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I honestly have no words for this subject. No monologue or chitchat. Straight to the point.

>Me, playing and running D&D in two separate sessions; One as Dm, other as player respectively. Had experience with asshole DM's and murderhobo players before, and a little stunted by those experiences.

> New player session. DM says make whatever you want, don't bother with alignment until after he looks through the character sheets.

>Ok.png

>Make standard fighter with Noble background cuz I've only been doing this for half a year, and hate reading spell lists (Already deal with that as a Dm. Don't need more).

>Get to session. Dm goes through character sheets one at a time and talks with players individually and separate.

>Despite red flags, I don't decide to interrogate him then and there, but decide to see how magnificent this will end up backfiring down the road.

>Finally my turn. Turns out, all the players have separate defining events for their backstories.

>Dm goes through my character's ideals, background, ect.

>Choose defining event that My character went full Doomguy on his own father for sentencing the son of a (deceased) local villain to cruel and unusual detainment (after said Villain was already publicly executed).

>Okhow'sthisgoingtoscrew_medowntheroad.png

>The PC's meet at the funeral of a lord who was decent to his own people, and now his only son, about 14yrs old is getting crowned.

>PC's meet the son (we call him Lord Kiddo)
>Our introduction to Lord kiddo is his tutor telling him IN HIS OWN WORDS; "without me, you're nothing" and along those lines.
>wtaf.png
>tutor leaves, player party enters.

>Son turns out to be a nervous wreck, as expected from someone who lost their father.

>Wizard: "Can I look at what Lord Kiddo was studying?"

>DM: "Sure. History check."

>Wizard: Uh... 9?

Dm: You pass the check- He's studying basic local lore of the area and only got one wrong and his answer wasn't even completely wrong.

Out of character me: I better not see that tutor again, or no amount of clerics are gonna fix what happens to him afterward.

>After several jobs working with Lord Kiddo and usual cash runs for the local guild master, we take a job as a guard squad and run into that tutor guy at the city's gatehouse.

>My player instinct kicks in and I search him.

DM: You find a piece of paper in his hand detailing a plan to perminately cripple lord kiddo, and run the city in his place as "trusted regent".

>As you expect, we collectively beat the shit out of him, then dump him into the sewer.

>The tutor kicks and screams as dozens of rats (I think Xanathar's or Volo's guide rats) eat him alive as we close the manhole.

DM: No amount of clerics alive are gonna be able to fix that damage.

>First time in my life I was both satisfied, yet disturbed with myself at the same time as a player and person.


>We talk with Lord kiddo. MFW He tells us that he feels safer with us around, and accidentally calls my character "brother".

>Later, we're asked to investigate a crime scene on behalf of Lord Kiddo, involving the local church and a peasant family. Kiddo tells us if the church gets in your way, dispose of them unless they relent.

>one of our PC's is a paladin, and the player starts sweating nervously. The church in question is his, turns out.

>We get to the scene and get investigating.

>The church and the family turn out to have had a territory dispute, but in the middle of the argument, the church rep was attacked with necromantic/narcotic damage.

>In the confusion, the family was killed with martial weapons, but a daughter was missing.

>Case was brought to in-game court, and it was pretty much the Boston massacre, but DnD style. The church would no longer be tax exempt, and the perpetrators had an M branded on their thumbs. Standard stuff.

>several sessions. I keep prodding the Paladin for his behavior.

>Turns out his current God was not the first, and he originally worshipped a chaotic evil deity challenging and defeating strong Warriors.

>Kills a peasant defending a chapel to pillage it.
>opens chapel seeing a woman and child hiding inside.
>so disgusted with himself for what he did, he became a reversed- aligned oathbreaker. (Till this point, we started at LV 3, but never told each other our subclasses).

>Holyshit_thesefeels.jpg

>Eventually, we did find the daughter (Madith). We didn't roll initiative yet, and had struggled with high-end undead bodyguards beforehand. She was about to turn herself into a lich and get her revenge on any and all religious orders- even peaceful and unrelated ones (many of the ones we've came across were usually charities and humanitarian aid - you know, noncombatants.

>All of us except the paladin were below half health. (He had barely over 10 hp remaining)

>Paladin character calls out to the Bbeg (big bad evil girl in this case) as he approaches her.
>He has a straight shot to run up to her, and end the fight then and there.

>DM: Before I call a roll, how do you want to do this?

Paladin: "I understand you, Madith... I understand if you hate me... I understand you better than anyone... And I'm...I care for you... I'm so sorry..."
> the paladin player starts choking a little.
>GM: she pulls out a dagger.
>Paladin: I run up to her.
>GM: she attacks and stabs you with an 18 on the dice for 4 damage (putting Paladin at 3 hp).
>Paladin: I roll for wrestling?
>GM: how would you like to do this?
>Paladin: I'm going to give her a hug.

At this point, the player actually has tears going down his face.

>everyone hears multiple dice rolls made by the GM.

>GM: she drops the dagger, and breaks into tears.

>She failed her STR to break free.
>Failed several other rolls, including concentration for unrelated shenanigans.

MFW We defeated a Bbeg, and for once, without ever hurting her directly.

Madith is redeemed, and we end the session there.

I ask the Paladin player what happened. Turns out Madith reminded him of a friend that died in a car accident a year ago after their friendship has a massive blowout. If he had the chance to speak to her one last time, then what his Paladin character said was exactly what he would've.

>"Sometimes, life gives you a shit sandwich" he told me.

MFW I thought so horribly of these people when we first met a month ago, thinking it was going to be another bunch of murderhobos.

some people are too good for this world.

What's your experience/tg?