Commoners - thorns in arrogant PC's sides

[Umbra]

is to contaminate material components for spells...[snip]...I would not have the spells fail, but rather misfire or do a wand of wonder effect.

Evil I love it

Which suggests of course that anything a party gets could become 'faulty'. Bowstrings, saddle buckles, waterskins, canoe, dried rations, etc.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

A good DM should learn the following words and phrases to make crafty Commoners more frustrating for haughty PCs (repeating them as needed):

"Wha?"

"Oy dunnow."

"Eh?"

"Wossat?"

"Come back tomorrow..."

"Bardle nardle zousss" (Thank you Wierd Al!- in other words, just stuff your mouth with jellybeans or popcorn and continue talking, like a "thick commoner.")

"You CAN"T miss it!" (after some very convoluted and landmark referential directions from the local in question...often contrary to the directions the other local just gave)

"'A'ts me twin bruvver, not me!"

Ah...the list goes on, ad infinitum.

 

[StupidSmurf]

A good DM should learn the following words and phrases to make crafty Commoners more frustrating for haughty PCs (repeating them as needed):

"Wha?"

"Oy dunnow."

"Eh?"

"Wossat?"

"Come back tomorrow..."

"Bardle nardle zousss" (Thank you Wierd Al!- in other words, just stuff your mouth with jellybeans or popcorn and continue talking, like a "thick commoner.")

"You CAN"T miss it!" (after some very convoluted and landmark referential directions from the local in question...often contrary to the directions the other local just gave)

"'A'ts me twin bruvver, not me!"

Ah...the list goes on, ad infinitum.

But Danny...it's hard to bardle nardle zousss with all those marbles in my mouth!

 

[Chimera]

Lots of good suggestions.

I also suggest that "commoners" are not so defenseless.

6th level Commoner (bab +3), say Blacksmith at Str 18 = +7 to hit.

Of course, he's not going to be swinging that hammer in the street if he can avoid it. As others have said, waiting until the party is drunk and tired is the best bet.

In a slightly larger town, they might make it known that a blind eye will be turned to any theft reports from the party. While at the same time spreading rumors of abundant gold in the party's pockets.

Those currently Out of Favor (say, a disgraced minor noble or a disliked Wizard or somesuch) may find that the town is willing to let bygones be bygones if they'll just do something about the latest "problem".

Beyond that, I like the non-cooperation route. Shops won't sell to you, the Tavern is suddenly out of beer, the Inn is full, the armoror is booked up a month in advance, etc.

 

[Eternal Knot Games]

No, I think that's the perfect solution to the problem. You see, when you gain control of a city, YOU are in charge. Which means YOU are the one that has to deal with the OTHER adventurers that come to mess things up!!!

All I know is that next I came to the city (a while in the future (1,000 years) as another person) it barely existed and was ruins in a forest... Shame I liked Morley d'Midguard, cleric, paladin, gods champion (he saw his god and was blessed by the god), blah blah.

 

[Ibram]

One misbehaving party I had got a strong talking to on proper behavior by a 90 year old man... it took them down a peg (what were they going to do? threaten an old man infront of the town?)

in another party the rogue... who made several "sugestions" to the innkeepers daughter... learned the joys of undercooked old meat (the party cleric, seeing it as a punishment from the gods for the rogues behavior, did not cast Cure Disease).

In my games the world very much reacts to the partys activities... treat the merchants bad and the price on goods goes up, and the quality goes down. maintaning and enhancing the parties rep is something my players often learn to do. (most of them atleast)

 

[WmRAllen67]

A good DM should learn the following words and phrases...

"You CAN"T miss it!" (after some very convoluted and landmark referential directions from the local in question...often contrary to the directions the other local just gave)...

"Yeh cahn't get thahr frum heah..."

 

[Nephtys]

I've played a lot of arrogant PCs (What can I say, if I wanted to play nice I'd do it in the real world) and none of them would accept this kind of behavior from mere commoners. If they started pulling some of these stunts my PCs would at the very least slap them around a few times and leave them to their fate, letting the real villains take care of the ingrates. (Of course that doesn't apply to 1st level PCs who don't really have any reason to be arrogant, at least not based on their level)

Thoughtbubble has the right idea, at least when the PCs have a few levels under their belts. Commoners in most settings do not have a democratic or anarco-liberal mindset, they are the lowest ranking members of society and they know it. They shouldn't provoke the PCs, and shouldn't take action against them unless the PCs become an obvious threat and their nobles/protectors are not available. There aren't that many 18th level commoners around, and you don't piss in a persons soup if it can get you killed (or at least badly spanked).

If you want to punish the players do it in a plausible way that is consistent with the setting, otherwise it will just breed resentment.

 

[Andor]

I've played a lot of arrogant PCs (What can I say, if I wanted to play nice I'd do it in the real world) and none of them would accept this kind of behavior from mere commoners. If they started pulling some of these stunts my PCs would at the very least slap them around a few times and leave them to their fate, letting the real villains take care of the ingrates. (Of course that doesn't apply to 1st level PCs who don't really have any reason to be arrogant, at least not based on their level)

Thoughtbubble has the right idea, at least when the PCs have a few levels under their belts. Commoners in most settings do not have a democratic or anarco-liberal mindset, they are the lowest ranking members of society and they know it. They shouldn't provoke the PCs, and shouldn't take action against them unless the PCs become an obvious threat and their nobles/protectors are not available. There aren't that many 18th level commoners around, and you don't piss in a persons soup if it can get you killed (or at least badly spanked).

If you want to punish the players do it in a plausible way that is consistent with the setting, otherwise it will just breed resentment.

Yeah but 'peasant' varies a lot, even in history. An english freeman farmer is not going to take a lot of guff from anyone. A polish serf would probably obey a nobleman if he told him to lie down so he could wipe off his boots. A japanese peasant might refuse, but he would do it knowing perfectly well that his heads coming off in about two seconds. So campign world factors in heavily here.

There is also the question of exactly where adventurers rank in the society. For most of our history adventurer was about halfway between vagabond and bandit in meaning. It should be better in DnD given the power at lot of adventurers wield. But not if slapping people around is common behavior. Then you might start to see a lot of locked gates and suspicious army types.

Ibram had a good idea. Generally the very young and the very old can get away with a lot that their society might not normally allow. Children because they don't know any better, and the elderly because A) They are respected, probably moreso in a DnD world than ours and B) They don't have much time left anyway. So if they party needs a chewing out then have a child or grandparent do it. Or in extreme cases the peasent they've been kicking around turns out to be a god/really-powerfull-wizard in disguise. Heck it happens often enough in mythology and fairytales.

 

[Nephtys]

Or in extreme cases the peasent they've been kicking around turns out to be a god/really-powerfull-wizard in disguise. Heck it happens often enough in mythology and fairytales.

You've got some good points, but this one just reeks of deus ex machina. It's vindictive and bad DMing. (Unless the village was statted up before hand and the god/wizard was there for a reason, then it just looks like a vindictive DMs power-trip.)

I'm not saying PCs shouldn't sometimes be punished for being openly arrogant, antagonizing the public should have consequences, I just recommend being reasonable about it. If the PCs can't get away with anything, get no respect and are still expected to always come to the rescue when the threat of the week tries to eat the village the players will lose a lot of their motivation to participate at all.
It can be a good way to drive the PCs evil, if the players are up for it. If not, its a bad idea.