D&D 5E Player vs Player Philter of Love

[ECMO3]

So a funny thing happened in one of my games.

I am playing a Female Drow Bladesinger. She is chaotic good but exhibits some of the stereotype female drow attitudes. She is all business and "hard edges" in play, and would usually rather knife an enemy than sweet talk her way around them. She is also magically afflicted with a mild psychotic/paranoia madness (the DM did this, it is not part of her build). However this serves to further emphasize her "violence first" attitude on problem solving.

There is also a male half-Drow Assasin in the party and in terms of role play she is usually verbally abusing him when she is talking to him (worthless male half-breed). Never anything that is bad for the party but she talks to him like he is a dog and acts like she just doesn't like him and thinks he is usless. The other player is ok with this (I think) and his character personality is much more subterfuge and deception. He is usually pretty quiet in game and mostly puts up with it.

At our most recent session as we settled down for the night he slipped a philter of love he had into her food. The "player me" heard it happen, it is not like it was on a secret message to the DM. The DM had him roll contested slight of hand vs perception and she lost the contest. So she thought of him as her true love when they bedded down. Now the next day has come and she is very confused. This is going to be pretty funny to role play this going forward.

Normally I am not a fan of Player Vs Player but this has been pretty funny to play out and she really had it coming.

 

[Ovinomancer]

You have potential real world emotional abuse and racism, very clear in fiction emotional abuse and racism, and now removal of consent. I get you're trying to relay something that sounds fine to you, but maybe consider that this doesn't at all sound fine out loud to strangers.

 

[jayoungr]

My usual rule is PC-versus-PC violence, trickery, etc., is okay if (and only if) both players agree to it. But it sounds like everybody at your table was cool with it, so rock on.

 

[Horwath]

@ECMO3
1st; you character by this description is NOT chaotic good. She is most likely chaotic evil still living in matriarchy of Menzoberranzan or whatever equivalent of similar setting. Or maybe if being generous a "standard chaotic neutral" adventurer that does whatever she thinks is a good idea to her at that time.

Also her actions towards the "half-breed" mandates some kind of retaliation from his part.
Now was it overplayed or underplayed, that is for you two and your DM to play/work it out.

In short, you can be an arse to someone for just enough amount of time before you get yours.

 

[Lycurgon]

I think that everything that happened at your table is find if everyone agrees to it. But it sounds like this stuff has not been talked about before hand.

Ongoing verbal abuse of another character is not okay if it hasn't been discussed before hand. You really could be lessening the other player's enjoyment of their character and the game. The fact that you say the player is "ok with this(I think)" make me think you haven't checked, you're just making assumptions. The player being quiet about it could be a sign that they are not enjoying it (they might be fine with it, they might not be). And since a lot of people are empathic to how others are being treated around them all the other players should be involved in discussing abusive behavior before the game starts, because it could be making them uncomfortable too. Assuming everyone is okay with this is a bad idea. It should be explicitly checked and okayed by the group before play.

And using a Philter of Love on another PC without the players concent is really bad too. But I can see that they might have been thinking that what is good for the goose is good for the gander too in this instance and that you deserved it. Concent should still be checked before hand though.

So there is a lot that is potentially bad about this situation and you are assuming your behavior is okay without being sure from the sound of it.

 

[Vaalingrade]

As long as everyone was okay with it, but the second a players starts looking for a philter of love, or a designer starts typing it into the manuscript, my creep alarm is already throwing sparks.

 

[Flamestrike]

''My character is Chaotic Good.''

''They're also an ultra-violent, psychotic, bigoted misandrist who prefers slitting throats to diplomatic solutions, and who was recently raped by another PC.''

Never change DnD. Never change.

 

[Horwath]

''My character is Chaotic Good.''

''They're also an ultra-violent, psychotic, bigoted misandrist who prefers slitting throats to diplomatic solutions, and who was recently raped by another PC.''

Never change DnD. Never change.

let's say that character tilts more to chaotic rather than good axis

 

[Lojaan]

Sooooo... one character drugged and had sex with another. You know that is rape yeah?

This is a very disturbing post.

 

[Horwath]

Sooooo... one character drugged and had sex with another. You know that is rape yeah?

This is a very disturbing post.

well, in d&d terms it could be worse, like stealing some magic items from PC.