Is this a case of GM bias, if so, what to do?

[jmucchiello]

The change happened at the end of the last session, we are not scheduled to play for another week, and the GM and my SO are currently arguing by e-mail about the how the changes effect her character. He is arguing that the special abilities granted balance out the penalty. As she has pointed out, a -4 to the dex of her character is a pretty substantial blow, effecting her accuracy, skills, initiative, etc (armor class loss is balanced by a large natural armor bonus)...

She should argue that she doesn't want to play a high str, low dex, high natural armor character, she wants to play the character she created. This way it is about how she feels about her character and not how anyone else feels about it. Depending on his answer to that, is how you should react to what he's done.

Personally, I'd have walked out on the weapon draw thing. And not because his wife happens to have QD. But because it is not a rule change that makes the game better in any way.

 

[TheEvil]

Maybe the single hardest card game that makes no sense whatsoever.

www.pagat.com/rummy/canasta.html

Like Cricket, but with cards?

 

[JesterPoet]

Maybe the single hardest card game that makes no sense whatsoever.

www.pagat.com/rummy/canasta.html

Bah! Real men play bridge.

Oh, and TheEvil, shoot the hostage.

I find that's always the best advice for any given situation.

 

[TheEvil]

Beware of what you wish for...

I am curious to see what happens here.

My SO has decided to avoid confrontation on the bias issue. Instead, she sent an e-mail offering to drop the str boost, dominate ability and some of the natural armor in exchange for not messing with her stats beyond the usual con loss.

Barring that, she has asked him to explain what about becoming a vampire spawn caused her to lose dex, as vampires are not known for being clumsey.

Will post on his response.

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

From what you have presented, I don't think it is necessarily GM bias. If you are having fun like you said, and if the GMW and your SO can manage to get along (this sounds like the most problematic part to me), I'd stick it out for now.

The issue with the transformation into undead does not seem that unfair. True, your SO lost what she considered her character's focus, but she did gain a lot as well. I know from personal experience that it sucks to lose your character's abilites due to a DM move like this, but as long as it does not cripple the character, it can be fun to try it out for a while. Make sure the GM understands that you are hoping this is not a permanent change.

 

[Mallus]

I think the question 'is this a case of bias?' is pretty irrelevant.

The real question is 'is this situation fun for you and your SO'?

Plenty of games have some form of DM bias, excepting, of course, those run by machines.

Plenty of great games have bias; like any social situation, gaming isn't a uniformly enjoyable experience. If its just not fun, politely bow out...

 

[Castellan]

When I first introduced my wife (then, my fiancee) into the game, things began all right. But, after a month or so, she began talking to me after game sessions about how she wasn't powerful enough. "Everyone else can do all kinds of cool things, and I can't!" She spent a fair amount of time batting eyes and doing those cute pouts that women do so well while asking about an "extra" magic item for herself, or perhaps a chance to re-roll her less-than-average hit point roll for the given level.

In the end, we had a major talk about how in the game, I'm DM and you're player, and that's that. She didn't like it at first, but after a couple of months, it all went away, and now the game is wonderful. I couldn't imagine gaming without her in the group.

Your DM may be showing favoritism, but it's hard to say from your accounting whether he is or not. Just not enough data. As far as the undead issue goes, it might just be a fluke. An important question for the DM might be whether your characters are going to be able to return to "living" status at some point, and whether that point is coming soon. If it isn't coming, then your SO's character is in bad shape.

Another possibility is that the DM came up with changes for everyone and just didn't think the situation through. He honestly might not have realized that your SO relied so heavily on her Dex (and might really not have paid any attention to feats that are Dex-based, life Weapone Finesse). I've made a few boneheaded adjustments in my games, and when a player informs me that so much of his/her character is based on a now-crippled concept, I rethink the whole thing. Usually, I force them to experience the event for a game session or two, and then remove the effect.

If you like the game, and the people seem OK, then I'd stick with things. Make a mental note of the problem, but remember to not look for problems. Someone above mentioned self-fulfilling prophecies, and this could become one. If your wife really doesn't like the character, she could always ask to bring in a new one.

And if problems appear with her new character, then you can be more certain that something is up.

Good luck!

 

[Terwox]

hmmm.
Why not just talk to everybody and see if you can rework the GM's Wife's character to be a bit more powerful -- that's what she wants, isn't it?
A vampire taking a dex hit sounds mighty suspect -- vampires don't lose dex, do they? sheesh.
But yeah. Find out what other feats GMW took, see if you can't fix it a bit, and etc.

But sheesh... energy drain slam attacks rock. And gaseous form! Maybe he felt like he gave her too much stuff and he had to balance it by nerfing her primary ability a bit. It doesn't necessarily sound bad -- especially because he doesn't play favorites in combat or roleplay. To be honest, I've never met a GM that was very good about that.

For sure, give it another shot, and see how it plays out. If the GMW gets transformed into something that, say, has highly increased strength... be wary. But if she just gets transformed into something that makes her on par with you guys -- to be honest, that's not that bad! It's just a problem if he makes her BETTER than you guys, at the expense of you guys. There's nothing wrong with giving a new player a boost -- even if you're married to them.

 

[Ranes]

Well, I've been drinking Czech beer but I think that there's an elephant at your gaming table that no one wants to talk about. I don't think what your DM did was biased, per se, but I do think it was a hamfisted attempt to acknowledge the presence of the elephant without mentioning it directly or asking it to lay off the peanuts.

 

[ConspiracyAngel]

Well, I've been drinking Czech beer but I think that there's an elephant at your gaming table that no one wants to talk about. I don't think what your DM did was biased, per se, but I do think it was a hamfisted attempt to acknowledge the presence of the elephant without mentioning it directly or asking it to lay off the peanuts.

Ummm sorry, I lost my innuendo skill back in 3.0... what is it exactly that you are saying?