ExploderWizard
Hero
Big time mistake. The untouchable trio plus one should give these players a seminar: Make certain that anyone wronged by the party never survives.
They got exactly what they deserved.
Cruel DM stuff
- Thread starter Mark1733
- Start date
Big time mistake. The untouchable trio plus one should give these players a seminar: Make certain that anyone wronged by the party never survives.
They got exactly what they deserved.
Big time mistake. The untouchable trio plus one should give these players a seminar: Make certain that anyone wronged by the party never survives.
They got exactly what they deserved.
They also had living relatives they cared about and a hometown that hasn't already been exploded. They are obviously bating the GM to smite everything they love save themselves and their shinnies.
Perhaps that it, they are actually acting out of self-interest by making other situations that can be non-character ending loss. I mean, what's preventing paying for a wizard to modify memory to forget that the whole screw-job happened and adopt a new family?
I have visited so many cruelties on player characters I can't begin to remember them all! Lately (last week), I inflicted two, both of which ultimately involved unwanted additions to the party (this is Empire of the Petal Throne, 1975/OD&D rules):
Less cruel thing: The Dinosaur
One of the characters, a crone sorceress with a kindly attitude, decided to start worshipping the egg goddess of the reptile people (the PCs are all refugees from the destruction of their Polynesian-type homeland). She was recently given a huge egg by a reptilian hermit and told "hatch it well". So she has been carrying it around inside her clothes (making her look pregnant). Well, it finally hatched. Out of it came a dromaeosaur colored with red and blue spots (it has been named "Reef"). It immediately began eating everything, starting with her waterskin and eventually destroying the pews in the reptile shrine, etc. When she took it to market to buy it some lizard chow, it immediately lept onto a big (expensive) haunch of meat and started burrowing into it. The creature is growing like a weed and eating like a war elephant. She loves it, but the other party members can barely tolerate its presence! But some day it will be pretty powerful in combat, and it provides me a convenient way to bankrupt the PCs at the drop of a hat.
More cruel thing: Thanks for taking one for the team
In attempting to recover part of a key (needed to acquire a special artifact) the party had to raid a shrine in the underworld. The actual shrine could only be accessed by crossing a starry gulf that looked suspiciously lethal... they found a way to raise a magical/technological bridge across the gulf, but could only figure out have to have one person use it at a time (a puzzle type challenge). The volunteer to go across, an irrepressible youth who is amazingly dextrous, was faced with an immense idol of the shrine's goddess, looking as I explained like the Venus of Willendorf if sculpted by Praxiteles and having a crocodile's head! Well, the goddess was feeling pretty amorous, and so when the statue (inevitably!) animated, it managed to grapple the poor chap. Being what passes for a 'love' goddess on Tekumel, its magic did not allow our protagonist to "opt out" of the subsequent "Law & Order: SVU" treatment it forced upon him. But at least he survived (he could have fought it physically, but he did not do so and thus was not slain).
Anyway, some time later, as our protagonist was reclining in his apartment in the city above, his door was pushed open and he heard a scuttling. Looking, he saw a small crocodile scampering about the floor. It looked up at him and opened its mouth: where its maw should be was instead a younger version of his own face, covered in saliva. It addressed him enthusiastically as "Daddy!" and that's where we left it.
The player has insisted upon his intent to slay his character's offspring. We'll see if he can! I did, out of kindness, remind him that he is not the boy's only parent... he did not seem deterred by this warning.
Less cruel thing: The Dinosaur
One of the characters, a crone sorceress with a kindly attitude, decided to start worshipping the egg goddess of the reptile people (the PCs are all refugees from the destruction of their Polynesian-type homeland). She was recently given a huge egg by a reptilian hermit and told "hatch it well". So she has been carrying it around inside her clothes (making her look pregnant). Well, it finally hatched. Out of it came a dromaeosaur colored with red and blue spots (it has been named "Reef"). It immediately began eating everything, starting with her waterskin and eventually destroying the pews in the reptile shrine, etc. When she took it to market to buy it some lizard chow, it immediately lept onto a big (expensive) haunch of meat and started burrowing into it. The creature is growing like a weed and eating like a war elephant. She loves it, but the other party members can barely tolerate its presence! But some day it will be pretty powerful in combat, and it provides me a convenient way to bankrupt the PCs at the drop of a hat.
More cruel thing: Thanks for taking one for the team
In attempting to recover part of a key (needed to acquire a special artifact) the party had to raid a shrine in the underworld. The actual shrine could only be accessed by crossing a starry gulf that looked suspiciously lethal... they found a way to raise a magical/technological bridge across the gulf, but could only figure out have to have one person use it at a time (a puzzle type challenge). The volunteer to go across, an irrepressible youth who is amazingly dextrous, was faced with an immense idol of the shrine's goddess, looking as I explained like the Venus of Willendorf if sculpted by Praxiteles and having a crocodile's head! Well, the goddess was feeling pretty amorous, and so when the statue (inevitably!) animated, it managed to grapple the poor chap. Being what passes for a 'love' goddess on Tekumel, its magic did not allow our protagonist to "opt out" of the subsequent "Law & Order: SVU" treatment it forced upon him. But at least he survived (he could have fought it physically, but he did not do so and thus was not slain).
Anyway, some time later, as our protagonist was reclining in his apartment in the city above, his door was pushed open and he heard a scuttling. Looking, he saw a small crocodile scampering about the floor. It looked up at him and opened its mouth: where its maw should be was instead a younger version of his own face, covered in saliva. It addressed him enthusiastically as "Daddy!" and that's where we left it.
The player has insisted upon his intent to slay his character's offspring. We'll see if he can! I did, out of kindness, remind him that he is not the boy's only parent... he did not seem deterred by this warning.
Olaf the Stout
Legend
I might have to do something similar with Aushunna, the erinyes in my party's campaign (Shackled City AP). As part of a deal she made with the PC's the party Cleric was left alone with her for a couple of days. She charmed him and got him to reveal all about his friends and family, as well as everything he knew about the PC's. I'm sure she could put that information to good use!
Piratecat, my players thank you.
Olaf the Stout
Stormtalon
First Post
Back in 3.0 days, was converting on-the-fly the Night Below boxed adventure. Party had gotten into a scrap with a certain sorceress who had a Contingency that teleported her to a safe spot if she was dropped to 0 hp so she could be given a healing potion.
She proceeded to scry on them, found the halfling wizard in the party always hung back, so she teleported quietly behind the poor wee gal, put a knife to her throat and said, "Nobody move or the short one gets it!"
There was a pause, then the party rogue, noticing how wounded the lady was, decided to gamble. Initiative rolled -- a tie. Rogue fires crossbow -- I then took the next 5-10 minutes as I slowed that one attack down to "bullet time" and described its slow spin to the player of the wizard. Kept everyone hanging -- and then the bad lady dropped dead.
Oh, and the wizard's player? A 10-year-old girl playing D&D in her first ongoing campaign.
She proceeded to scry on them, found the halfling wizard in the party always hung back, so she teleported quietly behind the poor wee gal, put a knife to her throat and said, "Nobody move or the short one gets it!"
There was a pause, then the party rogue, noticing how wounded the lady was, decided to gamble. Initiative rolled -- a tie. Rogue fires crossbow -- I then took the next 5-10 minutes as I slowed that one attack down to "bullet time" and described its slow spin to the player of the wizard. Kept everyone hanging -- and then the bad lady dropped dead.
Oh, and the wizard's player? A 10-year-old girl playing D&D in her first ongoing campaign.
The DM has too much power over the players, they stand no chance against a clever DM who can alter reality with the stroke of a pencil.
In my experiences I found that players can be much crueler to other players than the DM usually is.
Our group had found a Vacuous Grimoir a couple of adventures back, and I decided to keep it in a locked away safe place. I later sold it to another player as a Book of Iron Golems at 5,000 GP under its value. Sensing a bargain, the other player bought it from me, then tried to sell it to another epic level wizard. The poor guy was killed and had his dead body locked away in prison. It took us two game sessions to free him.
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Lord Zardoz
Explorer
That would be this plot that I had pulled off in my last campaign, the details of which were posted here. I should warn you that the plot takes a great deal of explaining to understand exactly what I did to my players. The short version is that I gave them a long term multi-part quest, the completion of which essentially helped their sworn enemies. The players knew that the tasks had some purpose they were not told of. If they wanted too, they could have figured it out. They did not.
http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/236668-diabolical-plan-has-come-fruition.html
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Today's game was great. I managed to finish off chapter 4 of Red hand of Doom, which went quite well. Wyrmlord Kharn's dramatic appearance was somewhat muted when the players said "Whatever, where is your boss, Koth?". The players then continued to insist that Koth had to be in charge (Koth had survived and done quite well against the players on repeated occasions).
To wrap up the day, the players then decided to complete a long running side quest. Now, to appreciate the full impact of what occured, some background is necessary.
1) In the very first game, the players encounted Marcello de la Roche, a corrupt Noble who demanded the players surrender a horse to him. They refused, and combat ensued. Marcello de la Roche died. The de la Roche familiy is an old, very wealthy, and very proud family. Marcello's son then sought revenge. He was killed by the players. Then a nephew, and a brohter, and in that fashion, much of the de la Roche Family tree was pruned by the players.
2) In one of the very first games, the players suffered a TPK. They found themselves before Hiddukel, the god of Lies, Greed, and Betrayal. Hiddukel promised to restore them, but they would owe him a series of four favors. The players did a sense motive vs Hiddukel's bluff, but found that Hiddukel seemed like a completely trust worthy sort, and that the offer felt legit.
3) The kingdom of the Rhormarch had just gotten out of a long running civil war. The rightful ruler, Prince Oden, was an evil man and lost. He went renegade, but had his faction pitch in against the Red Hand armies. Duke Alric ruled justly with the consent of the royal senate / council of Nobles.
4) The Rhormarch enlisted the aid of a distant ally for military aid from the kingdom of Berhagen. They sent Sir Dietrich Hayden, the 5th Viscount of Ilfressen to command the allied forces. One of my players had a self created long standing grudge against Sir Dietrich Hayden. That players origin was that Hayden sent him on a suicide mission out of incompetence, and blamed his own incompetence on the PC. That PC had sworn to murder Sir Dietrich Hayden.
5) One of my original players left, and a new one replaced him. Much later, the players entered a bar, and among the drinkers, diners, and barmaids, one table caught their attention. There was a Pit fiend calmly sitting at the table who motioned the players over,and told them 'A mutual friend wants to have a world'. They entered a broom closet, and found themselves before Hiddukel again. The new player was shows a vision of his missing father being tortured by unseen people. (The missing father was a background arc the player had suggested for himself). That players was then presented a contract, and told not to show it to the other players, or talk about it. This contract promised the player that he would be told what happened to his missing father if he would indebt himself to Hiddukel and perform the tasks with the original players. He signed the contract.
Ok, enough background. Hiddukel asked the players to perform 4 tasks for him.
Task 1:
The players had found a master work dagger on a Red Hand of Doom torturer. They were told to take the dagger "to 3rd weapon stall on the left", and ask the smith to properly clean the blade. Then you are to personally deliver it to to a "Councilman William Kiersted of the City of Kiedel". You must do so within 60 days, or you will die. You are also instructed to tell him exactly where you obtained the dagger from (the dead hobgoblin mindbender / torturer in from the Ruins of Rhest).
What the players did not know, but could have found out: The seal on the dagger, and the note concealed within the hilt, establishes that Prince Oden’s Grandmother had an affair with Lord Archibald Kiersted. This puts the bloodline of Duke Alaric and Prince Oden into question. William Kiersted will start looking into this in order to find out if someone else has a claim on his noble title. He will then discover that the one who would have his claim would be either Prince Oden or Duke Alaric. This in turn means that neither Prince Oden nor Duke Alaric have a legitimate claim to the throne under the law.
Task 2:
Travel to the shrine of Sirrion at the crossroads of the Rhormarch trail between Boerenbach and Newyth. Dig up the firepit that is used for a campsite. Take the sealed case within and deliver it to the village of Boernholm and give it to the merchant in the employ of Frederik Buchassen.
What the players did not know, but could have found out: The firepit was made in a depression. The depression is caused because someone murdered a Herald of Illien who was delivering authenticated patents of nobility from the city of Hauptrer to Kiedel. These patents of nobility establish that the line descended from Jordan Lessen has an equal claim to the throne of Rohrmarch as that of Prince Oden. However, no known descendants of Jordan Lessen are alive.
Task 3:
To seal an alliance between the Rhormarch and Berhagen, Duke Alaric has pledged the hand of his virgin daughter to Sir Dietrich Hayden. Seduce the bride of Sir Dietrich Hayden before their wedding. Send her signet ring and the soiled sheets to Sir Dietrich.
What the players did not know, but could have found out: To secure the services of Sir Dietrich Hayden, Duke Alaric pledged his firstborn daughter in marriage. In Brecht politcs, deflowering a bride prior to the wedding hand sending the soiled sheets and signet ring a perfectly acceptible, if somewhat uncommon way to insult the honor of a rival. Doing so will kill the alliance, and cause Sir Dietrich to cancel the nuptuals. He will not back or support Duke Alaric.
Task 4:
Obtain the Rochemark Crest from Seigfried de la Roche, and present it to Speaker Ostgard of Oden. You may obtain it by any means you please.
What the players did not know, but could have found out: Ostgard family is a family that has an old blood feud with the de la Roche family. The crests are challenge trophies, basically a way for a powerful warrior to boast “Take this from me if you can”. Ostgard really hates the de la Roche family. A careful examination of it will reveal a similarity between the family crest of de la Roche and the family crest of Jordan Lessen.
Result of the Plan:
Dietrich Hayden chooses not to back Duke Alaric because the ‘unspoiled daughter’ he was promised is no longer unspoiled (task 3). This will give Prince Oden a chance to renew his challenge for the throne, since he has the backing of law and of a significant portion of the military for his actions against the Red Hand.
Councilman William Kiersted will oppose this, and in order to prevent Oden from taking the throne, will give his recently discovered evidence that puts the Princes claim to the throne in doubt, a Dagger with evidence that has been verified, which puts the claim of Oden in doubt (See task 1). When asked why he withheld this information, held off revealing this because Duke Alaric’s claim would be damaged as well.
But wait, there is more! The missing father of the new player shows up. He warmly greets his son, and does not look at all like he has been tortured. He is wearing the vestments of a high ranking cleric of Hiddukel. He tells his son that he wants to personally thank the players for making what follows possible.
With no one having a clear line to the succession, the noble council must select a new king. The recently rediscovered patents (task 2) will reveal an alternate bloodline, but there are not descendants alive of Jordan Lessen. Kiersted will have the Priest of Gilean examine all known royal crests.
When they go to examine Ostgard, the priest will recognize the similarity between Jordan Lessens crest, and the de la Roche challenge crest (task 4). Further examination will reveal that Jordan Lessens son was deeply in debt, and sold the title to Ancel de la Roche. This means that the de la Roche family has the strongest claim. They will also discover that Rachel de la Roche has chosen to marry Dietrich, who will take the name Dietrich de la Roche.
The point: I sent the players on a side quest that helped the de la Roche family ascend to the throne. The insult to Sir Dietrich Hayden drove him to accept a marriage proposal from the de la Roche Family. The family they are fueding with is now the royal family. The mortal enemy of one of the players has been declared king. And one player was just betrayed by a missing father he had been searching for for years. On top of it all, because someone in the de la Roche family worships Hiddukel, Hiddukel now has a corrupt and greedy royal family with a legitimate claim to the throne of a powerful kingdom.
The moral of the story: Never, under any circumstances, enter any sort of bargain with Hiddukel, the god of Lies, Greed, and Betrayal.
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END COMMUNICATION
http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/236668-diabolical-plan-has-come-fruition.html
[sblock]
Today's game was great. I managed to finish off chapter 4 of Red hand of Doom, which went quite well. Wyrmlord Kharn's dramatic appearance was somewhat muted when the players said "Whatever, where is your boss, Koth?". The players then continued to insist that Koth had to be in charge (Koth had survived and done quite well against the players on repeated occasions).
To wrap up the day, the players then decided to complete a long running side quest. Now, to appreciate the full impact of what occured, some background is necessary.
1) In the very first game, the players encounted Marcello de la Roche, a corrupt Noble who demanded the players surrender a horse to him. They refused, and combat ensued. Marcello de la Roche died. The de la Roche familiy is an old, very wealthy, and very proud family. Marcello's son then sought revenge. He was killed by the players. Then a nephew, and a brohter, and in that fashion, much of the de la Roche Family tree was pruned by the players.
2) In one of the very first games, the players suffered a TPK. They found themselves before Hiddukel, the god of Lies, Greed, and Betrayal. Hiddukel promised to restore them, but they would owe him a series of four favors. The players did a sense motive vs Hiddukel's bluff, but found that Hiddukel seemed like a completely trust worthy sort, and that the offer felt legit.
3) The kingdom of the Rhormarch had just gotten out of a long running civil war. The rightful ruler, Prince Oden, was an evil man and lost. He went renegade, but had his faction pitch in against the Red Hand armies. Duke Alric ruled justly with the consent of the royal senate / council of Nobles.
4) The Rhormarch enlisted the aid of a distant ally for military aid from the kingdom of Berhagen. They sent Sir Dietrich Hayden, the 5th Viscount of Ilfressen to command the allied forces. One of my players had a self created long standing grudge against Sir Dietrich Hayden. That players origin was that Hayden sent him on a suicide mission out of incompetence, and blamed his own incompetence on the PC. That PC had sworn to murder Sir Dietrich Hayden.
5) One of my original players left, and a new one replaced him. Much later, the players entered a bar, and among the drinkers, diners, and barmaids, one table caught their attention. There was a Pit fiend calmly sitting at the table who motioned the players over,and told them 'A mutual friend wants to have a world'. They entered a broom closet, and found themselves before Hiddukel again. The new player was shows a vision of his missing father being tortured by unseen people. (The missing father was a background arc the player had suggested for himself). That players was then presented a contract, and told not to show it to the other players, or talk about it. This contract promised the player that he would be told what happened to his missing father if he would indebt himself to Hiddukel and perform the tasks with the original players. He signed the contract.
Ok, enough background. Hiddukel asked the players to perform 4 tasks for him.
Task 1:
The players had found a master work dagger on a Red Hand of Doom torturer. They were told to take the dagger "to 3rd weapon stall on the left", and ask the smith to properly clean the blade. Then you are to personally deliver it to to a "Councilman William Kiersted of the City of Kiedel". You must do so within 60 days, or you will die. You are also instructed to tell him exactly where you obtained the dagger from (the dead hobgoblin mindbender / torturer in from the Ruins of Rhest).
What the players did not know, but could have found out: The seal on the dagger, and the note concealed within the hilt, establishes that Prince Oden’s Grandmother had an affair with Lord Archibald Kiersted. This puts the bloodline of Duke Alaric and Prince Oden into question. William Kiersted will start looking into this in order to find out if someone else has a claim on his noble title. He will then discover that the one who would have his claim would be either Prince Oden or Duke Alaric. This in turn means that neither Prince Oden nor Duke Alaric have a legitimate claim to the throne under the law.
Task 2:
Travel to the shrine of Sirrion at the crossroads of the Rhormarch trail between Boerenbach and Newyth. Dig up the firepit that is used for a campsite. Take the sealed case within and deliver it to the village of Boernholm and give it to the merchant in the employ of Frederik Buchassen.
What the players did not know, but could have found out: The firepit was made in a depression. The depression is caused because someone murdered a Herald of Illien who was delivering authenticated patents of nobility from the city of Hauptrer to Kiedel. These patents of nobility establish that the line descended from Jordan Lessen has an equal claim to the throne of Rohrmarch as that of Prince Oden. However, no known descendants of Jordan Lessen are alive.
Task 3:
To seal an alliance between the Rhormarch and Berhagen, Duke Alaric has pledged the hand of his virgin daughter to Sir Dietrich Hayden. Seduce the bride of Sir Dietrich Hayden before their wedding. Send her signet ring and the soiled sheets to Sir Dietrich.
What the players did not know, but could have found out: To secure the services of Sir Dietrich Hayden, Duke Alaric pledged his firstborn daughter in marriage. In Brecht politcs, deflowering a bride prior to the wedding hand sending the soiled sheets and signet ring a perfectly acceptible, if somewhat uncommon way to insult the honor of a rival. Doing so will kill the alliance, and cause Sir Dietrich to cancel the nuptuals. He will not back or support Duke Alaric.
Task 4:
Obtain the Rochemark Crest from Seigfried de la Roche, and present it to Speaker Ostgard of Oden. You may obtain it by any means you please.
What the players did not know, but could have found out: Ostgard family is a family that has an old blood feud with the de la Roche family. The crests are challenge trophies, basically a way for a powerful warrior to boast “Take this from me if you can”. Ostgard really hates the de la Roche family. A careful examination of it will reveal a similarity between the family crest of de la Roche and the family crest of Jordan Lessen.
Result of the Plan:
Dietrich Hayden chooses not to back Duke Alaric because the ‘unspoiled daughter’ he was promised is no longer unspoiled (task 3). This will give Prince Oden a chance to renew his challenge for the throne, since he has the backing of law and of a significant portion of the military for his actions against the Red Hand.
Councilman William Kiersted will oppose this, and in order to prevent Oden from taking the throne, will give his recently discovered evidence that puts the Princes claim to the throne in doubt, a Dagger with evidence that has been verified, which puts the claim of Oden in doubt (See task 1). When asked why he withheld this information, held off revealing this because Duke Alaric’s claim would be damaged as well.
But wait, there is more! The missing father of the new player shows up. He warmly greets his son, and does not look at all like he has been tortured. He is wearing the vestments of a high ranking cleric of Hiddukel. He tells his son that he wants to personally thank the players for making what follows possible.
With no one having a clear line to the succession, the noble council must select a new king. The recently rediscovered patents (task 2) will reveal an alternate bloodline, but there are not descendants alive of Jordan Lessen. Kiersted will have the Priest of Gilean examine all known royal crests.
When they go to examine Ostgard, the priest will recognize the similarity between Jordan Lessens crest, and the de la Roche challenge crest (task 4). Further examination will reveal that Jordan Lessens son was deeply in debt, and sold the title to Ancel de la Roche. This means that the de la Roche family has the strongest claim. They will also discover that Rachel de la Roche has chosen to marry Dietrich, who will take the name Dietrich de la Roche.
The point: I sent the players on a side quest that helped the de la Roche family ascend to the throne. The insult to Sir Dietrich Hayden drove him to accept a marriage proposal from the de la Roche Family. The family they are fueding with is now the royal family. The mortal enemy of one of the players has been declared king. And one player was just betrayed by a missing father he had been searching for for years. On top of it all, because someone in the de la Roche family worships Hiddukel, Hiddukel now has a corrupt and greedy royal family with a legitimate claim to the throne of a powerful kingdom.
The moral of the story: Never, under any circumstances, enter any sort of bargain with Hiddukel, the god of Lies, Greed, and Betrayal.
[/sblock]
END COMMUNICATION
I did this awful thing to my pcs the other week, and am still trying to come up with a way out. Our halfling thief triggered a trap that send you to a random hell and polymorphes you into a lemure at the same time, after slaying a pit fiend. Thankfully he saved against becoming a lemure but we still ended up one halfling short. The thing was that he just pocketed a deck of many things. So the little fellow thought "how much worse can things get?" after eluding some devil patrols. He does not know anything about the effects in the deck, so after some nice bonuses he draws a fourth card. Of course it is the void card so his soul is immediately sent to an other plane in to the possession of some outsider. How ever are they going to find both body and soul back you ask? Beats me.
Anyone with some advice out there?
Zanticor
Anyone with some advice out there?Zanticor
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