Nox wrote:
Recapping:
1)if you have any other advice or example to add to your first answer, feel free to post it since I would be glad to read them.
2)how would you(as constable) react to the ghoul scene?
3) donyou think I should use powerchecks more often?
4) clarify the "mythbuster" part above please
5) how would you proceed with a touchy player? Should I do what have to be done regardless? (consider we are all adult and vaccinated).
6)advices on how to keep the edge during Roleplaying conversation?
7)how to instill respect/how to awe the players when they are talking to powerful npc?
how to react when a player gets rude during roleplay (give rude answer to npc? Please consider many cases with different class of power, for example: farmer/commoner, captain, king, powerful wizard, ancient lich/powerful enemy)
9) why you Said to allow pc to cow/charm npc BUT NOT MAGICALLY? What about the bard ability to entertain an audience (I can't recall the name, it is like "amaze" or fascinate, I don't know the exact traduction
)
Thank you in advance again!
Not a problem, just keep this in mind: I only play 2nd edition (though am familiar with the basics of 3rd/3.5).
Don't be afraid of Power Checks and remember, they should match the situation. If he fails a check after beating on a commoner he got frustrated with, make his eyes glow when he is mad (a bonus to intimidation checks and maybe some low light vision) but may make him more sensitive to natural light (-1 to skill checks and attacks in sunlight). Minor checks are little ways to show the player that they may not be acting in a 'goodly' fashion (I tend to make a little show of opening up the Domains of Dread book and flipping to the powers check section). The chances are low that they will take hold, but you could say something sinister occurred anyway ("the slight chill along your spine as you relish the cold delight in their suffering distracted you for a moment, but is gone now"). It is not railroading (unless you are actually planning on taking the PC away for falling to darkness). You should look at all your PCs every few levels and consider their actions and skills when thinking if they started to fail checks, what path would they take. It will make it easier, but is not required and should not seem random.
Your party combination seems fine, but they are lacking a cleric/healer. That reputation alone may be their downfall if they come across ancient dead and gain mummy rot. Make that clear that the party actions (even from one player) can negatively affect the way others see the group. Someone is talking to the bard, another person shows up and tells them that they are companions with Olen the Terrible and both run off before they suffer his temper. Olen is almost the worst situation (and I get why this is a significant issue). He is a decent character type with a personality of note that goes off the deep end when frustrated or angry. The other two seem to have good hearts and intentions, but may grow tired of pulling the other guy's butt out of the fire (especially if they have to pay out for bribes, get fined themselves, or imprisoned). Olen is not evil now, but you should move him towards it if that behavior doesn't change. In my games I do not penalize alignment change (if a player is LG and acts more NG, why would I penalize them?), but don't know the ramifications for that change (it's pretty harsh in 2nd edition). I am hoping he is not under the "I'm CN and can do whatever I want" mentality. That can change quick if they are acting malicious toward other not deserving of it.
I just ran Walking Dead last year and am familiar with the constable and see no issue on how he should have been run. He is throwing himself into his work and is suspicious of new foreigners. He will not tell them his life story (it's none of their business) and has to juggle his work as well as keep an eye on them now. That should change and then they become an ally for him and the town (Remember the dwarf that is there to dump a whole bunch of magic gear on the group? Not if they are jerks or word gets around that they are dragging undead into town.). I would have allowed that to play out as you did (assuming roleplaying was done, skill checks rolled, and they actually 'cleaned up their mess' literally). Likely though, they would lose allies in town and (in that adventure) may need to find a new place to sleep. Good luck in Souragne regarding that.
The laws of Invidia should be pretty harsh as they will not have time or energy housing and feeding prisoners and lands may be seized to repay the offenses to whomever is offended. Darkon should be a solid challenge and wake up call as they have a means to deal with the players quickly (again, Kargat officials may take note). Har' Akir will have a problem as the town there is a joke as far as law goes (at least leveled fighters), but remember what I said about mummy rot
?
Sorry about the Mythbusters comment, didn't mean to confuse. It was an attempt to not allow players to act on knowledge they would not have (like I need to break out of jail and saw on Mythbusters how to do it!) and cannot act on. I once had a player try to use a flame strike spell to hit a target on the ground and a target in the air using calculus or trigonometry (I don't recall, over 20 years ago, and his PC would have no such background). I have also had players count on the fact that I didn't know some things. I had a PC fireball Falkovnian soldiers on top of a grain silo. It exploded and did far more damage than it should and I commented that's what happens when you set a silo on fire. The player looked at me and said, "yeah I was wondering if you knew that....".
You as a GM need to be impartial. You are not working against the players (your NPCs might be, but not you) and are only there to deliver the details of their world and present a story. The character is kinda asking for trouble and will run into someone who will take them down a notch. I ran an adventure where the group was in a town where they (unknowingly) were surrounded by werewolves. A minor scuffle occurred in an attempt to isolate the players and get them away from their weapons and allies. The local sheriff tried to dissuade the situation and said it was for their own safety and not to worry. Let the town cool down and they would be released in a few hours. My player (playing a fighter) resisted (he had a bad week at work) and was not going along with it. So I had the werewolves take a run at them right away with the sheriff saying, "You just couldn't play along, could you?". My player looked confused and asked if I was kidding. I tend to make stupid little comments, but not this time. So the fight was on, kind of dramatically on a little stone bridge near the center of the lumberjack camp and it worked out kind of well. My player still thinks he 'saved the party' and did them a favor in his attitude.
If you don't keep the player in check or let reason guide your hand, they will do this for a long time and ruin things later on more so. Let them get in trouble. Get their stuff taken away. Make a break for it. Kill some guards. There are reactions for things like that. They lose their belongings, worsen their criminal charges, get executed for killing guards, are on the run and cannot show their faces in the area for a long, long time. If it's not fun for you and the work you put in, then why should you keep doing it (especially if it's making you uncomfortable). If the player begins raping and killing people on a whim, would you take a stance then? I have had players refuse lawmen because they are evil (and they were correct), but not every authority in Ravenloft is evil and out to get the players.
I have a hard time 'taking the role' for my NPCs and I try to do my best not to make them silly (unless that is the point of course). Things to consider are tone and body language. I try to show on myself so my players get a sense of the person they are talking to. When talking to a king, that person may be brooding on a throne and glowering at the players who are bothering him with some stupid plan or requesting something that he won't give them anyway. Or a calculating, penetrating look that is part listening to them and part considering them for some errand that he is less willing to waste men and money on. Or it could be a bored and flippant ruler who has to listen to the whines and quibbles of lessers and is barely even looking at the players. What they all should receive is respect. Unless the players are there for no reason, what they say and do will either help them or get them tossed out on their butts (or into a prison cell). There should be guards, court personnel, and/or those present that wield tremendous power to keep them in line. Assuming the group needs something from these NPCs, the group may have to force the offending player to 'sit this out' to avoid these social issues that he has. Player showing disrespect? Have a few guards grapple them from behind and another two put swords to their throat. Have a seneschal walk up to them and remind them that they are talking to the lord of this land. Wizard or priest present? Have a spell cast to either detain (hold spells, etc) or remove (teleport, dimension door, etc) and hope they don't drop them into the middle of nowhere.
In a lesser example from my table, I had the group (lower level, say around 6-7th level) captured by a hag and her human and ogre minions. They were interrogated individually and the cackling woman revealed herself as a hag. The player was unarmed and was mouthing off to her regarding her questions directed at him. Finally she just gave up, told her minions to beat him into unconsciousness and kill him if he puts up a fight (he was priest, by the way). So he got dragged off and I said they began beating on you, do you resist or fight back? He said no and I said ok. You lose a tooth in the process (I did not roll for each blow or damage, he just got beaten to 0 hit points) and he says that he will use magic to fix it later. I said how are holding onto this tooth? You are knocked out, unless you swallow it and go looking or it later (which he did). A displeased king may take a hot poker and brand the PC with a reminder of what happens to insolent people in his court. Allow the situation to play out and the player to be obnoxious. As they are being lead out, they get pushed into a dungeon area and rushed by guards, slapped in chains and wheeled back to the court after the other players have left. See how belligerent they are lashed to a barrel with a large man whipping their back raw. I hate to be an ass about this, but if they don't respect Baron von Aubreker (of Lamordia, pretty sure I misspelled it too) then Strahd will eat them alive. Literally.
Assuming you sit at a table, when talking in the role of a person of power stand up and walk around slowly. This psychologically sets up your demeanor even if the NPC is sitting. Try to look and act like someone of authority. I like the image of Gandalf the Grey from the Fellowship of the Rings magically altering his presence when Bilbo Baggins is trying to double talk him into keeping the one ring. Booming voice (within reason), turning towards the player/players in a dramatic fashion, describing things they may be seeing, etc all give you authority and presence. Being able to back up what you say with powers, people, monsters, etc. reinforce that. I hate to say this, but if one player is giving your NPCs (and you) this much trouble in game eventually they will run across the wrong person that will end them. Let them act like a tough guy and get the worse of it. Invidians are notorious for their tempers and guy he slighted may not take it well, grab a lantern and smash it over his head (will it ignite? who knows?). Lots of padding in most armors to soak up that oil. How effectively can they fight while on fire and unable to quickly put it out.
Dealing with your 'touchy player' is a little difficult as I do not really know either of you well enough. I have been gaming with the same people for between 15-25 years and I am friends with my players. We hang out socially and game regularly (I even have a player literally phoning it in by having him game via speakerphone 2000 miles away, I trust his die rolls so that is not an issue). I described a player who had a 'rough week' and was not following the adventure path, but it worked out regardless. I know that whatever I do to them, I am still friends with them. I never push them just to push them. I have had NPCs push just to push and they get them back with a vengeance.
I once played a game where I was in a group and I was a ranger (less Aragorn from Lord of the Rings, more like Batman with a sneakier urban approach). We were in a tavern and the bartender was a bastard and slapped a serving girl for spilling a drink (he was setting up the rough atmosphere of the place). What he didn't realize was that I was offended by the action of the man and my other companion (a paladin, go figure) were planning on beating the crap out of this guy and taking the girl under our wing to put her in a better circumstance. The DM had no intention of doing that to us, but he did on accident. He felt guilty, but we didn't hold it against him. He showed us the story, we reacted, he shouldn't feel badly. We are adults, I assume you all are too. If they take it personal when you come down on them for acting out in a way that would not be tolerated, then you can remind them the same thing.
Consider a game like grand theft auto. You do something wrong and you will be arrested, weapons taken away and fined. Put up a fight and they will shoot you, you end up in the hospital, weapons taken away, and fined even more. That's part of the game. If they want to walk around pushing people in the dirt, throwing a fit when things don't go their way, etc and justifying it all by claiming their PC is just acting like they would, then maybe the PC is not a good fit for the setting. If they lose that character and make the same type, then maybe they are not cut out for your table and or the game. I have had many players (and myself) really not care for how they lost a PC and not like their new PC (especially with a loss of levels/beginning at 1st level). Then you play the new one, interact with them, get to do new things or help out in new ways and enjoy the new PC.
When a player is being rude to anyone, allow the situation to dictate your response. A farmer in a field may turn them down for information assistance, run away, or grab a pitchfork. A commoner in a town may be a little more emboldened with assistance from other people or militia and be rude back. Or you could be sick of that behavior from your player and forget to inform the group that the man they are talking down to used to be a volunteer officer during the last invasion from Vlad Drakov's armies. A powerful magic user with a full complement of spells will get creative. Hold them in place and then levitate them upwards until spells run out. Polymorph them so they no longer have a mouth or turn them into a rodent would be humorous too. People with power and authority should have no issue using either to get the respect they deserve. Feel free to make a point of beating a rude peasant two days ago and the same peasant appealing to the local authority to get the offending PC put in chains as a direct consequence.
When I said 'charm' I did not mean it as a class ability or magic power. I meant a person with high charisma being polite, courteous, captivating to manipulate people into doing what they want. Yes they could use magic, but a fighter with a high charisma can get more accomplished with words than a mage casting charm spells on people in common settings. The paladin and bard probably have charisma out the wahzoo, but the offending fighter is forcing them to bail him out constantly.
"One does not stop playing when they get old, they grow old when they stop playing" George Bernard Shaw
"If you could be either God’s worst enemy or nothing, which would you choose?" Chuck Palahniuk
