Rogues stealing from their own party

[DevoutlyApathetic]

I usually tell any "shady" characters players that when it comes to stealing within the party, it creates nothing but discord and infighting among the group and nobody in the end has fun playing.

A very reasonable position.

The ONLY times I let that slide is if someone in the group is a Kender, or has a Kleptomainiac as an insanity

So it's okay so long as the character is annoying all the time?

If you don't accept it when it may be reasonable in character allowing people to build a character around it seem absurd.

 

[diaglo]

The ONLY times I let that slide is if someone in the group is a Kender, or has a Kleptomainiac as an insanity

that is the PHB halfling.

+2 vs fear.
favored class rogue
slight build

 

[Tarangil]

Kenders don't have to be annoying...all the time. They can be a handful though. But really when it comes to them taking things, they're more likley to take the wrapper your rations came in, rather than your magick sord.

The 3E settings do make the Halflings similar to kenders, but there are some differences if you compare the classic Kender with the traditional Halfling. But when it comes to stealing things and the roleplaying factor, the person stealing should at least think out of character also besides thinking in character.

 

[diaglo]

But when it comes to stealing things and the roleplaying factor, the person stealing should at least think out of character also besides thinking in character.

Blasphemy

 

[Tarangil]

Blasphemy

And by out of character...think if there is any tention between players?

otherwise you're right.

Blaspehempy!!

 

[swrushing]

So as a gamer, do you appreciate being in a game where the realism enforcement is on and you can steal from each other or do you meta game an agrement that players won't steal from each other?

nothing official as a metagame rule but since in my game "the right to play" doesn't exist and if your character gets booted out or killed that can mean you, the player, are out until next campaign... people tend to not rely on the "I am a PC" safety net and behave as if "even my actions have conequences."

that said, anyone can steal from the companions... rogue or no. The biggest crook in this regard was a nice gal who was the party face and an herbalist who kept arranging to be the one negotiating the jobs for the group. She kept getting more pay for the group from the employer than she told the other players, making easily three shares for herself, more or less, on each job. Most of them IIRC never caught on. The one that did confronted her and she offered to up his shares... which defused his objection real quick.

 

[Hammerhead]

If the party did all the hard work to get you the ingredients and equipment you use in brewing, then yes, they should expect some of the profit. If they hauled your hops over the mountains and across the deserts, they'll expect to be paid, and reasonably so. Similarly, if they killed the ogre, and that meant you could run a scam, they'll expect a cut...

That analogy doesn't really work. Your example involves the PCs doing a large amount of work to help the schemer. Mine involves the schemer taking advantage of something the rest of the party had already done, doing the work of finding an enemy of the slain ogre mage and negotiating a reward.

 

[gizmo33]

So as a gamer, do you appreciate being in a game where the realism enforcement is on and you can steal from each other or do you meta game an agrement that players won't steal from each other?

The whole game IMO is a "meta game" agreement, and IMO PCs that steal from other PCs are taking advantage of a meta game element to do what they do.

The litmus test of whether or not any kind of PC to PC interaction (stealing, etc.) is reasonable is "how would this have been handled if one of the characters was an NPC". Most likely, most PC thieves would never have been invited to join to party to begin with.

IME, the vast majority of "PC thief steals from another PC" situations occur because a player is taking advantage of a "meta game" logic that allows everyone to play the game and cooperate. IMO the meta game logic that allows DnD to even be playable directly contradicts the conditions you would want to have for a fair PvP type game.

People make allowances (eg. suspicions are put aside or glossed over) for other people's characters so that the group can travel together and face challenges posed by the DM. A player that suddenly invokes some sort of "realism" argument to justify anti-Party type actions IMO is conveniently forgetting this basic fact. Plus, IME a Player thief is often using "out of game" logic about another players habits or actions in order to do what they do.

 

[Prism]

In our underdark campaign one of the players has an imp character who generally steals anything he can get his hands on and either sells it for personal gain or 'loans' it back to the player for some untold sort of future interest payment . Obviously, we don't think of it as a loan as such but the imp seems to. So in this enviroment, we adventure with an imp so what do you expect

Generally we allow it in our group but anyone caught would expect to have their character booted from the group and may be rolling up a new one

 

[diaglo]

The whole game IMO is a "meta game" agreement, and IMO PCs that steal from other PCs are taking advantage of a meta game element to do what they do.

The litmus test of whether or not any kind of PC to PC interaction (stealing, etc.) is reasonable is "how would this have been handled if one of the characters was an NPC". Most likely, most PC thieves would never have been invited to join to party to begin with.

if a thief is not needed why do they have the class? why do adventuring parties ask them to join the group?

People make allowances (eg. suspicions are put aside or glossed over) for other people's characters so that the group can travel together and face challenges posed by the DM. A player that suddenly invokes some sort of "realism" argument to justify anti-Party type actions IMO is conveniently forgetting this basic fact. Plus, IME a Player thief is often using "out of game" logic about another players habits or actions in order to do what they do.

the thief is just as likely to observe his mark. and to know where he places things, how he treats others, and so on during out of time activity.

do you tell the players what their characters eat, how long they sleep, when they go to the bathroom?