One Thousand Ways to Freak Out Your Players

[Moe Ronalds]

281) Get three of the players to help you with this one, and recreate the "Dungeons and Dragons" skit by Dr. Demento

282) Play the above mentioned skit non-stop on your stereo.

283) If your players are evil like mine and don't like comedy (it pains me at night to realize I have players that satanic) start a Malls and Morons game, right after last session's cliffhanger of ungodly proportions.

284) Declair to your party cleric that the gods are at war, and that there were a few casualties. Then, proceed to scribble his god out of your player's handbook. (why anyone would ACTUALLY do something this blasphemous is beyond my comprehension, but...)

 

[333 Dave]

285: As 284, but scribble it out of HIS PHB instead of yours.

 

[Sodalis]

ArthurQ:
A Giant with the head of a drow, the body of a hairy russian, and the feet of al bundy!

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Al Bndy's feet- that's priceless.

Also have him about as smart as Bob Rooney..

 

[apsuman]

285. Have NPC villians cast obvious spells, with enormous inappropriate damage.

"Thangor mumers and gestures and 3 glowing missles appear by his side and he dispatches them toward you, Mialee, and Jozan, they strike unerringly. Everyone roll 2d12 for damage."

g!

 

[Sodalis]

apsuman
285. Have NPC villians cast obvious spells, with enormous inappropriate damage.

why should MM be a lower level spell with the more powerful guys not being able to use it at a higher level/ (more powerfully i mean)

it only scales to 5d4... why?

i would rule that it can take up a spell slot higher and do damage of one die higher- and also more damage dice...

MM is lvl 1 slot- dealing max 5d4+5
if you bump to lvl 2 slot- deals max damage 5d6+5 or 6d4+6
lvl3- 5d8+5 or 7d4+7
lvl4- 5d10+5 or 8d4+8
lvl5- 5d12+5 or 9d4+9
and so on...

obviously increasing HD will have a higher total- but someone might like the scaling D4 for flavor

 

[apsuman]

why should MM be a lower level spell with the more powerful guys not being able to use it at a higher level/ (more powerfully i mean)

it only scales to 5d4... why?

Because that's the rule.

I am with you, I wish some spells would scale. but if you play a standard DnD and you really want to drive your players batty, this is the way to do it, which takes me to number 286.

286. Eventually one will succeed at a spellcraft check to see the spell Thangor is casting... tell them Magic Missle.

g!

 

[Sodalis]

287) make the trigger word for a magic item a common word like I, and so every time they say "I" have the spell go off... this is especially cruel if you have a wand that does that- and since he accidentally triggered it, it casts in the direction of the way the wand was facing- usually straight down..

288)Have a monk NPC wear lots of temporary tatoos. That way- every time they see him, he looks a lil different- and if they know their stuff- wil think he is atatooed monk..

 

[Moe Ronalds]

289) Have the players travel in a small ship called the S.S. Carp, have it crash. Have them, and 7 other people survive. A 10th level expert named Skippy (the captain), A high level aristocrat named Howie Jr, with his wife (five levels lower than Howie Jr.) Spicey, an attractive female bard, an attractive commoner named Marry, a scientist, and a 5th level expert sailor named Lungalose.

 

[Sodalis]

Moe Ronalds
289) Have the players travel in a small ship called the S.S. Carp, have it crash. Have them, and 7 other people survive. A 10th level expert named Skippy (the captain), A high level aristocrat named Howie Jr, with his wife (five levels lower than Howie Jr.) Spicey, an attractive female bard, an attractive commoner named Marry, a scientist, and a 5th level expert sailor named Lungalose.

how will you explain to them that they cant use their magic to wisp them off the island witha single spell?

the funnier thing woul dbe to see how they play with no lights, no phone, no motor car, not a single luxury. like robinson caruso, as primitive as can be.,.....

 

[Sodalis]

290) When they come over for the game, say that you bought cool new minis and want to use them this game. And then pass out cookies as the minis.

291) use the bases of the minis (spare ones- dont rip your existing minis off ) as characters that are invisible. And swap them in and out as they become visible. (it got a chuckle- giggle- flat out laughter out of me when my DM first did that)

292) have you heard of the bomb in the bull?