The party patron as a miserable SOB

[kigmatzomat]

Hmmm. My players have found that a snide NPC knows more than they do.

"Oh, so you're just going to prance right up to Castle Aaaaaugh and demand they give you the grail, and they, of course, will quake with fear at the awe inspiring visage you present as you arrive to coconut accompaniment, is that it?
"You just go on ahead then, Mr. HighAndMightyKing, I'm just going to set up a chair here with a cool drink and watch the fun when you meet the French."

Now sometimes the PCs get to be snide back.

"No, they'll open the gates because Lancelot is a french noble who they must obey, you stupid git."

or

"No, we've got the Foul Creature of Caerbannog trapped in this sack and we're gonna lob it over the wall."

 

[GSHamster]

I would give the PCs an exterior reason to follow this guy. Something that will, in the short term, convince them to put up with him.

Then once they get to know him, he needs one or two redeeming qualities. Supreme competence and absolute fairness in keeping to his deals are usually good ones.

One source of inspiration is military novels/stories. They usually feature one or two officers/sergeants who are complete hardasses, but who the reader and protaganist have a--sometimes grudging--appreciation for.

 

[Mr. Wilson]

I agree with the above poster in that being tied to an organization would tie the characters to the patron more firmly, as least in the beginning.

Both Dr. Cox and Dr. House are very competent individuals in their field of work, and in Dr. Cox's case, he actually likes J.D. (I.E. one of the PCs), though it's hardly ever overtly mentioned, and is mostly inferred with the way he works with him, and values his opinions on matters. The same could work, have the NPC Patron ask for opinions on matters of importance, etc.

And Piratecat is right, when/if the players earn his respect, one of the rewards should be praise from said NPC.

 

[Charwoman Gene]

Be the biggest S.O.B. in the world; Have their patron also be their main antagonist.
*** SNIP ***

And the mad wizard watches on with glee, like some perverse reality TV host.

Basically, you want an NPC put in the game who acts just like a rat-bastard DM, minus being able to warp the utter fabric of the world. I LIKE IT!

 

[Mishihari Lord]

The first thing that came to mind for me was the lead doctor in the TV show House. Check it out.

 

[rgard]

So, I'm starting to plan a pbp game for a group of friends from an MMORPG board (yes, MMORPG players also like D&D -- reel in shock and awe). To unite all the characters under the same banner and, in theory, give them a reason to work together, I'm having them all be employees or apprentices of a powerful (and political ambitious) wizard living in Ptolus.

He's Erac, as in Erac's Cousin of 1E fame, and is only marginally nicer. I'm liberally stealing from TV's House for his personality, as well as Dr. Cox from Scrubs. He'll have other stuff piled on before I'm done. (Another nasty wizard in my Midwood campaign started off as an unholy conglomeration of Gargamel, Professor Snape and every Priest of Set that Conan ever crossed paths with, and Khenemet-Apep turned out pretty interestingly, IMO.)

Has anyone ever had the party's patron be a complete and up front SOB (as opposed to the classic betrayal by a seemingly good guy patron)? How did it work out? I don't really want the party to abandon ship, nor murder him in his sleep -- any suggestions on how to keep things from crossing that line?

In a dark side Star Wars campaign I DM'd, the PCs reported to Darth Vex who in turn reported to Darth Vader. Darth Vex was completely evil and delighted in criticizing the PCs and administered punishment whenever she felt the PCs strayed. She also occasionally gave them missions that they would certainly fail...to weed out the weak and assess how powerful the highest level pcs had become with a view to whack them when/if the PCs got high enough level to challenge her.

The players would actually blanche when she would announce that she was accompaning them on a mission. It never occured to the players to run away while she was in charge.

Thanks,
Rich

 

[CruelSummerLord]

Aside from Sherlock Holmes, another example that might work is the character of Eckley from CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. He's the lab supervisor, who got to his position by being an ambitious master of office politics. He's not opely rude or denigrating towards the CSIs (who are in a sense the PCs here), but he does obviously show favoritism, and can use the power he has over them to indulge in his own whims and grudges (one character wanted to be promoted to the day shift so she could spend time with her daughter at night, Eckley promoted her to the swing shift, which is exactly what she _didn't_ want, although it's still a promotion with a pay raise and more prestige), and also demoted a police detective who opposed the office games he was playing.

The catch is, though, that he never pushes it too far. The CSIs might hate him, but he's never committed any ethics violations or gone so out of his way to make life hell for anyone that he could be subject to disciplinary actions. Hence, in a way, he's a snide, arrogant jerk, but he knows better than to push it too far.

OTOH, when the chips are really, truly down, he works with them as needed. If the underlings are in actual physical danger, then he'll stop playing games and work as needed.

Things like scheduling appointments only when it's convienient for him, subtly criticizing those who disagree with him, showing favor to those who suck up to him as opposed to those who speak their mind...but at the same time, when there's a serious, direct crisis, he might use his own resources and political clout to help the players out, cutting through red tape or calling in the odd favor for them, if they've earned his trust and proven themselves to be fair and worthy. If he always keeps to his end of an agreement and deals with the PCs fairly, chances are they'll do the same for him, even if they think he's a total...well, you know where I'm going with this.

The delivery should be subtle; instead of openly insulting them, make them feel like he's looking down on them, but has to resort to "their type" anyway to achieve his own goals. That, along with his own general fairness and consistency, and actively helping them out in a crisis, could go a long way to earning their respect.

 

[CruelSummerLord]

Another possibility is to hint at or show just why the character is a miserable SOB to begin with. Maybe he was bullied as a child, and has become antisocial and mistrusting as a result. Maybe he climbed his way up fang and claw from the bottom, and had to sacrifice and work like hell to get where he is today. Maybe he's being constantly badgered by people who want to curry his favor, and initially views the PCs as more of the same, before they earn his respect through their fairness and competence. Maybe he's actually trying to do some good, but people tease, razz and mock him anyway because he's in a position of power (how many political satirists IRL could actually put up or shut up, sitting in through the onerous meetings, endless debates and stressful decisions, all while needing to keep up a happy face, even as they're getting insulted and mocked by cartoonists across the country and around the world?). Maybe he's just suffered too much unpleasant treatment as a result, and now he's dishing it out instead of receiving it. Maybe he lost his wife or children, and throws himself into his work to try and dull the pain.

If it becomes more apparent why the guy is a miserable jerk sometimes, maybe it'll be easier for the players to sympathize with him.

 

[Varianor Abroad]

Yep. The party chafed under their patron, accepting his cash but resenting his sponsorship, and eventually got out from under him on their own. Essentially, I kept face time with him to a minimum as more of an "adventure catalyst."