Things that annoy your PCs?

[AuraSeer]

Also, modules that have sections like, "blah, blah, and nothing will stop this short of a wish."

Sing it, brother!
That kind of copout shows pure laziness on the part of the module authors. Rather than using in-game explanations, like magic aura to mask magic traps, they just ignore the rules and declare whatever they like. It's like gaming with a kindergartener-- "My trapz is kooler then u, an yu cant brake it an it hits yu and yur ded, nyah!"

More generally, it's tremendously annoying to find any special case that doesn't follow the normal rules. The players spend an awful lot of time learning how the game rules and their character abilities interact; why bother with that if it's all subject to change at any time? I'm playing D&D here, not "random arbitrary RPG that follows a few of D&D's rules when convenient." This is true whether you're talking about a single unavoidable trap, or a whole new mechanism for injury. (Vile damage, I'm looking at you.)

 

[Hjorimir]

Anything from the D-Section (any self-respecting DM should know what I'm talking about).

 

[Emperor Valerian]

Hmm... lets see...
- Using a PCs background in a tragic manner (ie. killing off the brother of the PC to make the group hate the baddies more)
- Creating lovable NPCs only to have them die at the hands of the evil the PCs are up against
- Loved NPCs slowly turning evil as the group watches (a slow turning where the group feels powerless can be far more... distressing than a sudden change)
- NPCs betraying the group (more fun than the slow turning)
- Being chased (happens alot)
- Assassins (lets see... they've had how many hits put on them now? 5?)
- Royalty (Dealing with snobby princesses annoys them)
- Loved NPCs being captured by the baddies and carted off
- Nimblewrights (the group fighter was very annoyed that attack rolls of 26 and 27 missed the two nimblewrights sent to kill the group...)
- Me randomly pulling out the MM or MM2 while the party is talking
- Hearing the sound of random dice the DM is rolling
- Suspenseful buildups to something mundane ("Make a listen check... make a spot check. You see a housecat wander close to the fire, then leave")

Many of these, they tell me, are "good" annoyances... I'm not sure how to take this

 

[Sejs]

Preach on, brother Belbarrus!

*Most anything from MM2.
*NPCs using limited use items against them.
*Level drain.
*When thru their own actions, they eliminate "action" content. Example from a recent game: PCs travel from Cicilo (a town beset by recent goblin-related woes) to Garinham (the nearest city that has an imperial garrison there) to request military aid on behalf of the Cicilo town council. On the way they encounter some of the bandits that ply the roads in that region and have had past dealings with said goblins, as well as reinforcements to the goblin cell, these ones mounted on worgs. It's a bit of a trial, but they make it to Garinham, talk to the Man In Charge and get the soldiers that they need.

Then on the way back they gripe about how the same bandits and goblins are nowhere to be found. Hello? You're traveling with 3 squads of heavily armed, armored, well trained badasses - the bad guys have an int of 10, they can spell 'overwhelming odds' just as well as the next guy.

*Love/Hate: Humanoid type races that have a level in their racially favored class rather than the generic one level of warrior that's written out in the MM.

PC: So what's the problem? They're just orcs - I draw my longsword as I close to engage. *roll* Ac 21 for 4 damage?
Me: Easily hits. Right, the orcs' turn. The one you hit goes into a Rage...
PC: Oh #$^*!


I, however, apparently cannot spell 'overwhelming odds' as well as the next guy.

 

[SpringPlum]

Nothing irritates our group of players so much as:

• Our DM asking 'Make a Will Save' and then no explanation after you give the results
• Every evil bad guy turning out to be just misunderstood good guys--just once I want a bad guy to actually be a bad guy
• Our PCs turning out to be only Glorified Errand Boys
• No win scenarios

 

[Death_Jester]

Zombie Gnolls or any other kind of Gnoll for that matter.

 

[Wee Jas]

Rust Monsters
Iron Golems
Fleeing villians
Jermlaine. (who ever that is! /wave Richards)

 

[Ogre Mage]

Fellow PCs that are dead weight.

 

[Richards]

Originally posted by Wee Jas:

Jermlaine. (who ever that is! /wave Richards)

/wave right back at you, Wee Jas!

Jermlaine are foot-tall humanoids with wrinkled skin and a penchant for shaving their humanoid victims bald. (They use the shorn hair to make rope.) I have a player whose 2nd Edition female elven mage/thief ended up completely bald as a result of having been knocked unconscious by the little buggers. They were shaving off her last eyebrow when the rest of the party finally rescued her, and now the whole PC party hates (and fears) jermlaine with a passion.

Johnathan

 

[Wee Jas]

Ohh... level draining
Permanent stat loss and...

Richard's Puzzles!