What to do with dirt-phobic PCs?

[Black_Swan]

Thoughts

The only reason I could see for a good roleplayer to react this way is if they feel that the game that was presented during character creation is not the game they're playing.

For example..I've played in games where I'm told there won't be a lot of combat..more political intrigue. So I stat out a pc who's all about charisma and diplomacy..next thing I know I'm out in monster land getting my butt handed to me by the monsters and enemies I was told we wouldn't be fighting.

Considering 2 of your pc's are exhibiting this behavior..make sure that you guys are all on the same page as to what type of game will be run.

 

[WayneLigon]

Just remind them that Prestidigitation, which every Wizard has, can clean objects perfectly.

 

[lukelightning]

I see nothing wrong with RPing such a character. What's the problem?

Of course if they flat out refuse to overcome this fear when needed, well, they could get themselves into lots of trouble. "Looks like the only escape route out of this collapsing castle is the sewers..."

 

[Stormborn]

Just remind them that Prestidigitation, which every Wizard has, can clean objects perfectly.

In an IK game i played a gun mage whose spell selection was pretty worthless (one of the reasons I got frustrated with that game) but did have prestidigitation. He was meticulous about having clean boots and used it all the time for that purpose.

As to the OPs issue, I agree that at some point you have to tell players that they have to meet the GM half way. It is not only the GMs responcibility to given PCs a reason to do something, its the players as well. And if they can't then need to come up with a PC who can. IME this has more often stemmed from a base cause of a player not wanting to play or not wanting to play that campaign but going along for the sake of whatever than the PC not being motivated to do go on a specific adventure or take a plot hook.

As for the new player, encourage her to roleplayer her character, but point out that she can do that and still go along with the adventure. She might complain about being dirty, for example, or comment on the smell constantly, but still actually go in the sewer and do the job. So long as she can keep the distinction between a PCs complaints and a players she should have fun and the game can keep moving.

I do think that every campaign should begin with "You are adventurers. Come up with a reason to adventure!"

 

[mmu1]

This sounds like something that you ought to be able to easily work around, either by simply talking to the players, or offering them a stronger in-game motivation. (money, the urgent need to find someone, or something, etc.)

Though it brings up an interesting point about what experienced RPG players come to regard as reasonable:

- Things that would drive some people insane with boredom, and which we'd probably never do - or at least, not quite so often - if we didn't have the ability to "accelerate" time - staking out some place for days, spending hours digging, or waiting a day after every encounter because the wizard wants to have all his spells before we start walking through the wilderness again.

- Things that we might consider to be a matter of course, but in real life, would be highly uncomfortable: Spending twelve hours in heavy armor, carrying a greatsword, a longbow and guisarme at the same time, lugging around 20 pounds of gold coins instead of spending a comfortable month lounging around in an inn, etc. All the gear that a typical adventurer lugs might seem like a good idea, but do you think we'd really carry half of it if we had to deal with the sore shoulders, aching backs and blistered feet as a result of carting all that junk through forests, swamps, deserts, dungeons, and who knows what else?

- Things that are vile and disgusting, and that - short of a life and death situation, or some huge payoff - would make many people go "forget it, it's not worth it" or "there has to be some other way". Even when something important is at stake, most people will think twice about wading up to their waist in sewage. (I remember reading accounts of the Warsaw Uprising in which Polish resistance members were forced to use the sewers to get around - plenty of people found it hard to enter something that claustrophobic and filthy, even with the Nazis breathing down their necks.)

 

[werk]

The other player has been RPing for a lot longer (not long enough for Rot Grubs though), and he's actually a pretty decent method actor. He said after the game that he was having a hard time finding reasons for his character to embark on the adventure, otherwise he would have been good to go. The trouble I had was that I'd thrown all the hooks that I had at him and provided multiple avenues to proceed, but none met with his character's satisfaction. How should I resolve it with him?

-blarg

Tell him to make an adventurer rather than an interesting character. I have lots of interesting characters in my neighborhood, but I wouldn't want to put them in charge of saving the world.

 

[Nifft]

Creativity and fun are about finding a way to say "YES".

This goes for DMs and Players alike.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Dragon Vindaloo]

A year or so ago, I tried to put my players through the adventure known as 'The Stink' from Dungeon mag. Up until this adventure the party had only dealt with woodland skirmishes and travelling through orc infested hillsides. This was to be their first grimy urban adventure and would lead to a bigger story in the campaign revolving around undead.

The party consisted of an avariel cleric, half orc ranger, gold elf ranger with jaguar companion and two human fighters in full plate. All N or CG in alignment except the avariel who was NG.

I converted the adventure to fit into Westgate (a more 'corrupted' city of the realms).

Once the characters realised they had to go into a sewer they freaked!
The N ranger left with his jaguar to wait in the woods outside the city with an npc as his arrows and bow wouldnt be much use and would be destroyed by the dirt, also the big cat didnt want to swim through sewage and wasnt suited to the environment.
The rest of the group carried on. They entered the sewer... once they were exposed to the dirt, smell and grime of the first encounter and started to understand they might get a disease they decided to leave the sewer (and adventure) because it was too dirty and disgusting, "I'm not wading waist deep through that!" etc.
Only the half orc didnt mind all the filth and the avariel was NG so he wanted to do anything to help heal the city and stop the disease spreading dispite his discomfort but they were out-voted and couldnt go on without the others so the adventure was abandoned. On the whole, nobody wanted to get dirty, wade through crap and damage their weapons, wings, clothes, equipment etc.

It was a fairly new campaign so I wasnt aware of all the characters personality quirks etc otherwise I would have come up with another city adventure for them.

Come to think of it, my own current wizard PC and his companions in our mid level game (played with an entirely different group of players) wouldnt do such a dirty adventure either, my wizard and his friends hate getting dirty and would consider going into a sewer gross and beneath them, our current group would just hire some npcs to do the job for us if possible... Maybe its not that uncommon for character to want to stay clean and tidy?!

 

[Lanefan]

Sounds to me like your players have, either in concert or independently, come up with an interesting character quirk. I'd say (as others already have) let 'em play it out, and if the party suffers because of it, so be it. But, make sure you're only giving ExP to those who take the risks! Don't fall into the trap of giving equal ExP to everyone....

They'll catch on soon enough.

Lanefan

 

[jollyninja]

Any character that is not self motivated to adventure is a poorly designed character imho. To lessen hardship on others, because if he doesn't do something it might not get done, because it's the right thing to do, to get in good with the locals, and in this specific situation "because my friends/companions are in danger (and I might need them to do something they don't like later)". The last one being the all encompassing easiest to justify in character motivation to do anything for less then noble characters.

If it's a true phobia, it's a badly designed character, there's no way to avoid dirt messes as an adventurer. Afraid of dirt? come on. as a personality trait, not liking to get dirty can be played any number of ways other then outright refusal. constant whining but getting the job done, bringing it up later during an arguement, demanding that his laundry bill be covered in the case that the adventure is not profitable ect.

Adventurers are not normal people, they are the ones who are trained to go out on their own and save the world. such a person should have previously, or shortly after beginning their career, realised that the adventuring life is not for them.