Triumph against a campaign breaker

At this point in the story, our min-maxing friend Shadowsnake (I really hate that name) was playing a different character. He played an Oread Fighter named Abrams. I'll have to tell you, by this point I had picked up on this habit he had of intentionally trying to break my game, which came in handy.

Part of the map I made was a haunted house that had sunk into the ground. The idea was that they'd have to guess at which doors to go through, and some rooms were haunted. However, as I thought more and more about this, the more I thought that Abrams/Shadowsnake (seriously, that name sucks) would simply bust through the walls and make a beeline for the exit.

I thought of just having the walls be unbreakable, but I didn't like the idea of that. it'd just make the experience feel more like a video game. So I came up with an alternate plan, and it hinged entirely on Abrasnake breaking through the wall in the very first room. He doesn't do that, the whole thing falls apart, the encounter becomes crazy easy for everyone.


Like clockwork, the instant I tell him the walls are made of wood, he throws his finger into the air and shouts "I SMASH THROUGH THE DOOR!"

I don't even try to hide my grin. I tell him "You bash through the wall with your fist. Your hand is now in the other room."

"I pull my hand out and continue bashing through the door." he answers

"It gets stuck."



"What?" he says

"It gets stuck." I repeat. "You all start hearing giggling enter all corners of the room." I usually DM with a computer nearby, and so I start up "Hello Zepp" from Saw, which you can listen to Right Here (it'll open in a new tab)

"Make a strength check." I say. He rolls a twenty. I tell him "You tug and pull with all your might, finding strength you never knew you had, but to no avail."

"The giggling grows steadily louder." I slowly start turning up the speakers. The look on his face here is something to remember. Then, I up the ante.

"You feel something grab your arm." He starts several dozen sentences, but always stops a few words in. His face goes totally pale.

"Little by little, it pulls you up against the wall. Then, with a sharp pull, it yanks you through the wall, which explodes in a cloud of dust! Your entire vision goes completely black...The wall reforms from it's splinters before you can react."

by this point, he's completely freaked out. after that, I have the remaining party member fight against a doll possessed with Abrams' soul, and move on. It ended being kind of a bland fight, but I'll never forget that look of total horror on that guy's face. I consider it a crowning achievement.

To all the DM's out there getting walked all over by your players, remember; you are the ruler of this world. predict their movements and punish them. don't be unfair, and make it make sense for things to happen to them, but also make it so there is no doubt in anyone's mind the one at fault is the player.
It's worth it, trust me.