Sometimes in Dungeons and Dragons, you want to punish your players in ways they didn't expect. Perhaps your party may rush without thinking or make bad decisions, the consequences of which may be serious. If that sounds familiar and you're looking to spice things up at your table, a clever punishment might be just the right thing to build that tension.
Of course, you shouldn't punish your players too often or force them to take on too many burdens. These are just a few results to throw their way if they're feeling crafty.
Updated September 09, 2024 by John Eakin: Players are always coming up with new ways to make their dungeon master sigh and rub their temples in good-natured frustration, which means the DM needs to be crafty to set up results without feeling unwitting. . To help keep your players on their toes, we've updated this list with new entries and fresh features.
10 capture their fort
There's no place like home
Players often like to establish a home base, and it can make a great reward for a DM to hand out at the end of a particularly important story. Whether it's a farm, a tavern, a castle keep, or an entire city is up to you and your players, but they'll be thrilled to have their place in the world.
The great thing about this for you, the DM, is that it gives you another way to plan against your player characters and punish them for bad choices. A rowdy group might make their mine unpalatable to other patrons, a king might reclaim their castle, or a city under their watch might come under attack.
9 Make a beloved NPC disappointed in them
Not angry, just disappointed
Players usually have a few NPCs for whom they develop a particular soft spot. Some common examples are the bartender at their regular eatery, the owner of the magic shop they frequent, or the patron of their adventures.
When your players make choices you want them to reconsider, going big isn't always the way to go. Expressing sadness at the path their beloved NPC has taken is often the most effective tool at your disposal, not to mention the most emotionally devastating.
8 An embarrassing spell
Power word shame
This is for a situation when your party is facing a spellcaster. If your party can easily cut their way through most encounters, why not use a spell to slow them down? Taking them down a notch can result in a pretty funny scenario, especially during combat.
Create a homebrew spell that forces them to hallucinate an embarrassing scenario like they're in a nightmare, or act like it forces them to dance every time they try to attack.
7 Poison with truth
Spread their secrets
Another social condition may involve truth in punishment. We all know the realm of truth, but what if we could go one step further? At a feast or occasion where food or drink is offered to the party, you can tell that their food was infused with some magical truth serum.
The same rules as the Realm of Truth apply where one can equivocate, but the difference is that this serum is very powerful, and it forces the party to answer any questions given for a certain amount of time if they don't save. throw, which can lead to some embarrassing but hilarious moments. It could also be a neat trick from the villain that the party wasn't prepared for.
6 Annoying fan
Endless fan mail
What better way to annoy the party than with a purposefully annoying NPC? If you're dealing with the party on a level and with some name, you may encounter annoying fans who want to be as adventurous as they are. This fan, of course, questions them, and the party may have a problem deciding what to do with them.
This can be a fun situation, especially if circumstances force the fan to get stuck with the party on a certain adventure or quest. If the party ends up liking and adopting their fans then it offers some heartwarming role playing.
5 Cursed weapon
A blessing in disguise
It's a classic for a reason. Giving your party a cursed weapon is a very minor punishment because it doesn't feel like a punishment. There are plenty of cursed weapons that Dungeons and Dragons has to offer, and it won't be hard to search and find some good homebrews.
One advantage is that a cursed weapon, depending on what it is and how dangerous it can be, can also open up some fascinating role-playing opportunities for your players, especially if the weapon is conscious and tries to tap into certain character's dark desires or fears. . .
4 Sensitive gear union
Quippy tool
For this scenario, a piece of gear from each party member suddenly gains some level of sentience and communicates together to unite. Of course, this is a very minor punishment because magical items cannot actually be paid for. Instead, they ask the party to treat them a little more fairly and not stick them around.
This is a short and simple punishment perhaps to help your party appreciate the things they have and treat their items a little better. Plus they can end up bonding more with the party which is always fun for your players.
3 Time is an illusion
Tick tock
Maybe you're looking for some more punishment for fighting. During the battle, ask your players to go into pairs if suddenly possible, or you can do it randomly. During the enemy's turn, whether they are a spellcaster or some magic item, have the enemy use an item that can only be used once and temporarily manipulate time.
Pairs will switch places in order of initiative, or you can use some other method if the number of players is odd. Either way, this initiative swap can happen every two rounds, changing the order of things. It's a great way to switch up combat and make your party think more strategically.
2 tax evasion
Time to pay
Do you have a little too much gold in your party? Maybe you want to set them temporarily. Have a local government agent, such as a king or people representing a democratic government, face the party.
Since they are getting tons of gold, they probably haven't paid their fair share in taxes and therefore have to pay a hefty sum or face possible arrest. Whatever your party does will have consequences, either losing out on gold or possibly becoming temporary fugitives.
1 Jealousy spreads rumours
People love to talk
Finally, we have something that most parties can cope with. After adventuring for a while, a jealous adventurer or perhaps someone wronged by the party starts using whatever influence they can to spread rumors about the party.
It will be a surprise to the characters when they wander into another town and find themselves watching and people laughing and whispering about them. They will eventually find out what rumors have been spreading about each of them and with a little digging, who started it. When your party is in town it can open up a nice side quest and help make the world look more real.
