101 DM Nasties [Archive] - Wizards Community

101 DM Nasties [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
DarkCaller
07-08-06, 04:58 PM List a buch of horrible things a DM can do to PCs, wether or not they are in character.

1: the Golden Cage of Speech, place around a loudmouth PC who talks out of turn whenever you are trying to put a point across. Whenever he/she talks, deals 1d20+20 points of damage to the PC. That'll teach them to metagame!

2: Add a Necklace of Fireballs to a treasure horde, only to have them face a fire-breathing dragon in the next room. KABOOM!

3: PC: A large pile of gold, with not even a rat to guard it! It's a dream come true!
DM: (thinking) YAY contact poison!
Pegasos989
07-08-06, 05:16 PM 4) Kobolds.

4th level kobold adepts. CR 1. Each can cast 3 times a 4d6 scorching ray. It means 12d6 in 3 rounds from CR 1 GUY!

This is till fun at 4th level when you can put 4 of these guys (total damage dealt 48d6 in 3 rounds, no save... Encounter level 4...)

Seriously... Kobold NPCs are meaniest enemeis in the whole game!!
LivingShadow
07-08-06, 05:25 PM 5) have the pit trap on the side of the door opposite the PCs when they fall in procede to have a dragon breathe in repeatedly

6) said pit trap exept instead of dragon have poisoned saw blades come out of the ceiling and go into the pit, poisoned spears shoot into the pit, the spikes of the pit are covered with contact poison, tons of acid is released after the PCs hit bottom and a contact poisoned stone block falls on top when everything else finishes (probibly an insane CR trap)
Archmage Atrus
07-08-06, 06:23 PM Totally unrelated, but...

4th level kobold adepts. CR 1. Each can cast 3 times a 4d6 scorching ray. It means 12d6 in 3 rounds from CR 1 GUY!

Er... you're wrong here, bud.

A 4th level kobold adept is still CR 3, not CR 1. A kobold is only CR 1/3 (or was it 1/4?) if they have the crap humanoid hit die. If you add another warrior hit die, their CR jumps to 1.
Shadowmagyk
07-08-06, 06:31 PM 7. Have your horse-riding PC (rest of the party included) travel through the marsh, only to be ambushed by a Blackscale Lizardfolk (or two) in the first round. Just when he thinks that he has the upper-hand because of his Ride skill, have the other two or three Lizardfolk join the ambush. Needless to say, he did not have his horse retreat, so it died. The best part is that there are some Poisondusk Lizardfolk using ranged weapons, so the party has to disperse.
Dwarven_Jihad
07-08-06, 06:57 PM Er... you're wrong here, bud.

A 4th level kobold adept is still CR 3, not CR 1. A kobold is only CR 1/3 (or was it 1/4?) if they have the crap humanoid hit die. If you add another warrior hit die, their CR jumps to 1.

According to the MM, kobolds with NPC classes are a CR of their (level-3). So, 4th level kobold adept = CR 1.

I use the same rule for kobolds with regular classes, it's worked well for me.
X-Codes
07-08-06, 07:19 PM According to the MM, kobolds with NPC classes are a CR of their (level-3). So, 4th level kobold adept = CR 1.

I use the same rule for kobolds with regular classes, it's worked well for me.
Theres a good reason for that when it comes to NPC classes, it's because they use the non-elite array and don't get their first hit die maxed. So, that level 4 kobold adept probably has 4 strength and 4 HP or therabouts. Can someone say grapple? No? Magic Missle maybe? He even only has a +3 to the attack roll, so he's pretty likely to miss any given character, not to mention a low Initiative. Party Rogue can easily beat his initiative and Sneak Attack him with a thrown dagger for a quick 2-10 damage.

If you give your kobold adepts the elite array, their CR shoots up by at least 1, and probably 2.

8) DM Likes using the Bestow Curse + Contagion spell combo, and even sets up traps that use it.
Heo1780
07-08-06, 07:33 PM 8: Have a PC who's being a jerk, not paying attention, and just ruining the game find a sword. Said sword is a -2 cursed sword of Clumsiness. Once grabbed it can not be released...ever, doubles in weight every week, and has a voice of the most annoying guy in your campaign.
Dwarven_Jihad
07-08-06, 08:01 PM Poking through my DMG again, I don't see where NPC classes don't get their first die maxed or are restricted from using the elite array...? I actually do give my npcs at least the elite array; the players in the group have higher-than-average stats so it balances.

Kobolds have a dex bonus, and I tend to put their high stat there if possible. They *need* to move early, because they rarely last long and do very little damage outside of whatever special attacks (spells, sneak attacks, whatever) that they get.

Scorching ray is a ranged touch, kobolds should do okay with it. Unfortunately, the real problem with the example is that 4th level adepts get at most one scorching ray per day (unless they have a wisdom of 22 or higher.)

I find low-level kobold ninjas work well; they can burn all their limited ki points to get in, stealthy strike and get out, and it doesn't matter since they're disposable.

(Incidentally, Grapple does tend to kick the s**t out of kobolds really well)
Piggyfreak6
07-08-06, 09:50 PM All i have to say is... Hot Wax, and LOTS of it.
Comus
07-08-06, 10:11 PM The meanest things, eh? I'll tell you the meanest thing I ever did...

Me: "The scribe asks you to read what it says on the wall aloud, dictating so he can copy it."
PC: "Okay. I read it aloud. What does it say?"
Me: "Oh, it just says 'Hastur' over and over again. By the way, the room rumbles, like something huge was moving outside..."
DarkLiChNeaZur
07-09-06, 12:01 AM a list of the stupidest/meanest things i did as a DM

1) made the final boss in the campeign (PC's were lvl 5) a lvl 20 hamburger.

2)killed the cleric indefinately in the first round of a fight with the final boss.

3) if you took damage, you lost a turn( yea they were SOOO ******)

4) turn the WHOLE group into Kobolds

5) put a +2 talking in a chest that makes the user unable to vocalate.

6) take pretty much every possesion away from the PC's about... every time they fell down a pit witch was like every 5 minuets because they were too stupid to make a rouge.

7) make my lvl 25 Lich come in on the lvl 1's as they were starting out :)
Koverchenko
07-09-06, 09:50 PM My PCs are constantly getting into to trouble because they constantly refuse to create a character with good Spot and Listen checks. I love to throw ambushes at them, and unfortunately they have an uncanny tendency to blunder into them.

9. Once, when traveling through the forest, the party came upon a single man blocking the road. He arrogantly demanded that they hand over their money and equipment and scram. They tried to be a bunch of badasses and tell him off, but eventually he was able to antagonize them into attacking (during the conversation, I had them roll Spot checks DC 20 to notice something important, but nobody made it). They charged him, and were suddenly asked to make Reflex saves as they hit a trip wire stretched in front of him. They wound up flat on their faces, where the bandit and his buddies (who had been hiding behind a few trees off to the side) counterattacked at a considerable advantage.

10. While hunting through a dense thicket, the PCs were attacked by a Giant Praying Mantis. It snatched up one of the party and very near bit his head off.

11. The PCs were creeping their way through a swamp when all of a sudden they started hearing some strange clicking/popping sounds (they failed their Spot checks once again to notice a number of tiny creatures standing around). They slowed down and tried to figure out what was going on, taking a closer look around (another round of Spot checks). One of them managed to beat the Hide check of the lowest of the creatures, and so they spotted it--a tiny little blue lizard with two long ears held out to form a sort of V shape with its head. They failed their Knowledge: Nature checks to ID them, and eventually the belligerent fighter got tired of the snap/popping sounds and charged the one he had seen. As he charged, the (shocker) lizards took their readied action, and hit him with a massive blast of electricty, knocking him clear out of his shoes. The PCs started running, trying to get away from the lizards and running by other groups along the way--every so often one of them would get hit with a shock as they were running, but they finally made it to a river/bayou in the middle of the swamp, and eagerly swam across to the far/safe side.
Tintagel
07-10-06, 12:36 AM 1 Roper (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/roper.htm) = CR 12. Swap feats a bit, ditch alertness and improved initiative for combat reflexes and ability focus (weakness) to bring the save vrs weakness a DC 20.
1 shadows (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/shadow.htm) , hiding in the floor = CR 5

Total EL is still 12. Shadow waits until someone drops from weakness / encumbrance, then they attack the helpless person for 1d6 str damage. Any humanoid reduced to Strength 0 by a shadow becomes a shadow under the control of its killer within 1d4 rounds. :eek:
noobguy15
08-09-06, 12:41 AM put this :invasion: manny great wryrm red dragons in the first room of a first lv dungeon when the pc's were starting out

it would be hillarios to see there faces

they would be like this
:OMG! :OMG! :OMG! :OMG! :weep: :weep: :weep: :weep: :weep:

then like this
:surrender :surrender :surrender
Storm_Lightning
08-09-06, 01:06 AM My group is in a prophecy which says taht they will win, it has worked so far, but nere the end the prophecy fails, dramaticaly.
Ashok_Lal
08-09-06, 01:37 AM My DM shot us with a flintlock gatling gun

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
DarkCaller 07-08-06, 04:58 PM	List a buch of horrible things a DM can do to PCs, wether or not they are in character. 1: the Golden Cage of Speech, place around a loudmouth PC who talks out of turn whenever you are trying to put a point across. Whenever he/she talks, deals 1d20+20 points of damage to the PC. That'll teach them to metagame! 2: Add a Necklace of Fireballs to a treasure horde, only to have them face a fire-breathing dragon in the next room. KABOOM! 3: PC: A large pile of gold, with not even a rat to guard it! It's a dream come true! DM: (thinking) YAY contact poison!
Pegasos989 07-08-06, 05:16 PM	4) Kobolds. 4th level kobold adepts. CR 1. Each can cast 3 times a 4d6 scorching ray. It means 12d6 in 3 rounds from CR 1 GUY! This is till fun at 4th level when you can put 4 of these guys (total damage dealt 48d6 in 3 rounds, no save... Encounter level 4...) Seriously... Kobold NPCs are meaniest enemeis in the whole game!!
LivingShadow 07-08-06, 05:25 PM	5) have the pit trap on the side of the door opposite the PCs when they fall in procede to have a dragon breathe in repeatedly 6) said pit trap exept instead of dragon have poisoned saw blades come out of the ceiling and go into the pit, poisoned spears shoot into the pit, the spikes of the pit are covered with contact poison, tons of acid is released after the PCs hit bottom and a contact poisoned stone block falls on top when everything else finishes (probibly an insane CR trap)
Archmage Atrus 07-08-06, 06:23 PM	Totally unrelated, but... 4th level kobold adepts. CR 1. Each can cast 3 times a 4d6 scorching ray. It means 12d6 in 3 rounds from CR 1 GUY! Er... you're wrong here, bud. A 4th level kobold adept is still CR 3, not CR 1. A kobold is only CR 1/3 (or was it 1/4?) if they have the crap humanoid hit die. If you add another warrior hit die, their CR jumps to 1.
Shadowmagyk 07-08-06, 06:31 PM	7. Have your horse-riding PC (rest of the party included) travel through the marsh, only to be ambushed by a Blackscale Lizardfolk (or two) in the first round. Just when he thinks that he has the upper-hand because of his Ride skill, have the other two or three Lizardfolk join the ambush. Needless to say, he did not have his horse retreat, so it died. The best part is that there are some Poisondusk Lizardfolk using ranged weapons, so the party has to disperse.
Dwarven_Jihad 07-08-06, 06:57 PM	Er... you're wrong here, bud. A 4th level kobold adept is still CR 3, not CR 1. A kobold is only CR 1/3 (or was it 1/4?) if they have the crap humanoid hit die. If you add another warrior hit die, their CR jumps to 1. According to the MM, kobolds with NPC classes are a CR of their (level-3). So, 4th level kobold adept = CR 1. I use the same rule for kobolds with regular classes, it's worked well for me.
X-Codes 07-08-06, 07:19 PM	According to the MM, kobolds with NPC classes are a CR of their (level-3). So, 4th level kobold adept = CR 1. I use the same rule for kobolds with regular classes, it's worked well for me. Theres a good reason for that when it comes to NPC classes, it's because they use the non-elite array and don't get their first hit die maxed. So, that level 4 kobold adept probably has 4 strength and 4 HP or therabouts. Can someone say grapple? No? Magic Missle maybe? He even only has a +3 to the attack roll, so he's pretty likely to miss any given character, not to mention a low Initiative. Party Rogue can easily beat his initiative and Sneak Attack him with a thrown dagger for a quick 2-10 damage. If you give your kobold adepts the elite array, their CR shoots up by at least 1, and probably 2. 8) DM Likes using the Bestow Curse + Contagion spell combo, and even sets up traps that use it.
Heo1780 07-08-06, 07:33 PM	8: Have a PC who's being a jerk, not paying attention, and just ruining the game find a sword. Said sword is a -2 cursed sword of Clumsiness. Once grabbed it can not be released...ever, doubles in weight every week, and has a voice of the most annoying guy in your campaign.
Dwarven_Jihad 07-08-06, 08:01 PM	Poking through my DMG again, I don't see where NPC classes don't get their first die maxed or are restricted from using the elite array...? I actually do give my npcs at least the elite array; the players in the group have higher-than-average stats so it balances. Kobolds have a dex bonus, and I tend to put their high stat there if possible. They need to move early, because they rarely last long and do very little damage outside of whatever special attacks (spells, sneak attacks, whatever) that they get. Scorching ray is a ranged touch, kobolds should do okay with it. Unfortunately, the real problem with the example is that 4th level adepts get at most one scorching ray per day (unless they have a wisdom of 22 or higher.) I find low-level kobold ninjas work well; they can burn all their limited ki points to get in, stealthy strike and get out, and it doesn't matter since they're disposable. (Incidentally, Grapple does tend to kick the s**t out of kobolds really well)
Piggyfreak6 07-08-06, 09:50 PM	All i have to say is... Hot Wax, and LOTS of it.
Comus 07-08-06, 10:11 PM	The meanest things, eh? I'll tell you the meanest thing I ever did... Me: "The scribe asks you to read what it says on the wall aloud, dictating so he can copy it." PC: "Okay. I read it aloud. What does it say?" Me: "Oh, it just says 'Hastur' over and over again. By the way, the room rumbles, like something huge was moving outside..."
DarkLiChNeaZur 07-09-06, 12:01 AM	a list of the stupidest/meanest things i did as a DM 1) made the final boss in the campeign (PC's were lvl 5) a lvl 20 hamburger. 2)killed the cleric indefinately in the first round of a fight with the final boss. 3) if you took damage, you lost a turn( yea they were SOOO ******) 4) turn the WHOLE group into Kobolds 5) put a +2 talking in a chest that makes the user unable to vocalate. 6) take pretty much every possesion away from the PC's about... every time they fell down a pit witch was like every 5 minuets because they were too stupid to make a rouge. 7) make my lvl 25 Lich come in on the lvl 1's as they were starting out :)
Koverchenko 07-09-06, 09:50 PM	My PCs are constantly getting into to trouble because they constantly refuse to create a character with good Spot and Listen checks. I love to throw ambushes at them, and unfortunately they have an uncanny tendency to blunder into them. 9. Once, when traveling through the forest, the party came upon a single man blocking the road. He arrogantly demanded that they hand over their money and equipment and scram. They tried to be a bunch of badasses and tell him off, but eventually he was able to antagonize them into attacking (during the conversation, I had them roll Spot checks DC 20 to notice something important, but nobody made it). They charged him, and were suddenly asked to make Reflex saves as they hit a trip wire stretched in front of him. They wound up flat on their faces, where the bandit and his buddies (who had been hiding behind a few trees off to the side) counterattacked at a considerable advantage. 10. While hunting through a dense thicket, the PCs were attacked by a Giant Praying Mantis. It snatched up one of the party and very near bit his head off. 11. The PCs were creeping their way through a swamp when all of a sudden they started hearing some strange clicking/popping sounds (they failed their Spot checks once again to notice a number of tiny creatures standing around). They slowed down and tried to figure out what was going on, taking a closer look around (another round of Spot checks). One of them managed to beat the Hide check of the lowest of the creatures, and so they spotted it--a tiny little blue lizard with two long ears held out to form a sort of V shape with its head. They failed their Knowledge: Nature checks to ID them, and eventually the belligerent fighter got tired of the snap/popping sounds and charged the one he had seen. As he charged, the (shocker) lizards took their readied action, and hit him with a massive blast of electricty, knocking him clear out of his shoes. The PCs started running, trying to get away from the lizards and running by other groups along the way--every so often one of them would get hit with a shock as they were running, but they finally made it to a river/bayou in the middle of the swamp, and eagerly swam across to the far/safe side.
Tintagel 07-10-06, 12:36 AM	1 Roper (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/roper.htm) = CR 12. Swap feats a bit, ditch alertness and improved initiative for combat reflexes and ability focus (weakness) to bring the save vrs weakness a DC 20. 1 shadows (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/shadow.htm) , hiding in the floor = CR 5 Total EL is still 12. Shadow waits until someone drops from weakness / encumbrance, then they attack the helpless person for 1d6 str damage. Any humanoid reduced to Strength 0 by a shadow becomes a shadow under the control of its killer within 1d4 rounds. :eek:
noobguy15 08-09-06, 12:41 AM	put this :invasion: manny great wryrm red dragons in the first room of a first lv dungeon when the pc's were starting out it would be hillarios to see there faces they would be like this :OMG! :OMG! :OMG! :OMG! :weep: :weep: :weep: :weep: :weep: then like this :surrender :surrender :surrender
Storm_Lightning 08-09-06, 01:06 AM	My group is in a prophecy which says taht they will win, it has worked so far, but nere the end the prophecy fails, dramaticaly.
Ashok_Lal 08-09-06, 01:37 AM	My DM shot us with a flintlock gatling gun