| 17 people marked this as a favorite. |
1. When they announce their intention to enter a room, ask them, "Do you touch the walls?"
2. When they announce their intention to pick up an innocuous item, ask them, "Are you wearing gloves?"
3. When there aren't any traps, tell them, "You find—wait, what did you roll? Ohhh. You don't find anything."
4. When they announce their intention to head underwater, tell them, "Just give me an estimate—roughly how much of your body is exposed to the water? Mm-hm. *Roll*"
5. Spend a whole dungeon crawl making puns based off of an infamous monster, such as beholders or dragons. If anybody seems to notice what you're doing, start "catching yourself" on it. "When you enter the room, you behold—ugh, I mean, you see a..."
6. When the adventurers are on their way out after beating a dungeon crawl, have them walk through each room. Describe how the bodies of their foes are "strangely bloated", as if "something is growing inside of them". When the PCs inevitably panic and attack one, have your whoopee cushion and your Wikipedia link handy. Scare them with science!
Basically, the goal here is to trigger their metagaming instincts. All players have 'em, don't lie.
7. "Alright, you all go to sleep. Where do you put your weapons?"
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
8) "Roll me a fortitude save real quick. What'd you get? Roll me a will save as well." *Make a quick note on a piece of paper*
9) Give one of them a note. Have nothing on it but instructions to not talk about the contents of the note at all.
| 6 people marked this as a favorite. |
9b) The note reads, "Give a slow smile, put the note in your pocket, and say nothing about it for the rest of the game."
You can do this with two players at a time if you like, though it does reduce the amount of brainf%+*ery you're able to pull off.
11. Randomly roll a dice, then smile to yourself. When someone asks what the roll was for, just say "You'll find out later." Bonus points if you were rolling in the open, and the die came up as a natural twenty or natural one.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
12. While they are walking, start describing the scenery and suddenly stop to ask "uhm... before we continue, who exactly is in the front/back of the line?"
13.) "You perceive a kind of burnt, smoky smell coming from the room you just left."
14.) "Could you remind me what your armor check penalty was again?"
| 5 people marked this as a favorite. |
16.) "As the fireball detonates on it, you hear the troll begin to laugh."
17) when they are going to sleep "ok, so... who cleaned their wounds?"
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
18. Do you check your sleeping bag for scorpions?
18b. How about for spiders?
Then stick him with the sleeping bag snakes.
19. If it's a PbP on the Paizo forums, post weird Rules Questions threads like, "If the whole party's asleep, what's the DC to overhear a coup de grace? Does the guy getting killed get to make a check?"
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
20. "Sorry, just a minute: which hand did you use to open the door?"
21. "Hmm. That's an interesting plan."
22. "How far away are the rest of you standing? Right beside each other, or..."
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
23. If your PbP players are prone to metagaming/looking under spoilers (for the purposes of this, we'll assume that characters are called Abel, Baker, Charlie & Darien):
Await dramatics. Grin behind privacy of monitor.
I find a simple "seems legit" when they roll to check for traps usually suffices.
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
24. Keep making random, superfluous die rolls throughout the session, always followed by saying things like "almost!" and "just barely!" under your breath.
25. Pull out a d100 so everyone can see it, stare at it like Hamlet staring at Yorick's skull, and ask yourself, "Should I?"
26. As combat with the BBEG begins, reach into your bag and pull out another d20, placing it on the table with an air of finality. "Time to use this one."
|
|
27. Stare at the text of the AP you're running, or one of the sourcebooks you're presently using, with an incredulous look, then say, "HAXX, but okay...."
28. Say "YESSS!" in response to seeing a player select a particular die to roll.
29. When the players announce that they are resting for the evening, respond, "Really? Now?"
34. Randomly for everyone to make a Perception Check, and then scribble something behind the screen.
35. Out of nowhere, roll either a d20 or d%, and then quietly exclaim "oof... that was close".
36. (half-mumbling) "Now where are those rules on possession?"
37. After a long dungeon, roll a d20 + a save modifier for one of your players in the open and go "Oops, that was supposed to be a secret roll."
38. Whisper "You feel funny" to a player.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
39. In the middle of a tense post-combat situation, hand your druid player a note with the following.
"You realize how depleted and exhausted you are. You feel absolutely weak, famished and drained from your numerous minor wounds.
You also realize something else.
Bob McRogue smells delicious."
40. "Oh, sorry to ask but how much is your total hit points again?"
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
41. Check the positions of the PCs on the battle map immediately after a fight and say "ooh, everyone's in range". Then roll some dice and move on.
42. In response any (and every) decision the party makes about where they're going next say "Oooookay, if you're sure?"
43. Ask everyone to roll perception, and unless someone rolled a 20, check a monster book and wince.
44. "Who's got..." check notes. "Third watch?"
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
45. "Are you sure?"
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
46. Does anybody have any more d6s? (NOTE: works best when you're already holding a double fistful of them).
47. In a naval campaign, wait till they're out to sea before asking, "Who has ranks in Swim?" as a storm blows in.
| 9 people marked this as a favorite. |
48. Open the Bestiary to the doppelganger page, and set it where the players can see it. Send one player an otherwise innocuous note.
|
49. Ask your players each individually what their background is in public, then bring them into a separate room to tell them that they receive a note from someone claiming to be their long lost brother. After this introduce a character out of nowhere who is the race of the majority of your players, and describe them slightly similarly to how each player described their character.
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
50) "Here's a new NPC. Roll Sense Motive. Mmmhm. You find her absolutely delightful!"
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
48. Open the Bestiary to the doppelganger page, and set it where the players can see it. Send one player an otherwise innocuous note.
48b. Send all the players innocuous notes.
|
|
52. Don't tell player how many hit points a monster or opponent has left.
53. when they roll for Perception or Sense Motive saying, "you didn't perceive or sense anything amiss, nothing 'seems' to be there or they don't 'seem' to be lying.
54. Be generally vague or mysterious in certain details of what you say.
|
|
Have an NPC with a very thick accent say something unintelligible. If players ask for spellcraft checks, give them a chance and tell them they fail to identify the spell. Mention they fail to notice anything visual except maybe a slight hand motion. Get everyone's linguistics skill modifier without them knowing that was being used to recognize what was being said. It could even bein common so you could GM fiat that even unskilled people can do it.
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
60. Before the adventure, put out all the miniatures you intend to use during the adventure. Addionally, put out a bunch of miniatures you have no intention of using. These should consist of several large and dangerous creatures above the party's capabilities. If anyone asks, just say you have them ready in case the party makes the wrong decisions.
61.) Look though the Bestiary or Traps part of the GM's guide, point at a page, and murmur "That sounds fun."
I always liked the occasional can I see your character sheet for a second. Followed by taking a few notes then hand it back
I always liked the occasional can I see your character sheet for a second. Followed by taking a few notes then hand it back
62a: Be sure to comment on any weak point that character has. "Oh, your will save's only a +5? Well then..."
My GM took this up after my berating the rest of the party for NOT letting me bash down doors, because literally everytime I dont something bad happens to whoever opened it.
63) Are you sure you open the door? Whats your AC again?
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
64) Allways use the same mini for human sized BBEG's, make a poiunt of gathering said mini before a session every now and then
11. Randomly roll a dice, then smile to yourself. When someone asks what the roll was for, just say "You'll find out later." Bonus points if you were rolling in the open, and the die came up as a natural twenty or natural one.
65. Randomly roll a dice and then look worried/guilty, like you're not sure that they can avoid a TPK. Bonus points if you were rolling in the open, and the die came up as a natural twenty or natural one. Mix with 11 for extra mind fu@+$ery.
66. "Does anybody search the toilet/latrine/outhouse/chamber pot? How do you do it? Do you reach right in there? Do you use a tool? If so then what tool exactly?" (there could be an ooze in there - there could also be gems or maybe a secret compartment - it seems like someplace most people are unlikely to check thoroughly)
67. "You want to break the chains and free the prisoners? Ok, what do you use to break those chains? Do you use your magic sword? Aren't you concerned that might damage the blade? You don't have any non-magical tools or weapons on your character sheet, do you?"
In our groups the DM also might say, "Ok, everybody have an ugly off!" to call for a Charisma check to determine who gets targeted by a sniper attack, who gets crapped on by a bird, or who gets a really smelly outfit when we steal enemy uniforms as a disguise. The call for a luck check probably bothers people the most if it happens right after the DM puts a really nasty looking mini on the table and or rolls a d20 which comes up nat 20.
52. Don't tell player how many hit points a monster or opponent has left.
52a. Don't show them the health bar.
48. Open the Bestiary to the doppelganger page, and set it where the players can see it. Send one player an otherwise innocuous note.48b. Send all the players innocuous notes.
48c. Send all the players—except one—innocuous notes.
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
69. Ask if you can keep a copy of a PC that just died permanently. Over the next several game sessions, have the PC's just miss the BBEG or his/her lieutenant, while leaving clues that the person they keep missing shares disturbing similarities with the the recently deceased PC.
53. when they roll for Perception or Sense Motive saying, "you didn't perceive or sense anything amiss, nothing 'seems' to be there or they don't 'seem' to be lying.
70: Related to this one...just a different way to do so...
When the PCs make a Sense Motive roll or a perception check...'As far as you know the barmaid is telling the truth.' or 'As far as you know the door is cleared of traps.'