The saga of Dobra, the tax man

[Darth Credence]

I had to share this, because my players can be strange.
The players recently went to a town looking for a magic item that was stolen from a different place. It's a whole adventure series, with an opposing party of adventurers, a mystery to be solved, and eventually a succubus queen to be fought. There's a bard information broker who writes songs to give info, an arms dealer who is looking to trade with a rebellion being run by a former party member, the rise of a new thieves' guild - really, a lot going on and planned out.
So what do my players do? On the way into town, they are stopped at the gate by a group from the Watch, and the leader of the group assesses what they are bringing in to charge them the appropriate taxes. The players ask his name, which I didn't have because he's just there to collect taxes, so I quickly pulled up a name generator and Dobra was christened. They wanted to know more about the town, so I gave them a couple of rumors about what was going on. Then, when they pushed for things that he didn't know, I started to try to make him into an annoyingly boring person. He wanted to talk about tax rates and how they affect trade, and then talk about his personal rock collection, and really anything I could think of to make him as boring as possible. One of the players got where I was going, and wanted to get out of there, while the others wanted to talk. Eventually, they moved on.
They found there were demons in town, and another group had killed one and got paid. They then met the town lord, and made a deal to help eliminate the demons. The deal was good, except the players came up with another condition - they needed a guide for the town, and they wanted it to be Dobra. OK, fine, they get Dobra. I think they are hoping he will be a sidekick.
So, they get in a fight when they hear screams in the inn, and Dobra does not come out. Dobra knows very little about the town, but is happy to talk about his collections. They search a tower, and Dobra gets dragged along, complaining the whole time about he's much more of an accountant. The players tell him he's part of the Watch, and they know he's going to be a hero. They get in another fight, Dobra wets himself. So the paladin casts heroism on him to get him to fight. He actually stands up a tiny bit by throwing his sword at the bad guys, and the party praises him profusely. He starts to get a little bit braver. Another fight, more buffing spells on Dobra, and he actually got a hit in! Players are thrilled, they are turning this mild mannered tax man into a worthy adventurer, and they play up his role in the battle when they tell others.
Well, they make it back to the inn for the night, where they tell the story. A young woman in the bar starts making eyes at Dobra. The group encourages him, feeding him lines he can say to woo her. He gets up the courage to talk to her, they hit it off, and by the end of the night they are cuddling by the fire. They players are thrilled, and they wish him luck and tell him they'll see him in the morning.
I did mention that the BBEG is a succubus queen, right? Obviously the players don't know that, and at no point did they even think to question the existence of this woman flirting with Dobra. I'm sure you all know by now that the woman is the succubus, and she is charming Dobra. I'll throw clues at them, such as him being exhausted, although I'm fairly certain they will just attribute it to him having a good night. So I fully expect that poor Dobra will be forced to betray them when they approach the lair underneath the city, and I think the party might just be compelled to kill him and thus end the story of Dobra the tax man. If they break the charm and save him, he's going to decide he can't stay in the town any longer, and ask to join them on their journeys.

[jaappleton]

Spoiler

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[Laserlight]

I feel like "I was told there would be no Smash" should be in there somewhere.

Good job, DM.

[Tanarii]

If there's on thing I've never figured out, it's when players will get suddenly obsessively interested in a placeholder NPC just doing their job, that I didn't have any plans for.

Except for street urchins. Players just love street urchins.

[Kane0]

Except for street urchins. Players just love street urchins.

Probably something to do with the high chance any given adventurer lacks parents.

[Segev]

I am amused by the notion that perhaps. Is boring traits add up to someoNe interested in sharing something other than her body with the succubus queen, and this making her fond of him. Probably not in love or anything, but at least finding him more interesting than her usual prey. And easily satisfied with some interesting new rocks or accounting problems if she isn't hungry at the moment.

[Ogun]

She is helping him get roc-

Nevermind

[Tanarii]

Probably something to do with the high chance any given adventurer lacks parents.

I've generally don't find that to be the case, so much as that parents (and siblings) are just a blank spot never recorded or discussed.

Effectively the same thing though.

[lall]

Rooting for Dobra.

[Imbalance]

Great story.

Reminds me of the misadventures of one Decumus Scotti.

[tKUUNK]

THIS is why i <3 table top rpg.

Will Dobra be saved? Either way, he's a hero now!!

[Darth Credence]

Unfortunately, we are not playing this weekend, but I promise to update everyone on what happens to Dobra after the following session. I'm rooting for the guy, too, and hope they are able to break the spell and save him.

[Unoriginal]

Is Dobra the "has strong principles and as such is trusted by the ruler to handle taxes" kind of tax man, or the "trusted to handled taxes but actually corrupt" kind?

If it's the first he probably has a lot of experience resisting temptation.

[PhoenixPhyre]

I've generally don't find that to be the case, so much as that parents (and siblings) are just a blank spot never recorded or discussed.

Effectively the same thing though.

My current games are kinda weird that way. I'm one, 3 of the four have major motivations around family:

One wants to find his father and grandfather, and has had run-ins with his "mother" and "siblings". Quotes because it turned out to not be so simple.

Another is finally figuring out who his family is, and wants to get back in touch with his father. In a twist, his father is the one who thinks his son (the PC) is dead.

A third has a son that he cares about a lot, and an ex wife (well, technically they're still married) that he's trying to hunt down and probably kill, along with his twin brother. Because they've gone all sorts of bad. His family still exists, but aren't in the picture.

The fourth considers the party family. Her family is, I believe, still alive, but she hasn't seen them in a long time.

My other party has more normal characters, except the one dwarf who is married with kids, and whose farm house has been a major plot point.

[Tanarii]

My other party has more normal characters, except the one dwarf who is married with kids, and whose farm house has been a major plot point.

I mean, if I were to ask most players if their PCs had family, I'd probably get a "oh yeah probably".

If family becomes a plot point (backstory or play), then yeah, it's far more likely to be missing or dead or in trouble, as opposed to doing quietly fine.

It's just that family is something I rarely see mentioned in character backgrounds. Unless someone is using some kind of random tables for character generation (a la XTGe), or the background is centered around it (Noble, Urchin). Of course, recently I've also strongly encouraged minimalist backgrounds with a focus on motivations, and have as much as possible come out in play ...

[da newt]

From the start, I assumed the party wanted the tax man to join them in their crusade to fight demons in the hope that he would get caught up in the fracas and a demon would destroy him ...

[HomeBrewStu]

Been a long time lurker, signed up about a year ago to use the advanced search option. Never felt the need to post.

Just looking for an update please.

[Darth Credence]

So, my very slow players have finally made it down into the underground.
Dobra was not waiting for them at the inn, so one of them had to go get him. They woke him up, and he was still exhausted. When they got him back and he apologized for oversleeping and being so tired, they slapped him on the back and told him they were happy for him to have found a woman. Then they proceeded to start some more exploring.
I wrote down what the succubus would have told him to do, so that I don't have to wing it and it should work better allowing him to still help his friends. He was supposed to do what he could to keep the party from making it to her lair if he could without giving himself away; he should prevent them from taking anyone alive if he could; and he should be prepared to fight for her if she called on him to do so.
So they ran across a number of thieves - the leader of the thieves guild is also working for the succubus, although most of the thieves think shes just a woman he's with - and followed them. The thieves spotted them, and it became a chase through town, with the thieves eventually setting up an ambush. They easily overwhelmed the thieves, as they should have, and Dobra helped out, the first time he had really entered a fight without the others cajoling him. He focused on the leader of the band along with the paladin that pushed for him to join them, and while he didn't do much, he tried. The others were able to capture one of the other thieves, and Dobra started acting a bit nervous about it, questioning the party on what they were going to do with him. The party asked him what the city would do, and he volunteered to take the man out to find another patrol who could lock him up. The party questioned him while searching the area, and they found an entrance to the underground, specifically by the thieves hideout which would be a big shortcut. The group asked the captured thief to make them a map, and he said he would if they agreed to protect him from the guild and let him leave town. Dobra volunteered to take find a watch patrol to take him to the holding cells. Everyone agreed, and told the guy to make a map for them when he got there. Dobra left with the man, and came back about ten minutes later. Dobra obeyed his orders, by letting the guy go. If the players ever asked, he would tell them that the man escaped him with the help of some friends, but they didn't ask, and didn't want to wait for a map, so they went in.
Once underneath the city, they started up an arcane eye to search for them. Dobra attempted to delay things, mostly by acting scared and requiring pep talks from the people. They looked at quite a few things, and Dobra was worried they would find too much, but eventually they started looking down a path that would take they away from the correct place, and led up to the back of a secret door. They pondered which way to go, and Dobra asked them what they were looking for. They decided they weren't entirely sure, and at the moment were mostly attempting to follow the other group who had entered through a different path. Dobra pointed out that the way they were looking would take them in the direction of where the others entered, so they moved that way.
Going that way, they encountered a fallen paladin that was part of a cult that worshiped the succubus. Dobra stayed back at the edge of the battle, shooting his bow at the guy. When he went down, unconcious, DObra charghed in and stuck him with his sword, making the guy fail two death savings throws. At this point, the paladin said, 'wait, we may want him alive', and Dobra apologized and backed away to help the bard that was down making her own death saves. He called for the paladin to help, he used his turn to lay on hands on the bard, and the enemy failed his own death savings throw and passed from the world. The party, especially the paladin, praised Dobra for getting involved in the fight, both by shooting his bow and getting into melee range when they needed it. The session ended there, and assuming they do not leave the underground, they should still find the succubus by the end of the next one.
So Dobra is still trying to help his friends, but he is also obeying the demon that has him wrapped around her finger. I'm trying to decide how to play him trying to fight against her charm when they get to her so he doesn't literally stab one of them in the back, but he'll probably end up stabbing the wizard in the back.

[Segev]

I'm trying to decide how to play him trying to fight against her charm when they get to her so he doesn't literally stab one of them in the back, but he'll probably end up stabbing the wizard in the back.

The classic approach here, given that his courage is coming from a devotion to the succubus's charm, would be to have him fling himself in the way of any planned alpha-strike attack that the PCs might make. This isn't something that is usually supported in the rules, so your players may cry foul if he just intercepts an attack; I leave it up to you on that front to determine how your players would take such a thing. It would certainly create drama. Maybe he flings himself in the way and they can pull their blow or something. Or he just provides half cover against the attack.

If he really doesn't want to stab them in the back, he could also try grappling. Grappling the wizard and dragging him around a corner so he can't see to target his spells would work. Well, it would work if he succeeds; whether he can do it successfully is another question.

[Darth Credence]

The classic approach here, given that his courage is coming from a devotion to the succubus's charm, would be to have him fling himself in the way of any planned alpha-strike attack that the PCs might make. This isn't something that is usually supported in the rules, so your players may cry foul if he just intercepts an attack; I leave it up to you on that front to determine how your players would take such a thing. It would certainly create drama. Maybe he flings himself in the way and they can pull their blow or something. Or he just provides half cover against the attack.

If he really doesn't want to stab them in the back, he could also try grappling. Grappling the wizard and dragging him around a corner so he can't see to target his spells would work. Well, it would work if he succeeds; whether he can do it successfully is another question.

Good point. Him throwing himself between the attack seems like what he would be more likely to do.

I have one card left before that, though. There are looking for the woman that allowed the succubus to get into the world. If she is alerted to them approaching, which she clearly will be if Dobra is still around, she'll lock herself in a cage and pretend that she's the summoner, and that the succubus fled when she heard them coming. Before he was charmed, Dobra had specifically told them that he had never met the summoner. She will communicate to Dobra that he should back up her story of being the summoner. If they remember that Dobra had not met her, that should let them know they are being scammed, and a fight might ensue - perhaps with Dobra standing up to them while she flees. If they don't remember it, they might head out of town on a wild goose chase.

[lall]

When he turns on a player, I’m hoping he can work in a tax joke. “Prepare to be audited” or something corny like that.

[Segev]

When he turns on a player, I’m hoping he can work in a tax joke. “Prepare to be audited” or something corny like that.

"I've got your tax cut right here!"

[lall]

"I've got your tax cut right here!"

Love it.

“Nothing is certain but taxes...and death.”

[Darth Credence]

Please, keep going, I'm taking notes!

[lall]

You can’t claim the halfling as a dependant.

[lall]

“And what’s the deal with death taxes?”

Dobra may stop fighting and go into a full stand-up routine.

[Crushgrip]

Awesome job and I love it!

In Dobra's zeal, and increased combat experience, does he start turning into a series of one-liners comparable to most of the Arnold Schwarzenegger films (as others have hilariously been adding ^^)?

"S/He's in the red!" after stabbing a killing.
"s/he's gonna be late for her/his tax payment"
"you can't deduct lost limbs"

I do love it when the players turn something random into a whole avenue of enjoyment for the DM!

[MaxWilson]

I have one card left before that, though. There are looking for the woman that allowed the succubus to get into the world. If she is alerted to them approaching, which she clearly will be if Dobra is still around, she'll lock herself in a cage and pretend that she's the summoner, and that the succubus fled when she heard them coming. Before he was charmed, Dobra had specifically told them that he had never met the summoner. She will communicate to Dobra that he should back up her story of being the summoner. If they remember that Dobra had not met her, that should let them know they are being scammed, and a fight might ensue - perhaps with Dobra standing up to them while she flees. If they don't remember it, they might head out of town on a wild goose chase.

I estimate a very low probability that the players will remember Dobra's original story and have enough confidence in it to ignore the story she'll be feeding them, with his agreement. They'll probably just assume whatever is currently being said is true.

I'm eager to be proved wrong though. Good luck!

[CapnWildefyr]

If Dobra actually kills a player, he can just remind them:
"Resurrections are a deductible."

[Darth Credence]

The story of Dobra has come to an end (not a bad one!). The party went over a waterfall, down to the level where the succubus was hiding. They were closing in on the lair, when Dobra found them a path to a different area, where they encountered a demonic minotaur (a minotaur with fire and poison resistance and flaming hooves and horns, fiend type). They survived, although they were pretty wounded, and they found the remains of another party that had been killed. He had struck a blow on the minotaur, and when it went down he used the "the only thing that's certain is taxes... and death" line. The table cheered, and asked if he got inspiration for that.
They pressed on, and the party figured out the correct way. They went on the path forward, and Dobra stumbled into an alarm spell that mentally pinged her to let her know they were coming. She telepathically told him to let her out of the cage and identify her as Elinda, then volunteer to escort her to the surface while they looked for the source of the demons. He helped them get to her, and said it was Elinda while running to the cage. I'm not sure what prompted it, but the paladin of the group decided he was going to use his divine sense. He uses it so rarely I had forgotten he had it.
Well, he senses her, and tells Dobra to get out of the way. He protests, she realizes her cover is blown, and changes to her normal form. Initiative is rolled, and the battle starts. The paladin and the blood hunter of the group go first, and attempt to attack. She goes, fireballs the entire group. I rolled 4 1s, and it ended up the weakest fireball I've ever seen. Everyone else went, and it got to be Dobra, right before the wizard. Well, he moved back behind the wizard, and attacked her. Did decent damage, and the wizard who was already wounded, so she went down. It took everyone several turns to process it - they just couldn't believe that Dobra could turn on them, and so didn't respond to it until the wizard was healed and he stabbed her again as she moved as an attack of opportunity. And it's not like they didn't know - they were saying things like, "wait, Dobra attacked us?"
No one had the heart to attack him at first, but finally they used non lethal damage. He was nearly killed, when the succubus cast polymorph on him and turned him into a giant cat (homebrew beast). Now they truly fought him, but they still focused on her. When they made her drop concentration, they left off fighting him. At this point, she made a last ditch effort by fireballing them all again, and this time Dobra made his save which kept him from being auto killed, but he went down (as did a couple of others). But a few were on their feet and finished her, and proceeded to stabilize everyone. They gave Dobra a healing potion, and he woke up, not having remembered anything since the night at the inn.
They forgave Dobra, saying it wasn't his fault, and the session ended before they could all make it back to the inn to have many drinks purchased for them.