I am in a game where we just had a player join the party.
Problem is he seems set on roleplaying against other members of the party.
I can tell he is not really trying to make life miserable for the rest of us, it just that he ROLEPLAYS his character too much...
He does whatever he feels his character WILL DO, even if such actions are harmful to other party members.
For example, he will use bluff, steal from and use spells against other member of his own party. When asked why he does this, his reply is that he is roleplaying his character. As there are no evil party characters in our adventure, care to guess what his alignment is?
To make matters abut worse, I and the other member of the party are NG and due to the nature of our characters, we can't really "take actions" against his character for in-character reasons.
He seems a nice guy out of the game, but goes "in-character" during the game. When told about how some of this actions are not helping the party, he seems offended and insist that the action make logical sense and is "what his character will do". When questioned further, he starts saying that we are nitpicking on his character and goes on to defend his actions.
What can we do to convince him that his roleplaying is getting on the nerves of the other players? AND get him to understand it without going all defensive?
Frag the character in his sleep, take his stuff, incinerate the remains. Better yet, animate the corpse as a scroll caddy and have his zombified tucas carry his own loot back to the fence for you. Then incinerate the zombie in a really big fire. A note to the GM can work. Or man up and do it anyway.
No one reads my mind and takes my loot without suffering accordingly. If there is a reason, it's simple: God / [insert character's diety name here, ideally the one the pain in the butt character worships] told me to do it.
I've only played in Savage Tide so I've not read it through. I hated it! In fact the whole group hated playing in it. Being stranded on an island with no "ye 'ol magic shop" was torture, not my cup of tea at all! We abandoned the game as no one was having fun.
I've only played in Savage Tide so I've not read it through. I hated it! In fact the whole group hated playing in it. Being stranded on an island with no "ye 'ol magic shop" was torture, not my cup of tea at all! We abandoned the game as no one was having fun.
I think that, in part, your party build is punishing itself. A pyschic warrior is tough but is not a full BAB fighter. Your sorcerer gives up a level of spellcasting as a Dragonheart Mage and gets a puny breath weapon in return. A straight-up wizard has access to 5th level spells.
The CR system is designed (optimally) to work with a fighter, a cleric, a wizard, and a rogue.
How is your party's cleric designed? Is he a healbot or can he turn on the Divine Favor/Divine Power/Righteous Might combo and kick some ass?
He is generally a heal bot but he can turn it on. The problem is being the only healer and with 4 PCs things like the CR 5 demon force him to heal almost every round.
Oh I forgot to mention the PW is PW 4/ FTR 4, he took 4 levels of fighter and specialized in the war axe.
I think the boss demon and construct might TPK and I am worried. The 3 CR 5 demons could have killed them outright.
Kill zem ... kill zem all.
They've had plenty of clues, information and loot to be so poorly prepared at this point. Toy with them, torment them, toss some into the cooking pit, make them strap on girdles of gender bending. They're not "dealing" with dumb carnivores ... they're dealing with me. And I don't play nice. >:)
Well, our Wrap-Up session of Council of Thieves went pretty much exactly as expected.
Highlights include: Jackson the Bard talked both Chammandy and the Tiefling Prison Warden into truces, leading to a MUCH easier final fight.
Barbed devils + class levels are fun, but still no match for a smiting paladin.
Hellknights + Aura of Justice against Rogue/Assassins is just overkill. I mean, how smooshed does one rogue need to get in one turn?
Healing Domain Cleric + Close Wounds = PC's stay alive, even when they shouldn't.
A full report to follow, but rest assured, HALO has managed to turn the tide of Devil Worshipping, Shadow-monster wielding House of Thrune patsy's, and is now firmly in control of Westcrown.
Noone died :( during the final adventure, but I wasn't really expecting any of those "BBEG's" to pose a significant threat to my group.
Sounds like they need some encouragement to "voluntarily leave the country" ... *puff* *puff*
I got much the same response, to which I happily responded with something along the lines of "Muhuhuhahahahahahahahah!!!" I have a most excellent evil laugh and so few chances to use it. >:D
Cesare wrote:
When the savage nymph's face opened up like a perverse flower revealing sinew colored tendrils, one of the female players at my table literally yelped in shock and disgust.
That was the response I got when my players discovered Tavey Nesk in the Fogmire Temple (see the Olangru thread). Several had to excuse themselves from the table for a few minutes, so I've kind of promised to reel back on the horror stuff in the future, heh.
Don't go and do the bold "highlighted" part above ... well, without me causing it at least. >:D
Ho boy, don't get me started on Olangru. Even though they finally defeated the fiend, my 10th level PCs still refuse to walk through Fogmire.
It may have something to do with the fact that he demonically possessed Tavey and caused the entire party to experience Exorcist flashbacks.
Or it may have something to do with the fact that a young couple (whom they rescued from Siege of the Spider Eaters side quest) happened to skip off the cliff with looks of pure possessed ecstasy the first thing in the morning.
Or it may have something to do with Olangru teleporting the cleric into the lava pit and then gleefully conjuring up a wall of stone over the opening while the poor woman roasted.
There are more, but these are the most notable. As a result, I have a special place in my evil GM's heart for this bad boy.
Orthos wrote:
Oh I got plenty of cackles during your chapter, sir, and I anticipate plenty more when you make your return appearance.
Oh pray tell, what would this "return appearance" entail?
Hrmmm ... sounds like a dozen or so well-earned Cleric levels may be just the ticket. Cleric ... of ME !! puffs on a rather rancid stogey
I got much the same response, to which I happily responded with something along the lines of "Muhuhuhahahahahahahahah!!!" I have a most excellent evil laugh and so few chances to use it. >:D
Cesare wrote:
When the savage nymph's face opened up like a perverse flower revealing sinew colored tendrils, one of the female players at my table literally yelped in shock and disgust.
That was the response I got when my players discovered Tavey Nesk in the Fogmire Temple (see the Olangru thread). Several had to excuse themselves from the table for a few minutes, so I've kind of promised to reel back on the horror stuff in the future, heh.
Don't go and do the bold "highlighted" part above ... well, without me causing it at least. >:D
I will chastise their offspring throughout eternity, the ultimate recurring nemesis! Molestation, gender-bending, using their friends' brain pans as ashtrays ... these are just the beginning of a malevolent relationship!
*sniffs*
I do miss Ray Liota so ... such a large brain pan ...
A most worthy contribution to the mortal gene pool.
I must be more ... aggressive ... there may come a time when some scum comes along and rubs out my superior patronage. The sowing of many, many wild oats must ensue!
*leaves a stogey of continual burning behind*
Spoiler:
I would suggest Climb speed equal to land speed, with the loss of winged flight. This is awesome! KuTGW - and I shall have to re-introduce Olangru to future campaigns. *grins evilly*
Savage Bard? Inspire Courage with "Break their limbs, render their bodies, LEAVE NONE WHOLE!" takes on a whole new meaning with a party comprised of characters with sharp teeth. >:)
I know what I'm slipping into next chapter during the dry points... >:D
You could call them "Disciples of Olangru" ... >:D
Epilogue: Olangru, your vileness has been so pronounced, so offensive, so reprehensible that you've actually caused a player to - due to your actions alone - rethink their entire forward path. Shariss, the Skarn Barbarian|Incarnate in my party, was so traumatized by the events that she saw in the Fogmire temple that she's chosen to take up the path of the Hellreaver and devote the rest of her adventuring days to hunting down and destroying fiends.
Well done you dastardly ape you.
Excellent ... let her know that she will bear offspring worthy of my lineage.
The group is now leaving the temple with Urol, Amalla, and genderswapped Avner (and still don't know its him) as the only survivors from the Sea Wyvern ...
Olangru wrote:
Lights a fat stogey, grinning from ear to ear
After all, a father must check in on his children from time to time. You know, just to make sure the mothers deliver them with minimal complications...
Oh dear. Yet another reason for Avner(a) to be traumatised! And were any other female characters in Olangru's vile clutch for even a short time?
Amella / Amalla ... the saucy wench whose spirit is nigh-untamable.
Good times, good times.
Yup. Lirith had also been captured but she ended up dying and got zombiefied and left in the ruins to taunt the group.
Ah, but there are certain planar locales that possess greatly accelerated time flow relative to the Material Plane.
They may find Lirith's "offspring" at some later point yet to be determined ... >:)
The group is now leaving the temple with Urol, Amalla, and genderswapped Avner (and still don't know its him) as the only survivors from the Sea Wyvern ...
Olangru wrote:
Lights a fat stogey, grinning from ear to ear
After all, a father must check in on his children from time to time. You know, just to make sure the mothers deliver them with minimal complications...
Oh dear. Yet another reason for Avner(a) to be traumatised! And were any other female characters in Olangru's vile clutch for even a short time?
Amella / Amalla ... the saucy wench whose spirit is nigh-untamable.
Well, my group finished up the temple tonight. Epic final combat against Olangru and the golem, complete with a very cinematic ending: the Skarn Barbarian critted and got the "Blown Back" card, so I flavored it that her arm spines (she'd gotten disarmed during the Olangru fight and never bothered to pick her scimitars up, neither pierced the golem's DR) caught the golem's heads beneath the jaw and tore them off. In the words of the warforged's player: "SHORYUKEN!!"
Finished up the issue with Tavey by having a delayed necromancy effect turn him into a Crypt Thing and sent him after the PCs; a couple almost failed the save against its Scatter Defilers ability which would have teleported them off in a random direction; there was a pretty good chance they would have been ported through the wall into the shrine next door, where Olangru and two of his mates (survivors who had fled from the Blood Room fight after one got her throat slashed) were waiting with Urol and would have played merry hell... err I mean merry Abysm with a lone party member or two. C'est la vie.
The group is now leaving the temple with Urol, Amalla, and genderswapped Avner (and still don't know its him) as the only survivors from the Sea Wyvern, with the exception of course of Skald and Churtle who went on the Nightshark with the rest of the party. Yasumoto knows the Wyvern is crashed somewhere and Amalla knows where, but is in no shape to lead the party to it right now, and by the time they get back to Farshore they're going to have their hands full again. Everybody else is dead, Dave.
Well done, Olangru. You were everything I expected and more, and failed to disappoint. See you in another incarnation.
So many temporary set backs... all some one needs to do is perform the proper ritual ...
Lights a fat stogey, grinning from ear to ear
After all, a father must check in on his children from time to time. You know, just to make sure the mothers deliver them with minimal complications...
Got to display the Genderswap Belt and the Brain-in-a-Box today, on Avner (though the party doesn't know it's him yet, and s/he's too traumatized to answer questions) and Tavey respectively. The latter not only nearly made a couple of my players need to run to the restroom to empty their stomachs (and grossed out a few of the characters to boot), but caused an in-party fight to the death when the ninja put the boy out of his misery and the warforged crusader charged him with murder, and now will not stop until he's been executed for his crime.
Given what I have in mind for one of the prisoners, this may be more horrifying than you may expect!
Well, perhaps not YOU, considering you did it... but I digress. ;)
Poor Avner.
Spoiler:
Men get slaad eggs 'implanted'. I have this buddy up the coast aways, within easy teleporting distances you see - a few quick hops each way, and a little packet of 'presents' are available.
Brutalizing them is certainly not out of the question. After all, an ape's gotta do what an ape's gotta do. And with some style ... the cigar ash has to go somewhere, and occasionally one has got to put it out in a hurry - say, in an eye.
Sounds like an awesome fight, Orthos! Here's to more challenges on the Isle!
I'm having three replacement characters incoming - Dres's player is becoming a Warforged Crusader|Cavalier, Faelyn's a Barbarian|Incarnate, and Avander is switching to a Duskblade of some sort. Basically, I'm losing one of the party's heaviest hitters (the others being the Ninja and the Summoner's Eidolon) and two of the weaker members, and replacing them with three very heavy hitters.
Meaning: I am pulling zero punches from this point on. The players will crush nearly everything that lets them, so it's only fair enemies be designed to do likewise. I have some particular fun planned for Olangru.
I crush many ... I intend to crush your "heroes" as well.
As the saying goes, the best things in life are to crush your enemies, see them driven before you ... and to hear the protestations of their women! >:)
We're not unreasonable--I mean no one's going to eat your eyes
Eyes, huh? Are they as good as nice roasted feet?
Grabs Casper's spoon and scoops out Roagh's right eye, then narfs.
gross stuff:
"Mmm ... *smack* ... well, you see, raw they're a bit rough as you have to *snip* cut that stringy part off the back first."
Waits for Roagh to stop screaming and writhing in the hardened cocoon imprisoning him below the neck.
"Then you get to appreciate the combination of ocular fluid, blood and the very juicy and tender tissue that came out with the eye itself. It's a delectable combination of hot coppery-salty sauce with - oh, say, fresh veal. The eye itself *pops* when first bitten, and the nice tangy spice of surprise blended with agonizing pain is piquantly sauced with the teeniest bit of a chill once your 'donor' sees you eating their own eye in front of them.
"Thanks for the treat!" *teleports away, leaving the spoon spinning in the air for a moment before it drops to the ground*
A note flutters to the ground that reads:
bait note:
"Head to the Isle of Dread and see if you can find a few suitable corpses. Speak with Dead should provide the rest ... well, from their point of view at least..."
Alas, I did try to look for that part in your journal where you used the fabled girdles of masculine/femininity for the better part of this morning, but I was unable to find it. Perhaps my search-fu is lacking...
I never did get to use the aforementioned girdles, alas. Others have taken a liking to the idea, but implementing it is a bit trickier. One use is to victimize the abducted NPCs with them (and then it gets worse...). Captured male PCs could be found by the other PCs as captured female PCs as well. I have suspicions that many players are perusing these messages, so one would want to either disguise the devices or alter the precise form that they are encountered in.
The PCs are traveling with a young couple. After the second night, he and his mates abduct the pair and then Olangru leaves a programmed image of the two. When the PCs are packing up to head out, the two suddenly sit up, clasp hands and skip headlong over the ledge, smiling all the while. Before they fall, the girl turns her head a full 180 degrees, winks and says, "You should have turned back you know..."
Of course...the ledge itself will be an illusion as well (as someone earlier suggested) :D
PS: Troy, I'm really enjoying your blog. When will you put up updates?
I do hope you, as have others, are properly inspired by the malevolence of ... myself. The journals of a thousand deaths, including my own, are inspirational reading. >:)
Ah, no, sorry... the proper progeny were locked out of their feeding pit to get them nice and riled. He's safe for now and can crawl through the filth to help the others who are at the door to the naga. He heard their screams though, and felt their gifts being flung down upon him. Their time will come.
** spoiler omitted **
I call dibs on being invisible and using Telekinesis to open - then close behind the chillens - the gate to the feeding pit.
Spoiler:
That's the Ray Liota moment I'm referring to. And I agree, that is a horrific fate, to slowly lose yourself ... and be aware of that loss, yet unable to stop it from happening. Prime fodder for the game!
Wait... they have Scent??? Ah, no, just womanly nostrils.
They left a few airholes, but there were only two of the lessers and not enough room left to teleport in. Clearing all the rocks would have made a lot of noise and they were decided to lay a few traps and set an ambush. Who'd have though the humans were so scared they would take an hour to search for traps?
The fighter is in the pit with the baboons upstairs - the mob was howling at the door to the harem, excited at the sounds of combat, and the grate over the pit was closed. The lesser teleported in upside-down, grabbed the grate with her feet, and tossed the fighter into the filth. Someone must have been digging as it's an uphill climb out after that 40 foot drop :-)
So the fighter has to now deal with being entrapped in a mob of proper progeny. Excellent ... let us see how long he survives, alone, with only my children and minions for company. The poor basterd.
Spoiler:
I liked the "porridge", a nice touch. Where does the voiced reference come from?
Okay, the wizard polymorhed into an Umber Hulk, 3.0 style, and dug a sleeping grotto in the rockfall area, opened a rope trick, and sealed everyone in. The next day they came out, disabled the black bile trap, opened the demon doors, got surprised by an invisible bar-lgura who threw a bowl of it at them, won initiative, and lobbed a bead from a necklace of missiles. They settled for her, admired her belt, compared the aura to Gauntlets of Ogre Power, and chickened out of putting it on!
They got through the mirror to the harem using the bound, gagged and shackled Druid who MADE the will save.
The second bar-lgura kidnapped the fighter and dropped him in the pit before getting critted to death!
Then the gross bit...
** spoiler omitted **
Ah, so my lessers failed to sniff out their buried locale eh? I am amazed that they had enough air to breathe while so encamped. It must have been getting a little ... stale ... in there. The fighter is in deep ... I wonder how she will taste after being pummeled into a coma? A bit crispy I imagine, or did (s)he wind up in a different pit?
I think they'll find a friend in the harem. Unspeakably damaged. Spoiler for bad taste...
** spoiler omitted **
I find that to be particularly appropriate.
Spoiler:
Be sure to have a note written in Abyssal describing the delectable tastiness of the gray matter in question, as well as how the cigar complimented the flavors. The cohort can enjoy a "Ray Liota" level of brain activity until they are able to acquire a 'regeneration' to regrow the missing material.
They say kidney stones are almost par to giving birth...now you know my friend.
Thank you friends for the hugs, prayers, and kind words, I am trying desperately to hold on to my sense of humor. Luckily, I have the Paizo boards when I need a smile or a chuckle.
{{{{hugs}}}}
pauses
Drat, you made your Will save vs. abduction.
Accept that the impatience and strong emotions are part of what you are going through. And may you get real-world hugs both soon and often!
Thanks Luna - it get's better I think. Less mistakes anyway!
It's been a while and Wednesday is game day at last. I'd like to post a teaser written from Olangru's perspective but it's hard not to give too much away. Has anyone any ideas or want to take a stab at it?
Aaahh, the scent of fresh meat waiting to be violated and the promise of sweet screams of agony accompanying the delicious scent of roasting live flesh beckons from my foyer.
Perhaps some of the meat would have more promise with suitable tenderizing before having my way. Ah, what is this? Can it be, are they so foolish, doing so before my unseen eyes? Excellent!
Blood to slake my thirst, lost innocence to sate my appetite and souls of the righteously indignant cast into the Abyss to feed the Maw!
T-shirts aren't enough. We need an entire line of flumph fashion accessories: Shoes, hats, jeans, bags, kilts, scabbards, tankards, backpacks, and jewelry.
"Nothing comes between me and my Flumph jeans!"
Made from real, spun Flumph-flax, by the loomers and weavers of Olangrucorp.
They pulled this stunt before (Lotus lair) and got away with it with a bit of luck. I put a message on our site asking them to confirm that they do indeed wish to sleep INSIDE the evil temple full of evil stuff where the evil badass teleporting demons are probably hiding. If that isn't a big enough hint, they are indeed in for it. I think an attack by freshly summoned bar-lgura (they killed two) wearing Girdles of Masculinity-Femininity (Olangru prefers girls) might scare them enough to go sleep outside, and may also deliver some humour.
Thanks to Turin as always for that idea!
You're more than welcome, carborundum!
Might I suggest that anyone slumbering in the evil temple full of evil critters with Girdles of Gender-Bending first be subject to said girdle(s) - after stripping them naked - before abducting them and stuffing them into the rotisserie over the fire pit ? ^_^
As I recall, the saving throw DC should be about a 22 or so (10 +8 spell level +4 minimum ability modifier). The rope trick is not exactly a place of guaranteed safe rest, not from a 2nd level spell. That's what they have the secure shelter spell in the PHB for. I suspect that the scent-sensitive creatures will literally smell the characters out, tracking their scent until where ever the rope is. They seem most likely to girrdle-slap, abduct and loot the Forsaker, then return and set up any number of things as a trap - or series of traps - just outside the portal into the trick. Also, do not forget that they will be camping in an extradimensional space - bad mojo if they're toting around anything else with such capacity, such as handy haversacks, bags of holding, efficient quivers and portable holes.
As I recall, Olangru or the Naga - or both - have a dispel magic or two available as well. If they come across the 'outside' character, they could very well 'depth charge' the immediate area with an area effect dispel after some preparation at the bad guys' end - especially if they are able to detect the presence of the window from the outside. They will not be able to directly see inside, but unless one of the other characters is not watching from inside - or if all the bad guys are invisible or otherwise concealed from the PCs' sight - your characters are going to receive a suitably brutal awakening when the baddies drop them out of the trick and onto a prepared floor of caltrops, lamp oil and hopefully some kind of adhesive material or a black tentacles from the Naga covering the 'drop zone'.
Olangru and the other Bar-lgura have at-will telekinesis, so they most certainly can readily arrange a vicious supply of hurlable weapons such as arrows, crossbow bolts, sling bullets, pickaxes or - worst of all - Black Bile of the World (by way of Khala) hurled in volleys. If you want to be nasty about it, they can certainly poison projectiles then enchant them with magic weapon - again, courtesy of the naga. A combination of filth fever - courtesy of the demonic baboon poo in the entry cavern - and any of the various vermin venoms centipede, scorpion, spider or wasp - all of which are available locally or even wyvern venom are easily justified. Not very nice, but certainly justifiable for creatures with at-will teleportation and outright immunity to poisons. A volley of six flasks of Black Bile will mess some one up - a volley of ten from Olangru will really get your heroes' attention. If you're lucky, they'll inflict enough damage by way of acid and fire that several characters will be maimed horribly.
Olangru is a fun villain - do try to have him jack up your party for all he is worth. While he was not intended to be a recurring villain, quite a few seem to find him as or more worthy of the role than Vanthus.
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