Is this a cruel DM?

[Ulrick]

I don't know if that situation is as cruel as the one I got myself into with a bad DM.

It was a 2ed game. I was rolling up a 1st level wizard and got to my spell selection. I asked what spells I could have and let me have the typical magic missile, shield, etc. But then I realized that I needed Read Magic in order to read spells from other spell books.

I asked him if I could have it, too. Heck, I was willing to sacrifice another spell to get it. But he said "Nope."

I tried to argue my POV but he ignored me, so I left.


That's my advice. If you argue your viewpoint and the DM does even consider it, then leave. If you're simply not having fun, leave.

Ulrick

 

[Storm Raven]

Actually he does know that he and the other wererat ate the party member. They saw the remains when they woke up the next day. And since there was no way out of the room they were in, and the other pieces belonged to the dead party member, they knew the deceased.

Wait, let's get this straight: the two wererats killed and ate an entire party member and were still hungry enough to eat the spellbook?

Assuming, generously, that the deceased was a small character, like a halfling, that means that the wererats each ate about 20 to 30 pounds of meat and still came up hungry enough to eat a pile of paper.

Your DM was just screwing you. No two ways about it.

 

[the Jester]

So hey, Methos, what's happened since? Anything new?

 

[TrizzlWizzl]

Any thoughts?

Man... I would totally not be cool with that at all. There's absolutely nothing reasonable about a wererat just up and deciding to thrash their own gear. Wererats don't just go totally mindless and destructive when they change shape. You keep all your base scores and most were-types increase ability scores. If you're a wizard with a Int of 17 you still have a 17 Int as a hybrid wererat. A creature with an Int 17 would no more thrash his gear than stab himself in the head... in fact, with the kind of low magic setting you describe, why didn't the DM just save you the trouble?

I would beef with your DM soon. He needs to find a way to restore your gear and quick. If he's recalcitrant and tells you "tough luck" just leave. Playing in a game with a DM like that is a nightmare. In a low magic setting you've got to pay attention to balancing the magic-using classes with the others. Taking away a wizard's spellbook in this setting is not balancing or fun.