So. We have an issue in our party. Someone did something stupid and now everyone wants them dead.
Playing Dragon of Icefire Peak, we are in Axeholm, PC's clearing it room by room, and boom they enter a room full of Giant Spiders. This is triggering for our Fire Genasi Barbarian who hates spiders. He burns most of them but our Goblin Ranger saves one by casting Animal Friendship on it. Genasi is not happy, and neither is our Aasimar Monk, or the rest of the party.
Barbarian and the monk distract the Ranger and kill the spider. Ranger not happy, he plays the character like a frickin Paladin. Everything is his friend, and always does what's right.
Ranger waits, casts Speak With Animals sneaks off and runs back to Giant Spider lair to tell them who killed their friend. Hot-tails it out of there with an army of Giant Spiders on his tail who flood the fortress. The others barricade themselves and the Ranger in a room to wait it out. Monk grabs the Ranger and tries to choke some sense into him. Genasi wants to burn him alive, Bard wants to bash him with a battle lute.
Here's the kicker. Ranger makes all his throws, gets out of the choke hold, darts across the room Bard misses with the lute, and he shimmies up a chimney an gets out onto the roof. Unbeknownst to the others he grabs a horse and is heading back to Phandalin to see Falcon the Hunter, who sent them to Axeholm to clear it out for him. (his lodge was destroyed by Gorthok the Thunder Boar).
I need help to resolve this, because surprise surprise the Ranger doesn't want to fight the party, but they now hate his guts.
Gonna be honest, it sounds more like the rest of the party who have become villains.
That said, it can be difficult to play a character who cares about morality in a party that don’t. I don’t think either side is necessarily wrong to want to play the way they want to, but at the end of the day they’re just not compatible modes. Either convince the rest of the party to make amends and resolve to not be ***** for the sake of unit cohesion, or convince the ranger’s player to make a new character who doesn’t care as much.
So things currently stand at: Ranger is going to Falcon to tattle on the party. Bulk of the party still in Axeholm with more rooms to clear? Some spiders still alive?
Easiest way I can think to resolve this as a plot is to have the Ranger’s player roll up a new PC, and turn the ranger into a nemesis for the party. Yes, the ultimate fault for their situation lies with the party for killing the friendly spider, but going back to raise an army of spiders to hunt them down for killing it sounds like the mental snap of someone crossing into neutral evil territory. As with most good villains, the heroes make them for themselves.
Another way out of this would be to have the ranger meet a druid on the way who reminds him of the circle of life and that as beautiful as nature is, it is based on kill or die. It is why the venomous snake bites, why the mongoose kills the cobra, why lions and hyenas will fight over a single meal. Giant spiders will eat people when they’re hungry as surely as people will kill spiders when they’re scared. The trick to his situation is to deal with the hunger of the spiders, and the fear of the people. Maybe home brew a salt lamp as a common magic item. A hunk of salt rock that sheds dim light in a 10 ft radius for an hour a day and can make those in its light indifferent toward creatures it is hostile toward if they fail a CHA save(the second optional use of a Calm Emotions spell). The druid could send that back with the ranger along with some live “offerings” for the spiders who probably don’t see much food otherwise. He could come back to broker peace with the spiders, and convince them to live elsewhere, where food is more plentiful. Then present this lamp to the party as a peace offering. In the interest of keeping the plot moving forward, I would hope everyone would choose to fail their saving throw and make up with the ranger.
Coincidently, the party I’m DMing just finished clearing Axeholm last night as well. No PvP action, although, they RPed threatening to. We had a new player join the game when the rest of the party was finishing a long rest barricading themselves in the Kitchen for the night. I probably should have restricted my homebrew content from the DnDB campaign character creation process, but didn’t think to communicate such things, and she found and used the Homebrew race that I saved in prep for the new Greek campaign setting release: The Satyr/Faun (Champion Fighter). So now I have an unusual PC race showing up mid-dungeon crawl. How do I narrate that? My story was Kazzoo (the Satyr) was engaged in low level hostilities, as usual, in the Feywild, and happened to be arguing with a Fey Crossroads Guardian, who said Kazzoo fights like a ewe. Kazzoo charges the Guardian to ram him with his horns, and the guy sidesteps, sending Kazzoo through the Crossroad and into the Material plane, landing in the refuse pit in the dining room outside the kitchen where the party is. The party was all set to attack this satyr, before someone pointed out that their mandate was only the undead. So they grabbed their Sending Stone and called up their boss (NPC) to ask what to do with this thing, and he said “We have some extra funds. If they want work, give them a trial run by letting them help finish the Axeholm job. And if they die, it’s just another body to loot.” So all proceeded well. Kazzoo rolled like crap most of the night, which was hilarious. And the story continues when next we meet.
They walked up to it thinking it was a more neutral ghost that could be put to rest if they could help with its unfinished business. When she wailed on round two of combat, everyone saved, except the Wild Magic Sorcerer had to spend his Tides of Chaos to do so. The monk in the party is Sun Soul, so her radiant bolts attack was pretty effective. This encounter wasn’t beefed up to match them, so it was pretty easy. They’re all level 6 now.* I amped up the rest of Axeholm to challenge them, though.
Added a few wraiths to command squads of ghouls. Changed other ghouls to ghasts. Moved the ghouls from the baths to clearing rubble from A25 and put a black pudding in the tub (atop a few bits of extra magic loot) in their place. What was really fun, though was that the necromancer animated the castellan ghoul to stand guard while they long rested, but never looted his body, so he had that particular corpse shambling around behind him, and when they found the Secret Room and saw they needed a special key, the monk was like “What? Do I have anything on me that fits that lock?” And I said “Perception check. In fact all of you can start searching your pockets and looking around. Perception checks from everyone.” They felt silly when the guy with the highest check noticed the ring the animated castellan who dutifully followed them into the room was wearing. (And finally noticed the mithril shirt I had him wearing as well.)
*We actually finished this campaign months ago, but the group liked their characters and wanted to keep playing them, so when I took over as DM, I decided to have them clear out a couple unused locations as their first order of business. I’m gradually drawing them into Storm Lord’s Wrath and beyond. They had epilogued that they moved to Neverwinter and bought an HQ there, so on their journey to Axeholm, I had them encounter a Scaly Eye devotee from the Bronze Shrine, and they already did the Attack on the Wayside Inn encounter when they passed that location.(which actually led to them searching the place and short circuiting another encounter.) So we resolved those shenanigans all on the way to Axeholm. Just a few loose threads to tie up before they get to Leilon, probably in 2 more sessions.
So. We have an issue in our party. Someone did something stupid and now everyone wants them dead.
Playing Dragon of Icefire Peak, we are in Axeholm, PC's clearing it room by room, and boom they enter a room full of Giant Spiders. This is triggering for our Fire Genasi Barbarian who hates spiders. He burns most of them but our Goblin Ranger saves one by casting Animal Friendship on it. Genasi is not happy, and neither is our Aasimar Monk, or the rest of the party.
Barbarian and the monk distract the Ranger and kill the spider. Ranger not happy, he plays the character like a frickin Paladin. Everything is his friend, and always does what's right.
Ranger waits, casts Speak With Animals sneaks off and runs back to Giant Spider lair to tell them who killed their friend. Hot-tails it out of there with an army of Giant Spiders on his tail who flood the fortress. The others barricade themselves and the Ranger in a room to wait it out. Monk grabs the Ranger and tries to choke some sense into him. Genasi wants to burn him alive, Bard wants to bash him with a battle lute.
Here's the kicker. Ranger makes all his throws, gets out of the choke hold, darts across the room Bard misses with the lute, and he shimmies up a chimney an gets out onto the roof. Unbeknownst to the others he grabs a horse and is heading back to Phandalin to see Falcon the Hunter, who sent them to Axeholm to clear it out for him. (his lodge was destroyed by Gorthok the Thunder Boar).
I need help to resolve this, because surprise surprise the Ranger doesn't want to fight the party, but they now hate his guts.
What sort of solution are you looking for? I can see a lot of different paths, but it depends on what you and your players actually want.
I'd like to re-unite the party, and not have them have to fight the Ranger.
I hate having to manage split party games. We are playing on Discord now too, so it turns into messaging hell.
At the end of the session, they were all saying how well that PC plays the character, annoying as it can be at times.
Friends wanting to kill each other is normal.
Tell both sides to take a week (in game) to cool off, then have the Ranger apologize to the party, and the Barbarian and Monk apologize to the Ranger.
And find the Ranger a pet that the party don't want to kill.
Gonna be honest, it sounds more like the rest of the party who have become villains.
That said, it can be difficult to play a character who cares about morality in a party that don’t. I don’t think either side is necessarily wrong to want to play the way they want to, but at the end of the day they’re just not compatible modes. Either convince the rest of the party to make amends and resolve to not be ***** for the sake of unit cohesion, or convince the ranger’s player to make a new character who doesn’t care as much.
Thanks, he's got a Brown Bear, and they all love it.
Love that approach thanks.
So things currently stand at: Ranger is going to Falcon to tattle on the party. Bulk of the party still in Axeholm with more rooms to clear? Some spiders still alive?
Easiest way I can think to resolve this as a plot is to have the Ranger’s player roll up a new PC, and turn the ranger into a nemesis for the party. Yes, the ultimate fault for their situation lies with the party for killing the friendly spider, but going back to raise an army of spiders to hunt them down for killing it sounds like the mental snap of someone crossing into neutral evil territory. As with most good villains, the heroes make them for themselves.
Another way out of this would be to have the ranger meet a druid on the way who reminds him of the circle of life and that as beautiful as nature is, it is based on kill or die. It is why the venomous snake bites, why the mongoose kills the cobra, why lions and hyenas will fight over a single meal. Giant spiders will eat people when they’re hungry as surely as people will kill spiders when they’re scared. The trick to his situation is to deal with the hunger of the spiders, and the fear of the people. Maybe home brew a salt lamp as a common magic item. A hunk of salt rock that sheds dim light in a 10 ft radius for an hour a day and can make those in its light indifferent toward creatures it is hostile toward if they fail a CHA save(the second optional use of a Calm Emotions spell). The druid could send that back with the ranger along with some live “offerings” for the spiders who probably don’t see much food otherwise. He could come back to broker peace with the spiders, and convince them to live elsewhere, where food is more plentiful. Then present this lamp to the party as a peace offering. In the interest of keeping the plot moving forward, I would hope everyone would choose to fail their saving throw and make up with the ranger.
Sage advice. Thanks so much. Hopefully the ranger will agree to option 2.
I 'sold' option 2 to the ranger!! I homebrewed a crystal of Calm Emotions, their character is obsessed with crystals.
Back on track. Thanks again.
Awesome!
Coincidently, the party I’m DMing just finished clearing Axeholm last night as well. No PvP action, although, they RPed threatening to. We had a new player join the game when the rest of the party was finishing a long rest barricading themselves in the Kitchen for the night. I probably should have restricted my homebrew content from the DnDB campaign character creation process, but didn’t think to communicate such things, and she found and used the Homebrew race that I saved in prep for the new Greek campaign setting release: The Satyr/Faun (Champion Fighter). So now I have an unusual PC race showing up mid-dungeon crawl. How do I narrate that? My story was Kazzoo (the Satyr) was engaged in low level hostilities, as usual, in the Feywild, and happened to be arguing with a Fey Crossroads Guardian, who said Kazzoo fights like a ewe. Kazzoo charges the Guardian to ram him with his horns, and the guy sidesteps, sending Kazzoo through the Crossroad and into the Material plane, landing in the refuse pit in the dining room outside the kitchen where the party is. The party was all set to attack this satyr, before someone pointed out that their mandate was only the undead. So they grabbed their Sending Stone and called up their boss (NPC) to ask what to do with this thing, and he said “We have some extra funds. If they want work, give them a trial run by letting them help finish the Axeholm job. And if they die, it’s just another body to loot.” So all proceeded well. Kazzoo rolled like crap most of the night, which was hilarious. And the story continues when next we meet.
How did they handle the Banshee?
My guys have glimpsed it floating around upstairs, and are super scared about facing it.
They walked up to it thinking it was a more neutral ghost that could be put to rest if they could help with its unfinished business. When she wailed on round two of combat, everyone saved, except the Wild Magic Sorcerer had to spend his Tides of Chaos to do so. The monk in the party is Sun Soul, so her radiant bolts attack was pretty effective. This encounter wasn’t beefed up to match them, so it was pretty easy. They’re all level 6 now.* I amped up the rest of Axeholm to challenge them, though.
Added a few wraiths to command squads of ghouls. Changed other ghouls to ghasts. Moved the ghouls from the baths to clearing rubble from A25 and put a black pudding in the tub (atop a few bits of extra magic loot) in their place. What was really fun, though was that the necromancer animated the castellan ghoul to stand guard while they long rested, but never looted his body, so he had that particular corpse shambling around behind him, and when they found the Secret Room and saw they needed a special key, the monk was like “What? Do I have anything on me that fits that lock?” And I said “Perception check. In fact all of you can start searching your pockets and looking around. Perception checks from everyone.” They felt silly when the guy with the highest check noticed the ring the animated castellan who dutifully followed them into the room was wearing. (And finally noticed the mithril shirt I had him wearing as well.)
*We actually finished this campaign months ago, but the group liked their characters and wanted to keep playing them, so when I took over as DM, I decided to have them clear out a couple unused locations as their first order of business. I’m gradually drawing them into Storm Lord’s Wrath and beyond. They had epilogued that they moved to Neverwinter and bought an HQ there, so on their journey to Axeholm, I had them encounter a Scaly Eye devotee from the Bronze Shrine, and they already did the Attack on the Wayside Inn encounter when they passed that location.(which actually led to them searching the place and short circuiting another encounter.) So we resolved those shenanigans all on the way to Axeholm. Just a few loose threads to tie up before they get to Leilon, probably in 2 more sessions.
Cool ideas. Might steal some.
Only if that's cool.
Absolutely cool.