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View Full Version : Roleplaying Idea help for a trickster



Oddman80
2014-12-15, 11:08 PM
So, My sharp-tongued, kleptomaniac Halfling Barbarian just laid claim to a couple of shiny items in the middle of a Boss Battle with an Enlarged Anti-paladin Dwarf King. (That's probably the first time that sentence has ever been written)
I snagged the King's Crown and Septer from a locked chest before returning to the battle by jumping on the Dwarf (riding him like a bull) and driving my Rapier through his throat while yelling "Who's the King Now, B****!!!!!"
The crown gave me buffs to all my mental stats (just what a Dex based barbarian needs?) and also made me feel like I was better than all of my fellow party members and that they really needed to start paying me more respect!
The Septer has charm powers that make people want to follow my commands... Though possibly a bit too enthusiastically... And if possible, with unintended consequences.

All that said, my Halfling has no delusions of grandeur - he doesn't want to actually rule.... But before one of the other, more power hungry party members snatches these things from him, he wants to have a grand old time playing pranks and finding amusement at other peoples expense... Because that is the type of S.O.B. he is.

And that's where I come asking for help... This isn't really in my nature, so I need some ideas for some things I can do.

I currently have convinced the party that I ACTUALLY believe I am a king. The party wizard wants to inspect/learn about the crown. I have threatened him and talked down to him quite severely, and in his desire to learn about the crown, the wizard has agreed to come to my chamber (alone), lie face down on the floor while I stand over him, rapier drawn and held to his head... (We are lvl 6... So I think I still hold the advantage). I have arranged with the GM to acquire a piece of magical parchment that will allow me to permanently capture the scene for my continued amusement...

This is a pathfinder game (not sure if it matters). We have a Kitsune (disguised as grey elf) sorcerer, a Minotaur War-priest, a Vampire Metal Oracle, an Elf Ranger, a Tengu Monk, and the Half-Elf Wizard (in this world, humans have been enslaved, Monster races are the Norm, and Vampires hold the highest levels of power.)

Slipperychicken
2014-12-16, 12:23 AM
Maybe you could use the scepter (along with your sharp tongue) to help get discounts and wenches for your party members? Once your party notices how much of a bro you are, they might respect you more.

Oddman80
2014-12-16, 12:27 PM
OK.... so far the only recommendation is charm my way towards getting my friends cheep ale and wenches....

please tell me people have more ideas than that...

mpollack
2014-12-16, 02:32 PM
It depends on what the DM and the rest of your group will tolerate OOC, the particular powers of the scepter (what do they remember after, would anyone see you, that sort of thing), whether anyone else knows about the charm powers IC, etc. It also depends on the particulars of your character's particular alignment and personality.

I'm going to assume the following: nobody knows that the scepter causes charms, you can activate it surreptitiously at any time day or night, and that by enthusiastic, you mean that they do what you command with possible backfiring consequences and remember the deed as their idea. I'm going to also assume that you have a CG Barb/Rogue with some internal goodness/guilt, have a strong immaturity streak, and that you group with more evil power hungry teammates. Oh, and I will assume that you got permission from the GM and team members ahead of time and know where the boundaries are.

The most common activity of this is just a straightforward zap them while nobody is looking and order them to do whatever pops into the id of your head. Hop on one foot. Get me candy. Think that pine tree is an attractive member to be seduced. Moon the prime minister. Don't think too hard about complex trickery beyond hiding what you've been doing. Just order whatever pops into your head.

A big thing is what your end game is. Will your character feel guilty? Will he go too far, triggering his need to save someone? Will he get caught? Will the other characters get a chance at revenge? My guess is that you want to inevitably get caught, and that's how your power hungry party members will inevitably find out about the scepter and start fighting over it. Working backwards, you'd probably start small with minor embarrassing actions on occasion and then begin to do bigger embarrassments more frequently and with fewer precautions.

(Personally, I'd just keep it in my bag until I needed to get my team mates no longer mad at me, but that's the kind of rogues I play.)

Oddman80
2014-12-16, 03:29 PM
Info on my Character
My character is Chaotic Neutral.
I want him to get caught - but yeah not right away... i'm sure he doesn't want to get caught... he would just be having too much fun.... so good point about starting small and then escalating.
Will he feel guilty? Not for embarrassing anyone. Not even if someone gets hurt that he knows should be able to take a hit or two (this is a guy who volunteered to get hit by a new electric trident we found to see how much damage it could do). But he would feel guilty if someone that wasn't supposed to be part of the prank got hurt (like a small child, or a nice lady in town... he might not care about the elderly... hasn't come up yet) I have gone over the idea with he GM - who is fine with it. But the players right now all still think that my character actually believes himself to be a king... As far as boundaries - i am not going to do anything that would cause them to damage or otherwise lose any of their possessions. I will likely be staying clear of anything sexual - cause that can get awkward - though i think playful nudity is definitely on the table... now that it comes up... i think one of my first acts will need to be getting a tavern full of drunks to streak through town (the only question is - after they drop trou - do i the NPC's discarded pockets)

Info on the Scepter
The scepter is sort of conditionally activated - it requires a "royal" command to be issued. what makes it royal? the crown, of course!

When a royal command is issued - it casts an unnoticeable Mass Charm on everyone in the area. So if the command is not specifically addressed to an individual - everyone is going to feel compelled to follow.

I was told that people's responses to the commands will be much like genie wishes - the bigger the command - the more that can and will most likely go wrong.

As long as i don't issue a command that would cause the charm to break, the targets shouldn't know they are being charmed - but feel like they are willingly (and enthusiastically) following my command.

malmblad
2014-12-16, 05:19 PM
I'd start with "fun" for everyone stuff like impromptu dance parties or flash mobs escalating into things that would just amuse your character like tavern patrons streaking or having everyone think underwear on their head is the new "in" fashion. Get the town to walk backwards for the day. Declare a holiday in honor of you and make everyone participate in weird customs celebrating it... like playing king of the hill only no shoving. People can only knock people down by slapping them with large fish. Come up with an self-aggrandizing catch-phrase for every charm command you give. "I, [character name], sovereign by rite of crown and scepter, kingslayer and wooer of women do hereby declare referring to oneself in 3rd person as the proper way to speak henceforth.

I would have so much fun with something like this.

Oddman80
2014-12-16, 10:02 PM
I know! I can't wait until the next session! While I was sincere in my asking for ideas, I think a part of me just wanted to post about my good fortune for coming across such a fun item.