Halfling PC behaving like Kender

[Buttercup]

I've pretty much decided how I'm going to handle this situation, but I'm annoyed as all get out, and I need to vent.

So we started a new campaign, since we have a bunch of new players, two of whom are new to D&D. Yesterday was our first session. This is the composition of the party (two members couldn't make it yesterday, I'll only mention those present):

two dwarf fighters
two halfling rogues
sorcerer
bard

Now the player of one of the halfling rogues, who we'll call Gustav, has decided it will be amusing to have Kender personality traits. To wit: he keeps picking the pockets of party members, and essentially everyone else. He has been caught three times by members of the party already in the first session, and all the PCs are irritated. The players probably are too, but I've only discussed it with one of them--my husband. Hubby's dwarf fighter threatened to use his axe to cut off Gustav's hand if he ever catches it in his pocket again. The other PCs have told him to stop, but haven't actually threatened physical harm yet.

Gustav also got caught stealing from the only wizard in town, when the party went to have some potions identified. The wizard threw him out, and will never let him back in his shop again. He will also charge the rest of the party 10% more from now on. Gustav also got caught picking the pocket of another NPC that the party needs to help them. This NPC is the town ratcatcher, and was mollified when the sorcerer gave him three gold to make up for the 6 copper Gustave stole.

But here's the thing. In one session this character has already caused a long term problem for the party, and already caused inter-party strife. I just want to slap the player, who should have known better than to create such an irritating little git of a character.

So from now on, each PC will get a +2 circumstance bonus to spot this character picking their pockets. The rogue, who also has the skill, will get an additional +2 synergy bonus. And, whenever Gustav gets caught by a party member again, all of them will get yet another +1 to their circumstance bonus to spot. Finally, I'll have to fully stat out all NPCs I create, so I can give them the Spot skill. The next time he's caught stealing from a shopkeeper, I'll have him thrown in jail for a bit, and possibly branded as a thief.

Do any of you have other suggestions to deal with this annoyance?

 

[Oni]

Hurm....have you discussed the problem with the player in question? Sometimes people don't realize when their doing something that is irritating others. Personally I would suggest making that your first course of action before doing anything else that might generate any additional ill will.

 

[Joseph Elric Smith]

Just make sure his next character isn't the same. I am sure that either the party or the next npc he piss off will deal with him directly and he will need a new character.
ken

 

[Ravellion]

The reason Kender get away with things like they do is because they are Kender. halflings do not have this advantage, so he will be seen as an insane halfling.

Make it very clear that this is not normal behaviour for Halflings, that no one accepts it, and sooner or later he will either get the point, or he will have to take the consequences.

 

[Moe Ronalds]

Kill him, take his stuff?

Have you played with this player before? If this character is a change of pace for him, maybe you should just let it run its course.

Have him accidentally steal the accursed stone of tiny pockets from another rogue- It can only be lost if it is stolen, and the possessor of it always gets caught when he tries to steal. Always. Furthermore, the people who catch him get very very very angry. VIolently angry. Hopefully for him, the kender's party members don't hate him too much yet.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Kender have little enough right to exist as is. They work in novels... they don't work so well as PCs.

Halflings who act like kender lack even that much right to life. He's been caught three times? I can see him being let off the first time with a warning. I'm not sure why anyone would retain him as a companion after the second. But given that they did, he's lucky not to already have had his hand chopped off.

Next person, PC or NPC, to catch his lifting should dispense summary justice on the spot. If questioned, the response "halfling acting like a kender" should be sufficient defence. No jury would convict.

-Hyp.

 

[Buttercup]

I told the player during the session that he shouldn't be surprised if the other party members killed him. In fact, I told him this each time he picked one of their pockets. I've been playing with this guy since August, but this is only the third character I've seen him play. The other two were not antisocial like this. I don't know what he was thinking, to create such an annoying character.

 

[Tom Cashel]

In one session this character has already caused a long term problem for the party, and already caused inter-party strife.

Long-term problem = interesting story.

Intra-party strife = interesting role-playing.

You've warned Gustav that he might end up dead...now you should let it play out. Sometimes it's fun, as DM, to see how a situation resolves itself rather than "dealing with it" when it doesn't threaten anything except your oh-so-tight grip on the plot.

Just my opinion.

 

[Gator]

1: Exploding Runes is still a spell yes? Just have an NPC wizard have it casually hanging out of his robes.

2: As an former Kender player I would simply slap this guy down as a DM. Kender didn't really actively steal unless the class was thief or whatnot.


3: Caught Stealing? Off to prison he goes.

 

[Mordane76]

Gator's right -- that's definitely out of line, even if he was a Kender.

IIRC, in one of the Dragonlance supplements, there was a table that was rolled on for random things a Kender would find in his pouches after some time, and important things (especially things from other players) were placed as DM option -- Kender don't actively steal, they just end up with things from other people because they're acting subconsciously and without malice.

This guy is just being an annoying git, but you said he's been kosher in the past. Maybe he just got a wild hair lodged someplace...


Honestly -- you've warned him. If you're worried about how this may affect player-to-player interactions, then I think you should definitely pull him aside and ask him to retire the character and make something else, but make sure you explain why to him.

If you don't think this is going to affect player-to-player interactions, then I think the plans you laid out are pretty solid -- he'll (the character) get the picture, or end up in prison or worse.