Abusive usage of the Inquisitor Brand?

[Ultimga]

So, I'm the GM of a group of 6 players and one of them is a human inquisitor. He had his left hand removed due to some crimes and because of his abuse of power as an Inquisitor he was cast out and has become and ex-inquisitor until he atones. Long story short he has taken a liking to knocking people out and branding random words on them. He's branded a total of 3 party members (One of them twice), and he's branded random NPCs just because he could.

Based on my interpretation of the Inquisitor, I feel like the brand is something that isn't to just be handed out willy nilly. I see it as a mark of death, something the Inquisitor uses to mark the enemies of his faith. It shouldn't be abused.

I'd like to know:
1. Am I wrong in the brand's interpretation?
2. Is him being cast out of the inquisition too harsh?

Below is a detailed situation...

The inquisitor plays quite a disruptive character that really gets in the way a lot and he tends to literally fight his party often. It's actually starting to get on the nerves of me and the players because he doesn't add to the gameplay in anyway he is seemingly just trying to be a thorn in the side, so I got fed up with it and after his outburst in middle of town he was caught and punished by authorities.

When he met the group he got in a brawl with them in the middle of the woods and branded 3 of them - I felt it was out of place and unjust but I allowed it. Later, in the middle of a town square two of the women in the group were carrying a Halfling NPC that was turned into a chicken (They were trying to find him help, he drank the wrong potion!). The Inquisitor decided to clock one of them in the back of the head knocking her out followed by branding her on the neck with "Whore" for apparently no reason, then he tried to take the chicken so he could sell it. The guards arrested him and he was tried and punished by having his left hand removed. This punishment was decided based off of several crimes beyond just him assaulting and robbing this woman, I don't want to get into detail but he attempted to kill several more people including the guards when the arrest happened and he's known for branding random people.

Off topic!
At this point I'm actually on the verge of booting him from the group, it's just hard because he's actually a really close friend IRL..
He's been abusing Chaotic Neutral and uses that as an excuse for every behavior and has done quite his share of metagaming. It's really upsetting the other players and kills the mood.

[Thirdhorseman]

Believe me, this will sound like a broken record, and many others will say the same...

Talk to him irl and ask him to stop. if this does not work, remember the words of Mr. Spock, the needs of the many. the rest of the group should never be held back by one person, and unless the group all agreed on it, actually fighting the rest of the party is usually a shooting offence, and should not be taken lightly. good luck and hope this helps.

[Imbicatus]

Brand is meant to be able to be spammed. It's an orison.

You problem is with the player, not the spell.

[Malag]

Have a short (or long if you must) conversation about this behavior with him. Be blunt and honest completely. Tell him to make a full stop with this attitude. This is your best option to take. Trying to solve the issue in-game won't provide any benefit but bitterness and even worse attitude.

Adam

[InVinoVeritas]

Quote:

He's been abusing Chaotic Neutral

That's all I need to hear. Discuss the disruptive behavior with the character. The player wants to upset things.

[Nox Aeterna]

Your issue is the player , therefore there is no point in comming here and trying to find help in the rules , doesnt matter what rules you find , the player will find other ways to be disruptive.

Talk to the player and try to sort things out , if this is just an in character thing , then maybe ask him to make a new one , if the person just likes to annoy your party , then asking him to leave might be the better solution.

[Ultimga]

Still new to DMing, well pen & paper RPGs in general (2 months under my belt), so this is something I wasn't quite sure how to handle.. I'll definitely talk to him sometime before the next session, hopefully this can get sorted then.

Thanks for the responses!

[Atarlost]

He's a divine caster. If you're the GM you're playing his god, just like you're playing every other NPC in Golarion that ever becomes relevant.

Branding random people is contrary to its purpose and should get him some sort of slap on the wrist unless he follows the god of juvenile pranks. I'd suggest that next time he tries to cast brand on an improper target he gets cursed.

[Dave Justus]

I'll chime in with the advice not to worry about a particular symptom (use of the brand spell) but instead fix the core problem: a player that is disruptive and making the game unfun for others.

I will say though that your trying to deal with a problem player 'in game' by punishing his character (arm, kicked out of church etc.) probably has made the problem worse, not better.

I would talk to the player and see if you can reach a basic understanding that it is a team game and he needs to work with the other players, both in and out of character (some character conflict can be fine, but until the basics of working with is dealt with it should probably be avoided.) If you can reach an understanding, then I suggest he make a completely new character that won't have all the baggage his current one does and try it again.

[Guru-Meditation]

In-Game:
1. Why is the party letting a crazy Psycho stick around that ATTACKS THEM?!?! Why wasnt he thrown out of the party after the 2nd incident? Why associate with a violent nutter?

2. Why wasnt he executed for murder of the guards he killed? No authority takes it easy and forgiving if you go around killing cops.

Out-of-Game:
Have a talk with your player about his disruptive behavior. Tell him his character is only still alive because of DM fiat. And that roleplaying is about having adventures in a believable world, not some Godmode-Rampage through Skyrim!

[Jmic]

Is he still an ex-inquisitor? If so, he has lost access to brand as it is an orison and ex-inquisitors lose all access to their spells. Also what god does he follow?