Getting two PCs to get along

[Draco_Lord]

So, thought I'd ask for some help with two PCs I have. Their characters just don't want to get along, at all. Not even much of an alignment thing, one is Chaotic Good and the other Chaotic Neutral. But due to things in the party, and the personalities of the two, they fight.

So, as any good DM, I want to trick them into doing things I want, and in this case it is creating a situation to get them to work together, or die. So, I was wondering if there are any good ways, or advice people can give me to go about doing this?

One is a ranger, he is pretty noble, from a remote swamp village, in touch with nature and so on. Though, pretty willing to kill those who wrong him.
The other is a self obsessed sorcerer, always looking to improve their lot, and sometimes the other PCs she likes, but beyond that doesn't care much for the rest.

My first idea was a pit trap, and have them stuck together, unless they can over come their differences, and work together to escape from a mini dungeon with traps designed for only the two of them to escape.

[Nibbens]

Does the rivalry arise from Ooc tension? If so, you should handle it Ooc, not in game.

EDIT: Rereading your post, one is a "he" and the other a"she." Had a similar circumstance once. There was a lot of tension of the non-platonic kind. Wasn't pretty. Regardless, the answer is still the same, if this is true. The problem stems from outside the game, not in the game, so it needs to be addressed there. Otherwise you will never fix the problem.

[Draco_Lord]

I was worried about that, but both of them seem fine with each other out of the game. Honestly, I'm just getting sick of them in character. It is a pain hearing two characters bicker all the time, and this gives a chance for some more roleplaying for each of them. So, I was just looking for ways to do this, or ways I can split a party without splitting the group out of character, because running multiple sessions, while kind of fun, is hard to manage.

[Red Fel]

In my mind, it boils down to a very simple explanation. It's possible for PCs to not get along, and still get the job done in relative peace. You don't leave them alone together, and you don't provoke anything, and you get something resembling a cold peace. It works. You can even have the sort of bickering protagonist style you see in movies and on television - they don't seem to get along until action happens, then they're a well-oiled machine.

I was in a party like this - my lycanthrope was constantly locking horns with a Drow Cleric of Eilustraee. He would mouth off, she would cast Moonbeam and turn him into a mute kitty, he would growl. It was all good-natured, and despite their disagreements they worked well together.

And then there's the worse kind of not getting along, where that little bit of character development turns into a distraction, or worse outright spoils things. That's an OOC problem. Even if the players get along, if the feud between their characters is too much, it calls for OOC intervention.

The reason for this is simple - there's a polite agreement, implicit in the game, that the PCs will get along well enough to function as a party. Unless there is an explicit understanding to the contrary, this generally means no PvP, no sabotaging the other PCs, and certainly no derailing the game with your little feud. When the PCs are at each others' throats because "it's what my character would do," the correct answer is to come up with something else your character would do.

That's my advice as to what you, the DM, should do - talk to the players and explain that this is a problem, and that they need to fix this. Here's what you should not do - what you suggested in your OP.

Putting two characters who are constantly at each others' throats into a "strange bedfellows" type of peril works fine on TV, in movies, and in books, because the outcome of the situation is already written in the mind of the author. Tabletop games don't work like that. Not only are you not guaranteed the outcome you desire, but it smacks of some of the worst kind of railroading. You are, in essence, using in-game mechanical constructs (i.e. the peril) to force the players to play their PCs the way you want them to. I strongly advise against it.

Talk to your players. That's the method most likely to succeed.

[P.F.]

Let them have it out. If the normal challenges the party is facing aren't already forcing them to work as a team, perhaps you just need to crank up the CR dial.

Maybe they like the tension. Conflict with NPC's creates suspense, but conflict between party members yields real drama. You can throw some comic relief in there when it gets too intense, but seriously, maybe their characters just need to go at it. It could be a sort of non-lethal brawl, like that scene from the Avengers.


he's a pretty noble who loves the outdoors, she's a self-absorbed, materialistic sorceress

On the other hand, maybe their characters just need to go at it, and that will release the tension.

[Threadnaught]

Force your players to come up with a reason why their characters do not immediately kill each other and would be willing to hang with each other for a grand adventure. If you're open to PvP, force your players to build toward it rather than just backstabbing everyone else's PCs, if you're not open to PvP, then you'd have to let your players know and all you can do is hope your players don't force your hand. Maybe retire any characters that become a problem for which the only solution is PvP.

[Draco_Lord]

Okay, the reasoning seems fair, and I understand where my mistake was. I'll try talking to them, and hopefully things will work out.

[animewatcha]

any chance one of them is a dwarf and the other an elf?

[Threadnaught]

Okay, the reasoning seems fair, and I understand where my mistake was. I'll try talking to them, and hopefully things will work out.

At the moment, the conflict is not PvP and it's hard to tell if it would lead to PvP.

I would recommend, if you're not open to PvP, to mention your worries to your players, if you are open to PvP then leave it and pepper the PCs with activities to distract them from PvP opportunities.


Though it does appear to me that you may be the only one in your game who considers it to be a problem. Have others expressed distaste at these two's behaviour? If so, then have the talk immediately and explain to them that they are indeed, taking it too far and should tone it down a bit.
If you're the only one, then have the talk, but put the emphasis on how you feel and how the three of you should come up with a solution together. Regardless of who's issue it is, you're probably going to have to compromise on something.

[jedipotter]

Does it really effect the game if two characters ''don't get along''? So what? Just let them ''not get along''. Not everyone in a group ''gets along'' all the time.

[atemu1234]

Out of character problems require out of character solutions.

In character problems are solved by THE END OF NEXT EPISODE.

[jedipotter]

Out of character problems require out of character solutions.

In character problems are solved by THE END OF NEXT EPISODE.

And that is one to grow on ding ding done....shooting star.......

[Red Fel]

Does it really effect the game if two characters ''don't get along''? So what? Just let them ''not get along''. Not everyone in a group ''gets along'' all the time.

That's true. The PCs don't all have to be bestest-best-buds. I've been in situations where the PCs get along generally, although there's some minor hostility that tends to emerge in sarcasm, snark, or general teasing (sometimes with some bite). Sometimes, it's just fun roleplaying, and makes for a good story and a nice laugh. Other times, however, it leads to active antagonism and sabotage between characters, if not outright PvP. Even if it doesn't reach that extreme, when two characters spend their whole time arguing, it can kind of distract from actually playing the game. It's a matter of scale, but it's important to know where the line is.

To cite the tropes: Vitriolic Best Buds (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/VitriolicBestBuds)? Awesome. With Friends Like These (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WithFriendsLikeThese)? Great laughs. Headbutting Heroes (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HeadbuttingHeroes)? It can work, provided they can put aside their differences long enough to pull off Teeth-Clenched Teamwork (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TeethClenchedTeamwork). Fighting the Lancer (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FightingTheLancer)? Well, now we've got issues. Too much hostility can lead to A House Divided (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AHouseDivided), and that ends badly for everyone involved, and often those uninvolved as well.

[atemu1234]

That's true. The PCs don't all have to be bestest-best-buds. I've been in situations where the PCs get along generally, although there's some minor hostility that tends to emerge in sarcasm, snark, or general teasing (sometimes with some bite). Sometimes, it's just fun roleplaying, and makes for a good story and a nice laugh. Other times, however, it leads to active antagonism and sabotage between characters, if not outright PvP. Even if it doesn't reach that extreme, when two characters spend their whole time arguing, it can kind of distract from actually playing the game. It's a matter of scale, but it's important to know where the line is.

To cite the tropes: Vitriolic Best Buds (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/VitriolicBestBuds)? Awesome. With Friends Like These (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WithFriendsLikeThese)? Great laughs. Headbutting Heroes (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HeadbuttingHeroes)? It can work, provided they can put aside their differences long enough to pull off Teeth-Clenched Teamwork (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TeethClenchedTeamwork). Fighting the Lancer (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FightingTheLancer)? Well, now we've got issues. Too much hostility can lead to A House Divided (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AHouseDivided), and that ends badly for everyone involved, and often those uninvolved as well.

Beware the troperwock my son, the threads that bite, the tropes that catch...

[Eisenheim]

I'd say at the outset that if the players (and GM) remain happy, character conflict need not be a problem. Are the players: derailing the plot in a manner that makes you unable to run the game you have prepared? Are they making the game less enjoyable for the other players? If not, I would say let it be, with any appropriate injunctions about the expected level of party cohesion/lack of PvP for your games.

[Nibbens]

I'm also concerned with how the other players are handling it. IF the two are bickering and the other 3 (and the DM on top of that) find it annoying, then maybe something needs to be done. Talking to them and making your feelings clear on the matter are necessary for all involved, not just the 2 bickering.