Evil DM Moments

[Jon_Dahl]

Yesterday I had an evil DM moment which was a part of a process that took nearly two years and about 30 sessions to complete.

My players were at 3rd-level when they found an adamantine longsword. I was already planning some encounters involving DR/adamantine when they decided to sell that longsword... Of course they were entitled to it - no problem - but IT SUCKED! They exchanged an ability to fight against constructs to simple gold pieces...

That was late 2009. Now the PCs are about 8th-level.
Now yesterday they participated in gladiatorial tournament and they heard short introductions of NPC-gladiators. One of them was fighter who told that he had come here couple of months ago because there was a special longsword for sale which superbly complimented his fighting style. I did give my players several hints about the fighter.

One of the players was pitted randomly against this mysterious fighter wielding adamantine longsword. In four rounds he had sundered player's holy symbol, half of his shield and also his magical rapier. Total worth of destroyed gear was over 2300 gp's.

All of this was totally new to my players and some of the comments were priceless:
"So he can sunder EVERYTHING on you except your armor?! KILL IT WITH FIRE!!!"
"Man, if you ever find stuff like that again JUST BURY IT DEEP!!!"
"So you know... He just destroyed it like that? It's gone?"

The lesson I really wanted to teach my players was that adventurers need diverse gear and gp's won't save your sorry a$$ in combat.
Also: This was the most orgastic Evil DM moment I've ever had in my life.

 

[jcayer]

Not that evil, but very torturous to my players.
They found an ancient monastery, populated by vampires.
The vampires told the players they were not evil and during the course of 2-3 sessions, it drove the players up the wall. They kept waiting for the other foot to drop. For the vampires to do something evil.
Half the party believed they were good, the other half evil. So much intra-party discussion.

In the end, the vampires were good, and the party had to help defend the monastery against the former monks, now turned evil.

 

[Traveon Wyvernspur]

Not that evil, but very torturous to my players.
They found an ancient monastery, populated by vampires.
The vampires told the players they were not evil and during the course of 2-3 sessions, it drove the players up the wall. They kept waiting for the other foot to drop. For the vampires to do something evil.
Half the party believed they were good, the other half evil. So much intra-party discussion.

In the end, the vampires were good, and the party had to help defend the monastery against the former monks, now turned evil.

Some of the most evil things a DM can do are turning the party against itself so that they doubt each other and can't decide on a course of action.

 

[SkredlitheOgre]

Not so much evil as mean, really, but in my last D&D group, one of the players kept going on about just how many hit points he had (which was around 50, which was the highest of the group). Combat ensues.

DM (me): *rolls* "It hits you."
Player 1: 'No problem. I have plenty of hit points.'
DM: *grabs a d10...and then another...and a couple more, before leaning over to the guy next to me* "Hey, I need four more d10's. Can I borrow some?"
P1: 'How many d10's is that?'
DM: "Eight." *roll roll*
P2: 'Wait. This guy does 8d10 damage? Is that a critical hit?'
DM: "Nope."
P1 sits there with his mouth open, Ps3,4, and 5 discuss running, fighting, and begging for mercy as the dice settle.
DM: *counts the 1d10+8 damage the monster did* "12 points of damage." *hands extra dice back to P2* "Your turn."
*Ps 1-5 give DM dirty looks*

As a player, the most evil thing done to me was with the same D&D group. I had missed a week due to illness and upon my return, the DM takes me into the other room and says that in the week I missed, my character (Dwarven cleric) was taken hostage by the bad guys. I'm okay with this. He has me roll a Will save in private and I fail, meaning my character turns evil and I would get to play him as evil.. I'm okay with this, too. What I was NOT okay with was that when my new 'evil twin' was introduced that he had been given Vecna's hand and eye which, while they greatly increased my power, were more 'evil' than I was anticipating, not to mention crippling when I got rid of them finally. That DM was a power gamer as a player and kind of a dick as a DM.

 

[Traveon Wyvernspur]

Not so much evil as mean, really, but in my last D&D group, one of the players kept going on about just how many hit points he had (which was around 50, which was the highest of the group). Combat ensues.

DM (me): *rolls* "It hits you."
Player 1: 'No problem. I have plenty of hit points.'
DM: *grabs a d10...and then another...and a couple more, before leaning over to the guy next to me* "Hey, I need four more d10's. Can I borrow some?"
P1: 'How many d10's is that?'
DM: "Eight." *roll roll*
P2: 'Wait. This guy does 8d10 damage? Is that a critical hit?'
DM: "Nope."
P1 sits there with his mouth open, Ps3,4, and 5 discuss running, fighting, and begging for mercy as the dice settle.
DM: *counts the 1d10+8 damage the monster did* "12 points of damage." *hands extra dice back to P2* "Your turn."
*Ps 1-5 give DM dirty looks*

As a player, the most evil thing done to me was with the same D&D group. I had missed a week due to illness and upon my return, the DM takes me into the other room and says that in the week I missed, my character (Dwarven cleric) was taken hostage by the bad guys. I'm okay with this. He has me roll a Will save in private and I fail, meaning my character turns evil and I would get to play him as evil.. I'm okay with this, too. What I was NOT okay with was that when my new 'evil twin' was introduced that he had been given Vecna's hand and eye which, while they greatly increased my power, were more 'evil' than I was anticipating, not to mention crippling when I got rid of them finally. That DM was a power gamer as a player and kind of a dick as a DM.

That is pretty funny/evil/mean all at the same time to do to him, but obviously he's a power gamer and thought he was invincible, that sounds like it took him and the rest of the group down a peg or two!

Oh ouch on the Vecna stuff, he sounds like an evil DM.

 

[crazy_monkey1956]

Hollow's Last Hope, prequel adventure to Crown of the Kobold King...

The party is investigating the burnt out orphanage and they find a girl, apparently a survivor, and apparently traumatized. They take pity on her and keep her with them as they continue to investigate.

They find a cellar and leave the girl with the party sorcerer (played by my 11 year old daughter). While most of the group is fighting spiders, the girl, alone with my daughter's character, finally begins to speak.

Using my little-girl voice, whispering directly to my daughter, "That cellar is where they kept me locked up, because I'm sick. They tried to cure me, but it never worked. And then, I got out...and I ate the head-mistress. And then, I ate all the other kids and burned down the orphanage. And now..."

I switched to deep, ugly monster voice as the little girl, a werewolf, changed into hybrid form, "I'm going to eat you!"

My daughter shrieked, her character ran, everyone else at the table laughed.

I am evil.