|
Hey everybody. I need a little advice as a player. In our party we have a rogue that takes everything personally and sees everything as a challenge. He just happens to also be careless as all hell. Yeah, don't ask me why he always wants to play a rogue.
Anyway, here's the situation. My character bought a small cottage in Sandpoint (Rise of the Runelords) and the party every so often stores stuff in the cottage. Everybody else stays at the Rusty Dragon or with family (yeah, 1 PC has family). I paid for the reinforced upgrade and installed superior locks on the doors (DC40) so it actually takes a concerted effort to break in. It's not impossible though but what place is. Our party rogue takes it as a personal offense that I am not letting him rig my house with traps and whatnot, and that he couldn't get into the house without asking me for the key.
So the rogue has maxed out his open locks skills (not a bad thing really) and is now bragging that he doesn't need a key. My estimate of his Disable Devise skill has him at an upward potential of 21, so yes, it is possible he can get in without the key. But I know my GM is an evil blighter (and I love him for it). The rogue is going to break in some time just to prove he can and forget to lock the damned door when he leaves. I can smell it coming. And all my well earned booty is going to get stolen; if not by our party's rogue just trying to get one over on me then by somebody else.
So the first step I'll be taking is casting arcane lock on both doors to jump the lock DC to 50. But that just delays the inevitable. Eventually Freaky Sneaky is going to break in just to prove he can (at about 10th level for sure) and then leave the doors open because, if I'm honest, he's a clueless twit at times. Good guy, okay player, but thoughtlessly clueless most of the time about what the GM will do to us.
So, what are some good ways to up the DC more on the locks and to rig some non-lethal but terribly embarrassing traps for my fellow party member. I don't want to get into any lethal player vs. player stuff; but I need to make breaking into the cottage undetected annoying enough to discourage attempts, and I am limited to being a player. I don't just get to jack up the DC if I don't want him to break in and setting lethal traps would be uncool. I know I can't stop him indefinitely; I just want to make it enough of a pain in the butt that our party rogue will no longer find it worth his time. Any thoughts?
You're just going to stoke the fire. Get a self-locking door and give him a key.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Leave the door as is. Move all of your stuff somewhere else without telling him or the rest of the party. Just tell the DM? If he breaks in and there's nothing there, that could be pretty embarrassing. :)
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I have been considering seeing if I can have two locks on the door that must be turned simultaneously or they auto lock each other. That would trip him up for a while. Seven locks would make him kneel there with his back to the Red Dog smithy half the night with nothing to hid behind too. Not a bad idea.
Moving everything to another safe location would probably get noticed though. Still. I'll keep it in mind.
There you go, Permanently shut the door and only use an obscure window somewhere on the house to come and go. LOL
Magic the door so that anything put into the lock that is not the right key makes a wall of force pop up in front of the door?
|
|
I'm a 4th level sorcerer (6th level caster) so Dimension Door is not yet an option. I also actually entertain guests and invite people over, but I guess I can unbar the door when needed.
But I believe that there is a Cape of the Mountebank coming up and even if we manage to keep it away from the rogue (which everybody will want to do) he'll just go looking to buy one. He's already rushing off to buy a hat of disguise because our paladin won't let him have the one we found. She knows exactly what he will do with it.
Especially if the rogue's will save sucks (which most do).
There's a cheap item called the lock jammer (or something else) you stick it in a lock and it magically expands to fill the lock ~ making it impossible to open without the code word.
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/wondrous-items/wondrous-items/h-l/key-o f-lock-jamming
What's wrong with the thief installing traps on your house?
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
If he's a thoughtless as he says he is. He's probably worried the rogue will forget to mention a couple of the traps and he or one of his guests will end up dying.
If you have access to secret chest that's a good option. Or a demiplane.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Is this just a game to see if he can get in, or will he steal stuff from you and the party? If so, there are two answers:
Sit down and talk to him OOC, like adults, and explain this is NOT fun for you.
and
If he continues, invite his character out of the party. Refuse to adventure with him.
|
|
Is this just a game to see if he can get in, or will he steal stuff from you and the party? If so, there are two answers:
Sit down and talk to him OOC, like adults, and explain this is NOT fun for you.
and
If he continues, invite his character out of the party. Refuse to adventure with him.
The GM has talked to him; but if you've never dealt with an ADHD person you won't quite understand why lessons like this are very slow to skink in.
And unfortunately his girlfriend is playing the paladin, and she's awesome. We're stuck with the package deal.
|
|
I'm a 4th level sorcerer (6th level caster) so Dimension Door is not yet an option.Use Arcane Lock for now. By the time he can bypass that, you should have Dimension Door, which allows you to take guests.
At higher level, Phase Door becomes an option.
The arcane lock spell is part of my plan. The party has just left for Magnimar so he won't be messing with the cottage for at least a week (in game), and likely the only other rogue in Sandpoint with that high a disable devise is Jubrayl Vishki (I have heard that he is around 6th or 7th level but I haven't seen stats). Since I'm actually on friendly terms with the Sczarni for the moment, and I doubt very much that you would catch Jubrayl doing his own dirty work, I think I am good for the moment.
So I have a pair or arcane lock scrolls on my shopping list for while in Magnimar. Step one of the nefarious plan is under way. I'll report back next month if I need more advice. Thanks all.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Is this just a game to see if he can get in, or will he steal stuff from you and the party? If so, there are two answers:
Sit down and talk to him OOC, like adults, and explain this is NOT fun for you.
and
If he continues, invite his character out of the party. Refuse to adventure with him.
The GM has talked to him; but if you've never dealt with an ADHD person you won't quite understand why lessons like this are very slow to skink in.
And unfortunately his girlfriend is playing the paladin, and she's awesome. We're stuck with the package deal.
Simple, just dont let him run a a rogue. Some newbs are just incapable of understanding that it's a team game, and a rogue isnt supposed to use his skills vs the party.
If this is a problem it's a fun one to have. I think you are missing out on a role playing experience. A friendly rivalry should be fun. Rise to the challenge and get creative with your traps.
* Pie in the face
* Odorless (to human) chemical that attracts cats or dogs. Next time he is hiding in shadows some cat in heat might yowl and rub up on his leg.
* Maybe some minor curse of illusion (like a mole that appears on the tip of his nose)
Have fun with it and make him earn it.
-MD
PS: And hide your loot elsewhere. Inside the chest he thinks your loot is in put a note that says "lock up when you are done"
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
That sort of stuff sometimes works, but not if he thinks he is gonna steal the stuff if he "wins". He is a newb. Newbs need to learn a very important thing about D&D- it is a TEAM game, not a PvP game, like most other games are.
That sort of stuff sometimes works, but not if he thinks he is gonna steal the stuff if he "wins". He is a newb. Newbs need to learn a very important thing about D&D- it is a TEAM game, not a PvP game, like most other games are.
"Newbs" more often play the game better than vets. They are not bound by the imaginary restrictions we develop over years of gaming.
This rogue is playfully challenging that he is good enough to break in. It's not about stealing, it's about the character/player knowing that he can steal. This has the potential to be a fun rivalry and add some flavor to the game much in the same way Gimi and Legolas had their Orc head count contest.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
That sort of stuff sometimes works, but not if he thinks he is gonna steal the stuff if he "wins". He is a newb. Newbs need to learn a very important thing about D&D- it is a TEAM game, not a PvP game, like most other games are."Newbs" more often play the game better than vets. They are not bound by the imaginary restrictions we develop over years of gaming.
This rogue is playfully challenging that he is good enough to break in. It's not about stealing, it's about the character/player knowing that he can steal. This has the potential to be a fun rivalry and add some flavor to the game much in the same way Gimi and Legolas had their Orc head count contest.
I'm with DrDeth, I usually see the opposite. The people who have been playing for some time have fun with little intrigues and stuff like that. Some newbies get it right off, other's play the game like it's not a team sport but rather a one winner type thing.
It sounds to me like you're trying to solve the symptom and not the problem.
What I would rcommend is to inform the problem player that if anything goes missing from the house, he will be assumed responsible, and the cost of replacement will be taken out of his share of all treasure distribution until paid off.
Ignoring my above words of solving the wrong problem, also consider the double-bluff. Keep the house locked, and leave a bunch of junk and barely valuable items inside. Maybe even disguised, or feature a 'lot' of treasure in small denominations (piles of copper) or cumbersome forms. (Statues and large works of art too big for portable holes.) Have a 'hidden' vault that looks like where everything really valuable is kept, but simply has more worthless treasure, and a note inside mocking the would-be thief for assuming your treasure would be so easy to find. Claim you carry it with you, or it's located somewhere else far away.
Then hide the treasure in the garden, under the floorboards, or someplace equally mundane.
I'm with DrDeth, I usually see the opposite. The people who have been playing for some time have fun with little intrigues and stuff like that. Some newbies get it right off, other's play the game like it's not a team sport but rather a one winner type thing.
And yet all your suggestions are to counter the rogue with magic. Which is exactly what I'm advocating.
There you go, Permanently shut the door and only use an obscure window somewhere on the house to come and go. LOL
Magic the door so that anything put into the lock that is not the right key makes a wall of force pop up in front of the door?
Animate some Ropes and tell them to Shibari Tie the rogue so you can take the poor drow to the proper authorities and force him in a cell, and tell him his next character is not allowed to be a rogue or ninja, but you might accomodate a slayer or ranger.
Simple, just dont let him run a a rogue. Some newbs are just incapable of understanding that it's a team game, and a rogue isnt supposed to use his skills vs the party.
*raises hand* I grew up hearing about the thief and came in to the game with those assumptions. It didn't end well. Though I did get a fun story about being chucked by a barbarian out of it. Now when I want to not be quite a team player I end up with characters who are more along the line of, oh, you died? Have fun in the afterlife, dibs on his/her stuff.
|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Is this just a game to see if he can get in, or will he steal stuff from you and the party? If so, there are two answers:
Sit down and talk to him OOC, like adults, and explain this is NOT fun for you.
and
If he continues, invite his character out of the party. Refuse to adventure with him.
The GM has talked to him; but if you've never dealt with an ADHD person you won't quite understand why lessons like this are very slow to skink in.
And unfortunately his girlfriend is playing the paladin, and she's awesome. We're stuck with the package deal.
As someone who is borderline ADHD, and has worked with lots of people with ADHD, there's a difference between being ADHD and being a dick.
I've had a player like this before, and I've played with a few players like this. My advice? LET HIM. He wants to break in and get stuff stolen? Sure. All he's going to do is hinder the party and, probably, get himself killed. Nothing teaches humility and teamwork like getting your !@# handed to you because you were "just playing your character".
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
To clear up a few things and give more detail;
Our rogue, hereafter referred to as Drizzt 254875.9, is not a newb. More just a clueless brat if I am honest about it. If you point out things he's doing that are annoying or inappropriate he feels bad and stops; at least until SQUIRREL! His girlfriend, who is playing our paladin, is a new player. She gets the concept of team player and works with everybody in game. He doesn't.
Drizzt 254875.9 does not actively work against the party; but his reaction to every piece of treasure is the traditional, "OOOHHH SHINY! Me Want!" He's got a magical wakizashi and constantly complains that he can't find another so he can fight with two magic wakizashi at the same time. We're in freaking Sandpoint so he's lucky he found that. The DM has already bent to accommodate there. He also has a cloak Res +1, a ring of some kind, plus the bag of holding we found. Drizzt 254875.9 is not getting cheated out of treasure. He's got an AC in the low 20s and twice I've caught him trying to 'borrow' my wand of shield. I don't yet know if he's managed to slip it off me without my realizing it but I know how many charges it is supposed to have.
He is also always doing thoughtless stuff that gets the party in over their head or pisses somebody off. He took the ‘dinner bell’ in Foxglove manor into the catacombs without telling anybody then rang the damned thing in the middle of a fight attracting all the monsters on the level. I had told him it was an abjuration effect because that’s all I had known; and it damned near got the party killed. He insists that he be allowed to wear a mask, gloves, and hood around town to hide that he's a drow; but then gets mad when the DM has people treat him like a guy wearing a full body mask in public. A small group of NPCs has seen him without the mask, and all the PCs have as well; but drow are unknown outside the elven community in this game so in game we just think he's half elf and half mwangi. We can all work with that; so it's cool as long as he stops with the stupid stuff. He’s got Shameless Vinder chasing him so we’re all banded from the general store until he works that out in game; and boy has he managed to screw that up 6 ways from Sunday. He breaks into other PC's rooms at the inn just because, picks pockets around town at random and donates what he steals to charity (then claims this is a good act; yeah, really), got all bent out of shape that the paladin went to the Pixie's Kitten once and that she's started dating one of the noble son's soon after that (Lord Valdemar's son, Belven) so his character started stalking the paladin, and constantly insists that he’s dating whatever hot NPC (usually Ameiko). Fortunately he ain't my boyfriend and I don’t have to deal with that silliness beyond the game.
Yeah, he's being a jerk; I know that. I’ve tried not to say it; but he is being a jerk. But I'm not the GM. I have had several talks with the GM, and the GM has talked to him more than once. That generally calms things down for about half a game session. The thing is, out of game he's an okay guy. In game he's trying to live his Drizzt Do'Urden fantasy of being the uber-super-awesome-invincible drow character without suffering the drawbacks of being the most reviled race inside the game world short of actual demons. Like too many Drizzt fans he things he can play Drizzt from 1st level and it should be just like he’s 20th level Drizzt from the damned books. There are reasons I really hate Drizzt Do'Urden, the drow as player characters, and players that specifically want to play/be Drizzt Do'Urden. But he's in the group and I like the game otherwise, so I want to find ways to deal with Drizzt 254875.9 without going nuts or having a fight with the GM. I’m pretty sure the GM is just as annoyed as anybody else; but he’s a really nice guy and doesn’t want to rain on Drizzt 254875.9’s parade either.
I'm pretty sure that eventually Drizzt 254875.9 is going to piss the GM off enough that something bad happens to his character (and it should because masked men wandering around Sandpoint do not instill trust); however I do not want to be the one responsible and would rather find productive in character ways to deal with what we have managed to keep a mostly in character problem. Our GM has a no PvP rule. I generally find that a good thing; and Drizzt 254875.9 has not yet pushed it to the point of needing shot in the knee to end his adventuring career, but we’ve been playing for a year now and I can already see the slow escalation. Drizzt 254875.9 has been allowed to get away with a few things to keep him happy and is starting to push the envelope. The moment my character bough his own home Drizzt 254875.9 had to break in just to prove he could. So I changed the locks and he’s now all about how that won’t stop him. It’s all about proving he’s the best. He’s turned it into a competition and if I don’t play he gets to steal my stuff. So, to keep with the no PvP spirit I’m going to make sure that I deal with this in an in game appropriate way that I hope won’t piss the player off to much, because I like the game and campaign, but I also want to teach him to stop treating the rest of us like convenient side kicks in his Drizzt Do’Urden fantasy.
It’s an incredibly fine line I’m wanting to walk. Teach the brat a lesson without starting a fight while keeping it all inside the game and in character. And if I help the GM legitimately smack our little Drizzt clone down without pissing off players and losing our paladin player then all the effort is worth it. I just have to make sure the trap overcomes his damned SR.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I have said it a thousand times "You cant solve OOC problems IC".
Or:
"I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it." - George Bernard Shaw
Mention to the local criminal element that he is poaching on their territory and let them put the fear of them into him. Or the local law enforcement.
Alternately, steal all his things while he is asleep or unconscious if he manages to break into your home and let him know that it is to pay for damages.
How does the rogue know that you even have a house?
Unless someone told him (IC) him knowing is the result of meta-gaming.
If you told him IC that you built your own bank, then it is what it is......
Good question. And how do you know that he is planning/trying to break in? Is he telling you? If so, tell him ICly that you consider that something that isn't in keeping with a party member and to knock it off or get lost.
|
|
I'd have consulted his girlfriend and asked her to manage him.
If he was ruining the fun of the game, I would boot him fast. Shame his girl would probably go with him as well.
It is. It is always hard to find good players, especially female players since so many guys are jerks to them. But I do not want to insert myself into their personal relationship. I sense nothing but danger along that path.
In game, her paladin hates his rogue and only puts up with him because she joined the party after he did. Pisses him off.
Really could have used this info in your first post... >(
This paints an entirely different picture.
Yeah this is an OCC problem. Best handled with an OCC solution like a door and a boot.
-MD
|
|
How does the rogue know that you even have a house?
Unless someone told him (IC) him knowing is the result of meta-gaming.
If you told him IC that you built your own bank, then it is what it is......
I did not hide the fact that I bought a house. It is public knowledge in the game and it is Sandpoint so rumors abound. Its not like this is a secret hideout. it's a cottage across the street from the Red Dog Smithy overlooking the Turandarok river. And expecting the party to be friendly I have let the party store treasure in the house. So I never hid the fact from him. He just wanted to prove that he doesn't need keys or permission to get into my house.
I do try to get along with everybody in game, and so far no real problems other than our party rogue having to prove his manhood on my locks. Which is disturbing.
|
|
Mention to the local criminal element that he is poaching on their territory and let them put the fear of them into him. Or the local law enforcement.
Alternately, steal all his things while he is asleep or unconscious if he manages to break into your home and let him know that it is to pay for damages.
Missed this post. Jubrayl (the top Sczarni) has already had a talk with him in game about making sure he pays his dues to the guild. My character is fairly tight with the Sczarni from childhood so that might be a thought; but only till our clone is too high a level for Jubrayl. I push that button and he might wind up in charge of the thieves' guild in town. That would suck.
Being an elf he's immune to sleep spells, and he had a pretty damned high perception. But our ranger is going to strip search him the next time he's knocked out.
How does the rogue know that you even have a house?
Unless someone told him (IC) him knowing is the result of meta-gaming.
If you told him IC that you built your own bank, then it is what it is......
Presumably the fact the character goes and stays there while everybody else sleeps at the inn would clue him off the PC has a house.