Distrusting NPC Issues

[TheAuldGrump]

I got an e-mail from the player of the paladin in my Teens 'n' Tweens Pathfinder game.

Last game there was a virtual TPK - the PCs against a much higher level lich Magus.

Two folks were petrified, two were paralyzed, the rest driven to negative HP.

The bleeding PCs had their wounds bound, a scroll to cure the paralysis and a wand with five charges were left rolled in a note thanking the PCs for a wonderful time.... (I prepared a bunch of notes - for if he beat the PCs, the PCs fled, or if he fled.)

The paladin wants to track down the lich and talk to him - the lich had gone out of his way not to completely screw them, and (because they had the prepared message) apparently never intended to kill them.

So, rather than taking it as mockery, he wants to talk to the lich, find out what it is up to, and, if it does not have a nefarious scheme, maybe give it a little help.

The sad thing is that the paladin is right. A plot that I expected to unfold over several, non continuous, episodes may wrap in one.

The lich is Chaotic Evil - amoral, willing to commit murder if necessary, but not all that malicious. He may even be *gasp!* redeemable.

His current mission is actually one of mercy -

There is an entire petrified town - the lich turned them to stone because they were suffering from a magically enhanced plague - if the cleric is willing to help cure the plague....

The Auld Grump

 

[Viking Bastard]

I have a bit of that going on in my game, but only from one player, who is also the one of them with the most play experience. I suspect she got burned by her previous DM.

 

[Skyscraper]

Our group(s) of players is generally of the trusting type, although they judge every situation case by case. We try to apply common sense to each encounter to see if we can trust or not.

To the OP:

- Do your NPCs act realistically? (To all: please don't argue the use of this word. Thank you ). I.e. if the PCs arrive in a room, meet with a NPC, does the latter start splattering out relevant information to these complete strangers? If so, I can understand if the PCs are untrustful. Have the NPC be slightly distant at first, or if he must provide info to the PCs, have him do so for a reason, such as he's desperate and has no other choice and tells them so (weak, but better than nothing).

- Have you tried having NPCs establish long-standing relationships with the PCs? For example, they need to investigate someone who's attending a knights' joust, and while they are there, you describe 2-3 knights that stand out. Then, they have a diner with XYZ and it so happens that one of those knights is there. Finally, when in a tight spot, this same knight helps them out and asks nothing in return. Eventually, later, he might ask for something of them, a minor service of some kind, without offering anything in return. If they help him, he might have information that could help them, or he could give them a nifty magic item. If they refuse to help because of distrust, you could talk to your players out-of-game, a couple of weeks later, saying "you know, it's too bad you didn't help that knight, you would have gotten a cool reward". Hopefully the reward is not necessary, they'll strike up a friendship with the knight and they'll be no need for that kind of thing.

- Have you tried talking to your players? Like: "guys, I have the impression that you distrust all NPCs you meet. Am I right, and if so what makes you act this way?" (This is where you listen with great attention to their comments, because there's probably part of your in this trust-less relationship.) Then:" guys, haven't you noticed that most if not all NPCs are actually trustworthy? Don't you think that your PCs would have friendships or trust people outside of your small group, like any normal person? Don't you think the game would be more interesting that way?"

- Have you tried playing instead of DMing with this group, and showing forward trust towards NPCs?

 

[Rechan]

Do your NPCs act realistically? (To all: please don't argue the use of this word. Thank you ). I.e. if the PCs arrive in a room, meet with a NPC, does the latter start splattering out relevant information to these complete strangers? If so, I can understand if the PCs are untrustful. Have the NPC be slightly distant at first, or if he must provide info to the PCs, have him do so for a reason, such as he's desperate and has no other choice and tells them so (weak, but better than nothing).

Yes. Typically they are realistic. At least what I like to say. I give the example of the 'he's captured, he spills the beans'.

To the rest, I rarely if ever get to play with the same group twice, or for overly long. Due to the unstable nature of online games.

 

[Skyscraper]

I'd like to note as an aside that there's nothing like getting double-crossed by a NPC or having your mother or sister kidnapped, it makes for great drama and it's sure to pull my NPC into the game at full speed. So really, I don't get why people don't want family or don't trust others