How to punish stealing PC's?

[Xar]

Ok, this occured last time we were playing: one of the PC's met a high level dwarven fighter and decided to go out with him. The result: she got the dwarf drunk, tied him up in his room and looted all his stuff. Of course the dwarf got really pissed off as he lost his +3 axe and decanter of endless beer, and is not in the mood to talk matters out.
Problem: the PC's are 2nd level, dwarf is 8th, so he could kill them all single-handedly. He allready hired a spellcaster to Scry on them, and now its only a matter of time that he will find the party.
But then what? I want to teach the stealing PC a lesson, not just kill her, as that wouldn't solve anything. Maiming her is also out, as it is no fun to play a disabled character. So any ideas how to punish the character in way that discourages any further stealing from NPC's?

 

[Zappo]

Well, it depends on the dwarf's alignment. Unless he's good he would reasonably want the PC dead or maimed, maybe with all his friends too. Even if he's good, he'd have the PC thrown in jail for the next few decades. Since that's not what you're looking for, you might have the dwarf pop up, take back his stuff, and the offending PC's equipment too.

Alternatively, the dwarf could pop up, take back his stuff, and tell the PC that he's going to make a dangerous and long quest for him that will probably get him killed in some horrible way. "Or I'll kill you", he'll add.

 

[mmu1]

Why doesn't killing her solve anything? What she did was 1. Evil and 2. Completely idiotic. Since you don't mind fudging to make sure your PC's live (no, I'm not saying fudging is bad), you should have fudged during their 'night out' to make sure she didn't pull this off, it'd have been a hell of a lot easier.

Still, if you want to take it easy on her, you could always have the spellcaster who's doing the scrying intervene - you could just say the Dwarf hired him not just to scry but to get his stuff back. Have him teleport in with improved invisibility on, rough up the thief and take the gear back. Maybe hit her with some sort of annoying but non-lethal curse - if she's quite the seductress, have it make the dirtiest, smelliest tavern drunks find her irresistible

 

[Buttercup]

I'd kill her. Once upon a time, I let several of my players get away with stupid crap like this, and it took me a great deal of twisting & turning to rationalize their continued breathing within the context of the game. Never again.

 

[ninthcouncil]

Stealing valuable things from NPCs four times your level, without even bothering to obscure your identity?

Verdict: suicide.

It's only a 2nd level character, after all. Call it a "learning experience"

 

[Jezrael]

I don't think you should punish the PC per se, it sounds like the character is set up specifically as a thief type.

I mean if you don't allow theft then what's the point of skills like Bluff and Pick Pockets?

Now of course that doesn't mean the dwarf won't want revenge, but doing it because a character stole and you're trying to "train" them not to steal is totally the wrong reason to go about it IMHO.

That being said; were I said dwarf I would track and kill that particular PC, dwarfs are kind of persnickety about their possessions.

 

[Fade]

I'd have the dwarf come and reclaim his stuff, and explain very clearly to the offending PC that she now owes him, and that he'll be back one day to settle the debt. Then forget about it for about 6 months. Then have the dwarf call in the favor...

 

[Horacio]

I would have the dwarf appearing and cutting the thief's hand after taking back his equipment. Call it a lesson...

Anbd have the maimed thief find a cleric who could restore her... after doing a quest, of course. Call it the complement of the lesson...

And if she ask what the lesson is, it's not "don't steal", it's "don't steal from somebody who can go after you and kill you"

 

[Henry]

Another vote for the maiming of the stupid thief.

What is the Dwarf's alignment, anyway? if it's evil, then he won't care WHAT happens to her - he'll probably go all out after her. If it's neutral, he'll probably want justice, or at least a hand for his mantelpiece.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

If you didn`t define his alignment, I suggest Lawful Good. So he could go after them, but be "fair". (So, no death, no loss of hand. Maybe a Quest.)