PC Fighting...

[Steverooo]

Once again, I find my Elf in an online campaign with a Half-Orc PC who seems to take my race personally. The HO's player seems okay, but his character is attacking mine, despite my earlier saying that I didn't want to be part of a group that didn't cooperate... So, short of dropping the game or killing his PC (or getting mine killed), what are my other options?

His PC is a HO Cleric of Gruumsh, maybe multiclassed, who knows? Mine is a Ranger, with no spells or magic items which will allow any spell effects. At the moment, he is charging, unarmed. I won Initiative, and will attempt to use a Tanglefoot Bag (or two, if the first misses), and Trip as an AoO if that doesn't end his movement. Of course, after that, I will still have the problem of what to do with the HO (and his player) who want to fight, when I don't...

I can see dropping out (the GM has put my good aligned Elf and a Paladin in a party with this Evil Gruume, so party cooperation isn't going to be happening). No one else among the party is going to be helping out. The Paladin and Rogue are off on their own, and the Dwarf and Human Fighter aren't doing anything (except for the Dwarf "wondering" if, in a fight between Orcs and Elves, whether he sould wait to see who won, or just toss in a fireball).

I have already tried telling the group that I am not interested in being part of a party that doesn't cooperate, and I'm not looking forward to the fight. Since this isn't a face-to-face game, I cannot sit anyone down and talk to them...

So... what to do, what to do? The GM seems to want Intra-party conflict, and this player seems to be looking for ways to cause problems in order to pick a fight.

Are Dropping, Dying, and Killing my only options?

 

[Gargoyle]

Sure seems like it. You could always roleplay begging for mercy and shave off the tips of your ears in penance while pledging your allegiance to Grummsh. Might catch him offguard.

 

[Mordane76]

Give the DM what he wants...

Kill them all, then.


If the DM is looking for "PC Celebrity Deathmatch," give him a blood-bath. Especially the Gruumsh-worshipping buckethead -- what in the name of all that is holy was the DM thinking when you have a PALADIN AND AN ELF in a party with a cleric of Gruumsh?!


If the Dwarf and the Human are evil as well, slaughter them too. Heck, even if they aren't evil, slaughter them anyway -- you're an Elf, and they're dirty, short-lived ground-pounders! If you don't, they'll probably burn down a forest or make half-elves with Elven women they capture.


Honestly, this is why I gave up on PbP and PbEM; if you can't look someone in eye and say, "You're a troll and a jack, and should go play elsewhere," when it honestly needs to be said, or if you can't pull the GM aside and metaphorically slap some sense into him, then things like your scenario are inevitable.

 

[Steverooo]

Sure seems like it. You could always roleplay begging for mercy and shave off the tips of your ears in penance while pledging your allegiance to Grummsh. Might catch him offguard.

Anyone have any helpful suggestions?

 

[Draxus the Tainted]

Kill the half orc then quit the game!

 

[Angcuru]

Tanglefoot Bag + Successful trip attack + neck snapping = 1 dead HO Worshipper of Grummsh.

Then send the DM a computer virus for being an ass!

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Kill em all! Let [insert deity here] sort em out!

 

[Steverooo]

Hey, Moderators!

Evil Gruume,

Hey, Mods, I think an "-ite" of Gruumsh shouldn't be smiley-censored!

(As for the other PCs, no one knows what they are, whether good or evil, let alone classes. So no, murdering them all isn't really an option... Guess I'll just hafta drop, unless someone here has a better idea?...)

 

[Mordane76]

A slightly more composed answer

Now that the bloodlust and animosity of my previous post has subsided...


PbP and PbEM, as well as other online media, strip a very important aspect out of RPGs -- the actual emotional and social interaction that should be occurring during a session. When you put a screen up in front of you and remove yourself from the other players, you remove the necessity to see the ramifications of your actions on the other players' faces.


I don't think the other player will stop. While he's in character, he's obviously not thinking about party unity or story advancement, but then again, neither is the DM, because he let such an errant character into the game. The dwarf and the human are neutral concepts, so they're probably neutral players as well, so no big concern there (as far as you've relayed, at least).

You will probably have to kill the character. Maybe the DM is hoping the players will police their own, but that's not really a good way to run a tight ship. It works in the military, but this isn't the military -- it's supposed to be an enjoyable social event. Maybe killing the character will solve the problem (the next PC he brings in might be more in line story and unity-wise), or it might exacerbate the problem.

In the end, you really are only left with Dropping, Dying, or Killing, because without the real-world social ramifications from actually having to look another player in the eye, you are left with to contend with the desensitizing effect of the Digital Jungle.

 

[Hejdun]

I can't see any alternative to killing him. Perhaps not now or here, but your party won't cooperate with that half-orc in your group.

I would Tanglefoot the orc, run off and get the paladin and tag team his hairy .