By Deacon Rayne

Dirty PC Tricks: I against my Brother, my Brother and I against our Cousin.

A very common low-level task is "Slay the beasties". Frequent targets of this attention are humanoids: bugbears, goblins and the ever-popular orc.

A common misperception is the forces of evil (and the forces of good for that matter) are united against "The Other Team". History shows us however that the bitterest wars are often civil wars and the defining psychological trait of evil is that it will, out of sheer selfishness, eventually turn against itself.

To use the Orc as a popular example, unless they are united (a task best saved for evil kingdoms and monomaniacal demons/wizards/liches etc.) chances are their warlike society has them at odds not only with the "good races" (man, dwarf, elf) but also with other evil races. The desire for more land, more resources, prestige or good old-fashioned bloodlust can inspire Orcs (and other evil races) to make war on other goblins, hobgoblins, bugbear, ogres and even their own kind. Rival Orc Tribes slaughtering each other and rival "clergies" of Gruumsh disputing the best way to exemplify the one eyed deities values is not exactly unknown amongst the warlike Orc race.

How can a clever PC troupe exploit this charming trait? Simple. Any history book will tell you: a war fought on two fronts usually is a bad thing (look at Germany's experience in Russia for an example of
this).

The next time a king or noble charges the PC with "ridding the {fill in beastie} scourge from our lands" rather than charging them head on while they are fully rested and on their territory, simply do a little
research. Hitting the local library can reveal the history of any wars involving said beastie and more importantly, who it was with and why, while a trip to the local rangers guild can impart more current or even firsthand accounts of who is slaughtering whom out in the wilds. The town militia may also serve a similar use ("Yeah those goblins never attack the town during the summer, they are too busy with those orcs
from the east.)

Now armed with this information, it is a small matter to then seek out the "other team". Of course walking into the arms of any monsters encampment without taking suitable precautions is tantamount to suicide. This is where spectral messengers, illusions and other methods of information conveyance. This method has the bonus feature of conveying mystical power, which is by its nature strange and mysterious and therefore fear inducing (remember we're dealing with goblinoids and while not all of them are stupid, enough of them are that the "what I do not understand, I Fear and resent" gambit is worth a shot)

So assuming one has now gotten the attention of the soon to be "disposable ally" (read: cannon fodder) it is usually a simple matter to motivate them to violence: greed, fear, pride and racial hatred are the most prevalent psychological traits of most evil goblinoids and make a wonderful advantage.

On the issue of Greed: Bribes, in the form of a few pieces of gold, or a chest full of silver or even copper (many evil, not terribly smart creatures place more value on a LOT of shiny, relatively worthless things rather than a few number of nondescript, valuable things) or weapons with the promise of more to follow).

On the issue of Fear: Threats (a combination of what the enemy will do to them if they DO NOT attack (Stick it to them before they stick to you mentality is also pretty common with these creatures) and, if you can pull it off (having sent a few impressive illusions or undead minions go a long way towards this trick), what YOU personally will do them if they do not obey.

Magic is wonderful in that you can bluff magnificently; fear of force is a greater motivator than force itself. Demonstrate a few impressive looking parlor tricks with the demeanor that you are capable of FAR MORE than you actually are and you will find intimidating others not to be terribly difficult. Any moron can calculate strength and power that he CAN see and thus fear less. Calculating what one CANNOT see causes one to fear what one does not KNOW. Remember the monster under the bed? Imagination is more terrifying than any reality. Let the minor display of power you SHOW them force them to IMAGINE what you are capable of and you are well on your way to cowing them into submission.

Pride, especially the blustering posturing that fear oftentimes breeds is another handy tool. It works better on the more intelligently, dangerous types such as the Militaristic Hobgoblin who pride themselves on their martial prowess (BE WARNED: Many hobgoblins are fiercely intelligent and are going to be difficult into coercing to fighting your battles for you). Simply put: if you infer that the other guys are stronger, smarter, faster, more virile or whatever, it tends to breed a wonderful hostile resentment towards them that can be put to good use.

Finally, racial hatred. Every evil creature and predator would prefer to be the ONLY predator on the block since it means more food and less sharing. (Remember evil is selfish 99 percent of the time.) Playing on this mentality to convince the bugbears to murder "those weak wretched goblins over the next hill" is certainly a viable tactic. Remember the Two Towers? "I don't take orders from Orc Maggots!"?

So, put it all together and you have the following: a group of Orcs that you have:

1. Supplied weapons and gold to with the promise of more (PROMISE them anything you like, it is not as if you plan on having them be alive to collect).

2. Inferred that the enemy will "take care of them" unless they "betray them first" and that should they defy you will slaughter all their first born, rain blood from the sky or something else equally dramatic.

3. You have brought into question or mentioned that the opposition has brought into question their martial prowess with if you have sufficiently terrified them with your own "substantial" powers should convince them to target the opposition doing the slander and not you.

4. Played on their racial belief that THEY are clearly superior than the other creatures and since the weak have no purpose but to serve as cannon fodder for the strong, it is their racial obligation to slaughter and enslave them.

Therefore, now you have a group of evil creatures afraid, angry, greedy, full of bluster and mightily pissed off at the notion that these weak inferior creatures are slandering them and planning on stealing their land/food/women. What do you do now?

You let them do what it is in their natures to do. Do NOT give them any time to figure out that they are being played or why they are suddenly inspired to go out and wreak havoc. You have wound them up with lies, innuendo and possibly a few illusions and enchantment spells, let them go.

What commences next is probably an orgy of barbaric violence as the creatures that you and your party were originally hired to deal with are suddenly beset by a group of seriously irritated neighbors howling for their blood. The besieged creatures' reactions may range from bewilderment (for weaker creatures) to anger and assault (for stronger creatures).

So, you and your cohorts sit back and watch the carnage you have orchestrated as these two evil forces tear each other to bits. What then?

First, take stock of the situation: unless one force or another was VASTLY stronger, both sides should be more than a little bloody and wounded. It is entirely possible that one side is entirely exterminated and the other side hovering on deaths door. Now is the time to strike: martial your own forces ride in and slaughter the weakened creatures. Having beat each other bloody in typical "Hulk Smash" humanoid fashion, neither side should be able to put up much of a defense or counter attack.

So, now not only are the original creatures targeted destroyed but an additional tribe of monsters has also been dealt with. Seize the assets and goods of both creatures and return to your employer hopefully none the worse for wear to collect your reward.

Remember one of the best and oldest games in the world is, "Let's have you and him fight." If you have a DM who appreciates a little PC ingenuity, this tactic of divide and conquer can reap worlds of benefits with very little risk.