One of my PCs for my upcoming Dragon Heist game read in the Enchiridion about people not carrying weapons around and is unhappy about that as they feels it will nerf their character.
Whay are some good ways to work around/deal with this? Play down peoples’s reactions to seeing weapons? Some other way?…
"Individuals accustomed to the rough-and-tumble life in much of the North are often surprised by the fact that Waterdavians go about unarmed and unarmored. Yet Waterdeep doesn’t have any law that forbids carrying weapons or armor. Instead, it has a culture of civility that makes such behavior unnecessary."
In my campaign I simply, give disadvantage on persuasion throws and all prices are little higher to those "barbarians" that walk around armed and armored.
Dragon Heist games typically start at level 1 from scratch. In any case, a player can typically choose the character that they take into a campaign while the DM can decide on the potential consequences. You can be as potentially accommodating as you like. However, allowing an armoured and armed character to freely function in an unarmoured, unarmed context could effectively buff the character. Be clear on the context and let them make their choices.
I would make it so the characters should not carry around weapons until they decide to do something. This sort of divides a game potentially into two principle sections: investigation and information gathering and then infiltration. If your characters are about to, say, charge into the sewers, they go pick up their arms. If they are going to a temple to investigate a lead, they leave the arms and armour at home.
I think your player is getting a tad too dramatic about it. It's not a super huge deal to be walking around anywhere without weapons, hell, I've ambushed my players at an Inn while they were eating breakfast once. One went to tell me "I pull my SWORD!" I asked him if he thought a sword was a reasonable part of a well balanced breakfast or did he leave that in his room?
He then agreed that perhaps he had left his weapon back in the room. Which works when you have a party willing to 'buy in' on the adventure you're running. Which might be your problem, is this player there to play dnd? Or is he a murder hobo on a tight leash?
I'd have a talk with the player, reassure them that you aren't going to put their character into a situation that's impossible, and for them to trust you a little. You're there to have fun, he's there to have fun, and you know that if his character lost his agency, it wouldn't be much fun for him so let him know you have that in mind. Basically it's meta gaming to constantly insist your character is walking around armed to the teeth just 'because of xxxx reason (MY CHARACTER WOULD BLAH BLAH is such a ridiculous excuse when it comes from a player who doesn't even have a 'voice' for his character)' and meta gaming is trying to outplay the DM, not the situation.
If he doesn't get that explanation, tell him if he keeps bringing weapons, you'll make sure he NEEDS those weapons and wipe the floor with him a few times. Have the city guard captain be a level 15 Battlemaster Fighter with max hp, sentinel, pole arm mastery, great weapon mastery, and a real 'take no crap' attitude. Then let this Battlemaster knock your players ass clean out a few times. NPC's can do subdual damage too ya know!
I had guard tactics that I used back in 3.5 that was basically that the city guard would all concentrate their attacks on the mages or casters during any kind of fracas. Those guards would always use quarterstaves (reach) and the first two of them would assist each other in grappling the target, loss of dex bonus to AC then. After that, the other six guards would use their staves (two handed weapon fighting) to knock that character out, then move onto the next. It resulted in fewer dead guards than you think, but I digress.
This seems like a player issue, and not a character issue, I'd address the player to resolve it. Good luck!
The players have backpacks. Just keep the weapons in the backpack and make it an action to get it out. That way it's always with them, but the penalty is small. Not allowing weapons in the street is just silly. The citizens may not carry weapons but not everyone is a citizen of Waterdeep. The Yawning Portal is there which means adventurers from all over come to see it and they are going to bring weapons. Dragon Heist does have combat in the streets and not allowing melee combatants access to their main weapon is not fun. I could see giving negative social interactions to those with open carry weapons, but those people usually are not the face of the party. You could also give them advantage for intimidation checks and possibly more respect from certain factions they might join.
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One of my PCs for my upcoming Dragon Heist game read in the Enchiridion about people not carrying weapons around and is unhappy about that as they feels it will nerf their character.
Whay are some good ways to work around/deal with this? Play down peoples’s reactions to seeing weapons? Some other way?…
"Individuals accustomed to the rough-and-tumble life in much of the North are often surprised by the fact that Waterdavians go about unarmed and unarmored. Yet Waterdeep doesn’t have any law that forbids carrying weapons or armor. Instead, it has a culture of civility that makes such behavior unnecessary."
In my campaign I simply, give disadvantage on persuasion throws and all prices are little higher to those "barbarians" that walk around armed and armored.
Dragon Heist games typically start at level 1 from scratch. In any case, a player can typically choose the character that they take into a campaign while the DM can decide on the potential consequences. You can be as potentially accommodating as you like. However, allowing an armoured and armed character to freely function in an unarmoured, unarmed context could effectively buff the character. Be clear on the context and let them make their choices.
Mig makes a lot of sense. Basically, give them social penalties. Suspicion, distrust, higher prices, etc.
I would make it so the characters should not carry around weapons until they decide to do something. This sort of divides a game potentially into two principle sections: investigation and information gathering and then infiltration. If your characters are about to, say, charge into the sewers, they go pick up their arms. If they are going to a temple to investigate a lead, they leave the arms and armour at home.
I think your player is getting a tad too dramatic about it. It's not a super huge deal to be walking around anywhere without weapons, hell, I've ambushed my players at an Inn while they were eating breakfast once. One went to tell me "I pull my SWORD!" I asked him if he thought a sword was a reasonable part of a well balanced breakfast or did he leave that in his room?
He then agreed that perhaps he had left his weapon back in the room. Which works when you have a party willing to 'buy in' on the adventure you're running. Which might be your problem, is this player there to play dnd? Or is he a murder hobo on a tight leash?
I'd have a talk with the player, reassure them that you aren't going to put their character into a situation that's impossible, and for them to trust you a little. You're there to have fun, he's there to have fun, and you know that if his character lost his agency, it wouldn't be much fun for him so let him know you have that in mind. Basically it's meta gaming to constantly insist your character is walking around armed to the teeth just 'because of xxxx reason (MY CHARACTER WOULD BLAH BLAH is such a ridiculous excuse when it comes from a player who doesn't even have a 'voice' for his character)' and meta gaming is trying to outplay the DM, not the situation.
If he doesn't get that explanation, tell him if he keeps bringing weapons, you'll make sure he NEEDS those weapons and wipe the floor with him a few times. Have the city guard captain be a level 15 Battlemaster Fighter with max hp, sentinel, pole arm mastery, great weapon mastery, and a real 'take no crap' attitude. Then let this Battlemaster knock your players ass clean out a few times. NPC's can do subdual damage too ya know!
I had guard tactics that I used back in 3.5 that was basically that the city guard would all concentrate their attacks on the mages or casters during any kind of fracas. Those guards would always use quarterstaves (reach) and the first two of them would assist each other in grappling the target, loss of dex bonus to AC then. After that, the other six guards would use their staves (two handed weapon fighting) to knock that character out, then move onto the next. It resulted in fewer dead guards than you think, but I digress.
This seems like a player issue, and not a character issue, I'd address the player to resolve it.
Good luck!
The players have backpacks. Just keep the weapons in the backpack and make it an action to get it out. That way it's always with them, but the penalty is small. Not allowing weapons in the street is just silly. The citizens may not carry weapons but not everyone is a citizen of Waterdeep. The Yawning Portal is there which means adventurers from all over come to see it and they are going to bring weapons. Dragon Heist does have combat in the streets and not allowing melee combatants access to their main weapon is not fun. I could see giving negative social interactions to those with open carry weapons, but those people usually are not the face of the party. You could also give them advantage for intimidation checks and possibly more respect from certain factions they might join.