I’m so tired of getting punked out by commoners. (rantish)

[Methinkus]

I’m so tired of getting punked out by commoners. (rantish)

That’s right I used the verb “to punk” right there.

So what is going on here? I’m so tired of every blacksmith I run into having 12 levels of fighter and a serious attitude. I can’t stand it anymore. I work hard to earn the respect of the people, parades are held in the honor of my friends and I, our tireless efforts have saved this town on several occasions, not to mention doing the same thing for the last three towns we have come across so far, so why, no, how, can it be that when I ask for a measly night’s stay at the local inn – that’s the local inn, for goodness sake, the one with the straw beds and leaky roof. Is it so unreasonable for a group of adventurers who just saved you and all your family and friends to be put up somewhere decent for one night before they head off into the sunset?

When I try to haggle with the blacksmith he stares at me blankly and repeats the price, when I try to offer something other than money he gets offended, when I ask if there are any other smiths around I could talk to he SPITS at me. When I demand that he defend himself – hang on its gonna get really good – he reaches behind a crate and hurls a hammer at my head. When said hammer nearly kills my poor character he runs into the street hopeing to escape only to be instantly restrained by a full regiment of suddenly very well trained town guards and dragged off to prison where rocks are thrown at him until the session ends.

This is not the first time some punk commoner whose entire piddling little village I just helped to save turned out to have more than enough power to kill my character in under 12 seconds. It seems to be a common theme that farmers are not to be messed with.

What ever happened to the PC’s being the very capable hero’s? Does this ever happen to anyone else? Tavern keepers hurl your half orc barbarian out the door like he was a baby? Glass blowers with several level of monk? Hermits always seem to be powerful rangers? What is wrong with you DMs out there? Why destroy all sense of advancement as we go from session to session? Why make the quest we just risked out character’s lives on seem so unimportant as soon as we walk back into town? Why can’t the characters be the movers and shakers that one would expect PC’s with many class levels to be?

 

[SHARK]

Greetings!

I'm sorry to hear you have been so...how shall we say it?..."punked out" by such commoners. In my own campaign, player characters are famous throughout the Vallorean Empire. Several of them are very powerful nobles, and command mighty armies. I think there are about 20 Vallorean Legions, each Legion having 12,000 Legionnaires, for a total of approximately 240,000 soldiers. Three characters are members of an elite Royal Order of Wizards, and there are several other characters who are very powerful priests, and have broad connections within several temples. With the characters that are Fighters, Paladins, Rangers, or Barbarians, they can walk into a situation, and there gaze alone often settles arguments. In some situations, a company of elite Legionnaires, or Knight-Templars await eagerly to bring the hammer down and do their lord's bidding, enforcing the player's will on whatever situation that they can pour out their energies. With strangers, their appearance, noble and heroic demeanor, and their excellent reputation for serving the people and for enjoying the favour of the Emperor is plenty of motivation for them to get free room and board, free food and drinks, interested friends and hangers on eager to serve them; and exclusive invitations by local noble lords to attend their castle and recline in luxury for the duration of their stay in the area. At other times, various local wizards, priests, lords, and commanders, are more than willing to help the player characters with loans of gold, modest magic items, healing, extra protection, soldiers, or bearing important messages, or providing mundane supplies, equipment, and animals, as needed by the party. Should none of these things be required, many npc's are at least willing to put in a good word for the party, or exert whatever political or social influence they possess on the party's behalf, in many different reasonable circumstances. Player characters, and their cohorts, and npc-members of the group, can reasonably expect many side benefits, respect, and a growing degree of power and influence for their heroism, and for their prowess and professional skill.

Having said that, there are characters who defy the party; lie to them; or outrightly oppose them; other character cut them no slack; and sometimes they aren't treated as anything special, for various reasons; These things all occur in context though. At the end of the day, player characters and such enjoy appropriate prestige, glory, wealth, influence, and authority.

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

 

[rounser]

only to be instantly restrained by a full regiment of suddenly very well trained town guards and dragged off to prison

Sounds like Ultima Online's Turboguards. And that blacksmith sounds like he's straight out of Everquest with the amount of smack he's able to lay down.

Perhaps you should gently suggest to your DM that MMORPGs make for poor models for P&P gameplay, and that if he ignores your demands to tone down the power levels of the Seemingly Harmless NPCs you'll have your character change his name to B0n3d3wD, start talking in leetspeak, then finally turn PK and kill the other PCs in order to make off with their "phat lewt".

That should do the trick.

 

[pontus]

Methinkus

Perhaps it's time for you to stop wasting your time saving villages when it's obvious they can take care of themselves just fine. Go loot a dungeon or do something else that actually is profitable.

 

[Bagpuss]

It seems to me this villages don't need saving I suggest the next time they are threatened you just sit in the tavern and let them take care of themselves or better yet leave town.

Stick to dungeon raiding, assuming the local Blacksmith hasn't already cleared it out.

 

[Ravellion]

Stick to dungeon raiding, assuming the local Blacksmith hasn't already cleared it out.

Provided the Blacksmith isn't the climactic end of dungeon gaurdian...

Rav

 

[Talvisota]

Get a real DM.

 

[Bagpuss]

Have you spoken to your DM about this problem? I know you have vented steam here but its not going to help if your DM is still clueless to the annoyance this causes.

I imagine your not the only player that feels like this, explain to your DM that it seems a little odd that the heros of the land are not given any respect and appear to be out classes by the same militia that came running for help to fight off the invading orcs.

If the DM doesn't find out what he is doing wrong he can never improve.

 

[Gez]

When you're asked to save a village, draw your sword and strike the bugger. If he won the fight, tell him "OK, I surrender. I made that just to see who's the best fighter out there. It's you, not me. If you can't save your own village, I can even less." And leave.

The uber-NPCs in MMORPG Rounser talks about are necessary to avoid immature gamer slaughtering every NPCs and ruining the game. If this attitude's a problem in P&P, that must be handled differently by the DM...

 

[BlueMonsterKu]

Sounds like the DM dosn't want any un-planned changes in his precious little world. I think its pathetic. Its that same kind of thinking that motivates DMs to break all the rules because the players just absolutely outsmarted him and toasted his plans to give the players a tough day at the monster park. I congradulate players who do this to me despite my frustrations. Blacksmiths kicking the crap out of pc's is just rediculous. You certainly won't find the cashier at Fred Meyers beating up a Marine!