Stupidest things PCs/DMs have done

[STARP_Social_Officer]

My cousin told me about this one.

These three agents -working for the fictional American covert agency in our game- were trying to penetrate the security of the Main Villain’s secret island base.

They hit on the idea of chartering a plane and flying the short hope from the resort island of St. John to the villain’s hide out. They charter the plane and meet the pilot early in the morning the following day for their sight seeing trip.

One of the agents recognizes the pilot as one of the villain’s henchman. Without explaining to the other two what hes up too, Manny pulls his pistol and shoots out the radio.

Only then does he explain to the others that their pilot is in league with the bad guys. At this point, a struggle ensues –as one would expect.

In the course of the struggle with the pilot –who incidentally was NOT in league with the Main Villain- Moe opens the pilots side door as Jack cuts loose the seat belts while Manny keeps the poor pilot in a choke hold from his position behind him.

Long story short, the innocent pilot gets tossed out of the plane at five thousand feet and meets a harsh death in the waters of the Caribbean.

Only then does it occur to the trio of players that none of their characters have even a single rank in piloting skill. Despite their best efforts, the plane crashes swiftly into the Caribbean.

I didn't know there was a Get Smart RPG!

 

[Slife]

I'm glad you guys seem like you had fun with the game, but from the things you've mentioned in this thread, I'd have lasted maybe 2 sessions with your game before running like my ass was on fire.

Well, obviously they're playing an OD&D style game. You know, pure hack and slash, lots of character turnover, and new characters start at level 1.


*Waits for Diaglo to appear and contradict me*

 

[gambler1650]

I just recalled another one and it is simply poor roleplaying on the part of the rogue's player.

The party's physically toughest character, the barbarian, reached into a whole in the wall filled with magical energy and then fell backward onto the floor barely concious. The player of the rogue, knowing that a failed save throw was what nearly killing the barbarian, then had his own character reach into the same hole (The DM decided to reward player's metagaming and poor roleplaying by inflicting max damage on the rogue and disallowed a saving throw for the rogue).

Yeah, ok, so the original post was over a year ago, but this hardly seems a stupid thing for a rogue to do. Well ok, it does seem stupid, but it doesn't feel like poor roleplaying.

Whether or not the characters knew it was magical energy or not, there's no reason to think ICly that the circumstance will be the same for each character. Perhaps it's a one shot magical trap, or at least the magical energy could have been drained slightly. Perhaps the energy is 'swirling' rather than constant everywhere in the hole so that the barbarian's hand contacted the highest concentration (thus the failed saving throw).

Now, the _player_ sounds as though he might have said something like "Well, I might pass my saving throw, what the heck..." DMs all the time force players to 'do what they say' (even if it's obviously joking). So while the PLAYER says the above, his rogue might be thinking "Maybe it's a one shot trap. Maybe it doesn't like barbarians. Maybe knowing there's something bad in there will let me prepare for the potential shock."

Seems more poor DMing than poor roleplaying. Yeah, the player could have put it in a better fashion, but the DM sounds wayyyyy too rigid.

But yes. It was a stupid thing for the character to do. Doesn't mean he shouldn't get his chance to overcome the challenge according to the rules.

On the other hand I liked the character trying to talk to a demon using the universal language of mathematics...

 

[Brimshack]

You know for all I know I posted this earlier. I definitely did post it somewhere, but...


In my 1st edition campaign, the group had just defeated a major army of evil warriors and they were contemplating what to do. The god, Lei Kung, showed up and offered the group a deal; they should leave the army to return home in its crippled state. In return he would (switched to metagaming mode - each player could have one of his characters ask Lei Kung for one thing). So, when one player's turn came up, he hesitated for a moment, then said it couldn't hurt to ask. He had his Paladin ask Lei Kung for a Holy Avenger. So, there it was a Holy Warrior asking an evil deity for a holy sword, just a little off base I thought. Now the player had already been told in the previous game (when he asked a mage - actually a Vampire - for a Holy Avenger) that such items were between him and his own deity. So, I was about to say no, when a thought occured to me.

Lei Kung left, came back a minute later and handed the Paladin a sword with the stump of a bloody hand still gripping the handle. The player was elated, ...and somewhat surprised when it seemed to function as a simple +2 blade.

 

[chakken98]

You know for all I know I posted this earlier. I definitely did post it somewhere, but...

Lei Kung left, came back a minute later and handed the Paladin a sword with the stump of a bloody hand still gripping the handle. The player was elated, ...and somewhat surprised when it seemed to function as a simple +2 blade.

Ha ha ha, that greats.

 

[Lalalei2001]

I don't get the thing about the Holy Avenger. What happened?

 

[Tarek]

Well, in the hands of anyone other than a Paladin, a Holy Avenger just acts like a +2 longsword...

Paladin has strict code of conduct regarding evil. Violating that code of conduct means Paladin loses all Paladin abilities and becomes 'just a fighter' until atonement happens.

Paladin asks Evil Deity for a favor... which results in Evil Deity killing another Paladin in order to give this one a Holy Avenger. See the problem?

 

[Lalalei2001]

LOL, yeah.

 

[MarkB]

This is a tale of "stupidest advice given", and the advice was, generally, given by me. But then, the other player didn't have to follow it, did he?

In an island-based campaign, in which orcs are a viking-style culture who haven't been known to visit this island for decades, we're sent to investigate rumours of a group of orcs setting up camp in a nearby abandoned mine near the shore. After we arrive there and our scout confirms that there are orcs in the large depression where the mine entrance is located, we all sneak up and the half-orc barbarian prepares to rush in when my gnome sorcerer speaks up.

ME: Wait, we don't know they're hostile. We should approach them first and ask what they're doing here.

BARBARIAN: They're orcs, of course they're up to no good.

ME: Yeah, but they're not exactly looting and pillaging, are they? It's worth a try.

BARBARIAN: Well, okay...

The barbarian walks up over the ridge, arms extended in truce, and catches half a dozen javelins in the chest, the orcs having heard our conversation and prepared themselves.

------

Later, we're inside the mine and come to a cavern with a couple of orcs and worgs. The first orc charges in and misses the barbarian, who responds by splitting his skull with one axe-blow.

BARBARIAN: Oh yeah, and I rage.

ME: No, hold off on the rage until the start of your next turn, it'll drag down your AC.

BARBARIAN: Good point. I'll wait till next turn, then.

Next initiative, a worg moves in, bites the barbarian despite his non-lowered AC, and makes its free Trip attack. The barbarian fails his opposed Strength check by 1 point on account of not yet having his extra strength from Rage, and falls prone. Then the other orc and worg move in.

ME (deadpan): Told you you should've raged.


Fortunately, we're good enough friends that he saw the funny side of it, but his barbarian is now pathologically reluctant to heed anything the gnome sorcerer suggests.

 

[Lalalei2001]

I found a collection of Last Words from RPGs on a website.

http://www.eclipse.net/~srudy/flw/flw0250.html