Evil GM Tricks 101

[URLeader Hobbes]

Here is a perfect place for GMs to share how they have put one over on the players. Got a good story about how you got to humiliate a player? Post it here! Lets have some stories of ticks you have pulled on the PCs that they fell for.

Here is one of I'm really happy that went well.

The players heard about a rune weapon that was hidden in a temple. After some research they find it and discover that should they remove said weapon it will awaken the "Serpent King".

This did nothing to dissuade the players. After some looking about they end up in a chamber with a sword lodged into an altar. (Think sword in the stone.) The altar is ornately carved with various serpents, dragons and lizards. The sword itself is covered in runes. After a bit of debate one of the players pulls the sword from the alter.

Suddenly the whole temple begins to shake. (Yep it's collapsing!)

The players are assuming they woke up the Serpent King and that is causing the temple to come down. They manage to flee, hop on their horses and ride like hell outta there...

Mission accomplished right????

WRONG!

The players actually grabbed a decoy. The weapon is a sword ornately designed with decorative runes. It is however indestructible and does radiate magic thanks to an alchemist, but it has no other special properties. Removing it didn't actually wake up a sleeping evil, but activated a mechanism that caused the collapse of the temple.

Best of all. The real rune weapon was hidden behind a plaster wall and is now covered under tons and tons of rubble and forever presumed lost/removed thanks to the BS legend of the Serpent King. On top of that players ended up looking over their shoulders expecting the Serpent King to show up.

It took nearly 4 sessions before someone realized that the Rune weapon wasn't "talking" or doing anything it should have actually been doing. When a mage of a different alignment from the player who took the weapon took it to study that made them realize something was amiss.

So who else has an evil GM Trick to share.

[Gthomas41571]

Bad GM BAD BAD BAD....... but very funny..

[Chronicle]

I once put a TK force field around a person casting annihilate, mainly because knowing the character's pattern for massive AOE attacks and quick access to a talisman the enemy knew it was coming. That hurt, got applause from the players though.

My lesson.......mix it up a bit

[Hotrod]

I played in a Kevin-run adventure a couple years ago. We had to stop the evil bad guy from completing some awful ritual that involved a virgin sacrifice. One of the dudes there was all "Well, if she ain't a virgin anymore..."

The virgin turned out to be a very young boy.

Thankfully, our just-in-time arrival at the ritual led us to take the alternative solution of killing the evil bad guy and his minions.

[Killer Cyborg]

I threw the PCs up against a super vampire that was impervious to all the usual anti-vampire stuff. Silver just bounced off, water didn't bother him, crosses just made him laugh, and so forth.

(Because he was actually just a super-powered crazy guy who thought he was a vampire, and whose powers replicated the usual vampire stuff.)

[flatline]

I threw the PCs up against a super vampire that was impervious to all the usual anti-vampire stuff. Silver just bounced off, water didn't bother him, crosses just made him laugh, and so forth.

(Because he was actually just a super-powered crazy guy who thought he was a vampire, and whose powers replicated the usual vampire stuff.)

In an Player vs Player event we once had, my entry was something like that. Looked like a vampire. Seemed to have the abilities and the weaknesses of a vampire, but was actually something entirely different. Alas, that is a character sheet that I no longer have and I don't remember how I did it.

--flatline

[mellowmaveric]

Demand the first born child that they give birth to of a male character and then give them a gender swapping item.

[kiralon]

I once had the bad guy fully convince the party he was a good guy. Whenever the party came to him to ask him about his nefarious deeds he would say "You are welcome to come investigate my holdings, but I am looking for people to stop a murder/rescue a child/track some bandits/find a missing wagon/get medical supplies to a village with a plague problem. He would give them money and a small amount of help and send them on their way, and then reward them when they did what he asked, that way was much cheaper than having them rifling though his stuff, destroying his plans and capturing his slave wagons. After he sent them off he would organise another serious event needing heroes (he sent the heroes against his enemies as well) so when they returned he would have something to send them off to again. This worked over and over again.

[flatline]

I once had the bad guy fully convince the party he was a good guy. Whenever the party came to him to ask him about his nefarious deeds he would say "You are welcome to come investigate my holdings, but I am looking for people to stop a murder/rescue a child/track some bandits/find a missing wagon/get medical supplies to a village with a plague problem. He would give them money and a small amount of help and send them on their way, and then reward them when they did what he asked, that way was much cheaper than having them rifling though his stuff, destroying his plans and capturing his slave wagons. After he sent them off he would organise another serious event needing heroes (he sent the heroes against his enemies as well) so when they returned he would have something to send them off to again. This worked over and over again.

Ha! That's how I always imagined Dungeon Master from the old D&D cartoon.

--flatline

[Reagren Wright]

Many player has gone into a tavern (I changed the name all the time) in which they run into a very attractive but informative
barmaid. See doesn't take coin for her information. Well needless to say, activity take place in the back alley. Most players
barely take notice of the pendent she's wearing. This pendant conceals her aura and true identity from all detection (Null Aura-
a power of a grater rune item). The reason why is she is a succubus. After she's had her way, the victim gets hit with a Love
Charm spell, she takes their valuables, and dumps them over a bridge to lie in the filth and muck. This has occurred like six
or seven times (twice on the same friend-I couldn't believe he fell for it a second time). The first time it was a flesh golem
(same scenario) the second time was with the succubus. Yes I'm cruel and mean .

[Chronicle]

Ever have a pregnant woman giving birth actually morph into an adult dragon........as if she was giving birth to one?

[zyanitevp]

I cannot put mine here as there are too many players in my games that visit-
However, a past one was freeing of orc slaves that later rebelled against that land- talk about ungrateful!!
My favorite trick is actually a Palladium one- Necrom. No one just grabs a rune weapon after that....

[Warmaster40k]

I like to use loos notes and goals in mind to guide the players to certain outcomes. Usually it works sometimes, they skip it and lynch the Davenport.

[Borast]

I once had the bad guy fully convince the party he was a good guy. Whenever the party came to him to ask him about his nefarious deeds he would say "You are welcome to come investigate my holdings, but I am looking for people to stop a murder/rescue a child/track some bandits/find a missing wagon/get medical supplies to a village with a plague problem. He would give them money and a small amount of help and send them on their way, and then reward them when they did what he asked, that way was much cheaper than having them rifling though his stuff, destroying his plans and capturing his slave wagons. After he sent them off he would organise another serious event needing heroes (he sent the heroes against his enemies as well) so when they returned he would have something to send them off to again. This worked over and over again.

Ha! That's how I always imagined Dungeon Master from the old D&D cartoon.

--flatline

Well... Venger *was* his son.



As for my "evilness."
If you say it at the table, your character does it.
If your character sheet doesn't have it, neither do you...so if you want to stake that vampire...
Remind the PCs (repeatedly in some cases), that what is in the Books is GUIDELINES that the GM is free to ignore, change, or use as (s)he wishes...as it states in the first couple of pages of almost every RPG book out.
Setting-up a situation so that the most popular methods are useless (Can you say Nilbog?)...

[kiralon]

If you say it at the table, your character does it.

That is a rule I use at the table for wishes, If you have a device that lets you have wishes and you start a sentence with I wish, it happens, and it has had very funny results.

[Zer0 Kay]

Twin nightspawn "sisters". One evil one good. They changed while in com a and the players attacked the demonic looking one. The evil one looked like an angel.

[Zer0 Kay]

A 6 piece quest sword. Granted increasing power with each piece with less control as the ancient dragon spirit within became more whole. Full assembly, the imprisoned dragon makes the player go after the false styphon in Atlantis. If the player manages to win the ridiculously powerful sword and the personality become dormant and no better than a greater rune weapon. Now ya got to get out of the city.

[Alrik Vas]

player calls his fiancé by the name if his side chick by mistake, make him stick to it. fiancé gets captured by bandits, she joins bandits, helps them kill the PC.

[URLeader Hobbes]

player calls his fiancé by the name if his side chick by mistake, make him stick to it. fiancé gets captured by bandits, she joins bandits, helps them kill the PC.

Thats too awesome!

[McFacemelt]

So a Juicer, Rogue Scientist and a Gun Runner ride into a town full of Mystics. When they park the dune buggy they walk across a guy juggling Globes of Daylight, toss him a card with some Blackmarket creds and ask him to keep an eye on it. He nods, and continues to juggle. When they return the buggy is gone, having absolutely no knowledge of magic they start trying to find out who the guy was. They finally find out his name and yell it out loud and he appears, when the Rogue Scientist decides to berate the Mystic. The Mystic then snaps his finger and the buggy appears right where they parked it, he had cast Chameleon. He thanked them for the tongue lashing for doing what he was asked with a Blinding Flash and then stole the buggy out of spite.

[Alrik Vas]

So a Juicer, Rogue Scientist and a Gun Runner ride into a town full of Mystics. When they park the dune buggy they walk across a guy juggling Globes of Daylight, toss him a card with some Blackmarket creds and ask him to keep an eye on it. He nods, and continues to juggle. When they return the buggy is gone, having absolutely no knowledge of magic they start trying to find out who the guy was. They finally find out his name and yell it out loud and he appears, when the Rogue Scientist decides to berate the Mystic. The Mystic then snaps his finger and the buggy appears right where they parked it, he had cast Chameleon. He thanked them for the tongue lashing for doing what he was asked with a Blinding Flash and then stole the buggy out of spite.

That mystic is still a huge jerk haha...but I'm entertained just the same.

[Zer0 Kay]

Was GMing Ravenloft before it was a plane.
Player group never having heard a world about the location happens to be riding through and stops at an inn. One of the guys uses player knowledge and blurts out "we're going to end your vampire problem!"
The townsfolk in the inn having never seen these people or spoken to them and never speaking to outsiders about Strahd become very suspicious and clam up. Word gets around town that they're probably sent here by Strahd to test their loyalty so all their clues in town dry up. Always mean punishing your players for using PK.

They do end up meeting a Vistanni who tells the group about the legend of Strahd which made the players feel sorry for him. Always mean making your players wrestle with morality.

[SittingBull]

Evil GM tricks 101, also know as Grimtooth's Traps. 'Nuff said.

[Zer0 Kay]

I played in a Kevin-run adventure a couple years ago. We had to stop the evil bad guy from completing some awful ritual that involved a virgin sacrifice. One of the dudes there was all "Well, if she ain't a virgin anymore..."

The virgin turned out to be a very young boy.

Thankfully, our just-in-time arrival at the ritual led us to take the alternative solution of killing the evil bad guy and his minions.

That sounds like the '09 POH game.

Ya must have played a different time from me, cuz ours was a female... lesson, never tell the GM your nasty plans before hand.

[drewkitty ~..~]

In one game I GMed for a while there was a time loop element to it where the child of two of the players was suppose to be looped back and become the NPC that brought them to the land it took place. however, the daddy caught NPC in his daughter's bed room about to loop herself back. Killing the NPC rewrote time and they the exit the town they started in at the time they left to the other world as if the adventure never happened.

[TiekoSora]

A few decades ago, I was running a D&D game. One of the players was playing a paladin, from a noble family, with an eye for advancement and elevation. However, he was a greedy little twit. Always claiming the best magical items, stuff like that. The group was hired to recover a family heirloom from an abandoned keep, infested with goblins and orcs. Working their way deeper into the lower levels, they discovered a secret room, hidden by an enchanted door. After making it past the door, they enter a room, that has a set of four channels cut through the walls upward to open sky. This allowed sunlight to shine upon a pedestal in the center of the room, holding a class case. Inside, upon a velvet cushion, was a beautiful girdle (belt) covered in silver and gold. As soon as the cleric confirmed it was magical, the paladin lays claim and puts it on.

After his failed saving throw (nothing happened immediately) they went about their business, collecting the item they were after, and reporting back to their employer for their reward. It wasn't until later, when the paladin found himself in a stressful situation, that he would be forced to make a saving throw (and fail every time). He would then start pleasuring himself, right there, in front of everybody. After several times this happened, his near expulsion from his Order, and being disowned from his family, they learn that the item is cursed. After a lengthy amount of penance, selling his stockpile of magical items and donating the funds to charity, he was finally granted a removal of the cursed item. I called it the Belt of Excessive Masturbation, and it solved the problem of that player loot whoring in the future.

[Reagren Wright]

I''m giving this one to any GM who wants it.

The Iron Wife. She is a perfectly sculpted statue of a female warrior (Greek statue you see in museums). She has the same
attributes as an iron golem. She stands on a pedestal that says on the base, "Kiss me and I'm yours." Anyone
who does this, she comes to life functioning like an Advance A.I. She now declares herself the wife of whomever kissed
her. She can speak all languages. She only shows loyalty toward her spouse. Magic energy attacks (fireball, call lightning,
energy bolt) reflect off her body and have a +4 to strike (d20 dice roll) to hit the caster of the spell. Normal weapons that
strike her will replicate a physical transference of damage against the attacker. So if you strike her with a normal bastard
sword, instead of she taking the damage, you the wielder of the weapon take the same damage (no saving throw). Magic
weapons inflict normal damage against her. Even though she has a mind of her own, she is impervious to psychic attacks.
Rune weapons and Millenium Tree weapons inflict double damage. She also has to eat at least 10 gold coins
every day (20 silver) or one previous stone (10 carats of better). The person who has become her spouse a
telepathic/empathic familiar link is established (permanently) only it extends one mile. She can read and know surface
thoughts and emotions automatically (no save). She also knows when a potential rival comes in her spouse's presence. It
could be an attractive/handsome server trying to serve him/her a drink in a tavern. Should this "rival" for her spouse's
affection touch him or her, the Iron Wife will know about it. She will now try to kill this rival in a jealous rage. She cannot
be reason with when she gets this way. Her spouse nor can anyone else order her or forbid her not to harm a rival. She is
very sensitive about such thing, and to make matters worse, should her spouse commit adultery she will attack BOTH,
becoming impervious to her spouse's commands. In this fit of blind rage, doubled her attacks and combat bonuses. She will
not stop until her lying, cheating, spouse and his/her lover are dead. So how do you get rid of this annoying, you need a
priest to divorce them by performing a remove curse. Only a priestly remove curse (or deity) will have an effect not magic
spell or psionic ability. Once divorced she returns to her statue like presence. A pedestal rise up from beneath her feet with
the same sign as before. The other problem if you don't feed her, she starts to whine and complain, becoming a big pain in
the butt. She cannot die from not being feed, she just won't stop complaining and pestering her spouse.

[Jerell]

The other problem if you don't feed her, she starts to whine and complain, becoming a big pain in
the butt. She cannot die from not being feed, she just won't stop complaining and pestering her spouse.

Absolutely diabolical. Instant angry wife to deal with. Hat's off to you.

[the ancient gamer]

I never really went out of my way to "trick" my players, most of the weird stuff that happened to them was story driven.

There was one time when my group--all selfish or aberrant--had to snatch this POWERFUL magic item from a high governmental official. And while this quest would certainly net them all sorts of fortune and glory, it was also very important, in general. There were tons of lives at stake back from where the characters were originally from, and they weren't so evil or self-absorbed that this meant nothing to them. They tried all sorts of ways to get to this official, and none of them worked (or ended up being viable). Finally, they ended up deciding to kidnap the guy's children for ransom (the magic item), but there was a big problem with that. Not the morality (that was out the window at that point), but it turned out the official and his wife were far nastier to the children than the player characters were. The kids didn't want to be returned to their mom and dad! The party decided to figure out a trap where they got the item, but kept the kids, who they eventually turned over to people who would raise them properly. That was a simply awesome dilemma for them to work through.

[Borast]

A few decades ago, I was running a D&D game. One of the players was playing a paladin, from a noble family, with an eye for advancement and elevation. However, he was a greedy little twit. Always claiming the best magical items, stuff like that.
SNIP

Looks like someone forgot the 10 magic item limit the Paladin had back then.

[Alrik Vas]

PC has a true atlantean mystic. Plays guitar, pro-quality singing, PB 29, MA 21. Basically super rock star girl. Never thinks about how attractive they are when dealing with people, can't seem to figure out why everyone around her makes everything about sex, especially after seeing her in stage, singing in her smoky voice, bluesy guitar playing and perfect moves in stage.

I pretty much never even have to come up with anything, they did it all to themself.

[Borast]

The other problem if you don't feed her, she starts to whine and complain, becoming a big pain in
the butt. She cannot die from not being feed, she just won't stop complaining and pestering her spouse.

Absolutely diabolical. Instant angry wife to deal with. Hat's off to you.

I'll be playing a Nega-Psychic then. I think I'd be able to ignore her successfully.

[crazycowproductions]

I had a group of players all make Evil characters, every variant of evil, mostly because they figured I wouldn't be able to do anything. Then they ran into my campaign evil doers, and found out as much as they thought they where evil, they didn't quite measure up to the evil monsters that where going to destroy the world, not enslave it XD

Thus all their evil characters suddenly found themselves after slaying heroes left and right that they could have used to help them, they alone had to save the world from the monsters before they could open the portal to basically a living plane of negative energy.

[SittingBull]

I had a group of players all make Evil characters, every variant of evil, mostly because they figured I wouldn't be able to do anything. Then they ran into my campaign evil doers, and found out as much as they thought they where evil, they didn't quite measure up to the evil monsters that where going to destroy the world, not enslave it XD

Thus all their evil characters suddenly found themselves after slaying heroes left and right that they could have used to help them, they alone had to save the world from the monsters before they could open the portal to basically a living plane of negative energy.

Well done.

[crazycowproductions]

I had a group of players all make Evil characters, every variant of evil, mostly because they figured I wouldn't be able to do anything. Then they ran into my campaign evil doers, and found out as much as they thought they where evil, they didn't quite measure up to the evil monsters that where going to destroy the world, not enslave it XD

Thus all their evil characters suddenly found themselves after slaying heroes left and right that they could have used to help them, they alone had to save the world from the monsters before they could open the portal to basically a living plane of negative energy.

Well done.

Thank you it was quite fun

[SittingBull]

I had a group of players all make Evil characters, every variant of evil, mostly because they figured I wouldn't be able to do anything. Then they ran into my campaign evil doers, and found out as much as they thought they where evil, they didn't quite measure up to the evil monsters that where going to destroy the world, not enslave it XD

Thus all their evil characters suddenly found themselves after slaying heroes left and right that they could have used to help them, they alone had to save the world from the monsters before they could open the portal to basically a living plane of negative energy.

Well done.

Thank you it was quite fun

It sounds like it was.

[Hell knight]

Well i did this one players enter mine with low bearing wooden frame , wood impregnated with heat activated poison . after staying in one spot to long poof dead group .

That was a good game lol.

[Lone Stranger]

This wasn't in palladium, but another game.

the group was hunting a vampire. Traditional Dracula-type rules applied: Must be invinted to enter a house, can't cross running water, etc.

When the battle went south, they ran for cover, entering a shack that they had passed earlier. (The shack had held a clue to the vampire's location.)

As they're calling out taunts to the vampire because he can't enter, I tell one of them that he finds a piece of paper on the floor, and hand him a note. He reads it aloud "Enter freely and of your own will."

The other characters killed him before the vampire could.

[Razorwing]

While that is a bit of an evil trick... I don't think it is exactly needed in this case.

1) it is just a shack... a shed if you will... not a home by any means that could conceivably bar a vampire from entering.
2) the players don't own it... it isn't their "home" thus shouldn't prevent the vampire from entering.
3) in most cases with this rule for vampires, the specific vampire must be addressed... reading a peace of paper out loud doesn't work because you are addressing the piece of paper... not the one who gave it to you.

Still... definitely an evil trick to pull.

[Borast]

This wasn't in palladium, but another game.

Traditional Dracula-type rules applied: Must be invinted to enter a house, can't cross running water, etc.

<snip>.

Just remember, "cannot cross running water" is only part of it. The rest of the restriction is "unaided." This is why Dracula used a coach to get around, after all, with all the small rivers and streams with bridges over them in a mountainous area...

[Jefffar]

I ran a campaign where the players all worked for a secret government counterterrorism unit. Super duper black project can't officially exist type stuff.

Except that they were actually working for a crazy billionaire waging his own private war on 'terrorists' which was mostly judged on ethno-religious lines.

If the legit authorities had ever caught them they'd have charged with multiple murders, hate crimes and civil-rights violations.

[Borast]

I ran a campaign where the players all worked for a secret government counterterrorism unit. Super duper black project can't officially exist type stuff.

Except that they were actually working for a crazy billionaire waging his own private war on 'terrorists' which was mostly judged on ethno-religious lines.

If the legit authorities had ever caught them they'd have charged with multiple murders, hate crimes and civil-rights violations.

Was one of their handlers a guy named Ethan? Did their organisation have a logo saying "IMF"?

Either way... EEeeeevil!

[Zer0 Kay]

While that is a bit of an evil trick... I don't think it is exactly needed in this case.

1) it is just a shack... a shed if you will... not a home by any means that could conceivably bar a vampire from entering.
2) the players don't own it... it isn't their "home" thus shouldn't prevent the vampire from entering.
3) in most cases with this rule for vampires, the specific vampire must be addressed... reading a peace of paper out loud doesn't work because you are addressing the piece of paper... not the one who gave it to you.

Still... definitely an evil trick to pull.

I've always wondered why doesn't the vampire just destroy the house after having been denied entry? "You did not allow me to enter you home so I have knocked down the walls, no longer a home, now I come for you; come out from under your blanket child so I may complete your lesson on disobedience and hospitality."

[kiralon]

While that is a bit of an evil trick... I don't think it is exactly needed in this case.

1) it is just a shack... a shed if you will... not a home by any means that could conceivably bar a vampire from entering.
2) the players don't own it... it isn't their "home" thus shouldn't prevent the vampire from entering.
3) in most cases with this rule for vampires, the specific vampire must be addressed... reading a peace of paper out loud doesn't work because you are addressing the piece of paper... not the one who gave it to you.

Still... definitely an evil trick to pull.

I've always wondered why doesn't the vampire just destroy the house after having been denied entry? "You did not allow me to enter you home so I have knocked down the walls, no longer a home, now I come for you; come out from under your blanket child so I may complete your lesson on disobedience and hospitality."

I had an angry vampire throw cows at a house until the pc's came out after breaking into his "house" and stealing a lot of his stuff.

[Zer0 Kay]

While that is a bit of an evil trick... I don't think it is exactly needed in this case.

1) it is just a shack... a shed if you will... not a home by any means that could conceivably bar a vampire from entering.
2) the players don't own it... it isn't their "home" thus shouldn't prevent the vampire from entering.
3) in most cases with this rule for vampires, the specific vampire must be addressed... reading a peace of paper out loud doesn't work because you are addressing the piece of paper... not the one who gave it to you.

Still... definitely an evil trick to pull.

I've always wondered why doesn't the vampire just destroy the house after having been denied entry? "You did not allow me to enter you home so I have knocked down the walls, no longer a home, now I come for you; come out from under your blanket child so I may complete your lesson on disobedience and hospitality."

I had an angry vampire throw cows at a house until the pc's came out after breaking into his "house" and stealing a lot of his stuff.

LOL Should have been donkeys then it could have been an ASSault. As it is the only pun I could think of is throing them as fast as a MOOchinegun.