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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Trihelios" data-source="post: 5001760" data-attributes="member: 86364">I've had a player in my game make a series of mistakes with potentially dire consequences. I'm looking for some advice on making some reasonable and realistic reactions, without being too harsh on a player who means well but says and does the wrong things.For some background information. The players are in a country where magic is regarded as witchcraft and treated with fear and suspicion, though it is not actively outlawed. Duels have been outlawed, but it's public knowledge that people have ignored this law and continue to secretly fight duels over minor matters of honour.Mistake 1:The PC, a fighter peasant hero, receives a letter praising him for his great deeds and asking for help. Other than a meeting place it's vague on the details but the PC decides to meet the writer and see if he can help.The man who sent the letter was a smuggler, who has done so well on the black market that he has set himself up as a wealthy businessman and respected member of society. He's fallen in love with a noblewoman, the daughter of the local ruling lord, and been having a secret relationship with her.When the family found out, they've disapproved and the woman's brother has challenged the smuggler to a duel. The smuggler knows he can't win against this experienced duellist and so has concocted a plan. He has convinced a mage to polymorph the PC into an exact likeness of the smuggler so that he can take his place in the duel. The PC agrees to this plan.All goes well at first. The disguise is fine, the PC convinces everyone he is the smuggler and wins the duel without killing the nobleman. However later on, he uses his contact with the smuggler to organise a night time secret meeting with the noblewoman in order to ask a favour of her. He wants her to use her family connections to get him an audience with the king. The meeting goes badly though, and in frustration the PC brags that he was the one who fought her brother and admits how the ruse was done with 'witchcraft'.She runs off, frightened and confused.Mistake 2:The next day, the PC has finally managed to get his meeting with the king. He pledges his sword to the king's service in defending the kingdom from the invasion they've just learned about (it's been kept a secret for as long as possible to avoid panic, but the PCs have some connections to people in the know).The PC is sent to the front lines and placed with a squad guarding a section of the city-wall during a siege. The enemy uses magic to mind-control some of his squadmates into trying to dismantle the fortifications. The PC rather than trying to restrain or knock out these squadmates kills some and throws the others over the wall into the enemy ranks. That's where we've ended the session, he's just killed the last possessed squadmate. Now I've got a week to figure out the potential consequences.Any advice?</blockquote>

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