Is this DM bs or is it not?

[reapersaurus]

Well, i really don't think we have enough informnation to determine what kind of DM he is, but there's only one FACT that we know (I'm guessing . LOL) :

there appear to be two players in the campaign that have posted that he's a crappy DM that takes advantage of the players and doesn't let them enjoy the game enough, ostensibly because he doesn't let them keep the stuff they worked hard to get.

That sounds like a real problem in this group, regardless of what the DM is REALLY like.

 

[praetorian]

There is no excuse for a DM doing such a thing, period. As a DM myself, I have taken away all the magic items away from my players twice. The first time they got mugged in an ally (the fighter failed his saving throw, otherwise they would have won) as part of the plot, and even had a way for them to get them back (except they killed the NPC). Just now I had them all stop functioning because they are in a parrallel world (hey, they didn't HAVE to step through the portal!), but what is my first quest for them? One where they will get a fair magical treasure hoard that will put them back in line.

What this DM did was blatant item stealing, without a way to get them back or planning for the characters to get new ones soon. DMs can and should remove magic items if they feel it necessary. However, you use it sparingly (in my case twice in a campaign 18 months old) and make it a reasonable situation. The harpies is really bad. The character didn't stand a chance, and there is no reason for them to do such a thing. DMs make mistakes, but they should be open about them, and not torture the players over the mistakes.

 

[Fenros]

I can see the scenario where the DM had misplanned the distribution of magic items and needed to 'edit' the player's possessions. But like Tsyr says, there's better and more diplomatic ways of doing that. Just plain ganking a PC out of nowhere is pretty silly and cruel.

Did the Barbarian even get a chance to spot the Harpies? Any spot or listen checks made?

If the DM was editing the PC magic, did he at least compensate the items for more appropriate ones? Or did he just leave the Barbarian to restock his own items?

Since I haven't heard the DM's side to this story, I'm not 100% sure who to side with on this. But my gut feeling says the DM is going about things in the wrong way.

 

[Akunin]

A 13th-level PC with a Rod of Lordly might and a Vampire PC, both of which the DM "targeted" and whose players are posting here. This is sounding more and more suspect as it goes.

C'mon, guys - why do YOU think he's "out to get" your characters?

 

[|]emonix]

No Comply

I have to agree with praetorian

if the dm is set on taking idems away, i think it should be done in a fair way to the players. Some way of getting some of them, if not all of them back in their posesion.

There are many other ways he could have gone on about it without causing such an uproar from the players (as he obveusly did)

It also sounds like the party sacrificed a lot of their money and time for the barb... a very cheezy move by the dm

 

[-Ekimus-]

i am the cleric of the group. none of this was targeted at me, we all felt it was wrong tho, and the DM left the barb to restock himself and find his way back to a civilized area

 

[SonOfLilith]

First, The Vamp deserved it, he got what was coming to him. (Over 11 kindoms and 2 gods wanted him dead)

Second, it was a fluk that I wound up with the rod. A high level plot NPC gave it to me for safe keeping, but died later, very unexpectedly. I agree that it is too powerful for my guy to have. However, if the DM didn't want me to have it, then just take the rod, and not all of the treasure that I had collected over a year of playing. I mean, look in the Enemy's and Allie's book, the 15th lvl barb has a plus 5 great ax, +4 belt of giant strenth, +3 gauntlets of dex, +3 helm of wis, +4 elven chain, ect. Anyway, moot point now. I think he has been ruffer on my poor friend though, who has had his spellbook stolen 3 times while he was still first level, and his high level character is flat broke, and when he does get some cash it get's stolen.

Third, I did get a spot check, and I did see them, but I was in the middle of the ocean, and they could fly faster then me, so there was nothing I could do.

To my DM's defense, he does provide some pretty sweet adventures.

 

[frankthedm]

you were alone, he should of just killed you. the harpys still get your goods and they get fed. I think it was the dm being too soft.

Especially when you read the monster manual, expect him to be a slave to the books and then compound your sins by questioning the mercy he gave you .

 

[Gargoyle]

Sounds like the DM is having trouble deciding how much magic he wants in the campaign. If you haven't already, I would try to help him out a bit by talking with him out of game as a group. If he won't come clean that he's placing unfair encounters to lower the magic level, there's not much you can do, (except suggest that someone else DM) but at least you'll have communicated your displeasure to him.

There's a nifty table on page 145 of the DMG that shows how much wealth a baseline PC should have at a given level. What most DMs don't realize is that if you give your players less than this amount, you should scale back the difficulty of the encounters. A 13th level PC should have about 110,000gp worth of items. Fighter types are especially penalized when their wealth is taken away because they need it to survive. Less than the baseline means you won't win as often. Point out the baseline to him. If he states that the baseline for his campaign is lower, that's ok, but point that out to him the next time you start finding rods of lordly might.

Hopefully he'll listen to your feedback. Till then, try to be fair to him, DMing is very hard, and I've made mistakes like this myself.

 

[Wicht]

Wait a minute - I have just one question... where you over the ocean or over the forest when the harpies attacked you?

Somebody's story needs to be straightened out here.