FNF: the Rival

 Friday Night Fights presents:  the Rival

I know it's not Friday .....  life got in the way of me making my Friday Night Fights afternoon post.

However, on Saturday I was just talking with some friends and the joys of D&D (along with a possible adjustment of game schedule / time for more players) when the conversation of hardcore metagamers came up.

Now, at my table, i've had a few metagamers come and go.  It's one thing to want to build a cool character idea, but it is a completely different animal when you feel you must "win" at D&D, thus needing to make a "super optimum ultra badass."

News flash:  most players don't like this.  Not one bit.

I came up with a solution......  and before you start bashing me on this idea, as so many lovely people on various D&D Facebook pages have before you, calling me a bad DM among other things.... hear me out.  The solution is simple.  The solution is a rival.

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Step 1:  Create and assign a rival for each player, so that way the metagamer doesn't feel left out.  I don't always have everyone's Rivals know each other.  That, fellow DMs is up to you.

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Step 2:  The rival will ALWAYS be equal level to that of the player character.  When the character levels, the Rival levels.

Have the Rival be the antithesis to the player.  Not full bore "opposite" or "Shadow Link" moment, but their other half.  Barbarian?  Maybe a cleric who has mastered Hold Person spell.  A super archer?  Maybe a monk who is always aware.  Wizards are easy - other wizards.

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Step 3:  Have some meaty interactions - it doesn't have to be combat - but some interactions, publicly so other NPCs know the player's group has competition.  

Maybe have the Rival call out the player for showing bad form when completing quests, or spreading word that the player was a murder hobo three villages back, etc.  

The biggest thing here about step 3 is to do the following:

• the Rival will always have an attack plan to take out the player, whatever that may be.  Plan A.
• Refer to step 2 and the antithesis statement
• the Rival will have a Plan B for in case it gets outnumbered.
• Do X if two or more, do Y if three or more, do Z if player has cleric friend, etc.
• the Rival will have an escape trigger - what will beyond the shadow of a doubt force the Rival to flee until no longer pursued.
• I normally set the trigger to be once the Rival has lost 1/3 of max health or is under half spell slots/ skill points / etc. then I roll a D20.  On a 16+ the Rival will flee to maximum effect as best as he or she can.  No other actions taken other than Disengaged until no longer in pursuit, combat, earshot, line of sight of the player or respective alleis.

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THIS IS NOT A DMPC.  YOU AS THE DM ARE NOT ALLOWED TO GET BUTT-HURT IF THE PLAYER(S) OVERWHELM THE RIVAL(S).  

THE PURPOSE OF THE RIVAL IS NOT TO PUNISH PLAYERS!!!!

.....  JUST APPLY DUE PUNISHMENT AND PROCESS FOR THE RIVALS MEETING AN UNTIMELY DEMISE IS ALL

What that demise is, is completely up to you.  Maybe the Rival was a member of the guards, and now the local guards are on the lookout for you.  Maybe the Rival was part of a cult or a wizard group and now a group of spellcasters are after you.  

Don't let it de-rail your campaign.  I use Rivals to steer players, especially Metagaming players, back onto the path of the story/campaign/etc. without making too big of a stink about it.

FINAL NOTE:  do recall there is an undead monster in the Monster Manual called a Revenant.  An undead adventurer whom seeks vengeance for whatever reason and will continue to revive until said vengeance or 1 year has passed.  

If the Rival(s) die, there is always the Revenant option.

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Fellow DMs, whatever your solution is for "filthy metagamers," I hope you consider my idea for the use of a Rival.