DM help- Teaching players a lesson

[Kahuna Burger]

I never liked the “teach a lesson” approach it seems vindictive.
Instead, remember: consequences, consequences, consequences.

For the players, "consequences" may be hard to separate from "teaching them a lesson". Especially if the lesson is that their actions have consequences...

The important thing about the consequences approach is to let it work both ways. If their actions have consequences, yes they can royally screw things up for themselves by driving away a potential ally, missing their window with the big bad guy, killing the emeny that had the info, etc. But they should also be able to avoid a big fight by thinking ahead, obtain unlikely allies with some creative thinking, good rp and lucky diplomacy rolls (and have the encounters not rescaled to "account" for those allies, let it be easier), or suprize the DM in a fight. If the consequences are only bad, and you always rescale to ignore good results ("Well I have to make it challenging...") Thats worse than a no consequences aproach.

Kahuna Burger

 

[kengar]

You guys have convinced me not to just have the party "miss the bus" but I think I will add some extra 'consequences' into the mix.

1) The peasants are dead, and not in a pretty way. The party will get to see them as recently butchered (as in, they might have saved them if they had acted quicker).

2) Instead of heading off the "evil plot" (which involves opening a gateway to a pocket dimension to free a demon lord), I will have the gateway already in the process of opening and if they can't defeat the bad guys on this side in time, the portal opens during the combat and they've got a new baddie to face in the form of a powerful minion of the demon lord.

FWIW (potential spoiler)











this adventure is based on the "Bloodhollow" module.

 

[jasper]

Don't destory the world! Where would the BBEG get his dancing girls.

Do destroy something.

IMC plot hooks. 2 months ago
Town of Slapout has not ship the master work weapons.
Gold strike to west.
Trolls attack convoy. One wearing a crown.
Thieves Guild in turmoil.

They got involed with thieves guild and gold strike. After I hinted the first plot should be the Slapout.

They went to gold strike. When they returned, the town milita had visited Slapout. Only 3 survived, no villiagers were found, and it was full of Orges. One escaped wearing a crown.

So my villians plans are going on.

If the yahoos run away because the thief took a pt of damage and the use 1 fireball, so be it.
Soon or later they been 8th bartenders while the 1st adventurers use them as abase of operations.