Vicious vengeance, I need to *harm* a character bad . . . Options

[MachineProphet]

Alright, for those who have good memories, my campaign is blessed by a particularly skilled player named Hamster and cursed by his particularly auspicious character (and my weak willpower), a Troll Combat mage named Nebuchadnezzar.

Nebuchadnezzar is insane.

He goes through every situation with violence, has unnerring success on all his dice rolls, and is played by somebody who has a way of convincing me to do what he wants (last time, he was hit by a D-Class Manabolt while levitating through the air in flight and convinced me that he could make a Body check to wake up before he hit the ground, cast a levitate spell coherently, and not splatter everywhere from the rapid decceleration. He is now convincing me to let him join a magical group that practices blood magic.). But that isn't the worst.

Last time, though, he crossed the Rubicon. A mission was given to him to recover a weapon focus, and while doing so, his bike got messed up. When his pay did not include expenses, he got angry.
Let me tell you a little bit about his employer. He goes by the name of Uriel, and is invincible. Among other things, he uses the Path of the Righ, and has knowledge of every single spell in the game, including my own, self-explanatory Targeted Redirect (guess what it does). He uses 14 dice for every sorcery check. He has foci where his eyes should be. He only appears as a symbol that whatever is happening is deadly serious. In an ideal world, I would never make him use his powers.
And what did Nebuchadnezzar do? He punched him in the face. With all his combat pool. And got all successes. So Uriel, whose spell locks I hadn't considered, went down. Uriel's ally spirits came out to intervene before Neb got to chopping his arms and legs off (a trick he learned drains people's magic). I was eventually forced to concede (I succumb to peer pressure) that dropping a man out a window does not constitute harming them for the purposes of the Redirect spell, but at least Uriel managed to live. Ally spirits gave chase, and only by hiding in a place with high background did Neb manage to live.

At this point, it's personal. He has walked though the game with a blithe sense of invincibility, claiming that being beaten, disadvantaged, and outclassed isn't fun and shouldn't ever happen. I want to bring him into awareness, properly, in a way he can't refute. And not only that, I need an argument to support me. I can accept this no longer.

So, Dumpshockers, who have never failed me in the past, what do I do?

[Adam]

It may be boring, but I'd default to "Dude, about this fun thing? You're making this not fun for me. Our gaming styles are not compatible. There's either a compromise coming, or we're not playing together anymore."

But this depends; if the whole group is having fun, and you're not, it may be better to say "Hey guys - this whole GMing thing isn't working for me anymore. I'm not having fun, so I'm not gonna GM for awhile. If someone else wants to GM some sessions, that's cool. If not, we'll play X-Box."

In game "solutions" to an out of game social problem will never work. All you'll do is piss off and alienate players; better to break things off cleanly.

[MachineProphet]

[BitBasher]

No, you do not need a rock solid argument.

Just stand up for yourself.

Learn to stand up for yourself or you're going to get walked over in a lot worse ways that Shadowrun.

This is a problem with you, not the game that you need to fix.

[danbot37]

First of all, in the future, you always have SOMETHING on important, all powerful, story centered npcs to protect them from everything. Quickened speels, bodygaurds, unseen snipers watching fromt the rooftops, etc. Second of all, now that it is too late, don't kill him, f with him some. Take things he finds important about his character, and mess it up (not permanently, unless you want to be really mean). in one game, it wasn't sr but one of them 'other' fantasy games, we had a player that wouldn't shut up about how proud he was of his elven heritage, how cool elves were, blah blah.. it was so bad, that it was annoying us players AND the characters we played, as well as the gm. Well, in one particular dragons stash, after we killed it, we found a ring of wishes with one wish left on it. Since I had the killing shot, I got it, and I coerced privately with the gm, and wished for him to become human and not know it. The next day, at the local tavern, he took a drink of elven wine, and SLAM! he passed out on the floor. He was PISSED when he learned what happened. He had to quest for another wish and change himself back... hehe Theres other things we did to his character too... we were evil. But the point is, when a char bothers ya, dont just kill em, annoy the ever living piss out of him. Leaves a much longer impression, and they dont get that rebellious attitude, "I'll show him... I'll make an even stronger char, etc. etc

[danbot37]

and "you're having fun and I'm not" is a perfectly valid reason, thats why we all play in the first place.

[SugarDog]

I agree with the mess-with-the-character method. This Uriel is immensely powerful. I'll assume that for whatever reason, Uriel does not want to kill Neb outright (could be an aversion to killing, a belief that the insult was not great enough, a belief that Neb could be useful to him in the future, minor psychosis or nonchalance born of being too powerful for his own good, etc.). However, my guess is Uriel has huge resources available to him. Have him kidnap Neb's family and implant voice modulator's that make them shout insults about Neb. Have Uriel arrange for great quantities of indelible pink dye to be dropped on Neb occasionally. Have Uriel research some powerful ritual curse that can only be used on people that have 'wronged' him, and curse Neb so that he becomes a narcoleptic. Or have him turn into a human... Hopefully, the player will get the hint. However, it could be that the player really imagines Neb as being that reckless, in which case he should be, IMO, rewarded for attacking someone so immensely more powerful than he as good roleplaying.

[Sphynx]

I'd personally plant him flat in the middle of a Mana Surge when he next prepares to cast a violent, uncalled for spell. Double the Force of the spell (that'll make him happy) then make him resist drain. That 6S drain becomes 12S Physical Drain. That oughta put him in the hospital for a few.

Sphynx

[Polaris]

Guys,

If you just want to kill a character, any character (even an IE), simply SNIPE him from 200 meters away with a called shot (no armor). In fact you will get two shots before he can do anything, and chances are (especially if you have a buffed up street-sam doing the shooting [likely]) he won't get any combat pool dice to help him.

If you use the right ammo, this will kill anyone. There is literally no defense against it in shadowrun other than "don't be there" which is not a defense at all.

-Polaris

[AK404]

I'd have to agree with Polaris on this one, but dude, if you're not having fun, then just fucking say it. As BB said, that's something you have to do: just go up and say, "Dude, I know you're having the time of your life, but this is beginning to wear on me. Either make a new character, come up with a solution we can both agree on, or I'm quitting the campaign." Simple as that, lay the foot down. No Johnson, no run. No GM, no campaign.

When the game gets personal, it's not a game anymore, and whatever switch you have in your brain that's labeled 'maturity' should be turned on right about now because you want to get personal about something that shouldn't be.

[Sphynx]

Polaris,

2 Things, first off he wants to "harm a character bad", not kill the character off. :P

Secondly, as wonderful as the Snipe is, it's.... boring. :P Having a player kill themselves (or so seriously harm themself that they are hospitalized) is a much more interesting way of handling things. ;) One of the great things about the Physical Damage of resisting your own Force 6/12 spell, is that you can't magically heal it. His only choice is FirstAid and a hospital. :P

Sphynx

[Fygg Nuuton]

cause him severe magic loss, have him caugth by lonestar and them test on him, im sure he doesnt have a SIN, so its ok. make him violate lonestar, which aint hard for stupid people. then have them catch him, voila, hes yours

[Rice Bowl]

Adapted for a Troll magician, from what happened to a troll sami who had wronged the wrong guy in a very personal way:

You need a high level mage with access to Masking + spells Suggestion and Alter Memory + Control Thoughts (don't forget to use Earth Elemental to take Drain and help your Magic pool!!).
Your Uriel should definitely have these skills, as you say he masters all spells.

You need to get from your PC some bio samples.
You need to Suggest to your PC to come unarmed and unprepared to some nice appointment at regular monthly time. If you succeed in your opposed test, he cannot know about the Suggestion.
Then you can snatch him whenever you like (Stunbolt with fire elementals adding to Sorcery pool...).
If you don't snatch him, you command him to go home and Alter his Memory (earth elementals again) and then re-cast Suggestion (with Earth elementals) to come again at another place next month.

When your Uriel gets some bio sample, he goes to some Beta clinic and asks them to develop female genital parts + breasts + lips + cheeks +long hair etc. based on the bio samples in hand.

After a few months he can arrange kidnapping of your PC, put him in a clinic, change his sex. Keep him gagged, drugged with GammaScopolamine (W -2) and under watch (magical, with Stunbolts at the ready).

You can go along for some cyberware: Simsense recorder (that's a lot of Essence).

You gag him and also IMPLANT him with a new skull containing the Lone Star hood to prevent him to make any magic, astral projection, etc.
Give him also Tailored Pheromones at max (Charisma +4 and Charisma linked skills + 4 dice).

Then, you deliver him to some depraved rasta troll gangers, which you supply heavily with Kamikaze.
They gonna REALLY LOVE that bitch!!!

Of course, arrange to get video and transceive the Simsense recording of the experience...

Then arrange to free him and play his character beginning all anew from that situation.

He'd better have very nice contacts, because if he always fucked everybody, nobody will help him.
He then will be a pitiful trolless, raped by Kamikaze addicted gangers (ouch!), without much Magic left, etc...

At least the player (I have doubts for the character) should think twice before continuing acting so stupidly in future, and learn that acts may have consequences.

[Finbar]

He wants to join the initiation circle eh?
Blood magic eh?

you know, he could be offered the position if he can prove his Loyalty....
like, of I dont know....Symbolic Sacrafice?
what is he prepared to give up to prove his loyalty?

[Rice Bowl]

Just forgot to mention that the troll sami to whom this happened also had both arms and legs chopped off.

Luckily for him, he had contacts.

He in the end got his vengeance.

[Ronin Soul]

I'd personally start making the character's life a living hell. Watch a bunch of horror movies (the real ones - not slasher flicks) and psychodramas and start pulling those kind of tricks on the character. Over time as their world falls apart more and more, and there appears to be nothing their spells or skills or "invincibility" can do about it.
If done right and with a decent role-player, this way can be a lot more effective than simple damage because it does not work on stats and thus cannot be quantified. It remains totally foreign because of this.

I don't know whether it'd work, but that's what I'd do (but then, I take any excuse to put my players' characters through as much psychological trauma and down right f***ed-up surreal weirdness as I possibly can :D )

[Fygg Nuuton]

[Sunday_Gamer]

[The White Dwarf]

There is a VERY EASY SOLUTION. ITs called ....
....
..
..
.

A GM SCREEN!!!!!11!!1!

Next time he rolls "all success on his badass skill pool attack of doom" you just roll a few dice behind the screen, chuckle, and say "boy now youre in for it. He hates when people do that to him"

Youre becoming trapped by assinging the npcs stats, and then when the character's are 'better' or 'rolls well' youre just letting them get away with it. They dont need to see what you roll, they dont need to know what you know. Bend it so that the situation youre in never occurs.

Wham, problem solved, game is fun, troll is quished, life goes on.

[Fygg Nuuton]

you must be playing sr2 cuz sr3 doesnt have spell locks

[Neon Tiger]

Well, if you don't want to kill his character, here's a trick you could use:

Tell his char is very hungry and doesn't have anything edible at his home. So, guy janders down to nearest Stuffer Shack or maybe McHughes get something for his munchies. During this, someone, maybe that Uriel fella, has one of those miniblimps flying towards the chars apartment. Now this blimp here, happens to be loaded up with 300 kgs of C-12. This "tactical nuke" rams the apartment and button is pushed (with damage code of 210D), turning the characters apartment pile of rubble. This also means all his equipment, because he sure is not going to take all his stuff when he goes to grocery store. When character comes back, he's probably very pissed.

Now i'm sure someone here has a good idea how to continue from here if the character still displays that same attitude. Well, actually, just give him that 30 D manabolt in to testicles if he still thinks he's invincible.

[Guest_Raccoon Avatar_*]

Nothing says GM vengence like the "personal cybered-SWAT team".

Between missions, a team of heavily armed and cybered agents with serious magical backup invade the character's home (or the correct one of their homes...the one they're sleeping in)...and he either gets captured, killed, or escapes (and then faces a heavy vehicle of some sort out on the street) and even if they avoid the splat from the vehicles heavy weapons...make sure they lose all their cool gear on the way.

The beauty of this plan? It involves no other PC's...

Now, bear in mind, this is 10+ elite individuals..."augmented" with top-flight cyber and bio so they are all the city needs to track down and eliminate even the best runners (if needed)...What's the name of these? Superiour NPC's I think. :]

[Siege]

I'll echo the "don't limit uber NPCs by assigning numbers" commentary.

It goes to the "I can jump off a building in SR1 and SR2 because I can only go to deadly" -- before the introduction of damage overflow rules and the simple idea that _dead_ is _dead_.

If the NPC is story-required, shimmering waves of energy intercept and block the troll's punch. Spell? "Armor versus irrate trolls".

Now, to be fair, I've been on the other end of being "disadvantaged, under-equipped and outclassed" on a regular basis and it does suck when it becomes a reoccuring theme in the game.

Your player sounds like a twinkie who should be playing d20 and not a "dark, gritty and life-sucking" campaign.

Not to mention that if indeed your player doesn't like playing at a disadvantage, he's probably not going to be amused at his "superior" character being hurt, injured or in any way less than perfect.

-Siege

[TinkerGnome]

[Hot Wheels]