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How I Accidentally Tricked My Players Into Killing Each Other
Hi everyone.
All Things DnD is back with another story.
When a party grows attached to an NPC things can get...dicey.
Listen to how a party with a reckless murderhobo learns that not every NPC can be killed.
Now before I begin, I'd like to preface by saying I had zero idea this would end up happening.
This happened over the course of three months out of game between myself and my players.
I was the DM for seven players, though it was mostly 5 consistent players and 2 that
would join in from time to time.
The party was traveling to an Elvish city to investigate a series of disappearances.
Along the way they met a traveling merchant/minstrel, Diavolo.
Diavolo met the group while running for his life from a Hill Giant when the party saved
him.
They decided to adopt him into the group after they found out he had the paperwork needed
to enter the city (they had very tight borders).
They find out that Diavolo had a loving wife and four kids, with a fifth one on the way.
Now to introduce the party.
Since none of them doubled up on classes, I'll refer to them by their classes.
The party consisted of: Paladin, Barbarian, Cleric, Rogue, and Bard.
Cleric and Barbarian are a couple in real life, so they usually side with each other
in group debates.
Barbarian was a full-blown murderhobo: extorting and stabbing friendly NPCs for money, burning
people's homes down, etc.
Paladin was the exact opposite of that: He was a golden boy, though he would still bash
in a skull or two if it meant serving the greater good.
Paladin and Barbarian butt heads frequently and Barbarian only gets away with stuff when
Paladin isn't there to "ruin the fun".
Rogue was a recovering murderhobo addict.
After getting murdered by a Mimic at level 3 (he left the group without telling anyone
in order to steal loot for himself), he came back as a Revenant because revenge backstory,
and was told he should seek a better path by a death god (my subtle way of saying "learn
from your mistakes and try to cooperate better please and thank you").
After this he became a team player, buddy-buddy with Paladin so he could make the world a
better place.
Cleric was there, had no backstory and enabled Barbarian in whatever horrific crimes they
wanted to commit.
Bard was there to play dnd, role-play, and save the world.
A simple man, but helped me make more RPers at the table.
After spending two months living in the city and doing some odd jobs, they set to work.
The group starts investigating the disappearances, eventually linking it to the assassin's guild.
After a few sessions of gathering details, they decided to draw up the final plan.
Diavolo was helping them plan and letting them stay at his house as a way of thanks
for saving him.
The day they started to make up the whole plan, Diavolo came back three hours later
than usual.
Nose broken, two black eyes, ragged breathing.
It was clear he got roughed up.
"D!
What happened to you!?"
The Bard asked and immediately set about to heal his injuries
"A deal today went south.
It's okay though, we can deal with that tomorrow."
Diavolo replied.
At this point Barbarian demands an insight check.
With their -3 Wisdom, they come up with a 2 on their check.
'A preposterous thought to have.
It's Diavolo, the guy opened up his home to you.
His wife makes fun of him for Mr. Magoo'ing his way out of every deal gone bad.'
Barbarian calms down for now and they draw up the plan to storm the assassin's guild.
The morning of the heist, the group is readying up for battle.
Diavolo is to wait around the corner and help coordinate if reinforcements show up.
He hugs and kisses his wife and kids goodbye for the day, and sets out.
The group kicks the door into the guild open.
The receptionists draw their daggers to fend them off.
Limbs fly, blood paints the walls, it's a massacre.
Group moves into the next room, and fifteen assassins are waiting for them with blow guns
drawn.
They unload a volley of darts: Rogue and Cleric drop immediately from the poison, Bard is
seeing triple, Paladin and Barbarian skirt by with their 18+ AC.
They turn around, Paladin trying to carry everyone else out while Barbarian focuses
on saving themself.
Ten more assassins had gone in through the front door.
This was wrong: they had three times the amount of security today.
Barbarian and Paladin drop.
The last thing Bard hears before losing consciousness is a familiar voice say:
"I'm sorry.".
End of session.
The group stirs to consciousness inside a jail cell meant for 2, so they're packed pretty
tightly.
The guild Inquisitor then furthers the plot about how they'll resurrect their one true
God through the sacrifice, and how the group will serve as the final sacrifices needed
to complete the ritual.
When he walks away, they spot their reluctant traitor.
Diavolo is standing on the other side of the cell, his face sunken in with sorrow.
Bard only has one word to say: "Why?"
Diavolo, barely keeping himself composed: "They found out where my family lives, Bard.
They listed off where my children sleep at night . If I didn't do as they said, they
were going to...I'm sorry.".
At this point Diavolo gets choked up, tears streaming down his face.
"It's okay, Diavolo.
You did what you had to in order to protect your family.
We'll figure this out, somehow."
Paladin said sympathetically.
Bard nodded, though he was still reeling from the betrayal.
Bard had helped D sing his youngest child lullabies when they couldn't sleep among other
bonding moments.
He had grown really attached to this NPC.
Just when Rogue was going to say something, Barbarian lunged at Diavolo through the cell.
Since Diavolo was 4 feet away, Barbarian's arms were 2 inches away from his face.
Barbarian: "You slimy little shit!
I'll gut you for this and use your intestines as jump rope!".
Using their Rage, Barbarian just managed to bend the bars a bit (they were adamantine-coated
to be extra sturdy).
Diavolo, visibly horrified, left the room quickly.
Three hours passed in game and the group received their first meal: a small cornish game hen.
While Barbarian fought everyone else over who gets the bigger share (every one of their
characters were like this, be they a Druid, a Warlock, or a Fighter), Bard and Rogue set
to work like the secret geniuses they were.
I was expecting them to try killing a guard for their keys, but Rogue stole a drumstick
off the chicken while Bard (using their Jack of All Trades) ate the meat, snapped the bone,
and whittled them into lockpicks for the Rogue to pick the lock with.
After escaping, the group ended up defeating the cult and stopping the ritual.
Then Barbarian started running in the direction of Diavolo's home, with Paladin hot in pursuit…
Diavolo was in the middle of packing up the family belongings with his wife before they
picked their kids up from school to run out of the city (if the cult wins, evil god rises
and destroys the city.
If the party wins, they kill him and his family).
Barbarian walks in and unsheathes their Greatsword.
Diavolo, despite being a coward by nature, puts himself between Barbarian and his wife.
Paladin runs in through the front door, his own Greatsword unsheathed, and demands Barbarian
drop their weapon.
Barbarian turns their head and tells Paladin to shove it.
"I've been waiting to do this for weeks now."
Paladin blitzes Barbarian, Barbarian takes a swing at Diavolo, and I describe their blade
clash as sounding like a screech of metal followed by a massive tuning fork ringing
in the area.
The party hears this and starts running to catch up, Rogue saying out of character that
if PCs need to die to make the world a better place, so be it.
The two Titans of the party clash, while the merchant and his wife try fleeing from the
battle in their living room.
Furniture practically explodes on missed strikes from the sheer force behind them, walls are
broken, and the fine china is shattered.
Paladin is losing all the smites they have left, while Barbarian makes every attack reckless.
Eventually the Paladin can't keep up, and falls unconscious as Rogue darts into the
house, double dashing his way there.
Barbarian looms over Paladin, blade raised.
"I've had enough of your shit anyway."
Rogue fires a bolt from his hand crossbow into Barbarian's back, scoring a brutal sneak
attack.
Initiative is re-rolled and Rogue jumps onto Barbarian's back, trying to shank them with
his dagger.
Bard and Cleric arrive on the scene.
"Cleric, kill them already!"
Barbarian screamed.
"Uhh, okay!"
Cleric sucker-punches Bard, and they start doing battle next.
A War domain Cleric and a College of Valor Bard is a surprisingly awesome fight when
they both only have a spell slot or two left each from the previous fighting that day.
Eventually Rogue manages to down Barbarian, and fires a shot into Cleric's neck with Sneak
Attack damage, downing Cleric as well.
Bard uses their last spell to heal up Paladin, who stabilizes Barbarian and Cleric with Spare
The Dying.
They debate for two minutes, before Rogue (who's usually the quietest one at the table)
let one line ring in the air: "Diavolo, his wife, his children, and none
of us will ever be safe as long as these two are still alive..."
Silence hung in the air, and after two minutes of deafening silence, Bard spoke up.
"Rogue is right."
Paladin let out a deep sigh, picked up his Greatsword, and executed the Barbarian and
the Cleric.
Rogue helped forge new identities for Diavolo and his family, and they left the city by
the next hour.
Last week our two on-again off-again players joined us for a session and were surprised
to find out the group had two more new characters in the party: a Fighter and a Druid.
Should I have let that PvP escalate as much as it did?
Was allowing some players to decide whether others lived or died not cool of me?
Let me know what you think, and thanks for hearing my story!
In my opinion.
Yes.
Absolutely you should have allowed PvP to escalate that and absolutely you should have
allowed the other players to decide their companions' fates.
NPCs have motivations as much as the players do.
I think that is a fantastic bit of roleplay and decision making by your players and hopefully
a lesson learned by barbarian and cleric.
Please let us know what you think and comment below!
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