Messing with Your Players

Now, I'm not a total bastard - I never set out for a TPK, or fudge rolls with the intent to kill off a player, but I do like making life interesting for my players, and sometimes that means keeping them on their toes.

For example, I took one of my players (the rogue) aside at the beginning of my last session, and set up a scenario where one of the shadier elements of the town the PCs were currently in wanted this player to transport some ill-gotten goods to a settlement town that they were heading toward anyway. The player was promised a 10% cut for his efforts.

The player jumped at the opportunity, and when he delivered the stolen goods, he was well-received by his contact who ushered him into the basement of the local tavern. Among the goods was also a sealed note that advised the contact that he should use his judgment and discretion as to whether he should pay the player what he was owed, or simply kill him outright. So, the contact offers the player a drink, and makes him an offer: Take another set of goods to a port town, and upon completion of said task, the player will be provided with full payment, ushered into the fold of this underground criminal network, and more importantly be given the antidote to the poison he just drank.

Of course, the player was taken aback - but seeing as he had no real option, he agreed to the request forced upon him. This poison is of my own design, and I'm quite pleased with it -- here's a rundown:

Witherleaf Poison:

After 24 Hours: Dreams become muddled and cloudy; -1 to all saves.
After 48 Hours: Nightmares begin; -1 to all to-hi rolls.
After 1 Week: Upset stomach and chills; -2 to all saves.
After 2 Weeks: Sporadic vomiting; -2 to all to-hit rolls.
After 3 Weeks: Blurred vision, violent shakes; -3 to all saves and to-hit rolls.
After 4 Weeks: Patient lapses into a coma and death soon follows.

So now the player has a "ticking clock" of sorts, but he has plenty of time to get the antidote. I was a little surprised to find out that he intends on keeping the goods, and trying to find the antidote on his own (in my notes, the plant that the antidote is made from is only known to grow deep in a place known as the Darkwood, which is an awful pit of despair that the players really have no business being in. Beyond that, he hasn't even mentioned this episode to the other players, but they will undoubtedly begin to suspect something's amiss when blood starts shooting out of his eyes.

God, I love being the DM sometimes.