Do you warn your PCs before they do something stupid?

[Chimera]

Don’t make a judgment on the act (saying things like “that’s not a good idea” or “your wisdom is higher than that”) just make sure he understands what will happen. Let the player decided if it is a good idea or not.

Good in theory, but sometimes you just gotta say "Dude, your (18 INT) character is smart enough to know that isn't going to work!" Especially if you've explained the consequences of the act several times and the player still insists on arguing with you. (Which is the height of Stupid Player behavior.)

But hey, if they insist, then all you can do is let them do it and suffer the consequences. Some players will pull this out of sheer orneriness and some out of the conviction that you will back down and not kill their character. If you do back down, then you've just surrendered all self-respect and they'll just keep doing it.


Personally, I find the idea that we shouldn't make value judgements ("that's not a good idea") to be offensive. Political Correctness run amok. Be honest with yourself and with others. If it's not a good idea, then tell them that!

 

[Vecna]

Do you warn your PCs before they do something stupid

You should, because players are inherently stupid.
(Any DM who played too could confirm this: he was very smart when he was DM, but made a lot of silly mistakes when he was a player)

 

[A'koss]

My warnings are more judged by the tone of my voice I think. For example, I pretty much repeat the action, "So you want to walk up to the ancient red and hit him in the nose?" If they say yes then that is what they do. That is about as much as I would do.

Much the same here. The player's know full well when they're about to do something stupid whan I start using the voice.

 

[Altalazar]

I give warning for potentially stupid actions - mostly, though, in the form of asking for clarification of what it is exactly they want to do, to make sure that my vision of stupidity isn't really a misunderstanding - either by me of what it is they really want to do, or of them, in understanding the exact situation they are in (since the world is described by me, and a misunderstanding of the environment could also lead to something stupid unintentionally).

In other words, I make sure that both the current situation and the player's intended action are crystal clear and spelled out very carefully before then adjudicating what happens. But I won't generally indicate that I think it is stupid or anything like that. That is for the player to figure out by acting (or thinking about it).

Of course, I will be less generous with this if it is obviously a snap decision, in the heat of the moment, where I'm pretty sure the player does have a good picture of what is going on - and where it isn't so much stupidity as a lack of time to think - that is a realistic moment and it often can lead to some very interesting results. There, it is not so much stupidity as a snap-judgment with no time to think.

 

[Pants]

You should, because players are inherently stupid.
(Any DM who played too could confirm this: he was very smart when he was DM, but made a lot of silly mistakes when he was a player)

Man, that's so true

Usually I say 'Are you sure you want to do?" when the player says he's about to do something really stupid or I just stare at him with most unbelieving look on my face.

I've also taken to giving one or two players in my game something I like to call FATE points. These players are known for making 'questionable' decisions and usually when they are about to make one I say 'Dude, use a FATE point' after which I respond with 'What are you, a f*@king moron?' or 'BAD IDEA.'

 

[TheAuldGrump]

Heh, I knew a GM who had a sign that read Funeral in Progress that he would place on the table and ask 'are you sure?' I only met one player who did the action anyway... the character died.

I borrowed it a bit, and have a Reaper miniature of Charon in his boat that I place on the table at opportune moments.

The Auld Grump

 

[DarrenGMiller]

Heh, I knew a GM who had a sign that read Funeral in Progress that he would place on the table and ask 'are you sure?' I only met one player who did the action anyway... the character died.

I borrowed it a bit, and have a Reaper miniature of Charon in his boat that I place on the table at opportune moments.

The Auld Grump

Excellent!

DM

 

[ThoughtBubble]

Two situations. If I think that the player just completely didn't understand the situation, I'll re-explain it and ask what they intend. This clears up 90% of those sorts of situations. The remaining 10% come from a player who still insists on being ambiguous and saying "No! I do X!" At which point, consiquences happens, and then there's some complaining, and then there's an 'I asked three times and you said the same thing.' And then half an hour later, everything is good.

The other situation is whereI think that their character might know more, or there is a piece of background that they may have forgotten or overlooked that pertains to the situation. At that point, I ask for wisdom checks. The DC varies with how recent the information is. After that, I'll usually re-iterate the point. "You remember that she said 'Golden Seal that bars the path', not a golden door into a hall."

Works mostly, but in my off games I've got a player who is a bit more...implusive. Nothing works to dissuade him (fortunately, his sorcerer had 16 con, just for that reason).

 

[Arkhandus]

I warn my players, or give them a hint, if they happen to have a genius or near-genius PC with them (whether or not they manage to play the PC properly for its Int/Wis). So if someone is playing a character with 16+ Int or Wis, I'll likely warn them before they do something that such a wise or ingenious person ought to know better than to be doing. If they've got anyone at least reasonably smart/wise (12+ Int/Wis) I'll probably roll a secret Intelligence check or Wisdom check against DC 15 or DC 20, and based on that I may give them a hint or whatnot to try and get it across to them that their character thinks their plan is really just harebrained and needs a rethink.

 

[Mark]

Do you warn your PCs before they do something stupid?

If I think it might be because they aren't following what I am saying, or that I might have been less than obvious describing something they should know, then I make sure they are warned in some way. Sometimes, if I think they have all of the information and are simply missing the obvious, I'll make a roll (for them to catch it) with a DC 15 to DC 20 and allow their Int or Wis modifier to apply. I've even gone so far as to make a series of rolls and allow any other PCs (and even NPCs) in the area to Assist Others in noticing the obvious. I remember once when the whole group had a eureka moment, followed by a collective sigh of relief, after hearing an NPC at the back of the group mumble something lie, "Won't that make everything `splode...?"

Sometimes it is best to just let things happen, though. So they learn stuff...