Greenfield
Adventurer
Although I gave this the "Any D&D" tag, we're playing 3.5, and the specific rules issues refer to that edition.
I have a gamer in my group who is driving me crazier than I already am (Trust me, I can't afford to be any crazier than I already am.)
His style seems to be "Success through denial". He simply insists that things are different than they are.
For example, his current character is female, but says that she disguises herself as a man.
After playing this for a while, the DM (me) finally asked how many ranks she had in Disguise. The answer was one. Even that was a lie: The PC is a Cleric/Fighter who spent one skill point, buying half a rank in the cross-class skill. (Yes, you can do that, I had to look it up.)
With a 12 Charisma, the PC's total bonus is 1. It is impossible for this character to have carried off that masquerade with the group for any period of time. (We just made 3rd level). This was pointed out. In fact, the "Disguise one gender as another" has a DC 30 as an example in one of the books. You might pass it off if walking through a crowd, but not with the people living and traveling with you.
We pointed out the impossibility of the claim. Player's response? "Yes, but she's totally disguised, and you all think she's a man."
And that was the answer to every argument.
In play, the characters ended an adventure at the court of the Unseelie Fey, and were invited to stay as guests. The character said the only thing she wanted was a hot bath. It was pointed out that the Court is in a fairy circle, and is in effect a party. Where they would get a hot bath was a mystery. As DM, however, I accommodated, observing that it would be impossible to maintain the disguise. I went so far as to mention that at least one of the men present offered to "Help her". Player had her accept.
Now the player is insisting that this was a private thing, and that he said so. Nobody, including the DM at the time, recalls any such statement.
When we pointed out that his character had essentially stripped down and climbed into a fountain at the party, and that it was impossible to have maintained the disguise, the player's reply was, you guessed it: "Yes, but she's totally disguised, and you all think she's a man."
There are other examples on other issues: She wants to sign on as a deck hand on a ship, but plans to work the deck in splint mail. I asked how she would climb rigging in such armor, which has a -7 Armor check penalty, that doubles for climb checks.
The player simply insisted the character had training (one point in Profession - Sailor), and could do it.
Finally agreed to peel down to lighter armor. How light? Player said, "My character had the money to buy lighter armor. That's what I'm wearing."
When she dove overboard to save someone, the character was suddenly wearing no armor. Where did the "Lighter armor" go? Player insists that he said his character took it off earlier. Nobody heard any such declaration, and there was no game-table time between the argument about climbing in armor and the storm that washed someone overboard. We transitioned directly from one scene to another.
Player still insists that he told us these things, and that we heard them.
It's becoming impossible to play with when the player simply declares things to be a certain way, or tries to retroactively rewrite events, and continues playing as if his version of events is what happened.
His lies are incredibly blatant, yet you get the feeling that he believes them.
Have you ever faced a gamer like this, whose "fantasy gaming" takes the fantasy to that extreme?
I have a gamer in my group who is driving me crazier than I already am (Trust me, I can't afford to be any crazier than I already am.)
His style seems to be "Success through denial". He simply insists that things are different than they are.
For example, his current character is female, but says that she disguises herself as a man.
After playing this for a while, the DM (me) finally asked how many ranks she had in Disguise. The answer was one. Even that was a lie: The PC is a Cleric/Fighter who spent one skill point, buying half a rank in the cross-class skill. (Yes, you can do that, I had to look it up.)
With a 12 Charisma, the PC's total bonus is 1. It is impossible for this character to have carried off that masquerade with the group for any period of time. (We just made 3rd level). This was pointed out. In fact, the "Disguise one gender as another" has a DC 30 as an example in one of the books. You might pass it off if walking through a crowd, but not with the people living and traveling with you.
We pointed out the impossibility of the claim. Player's response? "Yes, but she's totally disguised, and you all think she's a man."
And that was the answer to every argument.
In play, the characters ended an adventure at the court of the Unseelie Fey, and were invited to stay as guests. The character said the only thing she wanted was a hot bath. It was pointed out that the Court is in a fairy circle, and is in effect a party. Where they would get a hot bath was a mystery. As DM, however, I accommodated, observing that it would be impossible to maintain the disguise. I went so far as to mention that at least one of the men present offered to "Help her". Player had her accept.
Now the player is insisting that this was a private thing, and that he said so. Nobody, including the DM at the time, recalls any such statement.
When we pointed out that his character had essentially stripped down and climbed into a fountain at the party, and that it was impossible to have maintained the disguise, the player's reply was, you guessed it: "Yes, but she's totally disguised, and you all think she's a man."
There are other examples on other issues: She wants to sign on as a deck hand on a ship, but plans to work the deck in splint mail. I asked how she would climb rigging in such armor, which has a -7 Armor check penalty, that doubles for climb checks.
The player simply insisted the character had training (one point in Profession - Sailor), and could do it.
Finally agreed to peel down to lighter armor. How light? Player said, "My character had the money to buy lighter armor. That's what I'm wearing."
When she dove overboard to save someone, the character was suddenly wearing no armor. Where did the "Lighter armor" go? Player insists that he said his character took it off earlier. Nobody heard any such declaration, and there was no game-table time between the argument about climbing in armor and the storm that washed someone overboard. We transitioned directly from one scene to another.
Player still insists that he told us these things, and that we heard them.
It's becoming impossible to play with when the player simply declares things to be a certain way, or tries to retroactively rewrite events, and continues playing as if his version of events is what happened.
His lies are incredibly blatant, yet you get the feeling that he believes them.
Have you ever faced a gamer like this, whose "fantasy gaming" takes the fantasy to that extreme?
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