D&D 5E DM purposely gimping my Warlock

VengerSatanis · Oct 22, 2014

daddystabz said:
I joined a Ravenloft campaign that plays online over Roll20 and we had our first game last night. The DM started us with virtually no money and no gear....no armor, no weapons, nothing. We all had to be human as well. So given all that we were already having a tough enough time staying alive, especailly considering we cannot afford anything.

Personally, if that no money, no gear stuff lasted more than a single session, I'd probably be out. Same goes for being forced to play a human if that's not what I wanted.

Life's too short. I barely manage to keep a weekly game going most of the year (because of family, work, life, player commitments, etc.), so every session counts.

Regarding good vs. bad Game Masters, the GM is under no obligation to change his world or rules to suit individual players; however, good GMs will, a majority of the time, try to accomodate players who feel disadvantaged or adversely affected by the GM's world or rules.

VS

Crawler · Oct 22, 2014

daddystabz said:
I joined a Ravenloft campaign that plays online over Roll20 and we had our first game last night. The DM started us with virtually no money and no gear....no armor, no weapons, nothing. We all had to be human as well. So given all that we were already having a tough enough time staying alive, especailly considering we cannot afford anything.

I play a 1st. lvl Human Warlock. I have 1 total lvl 1 spell slot. Until lvl 11 I will only have 2 spell slots total. The DM informed me last night that he has a couple of special house rules about resting. First off, you can only take 2 short rests per day and they have to be at least 8 hrs apart from each other. I was pretty upset considering short rests are the way Warlocks get their spell slots back. I only have 1 spell slot right now anyhow and will only have 2 through lvl 11 so basically this gimps me into being a 1 trick pony, completely reliant on my cantrips. Every time it is my turn I will only ever be able to cast Eldritch Blast repeatedly, boringly. My other cantrip is Blade Ward. When I tried to protest this to him he basically told me that I better re-roll into a different class then because this is how his game is going to be run. In addition, after a long rest he only allows you to regenerate 1 spent hit die back, rather than the half total hit dice you should get back, according to the rules of the game RAW. These changes especially affect the Warlock and he basically doesn't care. I am considering quitting his game as a result.

What do you all think about his crazy house rules and how it would affect you if you were playing the human Warlock?

I can understand your DM's impulse to control the game's pace by preventing your players from standing around taking short rests, or making the game seem more dangerous by not only reducing your ability to rest and making it not as effective.

But a tabletop game is like a relationship, you get the rules out there early on, you and your DM either agree on them or you don't. Notice the key word there is "agree" not "submit". A DM who says "My way or the High-Way" is going to have a hard time keeping players (which I think many of us have learned, not just as players but as learning DMs). Your DM should be making an effort to work with you to spice up your class, or make the rules of the game enable your character. At the very least he should say "This is why I'm adjusting these rules, and I think it'll be ok" and instead of limiting rests, he should give you a reason to want to keep moving ("You shake out your limbs, have some water, and generally catch your breath for the next hour...but the chanting in the next room has stopped, the atmosphere has changed, and as you strain to hear through the unnatural silence, you hope whatever you gained this last hour was worth it").

Go with your gut if you want out, go for it, it's been my experience that if the DM is hobbling you before the game even begins, the actual playing of the game is going to be no sort of fun either. It's better to obstain from a friend's game with a little hurt feelings, then to go through being forced to take actions in a game that you don't want to take in a game you quickly realize you don't want to be in.

arcmagik · Oct 23, 2014

Leave.

If I was your GM after seeing this I'd not invite you back anyways. Whiny "it's all about me" players are headaches that no one needs at the table ruining the fun for the DM and rest of the group.

Why have I classified you this way... let me explain. Your thread title is a slight on the DM saying that he purposely is gimping YOUR warlock. When in fact he is not doing anything like that. He has a set of house rules he is running by... these rules are universal effecting every character and has nothing to do with yours. I am going to assume (right or wrong) like most players you showed up with a character that you wanted to play without talking to the GM about it. So he sees that character and wants you to play what you want and will enjoy but informs you here are my house rules so now you know... instead of going back to the drawing board you basically tell him that he is gimping your character... I wouldn't care anymore neither. These rules have been accepted but all the other players in the group that you are joining but you are now making it out to be all about you. Then you rush here to vent some more and feel validated by being misleading about the circumstances.

I am going to repeat this slowly... it has nothing to do with you or your character. My suggestion is the same as the first... just don't play and find a different GM... which I am sure is abundant since you are using Roll20 and the Internet is your field of choice.

VengerSatanis · Oct 23, 2014

arcmagik said:
Leave.

If I was your GM after seeing this I'd not invite you back anyways. Whiny "it's all about me" players are headaches that no one needs at the table ruining the fun for the DM and rest of the group.

Why have I classified you this way... let me explain. Your thread title is a slight on the DM saying that he purposely is gimping YOUR warlock. When in fact he is not doing anything like that. He has a set of house rules he is running by... these rules are universal effecting every character and has nothing to do with yours. I am going to assume (right or wrong) like most players you showed up with a character that you wanted to play without talking to the GM about it. So he sees that character and wants you to play what you want and will enjoy but informs you here are my house rules so now you know... instead of going back to the drawing board you basically tell him that he is gimping your character... I wouldn't care anymore neither. These rules have been accepted but all the other players in the group that you are joining but you are now making it out to be all about you. Then you rush here to vent some more and feel validated by being misleading about the circumstances.

I am going to repeat this slowly... it has nothing to do with you or your character. My suggestion is the same as the first... just don't play and find a different GM... which I am sure is abundant since you are using Roll20 and the Internet is your field of choice.

That reply seems condescending to me.

VS

arcmagik · Oct 23, 2014

Sure. If condescending is not pampering.

arcmagik · Oct 23, 2014

Or feeding into his self-important attitude and the way he purposely titled the thread when clearly the house rules are universal for the game and applies to every character which has nothing to do with the GM purposely gimping his character as he suggests with the thread.

Lwaxy · Oct 24, 2014

No more rude replies now.

Sacrosanct · Oct 24, 2014

VengerSatanis said:
That reply seems condescending to me.

VS

I'm guessing you might not have read the whole thread (which is understandable once it gets past a couple pages or so). But if you did, there are several posts that put the scenario into a proper context.

VengerSatanis · Oct 24, 2014

Sacrosanct said:
I'm guessing you might not have read the whole thread (which is understandable once it gets past a couple pages or so). But if you did, there are several posts that put the scenario into a proper context.

You are very much correct, Sacrosanct. Thanks for letting me know.

VS

Flexor the Mighty! · Oct 24, 2014

DMs should lay out the rules before hand, but at the same time apparently in Ravenloft there are a lot of unknowns so maybe it fits more. Never played in it.

I do think the player went in guns blazing acting like the DM was out to get him, and then didn't help by trying to say "Look everyone disagrees with you on the internet!". That would get you booted from my game most likely, especially in an online environment where I don't know you. Just seems like a bad fit all around. Now going forward I'm guessing the player will be looking for anything to backup the idea that the DM is out to get him, and the DM probably looking for an excuse to tell the player to get lost. Just move on and find another game.

D&D 5E DM purposely gimping my Warlock

VengerSatanis

High Priest of Kort'thalis Publishing

Crawler

First Post

arcmagik

First Post

VengerSatanis

High Priest of Kort'thalis Publishing

arcmagik

First Post

arcmagik

First Post

Lwaxy

Cute but dangerous

Sacrosanct

Legend

VengerSatanis

High Priest of Kort'thalis Publishing

Flexor the Mighty!

18/100 Strength!

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