HalfElfSorcerer
First Post
670. Stirges. Lots of stirges. Hundreds upon hundreds of stirges.
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One Thousand Ways to Freak Out Your Players
- Thread starter HalfElfSorcerer
- Start date
671. Go "NeverWinter" on them. When they try to sell something, declare over and over again in the same flat voice that "You cannot sell plot items." Have minotaurs using +3 Vorpal Greataxes that disappear with the minotaur when it dies. Have the Wizard's familiar charge and attack any known enemies as soon as it sees them.
-Tacky
-Tacky
Creeping Out Players
1) The assassin with disguise. It attacks the party, but they never know exactly *who* it's trying to kill and it always flees after it's initial attack. It's actually been sent to kill the good NPC disguised as one of their retainers.
2) Hand a "new" player a character to play. Modify the character sheet (preferably done in an automated character creator) to say "Lawful Good" under alignment and let one or more of the players "accidentally" see the character sheet.
Tell the "Lawful Good" player character that they have some particular goal (such as stealing an item from the party, or delaying/killing one or more party members, crippling the party, etc.) Explain to them that they are not lawful good and they are actually evil.
Offer this player 1,000 XP to play this role. Explaining further that the other players will also gain 1,000 XP bonus if they play the role correctly.
Watch this particularly evil player get two PC's in one room. As the barbarian is forcing open the door, he asks, "Let me cast a spell on you."
"Okay, bull's strength?" asks the barbarian.
"Sure. Do you accept my divine power?" he asks.
"Yeah." says the barbarian.
"GM, he's held for 6 rounds and I sneak attack the wizard." explains the evil player.
"What? Don't I get a save?" asks the player.
"No, you voluntarily forego your save when you allow spells to be cast on you by party members." I reply and gleefully ask for the sneak attack roll and damage.
Just to be evil. I introduced the actual new player the next week and watch them *not* trust them. Ever.
Now just before spell casting, everyone says, "Do you accept my divine power?"
1) The assassin with disguise. It attacks the party, but they never know exactly *who* it's trying to kill and it always flees after it's initial attack. It's actually been sent to kill the good NPC disguised as one of their retainers.
2) Hand a "new" player a character to play. Modify the character sheet (preferably done in an automated character creator) to say "Lawful Good" under alignment and let one or more of the players "accidentally" see the character sheet.
Tell the "Lawful Good" player character that they have some particular goal (such as stealing an item from the party, or delaying/killing one or more party members, crippling the party, etc.) Explain to them that they are not lawful good and they are actually evil.
Offer this player 1,000 XP to play this role. Explaining further that the other players will also gain 1,000 XP bonus if they play the role correctly.
Watch this particularly evil player get two PC's in one room. As the barbarian is forcing open the door, he asks, "Let me cast a spell on you."
"Okay, bull's strength?" asks the barbarian.
"Sure. Do you accept my divine power?" he asks.
"Yeah." says the barbarian.
"GM, he's held for 6 rounds and I sneak attack the wizard." explains the evil player.
"What? Don't I get a save?" asks the player.
"No, you voluntarily forego your save when you allow spells to be cast on you by party members." I reply and gleefully ask for the sneak attack roll and damage.
Just to be evil. I introduced the actual new player the next week and watch them *not* trust them. Ever.
Now just before spell casting, everyone says, "Do you accept my divine power?"
Bribe With Levels
Offer PC's secret deals from NPC's.
Have one of the PC's mentors explain to them.
You may gain power as a sorcerer (3 levels). Tell the player that these levels act like monster levels, and do *not* modify your ECL for experience purposes.
Only one hitch. If they tell *anyone* where this power comes from, they lose their powers.
Do this with each character, except make a different sort of deal with each one. Watch them
their eyebrows when fellow PC's do things and have feats that their normal levels won't allow. Watch the paranoia grow as each one of them accepted this near irresistable deal.
Watch a good party turn nuetral and eventually some turn evil to protect that which they bargained and now rely on for their power and further advancement.
Watch when they find out they are carrying portions of a powerful deity's soul. Watch as they are called to a ceremony to bind this evil deity. Watch them stare in horror when just as the deity's body appears, it asks the Lawful Good high priest, "Have you collected the portions of my shattered soul?"
Watch the Lawful Good high priest turn to the PC's and say, "Yes, the sacrificial vessels have come to worship at your altar." Watch them scramble as the binding sticks the acolytes are carrying are actually daggers designed to release the trapped spirits.
Watch as the players defenses to keep attackers out of the final ceremony keep them trapped in the temple with the evil acolytes as the great deity is taking shape, each time a player character is stabbed, it gains more of its power (the NPC sacrifices were stabbed first as an illustration to the PC's).
Watch them all accuse each other of making deals as they fight for their lives. Watch them all die, their powers weakened and stolen. Explain to the wizard that the archangel that might have saved them was trapped in his tower and he refused to free him because he was the bound source of power for this incredibly powerful tower. Explain to him and scroll that would have "released the power of the tower", sitting in his backpack now, and useless, was their key to salvation.
Watch nobody ever make a deal with the GM again and every time someone walks away with the GM, watch the other players give him the 3rd degree.
Execute this plan over a period of eight real months.
I'm a bastard.
Offer PC's secret deals from NPC's.
Have one of the PC's mentors explain to them.
You may gain power as a sorcerer (3 levels). Tell the player that these levels act like monster levels, and do *not* modify your ECL for experience purposes.
Only one hitch. If they tell *anyone* where this power comes from, they lose their powers.
Do this with each character, except make a different sort of deal with each one. Watch them
their eyebrows when fellow PC's do things and have feats that their normal levels won't allow. Watch the paranoia grow as each one of them accepted this near irresistable deal.Watch a good party turn nuetral and eventually some turn evil to protect that which they bargained and now rely on for their power and further advancement.
Watch when they find out they are carrying portions of a powerful deity's soul. Watch as they are called to a ceremony to bind this evil deity. Watch them stare in horror when just as the deity's body appears, it asks the Lawful Good high priest, "Have you collected the portions of my shattered soul?"
Watch the Lawful Good high priest turn to the PC's and say, "Yes, the sacrificial vessels have come to worship at your altar." Watch them scramble as the binding sticks the acolytes are carrying are actually daggers designed to release the trapped spirits.
Watch as the players defenses to keep attackers out of the final ceremony keep them trapped in the temple with the evil acolytes as the great deity is taking shape, each time a player character is stabbed, it gains more of its power (the NPC sacrifices were stabbed first as an illustration to the PC's).
Watch them all accuse each other of making deals as they fight for their lives. Watch them all die, their powers weakened and stolen. Explain to the wizard that the archangel that might have saved them was trapped in his tower and he refused to free him because he was the bound source of power for this incredibly powerful tower. Explain to him and scroll that would have "released the power of the tower", sitting in his backpack now, and useless, was their key to salvation.
Watch nobody ever make a deal with the GM again and every time someone walks away with the GM, watch the other players give him the 3rd degree.
Execute this plan over a period of eight real months.
I'm a bastard.
Free Saves
Have a dying player character (one who failed a save) by saved by a moment of whimsy. Mark him visibly with the sign of the god of luck/chaos (such as his eyes show the lightning of Enkili in the Scarred Lands).
Watch him always waiting for the other shoe to drop (the failed save at the worst possible time).
Heh heh. I love it.
Provik
Have a dying player character (one who failed a save) by saved by a moment of whimsy. Mark him visibly with the sign of the god of luck/chaos (such as his eyes show the lightning of Enkili in the Scarred Lands).
Watch him always waiting for the other shoe to drop (the failed save at the worst possible time).
Heh heh. I love it.
Provik
Wanderer At Dusk
First Post
676. Always ask Pc's if there sure they want to do something, role some dice laugh evily and then stop laughing and mutter a curse under your breath. Paranoia will spread...
Croaker
First Post
679-Ask a player to make a Will save. Regardless of the result, pass them a note reading "Act normally for now..."
680-When a character casts detect magic on a heap of treasure, pass them a note reading "You detect an aura of Enchantment/Illusion/Necromancy/Transmutation on character X"
681-When a character casts a spell on an apparently minor creature (such as Charm Person on a barmaid) ask for a Caster Level check. Regardless of the result, say "Your spell appears to work."
682-During normal conversation with an NPC, ask the players what their Sense Motive score is. Roll some dice, and say "He seems sincere..."
680-When a character casts detect magic on a heap of treasure, pass them a note reading "You detect an aura of Enchantment/Illusion/Necromancy/Transmutation on character X"
681-When a character casts a spell on an apparently minor creature (such as Charm Person on a barmaid) ask for a Caster Level check. Regardless of the result, say "Your spell appears to work."
682-During normal conversation with an NPC, ask the players what their Sense Motive score is. Roll some dice, and say "He seems sincere..."
Mathew_Freeman
Adventurer
683. Do not let the players have any treasure unless they specifically tell you that they are picking up, where they are storing it, what their new encumberance is and how fast they can move now.
684. After they've had a seemingly random encounter, give out the usual measly 2gp, and when the players pick it up say 'Hmm...OK' and make a note on a piece of paper.
684. After they've had a seemingly random encounter, give out the usual measly 2gp, and when the players pick it up say 'Hmm...OK' and make a note on a piece of paper.
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