a bunch of bioengineered underwater monsters. The weapons on your sub are more than capable of laying waste to the the enemies, but when several schools of regular non-enemy fish swim by, they prove to be invulnerable to your attacks. Quite infuriatingly, these invulnerable fish will sometimes ''block'' your attacks while you're trying to shoot at the enemies.