Good ways to tick off PCs?
- Thread starter Brandigan
- Start date
Timely Drought
First Post
Have them fill out paperwork to move between cities/provinces. Have them carry birth certificates, right to carry arms, right to wander the tyrant's wilderness in search of adventure, right to use arcane and divine magic, right to carry enchanted items. Tax heavily all treasure gained. Have bureaucrats mess up their paperwork, require bribes sometimes but condemn them for trying to bribe officials other times. Give them fines for poaching. Have them escort petty officials (and their bitter wives and detestable children) from some backwater province to the capital. Fine them for destruction of property when they fireball the inn when assassins attack. Put them on trial for crimes they didn't commit.
Have the tyrant be ruthless in all reprisals. If some village is unable to pay taxes due to a poor crops, have an army brigade come in and slay the mayor and his familly, and impale them. Make sure the army is composed almost entirely of condemned criminals. When there's rumour of rebellion in a village, have the army come in and impale everyone. Make sure to practice torture on the friends and familly of suspected dissidents. Send disliked races/cultures into exile in the wastelands. Brutal slavery with no hope of becoming a citizen.
Eventually the PCs will be so fed up with the empire that they'll join the anarchist revolution and torch the capital.
Have the tyrant be ruthless in all reprisals. If some village is unable to pay taxes due to a poor crops, have an army brigade come in and slay the mayor and his familly, and impale them. Make sure the army is composed almost entirely of condemned criminals. When there's rumour of rebellion in a village, have the army come in and impale everyone. Make sure to practice torture on the friends and familly of suspected dissidents. Send disliked races/cultures into exile in the wastelands. Brutal slavery with no hope of becoming a citizen.
Eventually the PCs will be so fed up with the empire that they'll join the anarchist revolution and torch the capital.
Last edited:
The Amazing Dingo
First Post
The taxes are the big thing.
In truth, I might not start them out against the tyrant. Let their first adventure be something else...perhaps some gnolls seen in the nearby area that they are called to scout since it will take several days to get the militia together.
During this event, make the even king/baron/whatever the bad guy. When they come back, make sure the local sheriff is there to collect taxes on the coins and items they come back with ("Oh...thats a nice ring...and magical...well, looks like the taxes on that is 750 gold pieces or the ring itself..."). Suddenly they are choosing between the ring or pretty much all the money they have on them.
Also, make sure he does cause problems with the family. In truth, I'd start it off small with the local sheriff being the bad guy (at least on the outside). Have him begin to hit on one of the PC's sisters or mothers and when she spurns him several times, make sure she is found raped/killed (that might not be too PG-13 for you though). Another PC's family might have all their family holdings repossessed since some distant family member rebelled against the king and this is the punishment, etc.
Then the PC's hate the sheriff since he's the face of the lord/king. Of course, when the investigate the sheriff, they find the letters there, specifically telling him what to do (to kill the girl and other such things that, on the outside, seem like they were carried out only by the sheriff). Suddenly, things become more complicated and the adventure moves off to a new location and a new level.
In truth, I might not start them out against the tyrant. Let their first adventure be something else...perhaps some gnolls seen in the nearby area that they are called to scout since it will take several days to get the militia together.
During this event, make the even king/baron/whatever the bad guy. When they come back, make sure the local sheriff is there to collect taxes on the coins and items they come back with ("Oh...thats a nice ring...and magical...well, looks like the taxes on that is 750 gold pieces or the ring itself..."). Suddenly they are choosing between the ring or pretty much all the money they have on them.
Also, make sure he does cause problems with the family. In truth, I'd start it off small with the local sheriff being the bad guy (at least on the outside). Have him begin to hit on one of the PC's sisters or mothers and when she spurns him several times, make sure she is found raped/killed (that might not be too PG-13 for you though). Another PC's family might have all their family holdings repossessed since some distant family member rebelled against the king and this is the punishment, etc.
Then the PC's hate the sheriff since he's the face of the lord/king. Of course, when the investigate the sheriff, they find the letters there, specifically telling him what to do (to kill the girl and other such things that, on the outside, seem like they were carried out only by the sheriff). Suddenly, things become more complicated and the adventure moves off to a new location and a new level.
Terwox
First Post
An idea:
You could have the baron come and give a mandatory speech that everyone must hear.
It's a great speech, about how he's lowering taxes, and how happiness is on the rise, and there's going to be a new priest in town to heal the sick and provide for the wounded.
While everyone is at the speech he's making, his men "tax" the town for the "last" time, (ie take anything of value from everyone's houses,) all led by the new priest in town -- not necessarily an EVIL deity, but at least a thieving or mercantile deity who allows for these tactics.
The baron has found the faith. Not in a cleric sense, just in a "I've found the religion of money!" sense.
As everyone also mentioned -- have him take people's family members. This is especially good if you have a married peasant -- his wife was ill and stayed home, so she was "taxed" as well -- whether thrown in the stocks, taken as a concubine, whatever. And yeah, it helps if she's "the purtiest girl in all de land."
Just an idea.
You could have the baron come and give a mandatory speech that everyone must hear.
It's a great speech, about how he's lowering taxes, and how happiness is on the rise, and there's going to be a new priest in town to heal the sick and provide for the wounded.
While everyone is at the speech he's making, his men "tax" the town for the "last" time, (ie take anything of value from everyone's houses,) all led by the new priest in town -- not necessarily an EVIL deity, but at least a thieving or mercantile deity who allows for these tactics.
The baron has found the faith. Not in a cleric sense, just in a "I've found the religion of money!" sense.
As everyone also mentioned -- have him take people's family members. This is especially good if you have a married peasant -- his wife was ill and stayed home, so she was "taxed" as well -- whether thrown in the stocks, taken as a concubine, whatever. And yeah, it helps if she's "the purtiest girl in all de land."
Just an idea.
