Would this be evil?

[danzig138]

Part of the advantage of this, of course, is that the nobles or thugs will be so enraged at the PCs that they'll focus their wrath on them, instead of the innocent bar owner.

Advantage? I don't think so. If the people being so treated are as petty as you described, then the actions of the PCs would (IMG at least) result in even worse treatment for the inn owner and the patrosn the next time. He might even lose his inn depending on the power and status of the punished. Why? Because they're petty. The only lesson they're going to learn is that they can't take their rage out on the PCs, and like most people then, they will lash out at someone else who gets to be the PCs' proxy.

So because the PCs couldn't leave well enough alone, and just give them a general butt kicking, they've made the situation worse.

The act itself, probably not evil, but it would depend to some degree on the reactions and actions of the characters while enforcing the punishment.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Is this a typo, or an oh-i-see-what-you-did-there moment?

(suppresses inner grammar Nazi, 'cause you've made a good point)

Go on, pick on the foreigner because his English isn't perfect.

 

[Alratan]

Advantage? I don't think so. If the people being so treated are as petty as you described, then the actions of the PCs would (IMG at least) result in even worse treatment for the inn owner and the patrosn the next time. He might even lose his inn depending on the power and status of the punished. Why? Because they're petty. The only lesson they're going to learn is that they can't take their rage out on the PCs, and like most people then, they will lash out at someone else who gets to be the PCs' proxy.

So because the PCs couldn't leave well enough alone, and just give them a general butt kicking, they've made the situation worse.

The act itself, probably not evil, but it would depend to some degree on the reactions and actions of the characters while enforcing the punishment.

I agree here. Publicly humiliating people with power like this all but ensures that they take it out on the bystanders.

It's not an evil act but it's certainly non-good (respecting the dignity of sentient beings...) - as a consequence of the PCs massaging their own ego the inn-keeper and bar staff will probably suffer quite substantially. It's mainly an example of a Chaotic Stupid act, of characters that don't realise that there is more to the world than them and that there are other form of power other than direct physical intimidation.

 

[CruelSummerLord]

I agree here. Publicly humiliating people with power like this all but ensures that they take it out on the bystanders.

It's not an evil act but it's certainly non-good (respecting the dignity of sentient beings...) - as a consequence of the PCs massaging their own ego the inn-keeper and bar staff will probably suffer quite substantially. It's mainly an example of a Chaotic Stupid act, of characters that don't realise that there is more to the world than them and that there are other form of power other than direct physical intimidation.

Advantage? I don't think so. If the people being so treated are as petty as you described, then the actions of the PCs would (IMG at least) result in even worse treatment for the inn owner and the patrosn the next time. He might even lose his inn depending on the power and status of the punished. Why? Because they're petty. The only lesson they're going to learn is that they can't take their rage out on the PCs, and like most people then, they will lash out at someone else who gets to be the PCs' proxy.

So because the PCs couldn't leave well enough alone, and just give them a general butt kicking, they've made the situation worse.

The act itself, probably not evil, but it would depend to some degree on the reactions and actions of the characters while enforcing the punishment.

It is not Chaotic Stupid in this case-my version of Greyhawk is not a nice place, and such an activity wouldn't be seen as out of the ordinary-when you can legitimately challenge someone to a sword fight, or physically beat an apology out of them, for insulting you. In one respect, the nobles and/or thugs would be lucky that all the PCs did was humiliate them; other adventurers would have slain them on the spot for their affrontery.

When dwarves routinely kill humanoid noncombatants without mercy, paladins are allowed to use drug-tipped arrows and sleep spells when taking prisoners for questioning, and nobles have no qualims about beheading adventurers who fail in sensitive missions, the nobles or thugs in question would be lucky to only suffer physical humiliation.

Besides, the nobles aren't the only ones with leverage: the PCs could just as easily have powerful friends of their own...friends who could make the nobles' lives a living hell. Call in a favor from the Duke whose daughter they rescued from those trolls...ask the wizard they saved from disgrace to keep a certain alehouse under his protection...request that the merchant whose goods they retrieved from bandits, saving him from ruin, to "divert" some of his trade in the wrong direction, letting it be known that the nobles in question were the ones who upset him, making some very powerful people very angry at those nobles...

Hey, if those nobles want a war, they've got one.