5e & My first time DM'ing

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Did he pass his checks? What's his alignment? If you're running an evil party I'd say you can't do much about it except tell the character who was stolen from that his bag feels a bit lighter. If he's a good-aligned character in a good party his alignment would change and the other PCs would notice that he's become more evil. DnD is a black and white world where good is good and bad is bad and there is little to no grey so good PCs would a) not adventure with an evil party member and b) perhaps even try to kill or capture an evil character.

[dilanski]

Did he pass his checks? What's his alignment? If you're running an evil party I'd say you can't do much about it except tell the character who was stolen from that his bag feels a bit lighter. If he's a good-aligned character in a good party his alignment would change and the other PCs would notice that he's become more evil. DnD is a black and white world where good is good and bad is bad and there is little to no grey so good PCs would a) not adventure with an evil party member and b) perhaps even try to kill or capture an evil character.

He thankfully failed his checks. As the party members were asleep, I ruled that they didn't notice anything (All the rolls were reasonably high, but not good enough for him to steal anything), and all this was done privately, so the players themselves knew nothing. The character itself is Chaotic Good, but I don't want to force an alignment change immediately. I said I was OK with any alignment as long as the party overall had a good skew, but I guess I should of been more specific that I didn't want anyone actually trying to steal from the party.

[Silverdream]

Chaotic good basically means that you eschew traditions and bureaucratic systems to do good, like Batman. Does he have a reason that would rationalize stealing from his party members?

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Yeah like chaotic isn't lolrandumb. The way my DM did it with a cursed weapon before was the character was compelled to do something because of the weapon such as breaking a promise or forcing him to act stupidly. You could have him try to pick pocket a guard and get arrested and have to have the party bust him out of jail or something as a side quest.

[Quantumsurfer]

I've handled similar problems with a simple two pronged tactic. First, out of game, I talked to the problem player(s) and just asked them to cut it out. Obviously with a little more tact but still. If you point out how you want everyone to have fun, most players will generally cut the crap. That's what they're there for. As in all things, communication is key. Often, "problem players" don't realize that they're doing anything to derail the game.

Second, I used an in game house rule for years that I call the Alignment Plot system. It's pretty basic and easy to keep track of. In the system, there are the normal two alignment axes (chaotic to lawful, good to evil). When players pick an alignment, they put Permanent Points in the appropriate places. Like, a Chaotic Good character would have 1 Point in each Chaos and Good and 0 Points in Law and Evil. Neutral characters have an even amount, so a Neutral Good character has 1 point in each Law, Chaos, and Good. When characters perform significant actions, I award them Temporary Alignment points that correspond to the action. So say a player randomly murder an innocent civilian, that player is awarded Temporary Chaos and Evil points. When they accrue 10 Temps in a particular alignment, they gain 1 Permanent point and reset the Temps to 0. To determine alignment in the future, simply compare Perm Points. If the player has a discrepancy of two or more Perm Points on the same Axis, their alignment shifts in that direction. So a character with 5 Good, 2 Evil, 1 Chaos, and 3 Law is Lawful Good. I have the whole thing written up proper somewhere. I've found that it helps players keep in character and gives them a lot of control over their character's alignment and growth.

[Nimja]

Yeah like chaotic isn't lolrandumb.

Tell that to my DM. According to him, Chaotic Neutral is lolrandumb.Chaotic Evil is lolrandumb.True Neutral is lolrandumb. Anything short of Lawful gives you free reign to do near-evil acts with no alignment penalty.

I'm a nice DM, so I rarely kill players, and when I do, they usually come back. Also, I DM for my brother's group of nerds, and they have a good party and an evil party, so they sometimes run into each other. You have to make it seem real.

Kinda funny Steel Valkyrie is in thie threadThat's the class I'm playing currently.

I tried GMing a Shadowrun game once. It didn't really work, mostly because the usual DM managed to make a troll automatically invulnerable to anything smaller than a Heavy Pistol, and could easily shrug off anything heavier (he took 2 damage from a shotgun to the face, and 1 from a lucky TMP burst througout the entire session), and his brother just dicking about and not paying attention about halfway into the second session (I will admit, this was partially my fault, he was being incredibly obstructive in chargen so I saddled him with the pregenerated face character).

I don't want to say NO outright to him

Seriously, do. It just ends up with a lot of time wasted if you don't.

[dilanski]

Had the second session yesterday, and things went better with that player, although it might be because they are all currently trapped within the Death House, so he might just be biding time. He did however save one of the other characters out of his own volition, so that is points in his direction.

I think I will write off his original attempts to steal from the party as a bit of slightly misguided roleplay, but if he attempts again, I'll discuss an alignment change, and the possibility that the party may find out.

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I've been struck down by heavenly wrath before for insulting the DM. You guys clearly just play with losers who can't handle some sadism.

[Quantumsurfer]

Ha, jokes on you. I'm a loser with an entire bookcase full of RPGs and no one to play them with.

[dilanski]

Ha, jokes on you. I'm a loser with an entire bookcase full of RPGs and no one to play them with.

TFW you've spent £500 on spaceships, and yet haven't played a single game. Then realise that this picture is old and that you've spent another £100 since on more spaceships that you never use.

[Duerer]

Folks at my local TLG are mad for X-Wing. Thought about joining the fun but ended up with BW, instead. Now I'm trying to get rid of most wargaming armies of mine.

[Quantumsurfer]

I've got thousands sitting around, collected over two decades, but yes, I have at least used most of the materials. Jesus.

I've got a friend who plays X-Wing and I loved playing it when he dropped by but I never spent a dime on it. Last "wargame" I bought for was HeroScape. Before that, and most of during, I blew way too much money on 40K. Like MMORPGs, tabletop wargames are a type of game I'll probably never buy heavily into ever again.

[Duerer]

I blew way too much money on 40K.

I've been there, dude. And I exactly know how you feel.

[RedRover]

Brikwars is the only wargamming I've done, and I came more for the LEGO aspect than the wargamming one

[TastySkippy123]

I like the Lego part, but I am more here for the war...