My PCs work in their small town as sort of the protectors/baron’s militia and they have been using this authority to push people around and get large discounts on products, among other things. I know the real world hasn’t really figured this out either, but any suggestions for punishing them/discouraging them from continuing this?
Posted Jul 19, 2022, 3:13 PM UTC
A group of heroes show up to stop the villains. obviously...
This is the kind of thing the thieves guild would use to get a toe hold in on the town. They'll work with disgruntled shop keeps to steal from either the PCs, the Baron, or the town coffers or the like in order to make ends meet since the PCs have effectively made doing business untenable. The other option is to have a merchant be a part of the merchants guild and complain that the government (through the PCs) is overstepping its bounds. This could cost the town dearly in import/export contracts through unfavorable terms, fees and tariffs, or simply refusing to do business with them until they abide by more sustainable commerce rules within the town. If it continues, maybe do both, and the Baron could end up with political pressure from someone higher up the chain (say a Duke/Duchess or the like) from said guilds as well.
Both of these are really good ideas thank you!
Glad you like them! The other thing that might happen if they continue to go and do as they will here is the town might revolt against the leadership for letting this happen or even try to hire other adventuring parties/mercenaries to take out the PCs.
Send an adventuring party after them that has been hired by locals to 'get rid of thugs'.
You can make it as plot centric as you want and it has a multitude of outcomes!
The real world absolutely has figured this out, it's called a greater authority. The FBI will bust down your door for dodging taxes, you have the entire magic world at your disposal to have consequences rear their ugly head.
I'd have some fae start stalking them, whispering vaguely of their misdeeds and fuck with your players a bit. Maybe even have a guard stand up for the town later on
Exactly this. Some shopkeepers who are literally losing money selling to the PCs would do one of two things:
Stop selling to them. They aren’t being forced to do business with the PCs. Real life cops can’t just walk into a store and say “I’m taking this iMac for $15. Thanks.” That would absolutely never happen.
If 1 somehow didn’t work, you can guarantee a bunch of disgruntled shopkeepers would complain to the Baron, who would fire the PCs so fast they wouldn’t have time to grab all their ill gotten gains from the barracks.
There's always a bigger fish.
Have one of the more valuable townsfolk like the miller or the weaver complain to the Baron that their militia are getting out of hand.
Their leash should get jerked right quick.
People don't like bullies... The common folk would likely petition their local crime boss to put some pressure on the PCs "for the sake of business" offer them some bribes to be more lenient, maybe some incentive to "look the other way" etc. And if that didn't work, there's always the Assassin's Guild...
Maybe a rival Noble that doesn't like the Baron could use the PCs actions to trick them into committing a crime (or at least leave them looking very guilty) and call into question the Barron's ability to rule, now you've got a revolt brewing...
I’m liking the rival noble idea 👀
From a story development perspective, I'd have the baron bring in a new group to "help" the players. They are to tag along, and see how the players do business. I'd make it a little awkward as the new crew will be just as, if not more, proficient in all skills and abilities as the players.
The players are training their replacements. The Baron calls them to the edge of town one day, thanks them for their time, pays them a final payout, and tells them their future awaits anywhere but here.
This resolves the issue and pushes the story forward and outward.
I like this idea a lot, but it unfortunately doesnt work with the overall story of the campaign
What's the issue? I like a challenge.
The campaign will pretty much be centered on the town the whole time. I suppose they could get fired and just stay in town, but eh
This is going to get philosophical real quick.
I do not think you should be phrasing the actions you take as a GM as either "punishments" or "rewards". You should be trying to have your world & the NPCs therein be acting in as realistic a fashion as possible, or as consistent with your lore. So if the PCs are acting as villains they are going to be treated as such. People will avoid them, they won't get cooperation on their projects, they won't get the information they need, prices will go UP on items, and if they really are being evil then the populace might try to kill them (poison, guerilla tactics, a mob) etc. The baron and their chain of command might be getting wind of their actions which may also have consequences. If the baron is evil they might condone the actions and reward the PCs. If the baron & their officers are good the PCs are due at least a talking to, perhaps a reassignment to a crappy / low paying job, being fired, or worst being labelled a criminal and getting arrested.
Please note that all of these options are not "PC did a thing I do not like so I am giving them a punishment", but instead these options are realistic reactions to the choices the PCs have made. Good luck!
Yes of course, I was just asking for ideas regarding what would happen to them in game, perhaps a better word would have been consequences
Someone decides they've had enough and pushes back.
Either the players take it to heart, or they kill the person, sparking a larger uprising.
Civic anti-corruption campaign, many witnesses/victims testify to bullying, baron's bailiff starts chopping off hands/ firing/exiling people.
If it's bothering you out of game, tell them out of game. If it's not, you don't need to discourage the behaviour. Their actions have consequences, yes, but not all consequences are created equal. If they can make the right (read: more powerful) people happy - through deception, bribery, or whatever - they can continue to benefit from pushing around the little people.
If this is negativity effecting your experience of the game, then talk to them about it out of character. If not, then remember that there is always a bigger fish. How does the Baron feel about his people being abused? What about the other noblemen? Will the merchants begin to pull support from the village? Maybe some people trained in combat will push back against them.
Prison seems nice this time of year. Time to change up your story, they've turned into the villains of your tale. Don't be afraid to execute one of them to strike the point home, they are essentially slapping that baron in the face and laughing about it.
Clearly one of the townsfolk will seek out a retired swordsman to help rid the village of the scourge your party has become. That swordsman will, in turn, find 6 other adventurers to help and they will train the villagers how to fight back in exchange for food and lodging.
Eventually a final battle will ensue where several of these adventurers will heroically die while defeating your party.
using this authority to push people around and get large discounts on products, among other things
They can only use this authority if you as the DM let them. What's stopping the shopkeeper saying "sorry, that's as low as I can go, unless the baron is paying the difference from his coffers". The PC's don't always have to get their way. What are the PC's going to do if they get told "no"?
Well, at first it might seem like something you need to solve "in game", like some sort of punishment. It sure felt like that to me in the past. I'd advise you to ask yourself: "Am I okay with the players not playing heroes but rather those crooks?" If the answer is"no" then talk to your players. Tell them you're uncomfortable with them playing crooks or villains. Tell them what character alignments you're uncomfortable with. They might get frustrated by this, but be assertive. It's your job as a DM to run an interesting campaign for them, but it's also their job to play characters that you'll have fun DMing to.
Actions have consequences. If they act like villains, people are going to treat them like villains.
Their NPC patron may consider them to be a liability and politely tell them there's no more work and no more money to pay them, hoping they'll leave. Maybe even tell them to go on a wild goose chase chasing made-up rumors about a dragon that doesn't exist.
Test whether their morals are valid under all circumstances. I'd have an agent of the Big Bad politely ask them, "how do you feel about the baron? Do you think you could do a better job running this place?" If they accept aid from the Big Bad in a coup, they'll be expected to do some very evil favors in return.