Tell Me Your Best DM Dirty Tricks...

[jeff37923]

My Sunday night DnD group is flagging a bit with the season and they've voted me to take over as DM once we're done clearing out a dungeon. They've also bragged about how there is nothing a DM can come up with that can be sent against them that they cannot handle (it should be noted that these players are mostly new with less than a year of experience).

With the gauntlet thrown down like that, how can I resist?

So, I ask of you out there to give me your favorite annoying encounter to throw at these guys. Something that will not kill them, but will strip their characters of resources, place them in uncomfortable situations, and just plain old mess with their heads. In short, give me your worst to use against them.
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[Blackrat]

Half-golem frenzied berserker with extend rage. You can't affect it's mind, it is immune to most spells and you can just hack it for 100 rounds without dropping it. Although it could probably end to TPK.

 

[Whisper72]

Well.... go with the Tucker's Kobolds principle. Take small foes like kobolds and have them humiliate the PC's.

Envisage the following adventure: the PC's go onto a dungeon crawl, looking for some lost treasure / artifact whatever. Somewhere close to the beginning, they encounter a band of kobolds. They'll prolly soudnly beat the living crud out of the kobolds, however, one gets away (preferably).

The kobolds are now warned.

The dungeon is a veritable death trap. Once deeper underground, TP and similar magics no longer work (whyever is up to the DM, maybe because the dungeon is an old tomb and it was protection against tomb-robbers). The entire area also suppresses fire (including torches). The kobolds with their darkvision have no problems.

The kobolds see how powerful the PCs are and do not interfere much on the way in except for a few ambushes, many traps and other obstacles, which hopefully whittle away at the resources.

On the triumphant way back, the fun really starts. The kobolds want revenge and will not let the PC's go. Sliding walls etc. have changed the path of the dungeon, so the way back is blocked and now different. Passages the PC's must go through have arrowlits on the sides to fire poisoned arrows, acid thrown from holes in the ceiling and letting loose constructs, gelatinous cube like monsters etc. in the maze.

At some point, when the PC's are pretty much exhousted, the kobolds want to parlay. Give up your loot and your weapons and armor (and clothes etc.) and leave alive as warning to others or die. They'll prolly refuse the first time.

Continue harassment without finding a way out, until they capitulate...

 

[Rackhir]

There's a Talenta Halfling feat (from one of the Eberron books) where you can stun characters you hit with a boomerang with the DC being equal to the amount of damage. Give them some rogue levels and attacking from surprise or invisible so they get sneak attack damage and you can easily be hitting 30+ DCs on the stunning.

Shilsen has stats for the ones he used against us in this thread, post #6. There's also some guys that he used to smash our 11th lv group in post #7. Finally, there's a group of barbarians that he hurt us pretty badly in the first post here.

They should be fairly easily tweaked to fit your campaign. By either adding or subtracting some levels.

 

[HeavenShallBurn]

Well you could use the Wandering Damage Table
Or they get caught at ground zero in a Horseshoe Contest by Hulking Hurlers

If possible what sort of setup am I looking at? What's the terrain and environment like? What level?

Just to throw one out initially I've found that a pack of lycanthropes with class levels can be both vicious and frightening if DMed properly. People look at were-creatures and only see the beastial, what makes them scary is their humanity. They still have all the intelligence and guile of a man, but none of the mercy, restraint, or hesitation.

 

[Blackrat]

And then there's of course the much feared Wandering Little Girl. The PC's are camped for the night in the middle of monster infested wilderness, leagues from any civilization. Out of nowhere walks a little girl to their camp and sits by the fire. She says nothing and does nothing but warms her tiny hands for a moment before setting off again. If they attack, they kill it with a single attack and you can scold them for killing an innocent mute child who was lost and searched for a moment of rest. If they do nothing, you will never reveal what it was and what was it doing there, keeping them in wondering what the heck was it for years to come.

 

[Rackhir]

And then there's of course the much feared Wandering Little Girl. The PC's are camped for the night in the middle of monster infested wilderness, leagues from any civilization. Out of nowhere walks a little girl to their camp and sits by the fire. She says nothing and does nothing but warms her tiny hands for a moment before setting off again. If they attack, they kill it with a single attack and you can scold them for killing an innocent mute child who was lost and searched for a moment of rest. If they do nothing, you will never reveal what it was and what was it doing there, keeping them in wondering what the heck was it for years to come.

http://nodwick.humor.gamespy.com/gamespyarchive/index.php?date=2007-10-03

 

[Voadam]

My Sunday night DnD group is flagging a bit with the season and they've voted me to take over as DM once we're done clearing out a dungeon. They've also bragged about how there is nothing a DM can come up with that can be sent against them that they cannot handle (it should be noted that these players are mostly new with less than a year of experience).

With the gauntlet thrown down like that, how can I resist?

So, I ask of you out there to give me your favorite annoying encounter to throw at these guys. Something that will not kill them, but will strip their characters of resources, place them in uncomfortable situations, and just plain old mess with their heads. In short, give me your worst to use against them.
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If they are moderate level the Castigoran manavore from Penumbra Fantasy Bestiary. A rust monster magically altered to eat magic spells and items.

For an unexpected rust monster encounter use the metallivore template from Book of Templates on a normal beast they would normally charge, like an owlbear. Small rust dragons from draconomicon are pretty devastating as well and can be used with lower level parties without immediate TPKs.

Lots of things have improved sunder: giants, earth elementals, xorn, steel predators, etc.

I also like my house rule of save or die death effects are save or dieing. failed bodak gaze effect means PC drops to -1 and losing hp, the other PCs have to choose whether to rush to actively heal him or deal with the monster making interesting choices instead of just continuing to fight the monster then retrieving the body and leaving to get a raise. As a DM I'm much more comfortable choosing save or die attack monsters and spells under this house rule.

 

[Whisper72]

Well, another tack is to use illusion. Just don't tell them. Somewhere they appear to meet some sort of multi headed dragon type monster, think a mini-Tiamat. It appears to be immune to all damage they do. The dragon breathes different types per head (acid, fire, cold, electricity) and blasts the PC's left and right. Its claws swipe everywhere, batting around the PC's. If they try to flee, the dragon takes flight and pursues. One by one the PC's 'die'. It ends in a TPK. Then the PC's wake up. Massive headache. All their stuff taken. They are awakened by some travellers on the road (maybe some local traders or peasants). Once the PC's tell what happened, the peasants say something along the lines of:

"Sounds like the work of Magister Merlin. A great illusionist. He uses this as a trap to steal. Quite a bandit. Wanted in ten kingdoms at least. Strange you never heard of him."

That should get them riled for the next adventure....

 

[MonkeyDragon]

My version of the wandering little girl is the Lone Kobold in a Room.

The PCs are goign through the dungeon and enter ar oom. There is a kobold in the room. This is especially nasty if the PCs are of considerable level. Even better if none of them speak the language.

The kobold just stands there. If provoked, it attacks (or just stands in place, being all menacing with its spear). They kill it with one hit. That's all. But no matter how many times I put a lone kobold in a room, they ALWAYS wonder what the thing's deal was. What does it MEAN?!