How do you handle when the party wants...

[denthor]

Good party in a cave complex. . They are excavating for some trinkets they think are there.

One of the players is not into killing or working. How would you open negotiations with say a local kobold tribe to do the work..


I am the player 1/2 orc wizard and if it matters blue variant. My other players flat rejected the plan. I was willing to offer spells, food and protection for the workers.

Is this possible in your games?

Would you allow? As player or DM?

[hymer]

It depends on the campaign, so sometimes yes. In some (fewer) cases I'd ask the players not to take it there. I'd be on the lookout for an opportunity for the kobolds to doublecross their employers, if any deal was struck.

As a player, I think my first reaction would be something like: If I can't even kill kobolds, who can I kill?? Let's go kill some monsters and take their stuff already!
That said, I could probably be persuaded to try things a different way, but I'd still be on the lookout for the sudden but inevitable betrayal.

[MrSandman]

Good party in a cave complex. . They are excavating for some trinkets they think are there.

One of the players is not into killing or working. How would you open negotiations with say a local kobold tribe to do the work..


I am the player 1/2 orc wizard and if it matters blue variant. My other players flat rejected the plan. I was willing to offer spells, food and protection for the workers.

Is this possible in your games?

Is what possible exactly? To have disagreements within the party? Definitely. To hire a tribe of kobolds to do stuff? Probably, one of my characters once became the king of an orc tribe, so I can't see why it should be a problem.

Would you allow? As player or DM?

As a gamemaster, I can't see why I shouldn't allow the players to try and strike a deal with some kobolds. How that would go is a different matter. As a player, I guess that it'd depend on my goals as well as my knowledge and suspicions about kobolds.

All in all, I think that your best bet is to ask the other players why they don't want to do it and try to negotiate a plan that everyone is okay with.

[denthor]

More information

Party is top 10th, your bottom 3 are 6th the other 4 are 7th and 8th.

Contract in writing looks something like this


1. You mine if you find something interesting we are informed for evaluation. Rocks can be considered as interesting. After evaluation we get to keep until the end of contract.

2. If you wish to fight the enemies that show up you can. We will give you extra food for look out duty and fighting. This will mostly consist of clerics produce food and water.


3. No theft is allowed.


4. No attacks on us we will not attack you. Even under charm effects. ( This give everyone an extra save? I think.)

Signed.

[Lapak]

I would absolutely allow it. The kobolds would want more than 'we will feed you' to do hard labor in a mine, but I would certainly accept the possibility of you hiring them to do the work instead of killing them and doing it yourself - and if you successfully negotiated I would be giving you the experience reward for overcoming them to boot.

edit: with the contract as presented, assuming you showed no willingness to negotiate, I would probably have kobolds sign it and then immediately pull up stakes and leave the minute you were not watching. They wouldn't want any trouble from a 6th-10th level adventuring party, but those terms are pretty unrewarding, so they would split the difference, sign to placate you, and clear the area ASAP.

[denthor]

Did not want to over promise and under deliver.

What if I just wanted an outer boundary guard. With some magical healing from a dwarf?

Oh and what would you require for some mining?

[Thrudd]

It depends on the setting, but I see several reasons this might not work out based on standard D&D kobold nature.

1. It is unlikely most kobolds can read, so a written contract may not be much use.

2. Even if they understand and agree to some terms, kobolds are notoriously cowardly, greedy and untrustworthy. Unless someone is there keeping them honest and forcing them to work, probably under threat of violence, it is doubtful that they will be doing what you want them to, no matter how much you agree to pay them.

3. They aren't going to fight anything that they can avoid fighting unless it looks easy to kill. So unless you're there both overseeing the work and protecting them, any monster or stronger group that comes along could disrupt or take over your operation.

There's no reason you can't try to deal with them, but there's no way to predict what will happen or if it will work. A lot depends on what these particular kobolds want and if they have a really good reason to help you. If you hire them, you should expect at the very least some losses from theft, unless you're watching them all the time and are willing to kill a few.

[Angelmaker]

More information

Party is top 10th, your bottom 3 are 6th the other 4 are 7th and 8th.

4. No attacks on us we will not attack you. Even under charm effects. ( This give everyone an extra save? I think.)

Signed.

Poiint 4 is utterly useless. You are charmed. You will not react to a written contract by getting an extra save. No idea where that idea comes from.

You have at least 7 players with a huge disparity in levels. I see a much bigger problem with that than asking a few kobolds into your mining operations, but i wont go into that.mig you have fun playing that's good, but huge parties and level differences are problematic for most tables.

I really don't understand what the question here is that you are asking, but the short answer : everything is possible if it fits the tone of the game and based on player approach.

[Angelmaker]

Did not want to over promise and under deliver.

What if I just wanted an outer boundary guard. With some magical healing from a dwarf?

Oh and what would you require for some mining?

Ask you GM / interact with te kobolds. No verdict on the boards will give you the answer you seek.

If your co -players reject the idea, ask why and work with that. If they rather want to adventure instead of mining, then that's that and you need to talk to them.

[Elanasaurus]

Poiint 4 is utterly useless. You are charmed. You will not react to a written contract by getting an extra save. No idea where that idea comes from.

It's Signamancy!

[comk59]

It's Signamancy!

Darned automagic enforcements. One slip up can cost you all of your schmuckers.

[denthor]

Poiint 4 is utterly useless. You are charmed. You will not react to a written contract by getting an extra save. No idea where that idea comes from.

You have at least 7 players with a huge disparity in levels. I see a much bigger problem with that than asking a few kobolds into your mining operations, but i wont go into that.mig you have fun playing that's good, but huge parties and level differences are problematic for most tables.

I really don't understand what the question here is that you are asking, but the short answer : everything is possible if it fits the tone of the game and based on player approach.

Kobolds are Lawful Evil. They keep their word follow the letter not spirit of the law. Under the rules of lower level charm enchantment if you are told to do something you are strongly against you get a second roll with a bonus.

[Angelmaker]

Kobolds are Lawful Evil. They keep their word follow the letter not spirit of the law. Under the rules of lower level charm enchantment if you are told to do something you are strongly against you get a second roll with a bonus.

Eh, they are lawful EVIL. If i was a kobold I would simply laywer my way out claiming that the contract was made under duress.

It's by no way a guarantee that it works, but it's probably something your GM might go for on a sunny day.

I'd rather argue that since they'd gut you anyway given a chance that there is no strong disposition against killing you, thus no extra save.

Plus if you really count on the lawful side of things, the way your contract is worded, it can be easily circumvented. Instead of ordering to attack, the charm could simply order the kobold to serve you poisoned food.

[denthor]

Poison food is a good way around it. How does the charmer know about the contract?

Remember anybody charming someone must ask questions DM knowledge does not apply. So if the charming party wants to attack quickly not days later. When does that information get transmitted?