When a PC is charmed it's highly likely that the player will know that his character is charmed. So while the character does not know that it's in danger, the player probably does know that his character is in danger. This creates the problem of a player having to act against his character's best interest in order to be true to his charmed condition.
So as a DM, how do you deal with PCs who are charmed? How do you deal with players who might act overly cautious when they should act trustingly toward their charmer?
All you can really do is remind them that they're supposed to be roleplaying. This person is a good friend of theirs. I suppose you could, if necessary, prompt them by asking 'would you treat (RL best friend) like that?", but I'm not sure I'd recommend it.
Charm effects are uncomfortable for a lot of players, both because it makes them act against their characters natural instincts and because it feels gross to suddenly have your mind altered in such a way. Because of that, as a DM I try to be cautious with charm effects. Especially if it's the first time that it has happened to a player with their character. I'd probably take an out of game moment to chat with them, reassure them that any boundaries they have set up for this game will still be respected, and ask them to collaborate with me to make this situation work.
The next thing I'd do is be clear about what the charm actually does. Some spells or effects only change the way the PC feels about the NPC, while others allow the NPC to take almost full control over the PCs actions. Unless the condition allows for more direct control over the PC, I tend to give a charmed player a lot of latitude. As long as they are trying to have the character act in a way that makes sense for being charmed I'm happy. If they're having trouble or are uncomfortable roleplaying the situation I might ask them to just describe in general what the character does.
So in general I just suggest being gentle with players who are having trouble with their character being charmed, and be ok with taking time to stop the game and chat with them about the situation.
When a PC is charmed it's highly likely that the player will know that his character is charmed. So while the character does not know that it's in danger, the player probably does know that his character is in danger. This creates the problem of a player having to act against his character's best interest in order to be true to his charmed condition.
So as a DM, how do you deal with PCs who are charmed? How do you deal with players who might act overly cautious when they should act trustingly toward their charmer?
All you can really do is remind them that they're supposed to be roleplaying. This person is a good friend of theirs. I suppose you could, if necessary, prompt them by asking 'would you treat (RL best friend) like that?", but I'm not sure I'd recommend it.
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InsiderCharm effects are uncomfortable for a lot of players, both because it makes them act against their characters natural instincts and because it feels gross to suddenly have your mind altered in such a way. Because of that, as a DM I try to be cautious with charm effects. Especially if it's the first time that it has happened to a player with their character. I'd probably take an out of game moment to chat with them, reassure them that any boundaries they have set up for this game will still be respected, and ask them to collaborate with me to make this situation work.
The next thing I'd do is be clear about what the charm actually does. Some spells or effects only change the way the PC feels about the NPC, while others allow the NPC to take almost full control over the PCs actions. Unless the condition allows for more direct control over the PC, I tend to give a charmed player a lot of latitude. As long as they are trying to have the character act in a way that makes sense for being charmed I'm happy. If they're having trouble or are uncomfortable roleplaying the situation I might ask them to just describe in general what the character does.
So in general I just suggest being gentle with players who are having trouble with their character being charmed, and be ok with taking time to stop the game and chat with them about the situation.
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