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View Full Version : three chances ignored, players who utterly failed to heed warnings



Stake A Vamp
2013-07-22, 08:19 PM
so, what times have you players ignored your warning(S) and done something incredibly stupid, and the consequences were hilarious (to you, they were probably less amused, though some people are quite good at laughing at their own folly)

the wizard in my party decided to use their spell-book as an impromptu shield against some goblins. the cover was heavy, and they were shooting arrows, so i ruled that they did no damage to the book (i rolled damage on the book, i rolled nothing but 1 and 2). the wizard got it in her head that her spell-book was indestructible, and used it as a shield against their next foe. yes i did make her purchase a new spell-book and new spells.

RustyArmor
2013-07-22, 11:20 PM
"I use my spellbook as a shield!" "Alright you used to have fingers then." Unless he is holding the book in some other way.

But I tend to give them the "Are you sure?" Warning. Then I just assume that is what they thought of in the heat of moment be it for better or worst.

Stake A Vamp
2013-07-22, 11:30 PM
i give my (sometimes especially thick) players the titular three warnings, then laugh as they fail, because he had three chances.

Zahhak
2013-07-23, 01:20 AM
"Cody this will not end well for you. I'm just going to point this out for you. No, seriously Cody, you're outnumbered on what is supposed to be a stealth type thing, do you really want to pick a fight with this guy? OK, if you say so.... And you're dead."

Guy walked into a fight against three clerics by himself, they each outranked him, I warned him multiple times that this would not end well for him. Still took a swing as the leader of the clerics, missed, and took half his health in one shot and died of mass damage. That campaign ended that session because my party decided to do some really stupid things, and everyone died.

In the campaign we're working up to now I was giving a run down of the basic history of the planet they were on (a sci fi setting, btw). I gave a basic explination of the planet, its native life, and what instigated the campaign, which is basically a Robinseque story with a murder-mystery subplot. They spent about 5 minutes asking about the flaura/fauna (which is supposed to be the real hook of the campaign), no time asking about developments in forensics or the countries police system, and an hour and a half asking completely irrelevant questions about the federal government.

I'm starting to think players are all big dummies.

Knaight
2013-07-23, 01:32 AM
The most recent example was a player who has been relying entirely too much on diplomatic measures who decided that it was a good idea to walk into the middle of a criminal base after its leader had just tried to have him killed, to talk his way through something. It didn't work, though he did at least manage to salvage the plan somewhat by suicide bombing when just being quietly killed was the alternative.

DigoDragon
2013-07-23, 07:14 AM
The worst fail of this kind was when 4 of the 6 adventurers ignored warnings about a danger inside the pit at the end of a long hallway. The place was a former palace where dragons met up to discuss politics back in the days.

The hallway in question was off the main passages the party was used to exploring and two-thirds of the team could read the draconic language posted around this place. So when the four ignored the vast warnings about sudden death and climbed down the pit at the end, they found themselves landing on a Sphere of Annihilation.

Incidently, the long hallway was the dragon's bathroom.

Silus
2013-07-23, 10:08 AM
"Well if you didn't want us going in there, you shouldn't have put the house there!"

"Ok, A) I expressed to you OOC that it would be a bad experience for you to go in there, and B) an almost pristine house of an architectural style that none of your characters have ever seen, in a secluded mountain vale with no paths leading to or from it, and that looks like it's been occupied within the last 30 minutes when it takes you ~35 minutes to trudge across the vale, with no cover to hide behind, should, by all rights, be sending up some "Do not enter, something is fishy" red flags in your character's heads. Yet ya'll went inside. And now you have a sentient, soul sucking eldritch abomination in book form that seems more than eager to trade your souls for cheap wishes."

Zahhak
2013-07-23, 10:32 AM
Incidently, the long hallway was the dragon's bathroom.

That is hilarious :smallbiggrin:

Jay R
2013-07-23, 11:06 AM
In 1975 or 1976, there was a guy that several of us would not adventure with any longer; he was unsafe. Eventually, he was running his own party, all by himself. His most famed moment was with a party of first levels (because nobody survived to 2nd level).

DM: Going along the road, you see a sign saying, "Danger! Cockatrice Valley."
PC: We enter the Valley.
DM: At the Valley's entrance, there is another sign: "Turn Back! Cockatrice Valley."
PC. We keep going.
DM. The valley is filled with many stone statues, all looking up.
PC: We keep going.
DM: You hear large bodies moving around the bend.
PC: We run around the bend.
DM: You hear a heavy flapping above you.
PC: We look up.

Later the DM bemoaned the fact that he was trying to keep this PC's characters alive, and he couldn't do it.

Alejandro
2013-07-23, 11:22 AM
so, what times have you players ignored your warning(S) and done something incredibly stupid, and the consequences were hilarious (to you, they were probably less amused, though some people are quite good at laughing at their own folly)

the wizard in my party decided to use their spell-book as an impromptu shield against some goblins. the cover was heavy, and they were shooting arrows, so i ruled that they did no damage to the book (i rolled damage on the book, i rolled nothing but 1 and 2). the wizard got it in her head that her spell-book was indestructible, and used it as a shield against their next foe. yes i did make her purchase a new spell-book and new spells.

Wow. No defensive spells? Bad party tactics?

Stake A Vamp
2013-07-23, 01:01 PM
Wow. No defensive spells? Bad party tactics?

did i mention their next foe was a Fire Elemental? yep, using a book as a shield against fire, no way that goes wrong.

these are my players, and as much as i love em, they can be infuriating. (one time i had to rule zero a party of all batman (everyone would be batman) see what i have to deal with?)

Alabenson
2013-07-23, 01:40 PM
did i mention their next foe was a Fire Elemental? yep, using a book as a shield against fire, no way that goes wrong.

these are my players, and as much as i love em, they can be infuriating. (one time i had to rule zero a party of all batman (everyone would be batman) see what i have to deal with?)

Actually, that could have been fairly hilarious;
"I'm Batman"
"No, I'm Batman."
"I'm Batman and so is my wife."

Talakeal
2013-07-23, 03:29 PM
The worst fail of this kind was when 4 of the 6 adventurers ignored warnings about a danger inside the pit at the end of a long hallway. The place was a former palace where dragons met up to discuss politics back in the days.

The hallway in question was off the main passages the party was used to exploring and two-thirds of the team could read the draconic language posted around this place. So when the four ignored the vast warnings about sudden death and climbed down the pit at the end, they found themselves landing on a Sphere of Annihilation.

Incidently, the long hallway was the dragon's bathroom.


I seem to recall having something almost identical happening in Knights of the Dinner Table.


Anyway, you guys are lucky, your PCs seem at least somewhat good natured and accepting. This happens to my group all the time, and them I have to endure hours long OOC rants and raves about how I kill them intentionally, or didn't alter the campaign retroactively to protect them, or didn't use precisely the right amount of OOC railroading to make them successful, and it always ends up with them trying to punish me irl or threatening to quit the game.

Deathkeeper
2013-07-23, 03:55 PM
My GM once tried to get rid of a disruptive player because he didn't want to flat kick him out for a number of reasons (bad tactic I know but beside the point).
He then managed to get the LG cleric to slaughter a teenage gold dragon in a homebrew world where said cleric's order worshipped gold dragons second only to their goddess. This would not be worth this topic if not that the only reason given for killing it was a bunch of LN characters saying that it MIGHT save a city, and everything else after that including the rest of the party insisted that it was a terrible idea. He fell. Hard.

Yukitsu
2013-07-23, 04:00 PM
To be perfectly honest, there's no difference when you write them down and look at the two between a challenging plot hook and a warning. So much so that I'm not sure which I've been getting, but all I do know is that they haven't killed me yet.

Glimbur
2013-07-23, 04:26 PM
I once ran a one shot at a convention where the PC's were supposed to steal the Ark of the Covenant. There were four characters, and I ran the game twice.

First time, the party got the Ark and got out of the city. Then they opened the Ark. There was one survivor, so the PvP at the end was settled.


Second time, the party herped and derped and wasted a ton of time in the town for no reason. I eventually threw them a bone in the form of a secret passage between the Temple and the palace.

Night falls, and they go to the tent where the Ark still is. They bluff away half of the guards to go back to the barracks, and then they herp and derp some more. Slowly they sneak up on the back of the tent. Then, more planning. Just about when they start to cut into the back of the tent, the guards come back with reinforcements. Turns out people ask questions when guards show up back at base for no reason. Then they decide to fight their way to the Ark, steal the contents, and run away. Two of them are in the tent with some hostile priests, so they open the Ark. Everyone inside dies. The PC's are upset because their characters wouldn't think that would happen. A third PC enters the tent, planning to steal the contents and come back for the Ark later. He looks away, opens it, and still dies because he opened it. I look at the last player and ask if she has a great plan. No. So, game over.

It was pretty frustrating.

Slipperychicken
2013-07-23, 05:53 PM
"Well if you didn't want us going in there, you shouldn't have put the house there!"

"Ok, A) I expressed to you OOC that it would be a bad experience for you to go in there, and B) an almost pristine house of an architectural style that none of your characters have ever seen, in a secluded mountain vale with no paths leading to or from it, and that looks like it's been occupied within the last 30 minutes when it takes you ~35 minutes to trudge across the vale, with no cover to hide behind, should, by all rights, be sending up some "Do not enter, something is fishy" red flags in your character's heads. Yet ya'll went inside. And now you have a sentient, soul sucking eldritch abomination in book form that seems more than eager to trade your souls for cheap wishes."

That's not fair. The way you describe it, that house was probably the most interesting thing in the setting and might as well have had "PLEASE EXPLORE THIS HOUSE FOR ADVENTURE, IT WILL BE SUPER FUN" written in massive neon pink lettering on the front. I mean, it is pretty dumb of them when you tell them not to do it OOC, but otherwise I don't think it's really their fault.


It seems to belong to an entire category of miscommunication between DM and players, which results in complaints like:

"Wow, my players are soooo stuuupid. I put a really interesting dangerous location in a game all about exploring dangerous interesting locations, and then... the players EXPLORED it!!! Who do they think they are?! Adventure game protagonists? Why didn't they just run away, retire from adventuring, and roleplay working retail chains for the rest of their lives? That would be much more fun than exploring a creepy haunted house where people might get hurt."

Silus
2013-07-23, 06:05 PM
That's not fair. The way you describe it, that house was probably the most interesting thing in the setting and might as well have had "PLEASE EXPLORE THIS HOUSE FOR ADVENTURE, IT WILL BE SUPER FUN" written in massive neon pink lettering on the front. I mean, it is pretty dumb of them when you tell them not to do it OOC, but otherwise I don't think it's really their fault.


It seems to belong to an entire category of miscommunication between DM and players, which results in complaints like:

"Wow, my players are soooo stuuupid. I put a really interesting dangerous location in a game all about exploring dangerous interesting locations, and then... the players EXPLORED it!!! Who do they think they are?! Adventure game protagonists? Why didn't they just run away, retire from adventuring, and roleplay working retail chains for the rest of their lives? That would be much more fun than exploring a creepy haunted house where people might get hurt."

Well I ended up giving them the light version of the house because 1) they didn't really have any magic weapons to speak of, and 2) throwing incorporeal undead at a party that has an undead controlling Cleric isn't ever a good idea. Maybe at a later point in the campaign, should they start "feeding" the book.

"Wait, why are we back in the house?"
"Well, the book has gotten stronger. Now it wants you all here. Forever."

Sith_Happens
2013-07-24, 01:03 PM
Snip

http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/_img/chars/char_31657.jpg

"The stupid ones, they opened the Ark, yes?"


Well I ended up giving them the light version of the house because 1) they didn't really have any magic weapons to speak of, and 2) throwing incorporeal undead at a party that has an undead controlling Cleric isn't ever a good idea. Maybe at a later point in the campaign, should they start "feeding" the book.

"Wait, why are we back in the house?"
"Well, the book has gotten stronger. Now it wants you all here. Forever."

Wait, is this the house you posted about on the "times you scared your players" thread forever ago? The Genius Locus one with the little girl and the bleeding walls and the cutlery that murdered one of the PCs except it was a hallucination?

Jay R
2013-07-24, 02:10 PM
It seems to belong to an entire category of miscommunication between DM and players, which results in complaints like:

"Wow, my players are soooo stuuupid. I put a really interesting dangerous location in a game all about exploring dangerous interesting locations, and then... the players EXPLORED it!!! Who do they think they are?! Adventure game protagonists? Why didn't they just run away, retire from adventuring, and roleplay working retail chains for the rest of their lives? That would be much more fun than exploring a creepy haunted house where people might get hurt."

In modern games, that might be true. When I started, with original D&D, it was assumed that the DM was creating an entire world, and of course many areas of it would be too dangerous for low-level characters. The DM would give the necessary clues to adventures that the PCs could handle, but the tyrants, Dragons, Evil High Priests, and Balrogs were in place from the start.

Silus
2013-07-24, 02:34 PM
Wait, is this the house you posted about on the "times you scared your players" thread forever ago? The Genius Locus one with the little girl and the bleeding walls and the cutlery that murdered one of the PCs except it was a hallucination?

Pretty much, yes.

The way I'm gonna run it now with this new campaign is that the book (the real source of the Locus' power) knows the PCs are on the trail of something the book needs/requires. Should they stray from the path or stop being useful, back to the house for round 2 where the kid gloves come off and there are more things waiting for them than jump scares and animated teddy bears.

Essentially the first run was 1) to get the book, which will have...consequences later, and 2) to finally mentally push the fighter over the edge (He's got schizophrenia now =D). This is all from hindsight though.

Slipperychicken
2013-07-24, 02:53 PM
In modern games, that might be true. When I started, with original D&D, it was assumed that the DM was creating an entire world, and of course many areas of it would be too dangerous for low-level characters. The DM would give the necessary clues to adventures that the PCs could handle, but the tyrants, Dragons, Evil High Priests, and Balrogs were in place from the start.

I understand that stuff (players don't attack the godling at level 1, and the DM is supposed to communicate threat levels). The haunted house, however, wasn't advertised as containing inappropriately powerful hazards, so aside from the OOC warning, it's easy for players to perceive it as suitable dungeon crawl.

scurv
2013-07-24, 05:10 PM
"Cody this will not end well for you. I'm just going to point this out for you. No, seriously Cody, you're outnumbered on what is supposed to be a stealth type thing, do you really want to pick a fight with this guy? OK, if you say so.... And you're dead."



Normally when i have that player as a DM, i am called an unforgiving douche for letting nature take its course. Or told that i need to lighten up and that it is only a game and that you are suppose to cater to the players stupid ass whims.

Zahhak
2013-07-24, 05:53 PM
2) to finally mentally push the fighter over the edge (He's got schizophrenia now =D)

Just a note from the real world, you don't get Schizophrenia from "going over the edge", it's an organic(ish) disorder that is at least 50% genetic. A character developing psychotic symptoms from mental stress would be Major Depression with Psychotic Features, Bipolar Disorder with Psychotic Features, or PTSD with Psychotic Features. They are all at least partly genetic, but they are much less genetic than Schizophrenia.


Normally when i have that player as a DM, i am called an unforgiving douche for letting nature take its course. Or told that i need to lighten up and that it is only a game and that you are suppose to cater to the players stupid ass whims.

I was called a douche for even putting him in that situation, when he was supposed to be half a mile away watching what was happening from a rock ledge... with reinforcements.

Silus
2013-07-24, 06:20 PM
Just a note from the real world, you don't get Schizophrenia from "going over the edge", it's an organic(ish) disorder that is at least 50% genetic. A character developing psychotic symptoms from mental stress would be Major Depression with Psychotic Features, Bipolar Disorder with Psychotic Features, or PTSD with Psychotic Features. They are all at least partly genetic, but they are much less genetic than Schizophrenia.


While true, the players (the Fighter included) and I came to the conclusion that, since I threw quite a lot at the fighter regarding his dead sister, the sheer amount of stuff would warrant an insanity check. First roll came up Multiple Personality Disorder, then got retconned to Schizophrenia. So now the Fighter will be occasionally seeing and hearing his dead sister, either giving him insight into a situation, or just blaming him for her death.

And the Cleric plans on flesh-shaping a zombie to look like said dead sister.

gooddragon1
2013-07-24, 06:42 PM
My response to the player in the scenario of the first post:

Make an intelligence check (DC 5).
Successful result: You think that putting your source of power in jeopardy by using it as a shield is a bad idea due to the chance of losing it. Your spellbook might not take damage from arrows but stronger attacks could destroy it.
Result=4: The hardness of the cover of your spellbook is X
Result=3: The hitpoints of the cover of your spellbook are y
Result=2: Your spellbook cover is thick
Result=1: Your spellbook cover is quite resilient
Result=0 or less: Your spellbook cover is capable of deflecting many attacks such as light crossbow bolts fired by creatures smaller than medium size and perhaps even other spells.

thamolas
2013-07-24, 06:48 PM
Anyway, you guys are lucky, your PCs seem at least somewhat good natured and accepting. This happens to my group all the time, and them I have to endure hours long OOC rants and raves about how I kill them intentionally, or didn't alter the campaign retroactively to protect them, or didn't use precisely the right amount of OOC railroading to make them successful, and it always ends up with them trying to punish me irl or threatening to quit the game.

I let players know right away that I won't nerf or fudge anything. I also let them know that I play fairly and won't push them into anything, unless they push first. I'll give a warning every now and then, if the "you're going to mass suicide yourselves" situation presents itself, but they only get one.

thamolas
2013-07-24, 07:38 PM
In modern games, that might be true. When I started, with original D&D, it was assumed that the DM was creating an entire world, and of course many areas of it would be too dangerous for low-level characters. The DM would give the necessary clues to adventures that the PCs could handle, but the tyrants, Dragons, Evil High Priests, and Balrogs were in place from the start.

Wait, people don't play this way? Why not? My groups play this way. Knowing that the world is actually dangerous seems like a smart way to make the game more immersive.

TuggyNE
2013-07-24, 08:12 PM
And the Cleric plans on flesh-shaping a zombie to look like said dead sister.

That might just be the most evil thing I've heard all week. :smalleek:


Wait, people don't play this way? Why not? My groups play this way. Knowing that the world is actually dangerous seems like a smart way to make the game more immersive.

It is, but some groups prefer the metagame (near-)guarantee of level-appropriate encounters. After all, if you rely only on in-character knowledge, you're going to be spending a lot of time running from enemies that can curbstomp you with a standard action, and several editions of D&D make running away difficult or impractical, to the extent that you might be better off just standing your ground, even in a hopeless fight. The result is that you might be going through quite a lot of characters!

Erik Vale
2013-07-24, 09:57 PM
And the Cleric plans on flesh-shaping a zombie to look like said dead sister.

Ohchh... That is wrong on so many levels... What alignment is the cleric?

Togath
2013-07-24, 11:18 PM
One of the main vilains(three of them, one chaotic neutral[an alien shapeshifter obsessed with circles], one lawful neutral[the one here], and the third, true neutral[an intelligent golem who just doesn't give a **** about causing collateral damage on his quest to create a race of sentient golems]) in my longest running campaign has a similar aspect.. though he's already made the zombie.. using his own sisters remains.. because he's both a lolicon and has a little sister complex..
He also hired an extremely suspicious looking "adviser" in order to make wannabe heroes think he's being manipulated by what is in truth a potato farmer who works part time filing records.

Silus
2013-07-25, 05:36 AM
Ohchh... That is wrong on so many levels... What alignment is the cleric?

Lawful Evil Undead Lord Cleric. Has a mild antagonistic steeak.

DigoDragon
2013-07-25, 07:15 AM
Anyway, you guys are lucky, your PCs seem at least somewhat good natured and accepting. This happens to my group all the time, and them I have to endure hours long OOC rants and raves about how I kill them intentionally

To be fair, only half my group is actually that good natured to accept a character death by their own doing. The other half look at me in about the same way you described your group.

Guess which half dies more often? :smallbiggrin:

Tanuki Tales
2013-07-25, 07:32 AM
Anyway, you guys are lucky, your PCs seem at least somewhat good natured and accepting. This happens to my group all the time, and them I have to endure hours long OOC rants and raves about how I kill them intentionally, or didn't alter the campaign retroactively to protect them, or didn't use precisely the right amount of OOC railroading to make them successful, and it always ends up with them trying to punish me irl or threatening to quit the game.

Now that is something that happens all the time in Knights of the Dinner Table. :smallbiggrin:

And you're right, something similar did happen in a Kobold city with a refuse chute.

Edit:


"The stupid ones, they opened the Ark, yes?"

You just made my day.

Oh, how I miss that show. :smallfrown:

Stake A Vamp
2013-07-25, 10:10 AM
so, here is the first thing I said at the first session with my current group (which I DM) "So, I have gathered you all here because we have all gamed together in the past, and you were the players who were enjoyable, rather than the ones who had the delusion that you can 'win' Dungeons and dragons. I believe you all know each-other, so let us begin. There are three things you ought to know about me ads a DM, 1.) I Have Not, Do Not, and Will Not railroad 2.) I will give you warnings before you do something that will have particularly bad consequences, 1 warning if you will lose something important (E.G. your sword or spell-book, yes I will endanger you spellbook), 2 before you lose something critical (E.G. all your equipment, the BBEG's relic, the only book that can tell you how to beat the BBEG) and three warnings before you do something that will get you killed

what do they do, ignore my warnings most of the time, and then be angry with me when they lose stuff ("If you don't leave a guard in kobold infested forests, the kobolds will steal the shiny stuff" "you are in the ravine, and your leg is hurt, you can either drop the sword, or drown" "dear god, if you use your spellbook like a shield, it will be destroyed")

scurv
2013-07-26, 12:11 PM
I have a RL example of someone not listening to warnings and then injuring himself that seems to be kinda on-topic to me (or at least funny to have been there) And yet somehow captures the essence of the topic at hand.

When i was 17 I was in a vo-tech for electronics and as a second year student in the class ( sophomore junior and senior in the same room) we were kinda neglected for the first few weeks till the sophomores were up to speed...and put to work tutoring them. But well I as my adhd self is wont to do got board and then decided to build a tesla coil. You know that thing that make the cool blue sparkies!!!:smallsmile::smallsmile::smallbiggrin:

Well here I am, I got a crowd of sophomores around me and we are playing with the two inch blue spark that is coming off of my coil. And one of them we will call him snap decides he is going to poke this 2-inch blue spark with a metal rod. So i push his hand out of the way and say "WTH snap your gona get juiced" Well a few minutes later he tries to do the same thing with a soda can and again we replay the same set of events. So five minutes later he goes to do it again and I simply sit back and watch him get a good ole jolt from little sparkie! Thankfully tesla coils of the type i was using at the time being high freq and with a high impedance coil will not do much more then hurt and leave a pimple size carbon burn on your hand.

The moral of this tangent is that some people, headless of sense, warnings and outright roadblocks are hellbent on fluttering like a moth into a flame.

Stake A Vamp
2013-07-26, 12:36 PM
I have a RL example of someone not listening to warnings and then injuring himself that seems to be kinda on-topic to me (or at least funny to have been there) And yet somehow captures the essence of the topic at hand.

When i was 17 I was in a vo-tech for electronics and as a second year student in the class ( sophomore junior and senior in the same room) we were kinda neglected for the first few weeks till the sophomores were up to speed...and put to work tutoring them. But well I as my adhd self is wont to do got board and then decided to build a tesla coil. You know that thing that make the cool blue sparkies!!!:smallsmile::smallsmile::smallbiggrin:

Well here I am, I got a crowd of sophomores around me and we are playing with the two inch blue spark that is coming off of my coil. And one of them we will call him snap decides he is going to poke this 2-inch blue spark with a metal rod. So i push his hand out of the way and say "WTH snap your gona get juiced" Well a few minutes later he tries to do the same thing with a soda can and again we replay the same set of events. So five minutes later he goes to do it again and I simply sit back and watch him get a good ole jolt from little sparkie! Thankfully tesla coils of the type i was using at the time being high freq and with a high impedance coil will not do much more then hurt and leave a pimple size carbon burn on your hand.

The moral of this tangent is that some people, headless of sense, warnings and outright roadblocks are hellbent on fluttering like a moth into a flame.

well, two things, 1.), wow, lets stick some metal into the tesla coil, that can't possibly go wrong and 2.) that doesn't really belong in this sub-forum (the roleplaying subforum) and in the effort to not run the risk of getting this thread locked, please refrain from posting RL examples.

scurv
2013-07-26, 02:07 PM
I can understand that, but every time i see a thread like this i think of 'snap' And he is who i tend to picture when i have players wishing to do like minded activities.