I'd like to pick your collective brains on something my group of players has become quite proficient in--which is working together to steal something basically in plain site in a very elaborate way.
Here's the action situation 1. A player has a sentient fishing pole that is obsessed with stealing fishing related gear whenever possible. Tells a player to steal the hat from an NPC at a refugee camp.
2. The setting is that that around 60 people are huddled around a bonfire in a snow inundated valley, daytime, outside. The character with the hat is sitting on a rock at the edge of the group of people.
3. One player summons an illusionary monster behind the character, then a barbarian throws his axe passing by the head of the character with the at to hit the illusion, appearing to save her.
4. Another player tackles the hat character to save her from the axe being thrown at her, thus knocking her down.
5. The final player sleight of hands the hat and high tails it out of there.
What I did
1. I had each of them make a roll depending on what they were doing, and all of them rolled extremely well, above 20's in all cases, so it was executed quite nicely. The hat stealer barely rolled high enough for the DC, so I let her steal it.
2. The hat person stood up and immediately saw her hat missing and started looking for the person who has it--and failed a perception check to find that person.
3. They all high-tailed it out of there.
Public Reaction
1. They realized the monster was an illusion and they were being played as fools (there are casters in the NPC audience who recognize what happened). 2. I'm sure they'll be able to conclude that one of those players stole the hat in the furor.
Question So my question for you all is this: would you have made other checks in terms of sleight of hand to see if she was noticed? Multiple checks? Would the dozens of other people around all get checks as she steals it and is running through them to get away?
Consequences What might the consequences be for brazen theft in this refugee camp where people are starving and dying every night and a level of survival brutality is present?
What might the consequences be for brazen theft in this refugee camp where people are starving and dying every night and a level of survival brutality is present?
If this was a nameless refugee, let it go. If this was an agent of the government, Have poster up searching for the hat. Maybe officials stopping groups and looking through packed gear.
Okay... so what I'm seeing is that your players, when confronted with a compulsion to commit a very minor crime, concocted an Oceans-Eleven-level heist involving all the players, executed it flawlessly, and you rolled poorly to perceive any underhandedness on behalf of the players themselves... and you're looking for a way to punish them?
Dude. Let them have the hat. I would kill for a table of players who collaborated so ingeniously and effectively. Hell, reward them with some comic relief. The original hat owner comes to the players, tells them that some people in camp discovered the monster was a fake (*gasp!*) and that his hat was stolen in the fracas. He wants them to help him find the perpetrator, seeing as they're such brave, stand-up folks. Rebuild the campaign around this moment!Make them accidentally discover a legitimate evil who was conspiring to get the hat. Make the hat a powerful artifact in disguise that beseeches their aid in protecting it from the newfound threat. Do something to make this moment meaningful to your players!
Speaking as the DM of a bunch of new-to-the-game middle schoolers who think they're playing nine separate games at the same time in the same place, you reward the heck out of that effective collaboration. That was beautiful!
Forgot to add: maybe there are consequences, but let them be redeemable and not mechanics. Maybe they learn it was stolen from a teenager who's mom had made them that hat but their mom was killed in whatever situation led to them being in the refugee camp. Pull at heartstrings, but in a way that lets them do wonderful things.
Howdy all!
I'd like to pick your collective brains on something my group of players has become quite proficient in--which is working together to steal something basically in plain site in a very elaborate way.
Here's the action situation
1. A player has a sentient fishing pole that is obsessed with stealing fishing related gear whenever possible. Tells a player to steal the hat from an NPC at a refugee camp.
2. The setting is that that around 60 people are huddled around a bonfire in a snow inundated valley, daytime, outside. The character with the hat is sitting on a rock at the edge of the group of people.
3. One player summons an illusionary monster behind the character, then a barbarian throws his axe passing by the head of the character with the at to hit the illusion, appearing to save her.
4. Another player tackles the hat character to save her from the axe being thrown at her, thus knocking her down.
5. The final player sleight of hands the hat and high tails it out of there.
What I did
1. I had each of them make a roll depending on what they were doing, and all of them rolled extremely well, above 20's in all cases, so it was executed quite nicely. The hat stealer barely rolled high enough for the DC, so I let her steal it.
2. The hat person stood up and immediately saw her hat missing and started looking for the person who has it--and failed a perception check to find that person.
3. They all high-tailed it out of there.
Public Reaction
1. They realized the monster was an illusion and they were being played as fools (there are casters in the NPC audience who recognize what happened).
2. I'm sure they'll be able to conclude that one of those players stole the hat in the furor.
Question
So my question for you all is this: would you have made other checks in terms of sleight of hand to see if she was noticed? Multiple checks? Would the dozens of other people around all get checks as she steals it and is running through them to get away?
Consequences
What might the consequences be for brazen theft in this refugee camp where people are starving and dying every night and a level of survival brutality is present?
Appreciate your thoughts!
What might the consequences be for brazen theft in this refugee camp where people are starving and dying every night and a level of survival brutality is present?
If this was a nameless refugee, let it go. If this was an agent of the government, Have poster up searching for the hat. Maybe officials stopping groups and looking through packed gear.
Is the hat magic? is it sentient?
Okay... so what I'm seeing is that your players, when confronted with a compulsion to commit a very minor crime, concocted an Oceans-Eleven-level heist involving all the players, executed it flawlessly, and you rolled poorly to perceive any underhandedness on behalf of the players themselves... and you're looking for a way to punish them?
Dude. Let them have the hat. I would kill for a table of players who collaborated so ingeniously and effectively. Hell, reward them with some comic relief. The original hat owner comes to the players, tells them that some people in camp discovered the monster was a fake (*gasp!*) and that his hat was stolen in the fracas. He wants them to help him find the perpetrator, seeing as they're such brave, stand-up folks. Rebuild the campaign around this moment! Make them accidentally discover a legitimate evil who was conspiring to get the hat. Make the hat a powerful artifact in disguise that beseeches their aid in protecting it from the newfound threat. Do something to make this moment meaningful to your players!
Speaking as the DM of a bunch of new-to-the-game middle schoolers who think they're playing nine separate games at the same time in the same place, you reward the heck out of that effective collaboration. That was beautiful!
Forgot to add: maybe there are consequences, but let them be redeemable and not mechanics. Maybe they learn it was stolen from a teenager who's mom had made them that hat but their mom was killed in whatever situation led to them being in the refugee camp. Pull at heartstrings, but in a way that lets them do wonderful things.