How to deal with a character that has a cruel/barbarian behavior without having him leave the party?

Question

As a new DM, I've been having a few games with my players, and it has been really fun.

However, at some point, a player's character started to genuinely skin a (recently deceased) half-orc boss to make boots out of it. His barbarian has a thing for collecting various items on bosses, such as clothes, but this habit started to get more and more gruesome (teeth, ears, and now an entire skin gathered on a sentient humanoid).

While this behavior can be "fun" for the players, I think that the characters should at the very least feel horrified by such an action and react in a certain manner. And if not for the characters, the NPC's should notice this strange collection and tend to be careful or even refuse to interact with this barbarian or the party (even if the barbarian gets an advantage on the Intimidation check).

How would you suggest dealing with such a behavior, without having the character killed, or leaving the party for some reason? How would you reflect these extreme actions on the party's morale, NPC's behavior with the group?

Answer 1

Let it Go

So, you feel your characters should behave a certain way, but everyone's having fun. I'd say let it be. Collecting trophies off victims is not out of character for a Barbarian. It doesn't seem as though the player is suffering from "My Guy Syndrome" (acting in a disruptive way and justifying it by saying "that's what my guy would do"). By the way, collecting body parts is so common a way to say "my dude's a badass" that it's a trope. It would be psychopathic to do in real life, but when a player says they want to do it in a game, I yawn a little bit.

Let the Fiction Determine NPC Reactions

But you are correct about one thing: NPCs should respond to your Barbarian's penchant for body part collection as that NPC would. That means a merchant in a civilized settlement may respond with disgust, while a bandit may be terrified by the Barbarian's prowess (probably the effect your Barbarian player is hoping for). The Barbarian may well be barred from certain settlements or even jailed. Conversely, another Barbarian, with their own body part collection, may well be impressed by your Barbarian's trophies, and may want to compare trophies.

The important thing is that you respond to the Barbarian's choices based on the story, and not in a punitive manner, e.g. "Because you are doing something I think you shouldn't do, bad stuff will happen to your character". NPCs should act based on their personalities and a common sense interpretation of the fiction.

When the Fun Stops

Now, all of this changes the moment one of your other players (or you, for that matter, you're a player too) stops having fun. Is this behavior making it difficult for players to enjoy the game? Is it making a player have an honest-to-goodness reaction that is causing them emotional distress? If so, it's time to talk about the behavior out of character, player to player, human to human.

My answer is predicated off my interpretation of your question, which is that: it's going ok, but it just seems like something I shouldn't allow, because DnD, and alignments and all that. I just don't think you should let preconceived notions of how the game is supposed to be interrupt you actual enjoyment of the game.

Answer 2

#1: talk with the others

This issue can be solved completely in-game, but the first question is: do you want to? Find out, whether you or the others at the table wish to discuss the ramifications of such behavior or are possibly disturbed by it. If anyone is uncomfortable with these elements being in the game, this has to be resolved out of the game.

Explain the situation to the player and simply ask them to stop doing it. If they feel it is a core part of the character, offer to let them bring a new one. Bear in mind that this does not mean that the player has done anything wrong. If asking nicely does not work it might come to asking him to leave, but that is a whole other question.

#2: responding in-game

As you have mentioned, most cultures will react to extreme behavior rather harshly. Depending on the "level of civility" of the particular area, wearing such trophies might label the character an uncultured barbarian to be avoided. Shopkeepers refuse to talk with him or might call the local guards just to get him away from their business. Performing such an act might bring the law down on his head if the city is run by, say, lawful good paladins.

Tell the player that he can expect consequences to this behavior. If he is fine with it, and is willing to deal with the response of the world, let him do it.

Answer 3

A combination of in game and out of game choices

1. First off if the players, in character, are all on the same side of this and you're on the other, which you seem to be saying, then you're going to lose this argument, every single time.

2. You may have some in-character leverage through the alignment system, particularly if you have a Good character or two who needs that alignment for character functionality.

3. You are always in control of the NPCs of your world, so you can always do things like sending bounty hunters after the abominable barbarian in question. How that turns out is going to be in the hands of the party more than you.

4. You can make life awkward in terms of purchases and other social interactions. If the party is not self-sufficient in craft, they have to interact with NPCs to get necessary items. What to do with this barbarian in such cases? There are always ways around that, mainly leave the barbarian in a tent over there while the rest of the party goes into town. But (see point 3) if there's a bounty on the whole team then they'll find the gates barred. In that case, if they play rough remind them why no-one takes on the city watch. This will get really messy out-of-game so avoid "in game punishment" but instead provide consequences in game to choices made in game. Be warned that's a really fine line to walk.

   In summary there are some issues that you do need to address around character alignment in reference to the acts in question, skinning a person is a rather questionable act for a good man, so is standing by while someone else does it. And there should be consequences in the reactions of the world to the party if the behaviour continues. I'd suggest that NPCs should react more extremely than the barbarian's actual actions warrant, legends grow in the telling after all.

Answer 4

It sounds like he is pretty much in character for a barbarian. I would award him inspiration. Story-wise though, like someone said earlier, civilized and good related places might react negatively, while other barbarians and some evil people or NPC's might relate positively.

How to deal with this? Have the world / NPC's react based on who or what they are when they discover this barbarians habits.