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Avianmosquito
2016-07-10, 07:44 AM
Try this out with your groups. In a new campaign, please.

They're in their first town and just got their first quest. On the way out, a drunken NPC is stumbling down the road, a bottle of wine that is clearly not his first in his hand. He's in a foul mood, complaining to himself out loud (about whatever, something mundane and relateable that fits the setting, the point is that he is having a really bad day) and failing to notice he is not alone. The man runs directly into the party, falls and drops his wine, breaking the bottle. Now, have him blame the party, scream at them and insult them, over his minor injuries and loss of his wine. Basically, he should behave realistically for a drunk guy taking his really bad day out on the party. Do NOT inform the party of the fact that the man is ultimately harmless and won't follow them. Observe how the party responds.

Report your results in this thread. The title of this thread should hint at the results I got, but I'll share them in greater detail after some others have tried it.

BWR
2016-07-10, 11:52 AM
Don't need to run this because I know how all of my characters and most of the characters of my fellow players would react.
The majority would ignore him or tell him to watch his tongue and move on. At our most immature murderhobo stage some PCs might have beaten him up or killed him. A few kind-hearted souls would try to carry him to a place for him to sleep it off.
A good number of other PCs would beat him up or kill him without being sociopaths, based entirely on their relative social positions (if this was some peasant in Rokugan he'd be begging to be killed, and a samurai would be begging for a duel in this case).

I honestly can't see the point of this. Are you merely trying to get some statistics one ******** characters out there?

Sith_Happens
2016-07-10, 12:01 PM
I honestly can't see the point of this. Are you merely trying to get some statistics one ******** characters out there?

That is specifically exactly the point.

Telok
2016-07-10, 03:18 PM
I'll answer from previous experience since my group has had stuff like this happen.

One of us would be nice and send him away or give him a few gold.
Two of us would use him as comic relief or prank him.
One would knock him out in one hit to get on with the game.
One of us could do any of the above depending on what character he's playing at the time.
That guy (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Munchkin) (Warning: TVTropes link) would kill, loot, reanimate as a spawning undead, and try to form an undead army. Unless he's playing a ninja this time in which case it's looth, kill, ignore consequences. Or he's playing a straight warrior type when it's kill, loot, attack the town guards, loot, complain about not being able to sell the guard's bloody tunics or crappy pants to the merchants and ask about xp. Alternately he may just light the guy on fire "to watch him burn."

johnbragg
2016-07-10, 03:34 PM
I'll answer in terms of some of my old PCs.

Felix (gnome sorcerer) would throw a homebrewed net of entanglement on him, knock him out and steal his pants. (That character made a trademark of stealing our opponents' pants.

My wife's cleric-rogue Pop would cast remove disease to sober him up, and chastise him for wasting so much money on the wine, and for wasting the broken wine. On a nat 20, he cries with remorse.

Ozal Doubleaxe (two-weapon doubleaxe fighter) goes for an Intimidate check, and if that fails goes for a trip attack, leaving him cursing in the mud.

My halfling cleric Friar Juby casts calm emotions, then presses a candy into his hands wrapped in a piece of paper saying "Friar Juby wants you to make better choices." (Those were designed as pickpocket bait.)

Koo Rehtorb
2016-07-10, 03:45 PM
Knock him down and kick him a few times if he doesn't shut up after that.

Wraith
2016-07-10, 03:50 PM
Have tried a very, very similar test on my group, so I can speak with accuracy.

One, A, would simply hand him a coin to pay for a new drink, ask "Anything else?" and then walk away. He's the sort to avoid confrontation by the simplest means possible.
Another, S, would try to strike up a conversation, trying to get to know the drunk and his problems and see if he could profit - not always greedily - from having a new friend on his side.
A third, G, would interrogate the drunk with an eye to finding a plot hook. He thinks himself incredibly savvy of RPGs and would expect this to lead to something, eventually dismissing it but then referring back to it occasionally to try and make the link to the current situation.
The fourth, J, is harder to predict, but it would probably start with an argument and end with something.... unusual. Violence is not out of the question, but it would likely be amusing violence of the tarred-and-feathered-in-the-town-square variety.

The fifth, P, is undoubtedly the poster-child for the sort of person you expect in the thread title. He's been known to mug other PC's with lethal weaponry over the matter of a few dollars, to mutilate NPC's and go down whatever dark and vicious path seems most amusing at the time. Betraying the party to demons, bartering with the BBEG, selling decrepit old women into brutal slavery just because the offer was made off hand....
What I'm getting at, is that the drunk guy is at best moments away from "I stab him in the face". P is usually polite enough to let other players stop talking before he embarks on his latest project of brutality. If someone resolves the situation before that is immediately necessary, I strongly expect that he would later on split from the party and hunt the drunk guy like an animal by himself. Possibly stabbing the PC responsible for solving the problem as he passes as retaliation for delaying his 'fun'. :smalltongue:

As for myself, try to think that I am a better Role Player and would react accordingly for the character in question. A lot of times he'd just get shrugged off and ignored, but there are a few specific examples in mind where the guy would never been seen whole again. Very, very few, if any, where he'd get any money or sympathy out of me, I must admit.

Themrys
2016-07-10, 03:53 PM
My halfling cleric Friar Juby casts calm emotions, then presses a candy into his hands wrapped in a piece of paper saying "Friar Juby wants you to make better choices." (Those were designed as pickpocket bait.)

That's what all my PCs who have any spell that calms or causes sleep would do. The man is a nuisance, not a threat, that's pretty obvious, so casting a non-lethal spell that makes him unable to be a nuisance would be the first thing that comes to mind.

Mr Beer
2016-07-10, 04:02 PM
Not going to do this because there is no need. What would happen is something like this:

- One player would very much depend on the character they were playing at the time. Most of them would not hurt let alone murder someone simply for being annoying, one or two would. Other players would probably follow this guy's lead. Note he is too smart to simply cut someone down in the middle of town so murder is highly unlikely. None of his characters are petty or vindictive enough to track the drunk down and kill him later.

- Second guy is 90% likely to laugh at drunk's antics and 10% likely to explode into lethal violence. I never know which.

- Third guy would do whatever everyone else does.

- Rest of the party would probably just ignore the guy or maybe backhand him if he pesters them enough.

Avianmosquito
2016-07-10, 04:25 PM
Well, when I tried it, most of my groups assumed the man was a hostile encounter, killed him, and got guilt tripped when they returned to turn in their quest later and an essential merchant (usually an apotheocary) was no longer available. One of them, who was on a solo adventure, was identified as the killer and had to flee the town or be hanged for murder, so they couldn't collect their quest reward.

I also had one player punch the guy in the face, realise he was cowering instead of fighting back, and leave. (That was my little girl.) The best I've gotten is one player deciding it was a trap and convincing the party to leave the man alone. None helped the man, tried to calm him down, or otherwise did anything positive like a lot of you have mentioned. The one group that walked away and the solo player who hit him with her tiny fists were the only responses I've seen that a normal person would do in that situation.

RickAllison
2016-07-10, 04:45 PM
Here is how I think my group would respond:

Our Arcane Trickster/Bard would pull a comical gag on him, then leave him at an inn with a few coins for the innkeeper to take care of him for the night (mischievous, but kind).

The child sorceress would find some way for fire to solve the situation. She just really likes fire. She is basically a kid with explosives that normally can't harm her. She would mean well, but fire doesn't help much here...

The Druid would probably just turn away, but might go Wild and knock him out. He is the character who tends to do the least RP.

Our monk would calm him down and then go drink a few rounds together.

Finally, our Artificer/Cleric would pull some Holmes deductions, then find a way to indoctrinate him into the church of the Raven Queen, who is trying to usurp the gods of death in the DM's setting. Basically pulling the cult-thing of convincing him through magic that he wants to help the church just as the church wants to help him.

Older characters might have more sociopathic responses:

The warlock would forcefully brainwash him into serving Cthulhu, or kill him.

The paladin of vengeance is liable to murder him on the spot (same player as the warlock).

The monklock would challenge him to a drinkin contest and drink him under the table before stealing his money and flaking on the tab.

The swashbuckler would try to help him back to his home, unless he had a psychological trigger from aggressiveness and instead killed the man (unlikely, but possible).

The fighter would knock him out, steal his money, and go drink.

The cleric would... I'm not really sure what he would do. The player was never there enough to get more from him than perverted lech.

In non-D&D campaigns:

The two Ewoks would likely ignore him unless he insulted Ewok-kind. Then he would be disintegrated/chainsawed apart.

The droid would be diplomatic.

The Jedi might toss a few credits, but would likely ignore him.

The Force monk would help him.

The various characters of the warlock's player would lecture him on the virtues of the Empire, run him over with his space-horse, try to implant a bomb into him, and try to convince him to pay for illicit activity of the intimate variety.

gooddragon1
2016-07-10, 05:30 PM
Most of my characters would try to avoid fighting with him.

One of them would bind him in some manner and then make a Profession: Trolling check. On a result of 20: He mad.

Eldan
2016-07-10, 05:37 PM
Tried this just now. The party was convinced this was a plot hook and I pretty much had to tell them straight out to stop interrogating him. They were a bit miffed about the waste of time.

Faily
2016-07-10, 09:37 PM
Recent D&D 3.5 characters

Soah the Ultimate Magus, would've pushed him away, shouted some obscenities back at him... most likely because she is drunk herself at this point... and possibly have cast Sleep on him in annoyance.
Natasha the Green Sparrow, would exclaim "look over there! It's the cityguards!" and then slip away. If he looked rich, she would've done the same, after lifting his coin purse from him.
Sheliya the Champion of Corellon, would've escorted him to the local authorities so that he can sleep it off, and they can fine him or whatever is the punishement for public drunkeness (as long as its not death).
Leona the Dark Knight, would, if no witnesses around, kill him, loot his body, and dump him into an alleyway. If there are witnesses around, she'd just beat him senseless and walk away.
Ashara the Dweomerkeeper, would just keep walking and ignore him. He's not worth her time.


Recent Pathfinder characters

Othariel the Lady Defender and Ruler of Thunder Rift, would attempt to calm the man and have him escorted home or to a safe location where he can rest. Would attempt non-lethal damage if he would not come quietly, just so we can make sure he won't disturb the peace or accost anyone else (just incase he might try something criminal).
Battle Lover Scarlet, would cast Heal, Neutralize Poison, or something similar to rid the man of his drunken state and kindly ask him to go home.
Vette the Sneaky Sorceress, would convince "go home, you're drunk". With success. Or turn invisible if he made her jump.
Raani the Cleric of Sarenrae, would lecture the man for his public scene, cast magic to rid him of the alcohol's effect, and then lecture him again.


Other

Almost all Rokugan-characters: Cut down the peasant for daring to accost a samurai. Or order bodyguard to do so. Or at least have him beaten up and thrown into jail for accosting a samurai (and most likely executed later).
Ars Magica: Push him away. End up being prone in the mud themselves, because botches are silly.

goto124
2016-07-10, 10:21 PM
Give a coin to the drunk. At 1000mph.

Also, I love you guys.

Dire Roc
2016-07-11, 11:01 PM
Recent D&D 3.5 characters
Battle Lover Scarlet, would cast Heal, Neutralize Poison, or something similar to rid the man of his drunken state and kindly ask him to go home.


Is that an anime reference? Because I've barely seen anyone who's seen Cute High Earth Defense Club Love.

Madbox
2016-07-11, 11:28 PM
Can't speak for the others at my table, but out of the characters that I've played recently...

My fighter would probably ignore him, and keep walking. If the drunk continued to bug him, he'd punch him.

My wizard and my warlock both would probably start messing with him. Stuff like casting mirror image or blur, and then using minor illusion to have their voice always come from behind him.

My cleric would probably apologize, and then try to strike up a conversation. If the drunk continued to be hostile, she'd start walking, and coincidentally just happen to walk past several guards until he got arrested for public intoxication.

Knaight
2016-07-12, 04:18 AM
Actually testing this seems like a bit of a waste of time (if only because it conflicts a bit with everything I have any interest in running for the next couple campaigns), but I can reasonably guess at what this would have looked like for the last couple of PCs I've run. One of them likely would have reacted with some degree of violence, likely in the form of physically throwing the guy to the side of the road and moving onwards. That character is explicitly an antihero with a messed up sense of morals though, so that doesn't say much. The other of the last two could have gone a number of different ways depending on other events. Handing the drunk another bottle of wine, opening one for herself, and commiserating with him is a fairly likely scenario. Other options would have been offering to pay for the bottle of wine broken, and dramatically overshooting it, as the character's failure to understand how currency works was a running gag that I was having fun with and would have been likely to incorporate.

Seppo87
2016-07-12, 04:32 AM
My current PC (slayer) would react differently based on the presence and identity of other people.

With the party? Tell the drunk guy you're really sorry so he calms down, then take him to some place where he can rest, always say he's right, whatever he hates is bad, now get some rest and don't drink too much.
Avoid conflict.

With nobles, rich people or clients that don't want to be bothered? Act as a guard, formally but firmly oppose the drunk guy who tries to approach. Knock him out if necessary.

Alone? Ignore him. Stealth your way out. Blame self for not paying enough attention to the surroundings and avoid the man entirely.

Alone on a job (most likely assassination) and he's a witness? Take him to some hidden place and kill him.

And well, he's canonically a psychopath. It's written in the backstory.

---

Previous PC (beguiler gnome)
Whine that the drunk guy is being unfair, order him to leave with a negative cha modifier and no ranks in intimidate, involontarily anger the guy even more by making snide remarks, try running away (impossible, he was fat and had the slow trait) seek for other people help, if everything else fails start using illusions, leave, then pretend everything was under control all along, as time passes the story gets more and more inflated, eventually the gnome is trying to spread around the voice that he defeated single handedly an army of drunk thugs.

BWR
2016-07-12, 06:01 AM
Is that an anime reference? Because I've barely seen anyone who's seen Cute High Earth Defense Club Love.

Indeed it is. Scarlet the Oracle with the Heavens Mystery teamed up with Lolly(pop Chainsaw) the paladin as supporting characters in the quest for Immortality of the other two PCs.
The supporting cast was far more fun and interesting than the main characters.

Fan of the fail
2016-07-12, 08:05 AM
So you want people to introduce the party to an openly belligerent NPC who has no bearing on the campaign for the express purpose of antagonizing them over a perceived slight just to see how they react?

Who's the real sociopath here? :P

Segev
2016-07-12, 10:36 AM
In the 5e game I'm currently in, I think we'd have...

...the dragonborn paladin try to help him to an inn or a drunk tank to sleep it off
...the elf monk beat him unconscious and then wonder why everybody thought he was in the wrong for it
...the Halfling cleric (who is a pirate) be boggled that the elf monk thought that was a good idea, and be mildly irked that the elf is "out-evil"ing him
...my "Halfling" wizard (actually a young elf) would probably edge nervously away and hide behind his (adopted) big dragonborn sister. If alone, would probably put up a minor image of a statue of himself and edge away, hoping the guy yells at it instead of him.
...the dragonborn fighter would probably try to ignore they guy, backhanding him if he accosted her too much. She MIGHT, depending on her mood, hand him some coin to go away.


In the last 3.PF game I was in...

...my paladin would have taken him somewhere to get cared for. Probably used lay on hands to cure his drunkenness and had a long discussion about life choices with him. Maybe had some of his followers check up on the guy.
...the elan psion would likely have time skipped him out of her hair (or something similar), unless she felt it an opportunity to impress upon him her ancient wisdom. The former is the kinder fate.
...the wizard from a more-evil version of the Addams family would have likely panicked and used some powerful but temporary incapacitating spell, while his warforged butler herded him away


In the mystery/horror game partially inspired by Gravity Falls...

...the teenaged witch would take him very seriously and assume his every word had hidden meaning...and want to go do whatever he suggested RIGHT THEN.
...the cheerleader would mesmerize him and get him to leave her alone, all the while being grossed out that he might have TOUCHED her.
...the big guy would feel guilty for having been run into and barely noticing, and probably picked him up and taken him to the town doc or sheriff for detox.
...my character would plumb him for information and rumors, and, failing that, get annoyed and leave.
...the (hitherto unknowing) heir to a line of hunters-of-the-supernatural would help the big guy get him to someplace safe to stew it out.



And my signature necromancer would sneer at him and just walk by. If he were beligerant about it, his "bodyguard" would lift its all-concealing helm to reveal the skull within, in hopes of scaring him off. If all else failed, sleep would probably be the least conspicuous way to deal with this problem.

FireJustice
2016-07-12, 11:10 AM
I probably would kill this NPC ASAP

Way easy to telegraph that he's just a drunk and the DM is wasting my time tring to "living up a little" his world, but he can't put true effort in it so, perky NPC it is

yes, kill it (not him/her, NPCs are not people) on the spot. That will teach the DM to stop wasting my time (and everyone else's)


What? Isn't that the answer?

Asmodean_
2016-07-12, 11:36 AM
Give a coin to the drunk. At 1000mph.

Also, I love you guys.

This. I love sarcastically/ironically granting requests.

Seppo87
2016-07-12, 11:56 AM
I probably would kill this NPC ASAP

Way easy to telegraph that he's just a drunk and the DM is wasting my time tring to "living up a little" his world, but he can't put true effort in it so, perky NPC it is

yes, kill it (not him/her, NPCs are not people) on the spot. That will teach the DM to stop wasting my time (and everyone else's)


What? Isn't that the answer?

Without a doubt, this will "teach" the DM that if he really wants his world to "live up a little" in a coherent way, your character needs to become a wanted criminal

Max_Killjoy
2016-07-12, 12:21 PM
I probably would kill this NPC ASAP

Way easy to telegraph that he's just a drunk and the DM is wasting my time tring to "living up a little" his world, but he can't put true effort in it so, perky NPC it is

yes, kill it (not him/her, NPCs are not people) on the spot. That will teach the DM to stop wasting my time (and everyone else's)


What? Isn't that the answer?


The NPC is a "person" in every way that your PC is a "person".

Or isn't, in every way your PC isn't.

xroads
2016-07-12, 01:37 PM
Depends on the setting and circumstances. But given an average fantasy setting, many of my players would probably ask to make spot checks or the equivalent, suspecting that I have something up my sleeve (and to be fair, they would usually be right :smallbiggrin:).

One player would probably tell the man to bugger off ...or sell him a home brewed ale that taste like turpentine and is strong enough to kill a bear. He usually plays a dwarf.

Another player might be inclined to buy the man a drink and join him in tavern hopping.

Finally, we do have one mischievous player who might figure a way of turning this into a fun but possibly tricky & derailing encounter for the party. Possibly by challenging the man to a drinking contest using the dwarf's ale. He usually plays a halfling.

rooster707
2016-07-12, 02:20 PM
I probably would kill this NPC ASAP

Way easy to telegraph that he's just a drunk and the DM is wasting my time tring to "living up a little" his world, but he can't put true effort in it so, perky NPC it is

yes, kill it (not him/her, NPCs are not people) on the spot. That will teach the DM to stop wasting my time (and everyone else's)


What? Isn't that the answer?

Congrats, you passed the test.

Max_Killjoy
2016-07-12, 02:32 PM
Congrats, you passed the test.

I'm not sure "positive result" and "passed" are the same thing here...

Liquor Box
2016-07-12, 04:22 PM
A PC should probably do the same thing that a real person would do if they had similar characteristics and circumstances.

Probably intimidate the drunk, or failing that, give him a clip round the ears to teach him not to be cheeky.

Gallowglass
2016-07-13, 09:18 AM
Tried this just now. The party was convinced this was a plot hook and I pretty much had to tell them straight out to stop interrogating him. They were a bit miffed about the waste of time.

This^^^

If you introduce an encounter like this, most players are going to assume that it serves a point in the narrative. The problem-solvers are going to try to puzzle out what the purpose is, the role-players are going to try to interact as their characters would, the murderhobos are going to murder hobo.

When they find out that there was no point, it was just an unfulfilling random encounter, no one is going to be overly satisfied by the night's game. (except maybe the role-players if they got to do some fun role-playing)

Avianmosquito
2016-07-13, 09:25 AM
This^^^

If you introduce an encounter like this, most players are going to assume that it serves a point in the narrative. The problem-solvers are going to try to puzzle out what the purpose is, the role-players are going to try to interact as their characters would, the murderhobos are going to murder hobo.

When they find out that there was no point, it was just an unfulfilling random encounter, no one is going to be overly satisfied by the night's game. (except maybe the role-players if they got to do some fun role-playing)

Just link him to the plot, then. Have him be getting drunk to cope with (insert plot-related problem here), which the party just got sent to solve. Add on that he's an important merchant (an apothrocary is my go-to), and suddenly he's worth their time.

Max_Killjoy
2016-07-13, 10:23 AM
This^^^

If you introduce an encounter like this, most players are going to assume that it serves a point in the narrative. The problem-solvers are going to try to puzzle out what the purpose is, the role-players are going to try to interact as their characters would, the murderhobos are going to murder hobo.

When they find out that there was no point, it was just an unfulfilling random encounter, no one is going to be overly satisfied by the night's game. (except maybe the role-players if they got to do some fun role-playing)

Sadly, as consumers and creators of fiction, people have been conditioned to believe that everything that happens "on screen" must be significant and meaningful and BIG by having concepts like Chekhov's stuff and narrative economy hammered into their heads.

FireJustice
2016-07-13, 11:05 AM
Sadly, as consumers and creators of fiction, people have been conditioned to believe that everything that happens "on screen" must be significant and meaningful and BIG by having concepts like Chekhov's stuff and narrative economy hammered into their heads.
Isnt just a condition thing, playtime is a finite resource, use it wisely.

Also, the problem it's just a "test", everybody and their APA will jump the gun and condemn violence or just outright kill.
No problems with One (normally, an adult) trying to get his fun playing a "prank" or run a "test" on his play group. That will get major problems than just a campaign derailed.


Just link him to the plot, then. Have him be getting drunk to cope with (insert plot-related problem here), which the party just got sent to solve. Add on that he's an important merchant (an apothrocary is my go-to), and suddenly he's worth their time.
Sure, that would be more likely. And not just a test, so the reaction could be different.
But that reafirms what was said before, if it happens, it must be important to the history/plot/whatever

Gallowglass
2016-07-13, 01:41 PM
Just link him to the plot, then. Have him be getting drunk to cope with (insert plot-related problem here), which the party just got sent to solve. Add on that he's an important merchant (an apothrocary is my go-to), and suddenly he's worth their time.

Of course that's what a reasonable DM would do.

However, the context of this post implies that the drunk does NOT serve a narrative purpose, he is a test to see if the PCs will murder him for expediencies sake or fun sake or just because they don't know what to make of him. Hence the "test".

so in that context, I stand by my estimation of what the response would likely be.

Max_Killjoy
2016-07-13, 02:50 PM
Isnt just a condition thing, playtime is a finite resource, use it wisely.

Also, the problem it's just a "test", everybody and their APA will jump the gun and condemn violence or just outright kill.
No problems with One (normally, an adult) trying to get his fun playing a "prank" or run a "test" on his play group. That will get major problems than just a campaign derailed.


The fact that it's a "test", rather than an encounter occurring for actual RPG reasons, is what makes it a waste of time in my opinion.

An encounter with "random drunk guy" that's not somehow part of the "bigger picture" and ends when it ends can still have a legitimate place in an RPG session.

Piedmon_Sama
2016-07-14, 11:17 AM
I run a campaign that has no plot whatsoever and do stuff like this all the time. As I put it to my players, "the story is whatever you do." So literally, the PCs pretty much can't waste their own time because their only goals in the campaign are whatever they choose to do.

Weirdly enough putting this onus on the players has actually caused them to behave a little more.... I dunno, responsibly? thoughtfully? it's definitely caused them to treat the setting as more of a real world and less an amusement park where they can go off the rides and try to peek behind the DM's curtain. Like, in most campaigns, my friends play the exact sociopaths OP describes---NPCs exist to be ruthlessly exploited for as low a cost as possible, and the second they stop being useful are to either be dismissed or killed. In the case of some random NPC annoying or hectoring the players... well if the guy as described is just some random commoner I think they'd charm or suggest him into publicly humiliating himself rather than outright killing him, and probably rob him for whatever he had on him. In the current sandbox game I'm running right now though, they might very well try to take care of him or help him out in order to increase their standing with the local community. My players are still ruthless, they're just much less sociopathic about it, is what I'm getting at here.

Winter_Wolf
2016-07-14, 08:40 PM
Based on basically growing up seeing this kind of drunk (small town, the bar is always "on the way" no matter which way you're headed) in real life, and extrapolating from the kind of people I'm willing to play with: if pcs are sober, curse at him and tell him to go sleep it off, or if they've been drinking, beat the crap outta him. No one is gonna help the belligerent drunken *******.

Probably this is why I never frequented bars after I turned legal. I don't know that killing a drunk except in self defense would really cross any of our minds.

oxybe
2016-07-14, 09:49 PM
various characters over the years?

Shump would 50/50 ignore or murder.

Carlos would ignore him.

Nisha would curse him.

Gon would laugh bring out more booze.

Draziw would hide behind his golem.

Marcellano would send the drunkard to annoy someone else.

Freeboota would 50/50 yell at him really loudly or murder.

more specifically:
Shump was a warlock played to 3.5 epic and was legit insane by the end. And a demon lord too. Bumping into Shump means your survival is on his whim.

Carlos simply has more important stuff to deal with and would've spent the spell and teleported away rather then deal with him. Dude is a retired adventurer who works as a city official and magewright.

Nisha was a high level character and still an active adventurer. There is no simple "bumping into" Nisha though, and most people know well enough to give a wide berth to the tiefling witch, her hyperintelligent swarm of wasps and that mindslaved cyclops she drags around. She's not violent or anything, just not someone you want to annoy. She'd curse him for a few days, probably with a perpetual hangover but unable to get drunk or something. plus, most people recognize her as a founder of the kingdom.

Gon is a jolly drunkard of a kitsune and always up for a party. worst case he would just go invisible and shapeshift away if the drunk isn't being friendly.

Draziw is a paranoid wreck of a wizard who won a Shield Guardian in a chess match. After a spell backfired and got him teleported to the underdark, this poor researcher is scared of his own spells. An angry drunk would cause him to break out in "don't hurt me!"s even though he's actually a mid-level adventurer.

Marcellano is a nobleman, adventurer and vigilante. He would try to get the drunk even more riled up and send him off to cause problems to his rivals/enemies. That or just pay him off to go away.

Freeboota is an orc who thinks himself a pirate. He's missing an eye, his left hand was replaced with an axe and his MO is "yell first, axe questions later". If yelling loudly doesn't diffuse the situation, his left hook will.

Kelb_Panthera
2016-07-15, 12:10 AM
I'm not sure what knowledge could be gleaned from this. PC's do not represent much of anything useful about their players, given that they'll run the gamut from pure escapism to wish fulfillment in their characters with notable variance even within the same player, much less in the overall.

In my own characters, for example, I've run some characters that would try to help the drunk by either getting him home or fetching someone from the bar that knows him or even using magic to remove his condition and send him on his way sober. I've played characters that would drag him to the nearest guard to have him arrested for disorderly conduct or lay him out with a quick shot to the face. I've played characters who would knife him for his presumption or even abduct him and use him as a subject for some sort of dark magic.

Aldarin
2016-07-15, 11:45 AM
I tried this, and immediately regretted it.

The druid in my party wildshaped into a bear and ate his legs. Then the fighter cut his arms off. Then they left him on the road.

I have no words.

EDIT: The Fighter was LN and the Druid was NG. I think both of them are now in the deep end of the alignment pool.

Malroth
2016-07-15, 04:07 PM
Silent, Invisible Necrotic Cyst followed by a Necrotic Dominate and orders to go home and forget you saw me. I think Our Dread Necromancer is up to something.

Piedmon_Sama
2016-07-15, 04:55 PM
I tried this, and immediately regretted it.

The druid in my party wildshaped into a bear and ate his legs. Then the fighter cut his arms off. Then they left him on the road.

I have no words.

EDIT: The Fighter was LN and the Druid was NG. I think both of them are now in the deep end of the alignment pool.

When they reach the next town/tavern/whatever have them hear the local Bailiff/Sheriff is putting out a call for adventurers to help track down a wild, possibly armed, bear loose in the county. :D

Mr Beer
2016-07-15, 05:01 PM
I tried this, and immediately regretted it.

The druid in my party wildshaped into a bear and ate his legs. Then the fighter cut his arms off. Then they left him on the road.

I have no words.

EDIT: The Fighter was LN and the Druid was NG. I think both of them are now in the deep end of the alignment pool.

Laughed harder than I probably should.

Should have had the drunk shout after them "Come on then! I've had worse!" etc.