D&D 5E How to engage a "poke the bear" player?

[dropbear8mybaby]

I have a player who constantly tries to stir trouble, especially with NPC's. It never used to be an issue as it usually only amounted to him being dismissed by NPC's as annoying, but lately it's gotten to the point where he's actively causing combats to erupt by consistently, and incessantly, provoking NPC's. Some other players are also starting to get a little frustrated by it so it's time to do something about it. My preferred method would be to somehow engage them in a manner that would make the player not want to act like this all the time, rather than simply confronting them and telling them to cut it out. As far as I'm concerned, that's a last resort.

Now, I don't want to focus on answering questions about this player or his PC in particular but rather would just like to get some general advice on how to engage someone like this. How do other people deal with "poke the bear" style of player? How do you get them to do more than just start fights for no reason?

 

[iserith]

Life's too short to make asking for a player's help to make the game better your last resort.

Start there.

 

[dropbear8mybaby]

Life's too short to make asking for a player's help to make the game better your last resort.

Start there.

That's a non-answer and completely unhelpful to boot.

 

[pdegan2814]

In game, have him arrested and thrown in jail for disturbing the peace, and make it impossible for him to recover his favorite weapon/armor/etc when he gets out. Send NPCs after them for revenge. Make other NPCs less helpful when its needed and make sure the party knows it's explicitly because that one character has developed a bad reputation. Basically, remind him that actions have consequences, and make those consequences matter. Kinda like in Skyrim how if you start killing civilians a price gets put on your head.

But if he's annoying the other players, he definitely needs to be talked to outside of the game. Ask him why he feels the need to do what he's doing. Is he not satisfied with the actual campaign? Does he just thrive on the chaos? Does he know he's causing frustration for the other players? What are the social relationships between all of you like? Are you all friends, is he something of an outsider, etc. Is what he's looking for from the game just not the same as what everyone else is looking for? Is he just "That Guy"? Maybe in the end he's just not the right fit for your game. However you do it you, he and the other players need to get on the same page or the game will suffer.

 

[Oofta]

Sometimes its best to just face these things head on. Talk to the player (outside of game time) and explain the problem. Tell him you find his behavior unacceptable and that something has to change.

Hopefully you can resolve the issue somehow. Unfortunately sometimes players are just in the wrong group.

 

[Caliban]

Well if actually talking to him like an adult is out, I suggest drugging him. Magic brownies to mellow him out, sedatives in his drink to make him sleepy and less likely to talk, etc. Just don't use amphetamines, cocaine, or crystal meth. They may be trendy, but are likely to exacerbate the problem.

 

[dropbear8mybaby]

OK, I've made it very clear in my OP that I want to hear about creative suggestions on how to engage a player in game and also made it clear that I'm not interested in "talk the player" responses. I know very well I can talk the player, this is a group that has been together for three years and I know the player well as a friend. I know I can confront him about it if that's necessary, but as I said, I'm looking for in game ways of engaging them.

If you can't respect that, then keep your -posts to yourself.

 

[MostlyDm]

Either let him poke the bears... give him bears for poking... or ask him to find a new group.

 

[MostlyDm]

OK, I've made it very clear in my OP that I want to hear about creative suggestions on how to engage a player in game and also made it clear that I'm not interested in "talk the player" responses. I know very well I can talk the player, this is a group that has been together for three years and I know the player well as a friend. I know I can confront him about it if that's necessary, but as I said, I'm looking for in game ways of engaging them.

If you can't respect that, then keep your -posts to yourself.

Okay, my previous post was simultaneous with this, so... you want to engage in game. Punishing his behavior isn't going to change him, most likely.

You're better off giving him bears that are meant to be poked, that give a good satisfying reaction when poked, and that won't derail your game by getting poked.

 

[DaveDash]

edit: Nevermind