D&D 5E Social Contract Helping Other NPCs?

[BASHMAN]

What happened to role playing? It is obvious that the player wants to play his PC in a particular way. Do you want that he throws that away and instead plays a combat machine without personality? Stop seeing this as a tactical miniature wargame.

What part of "he refused to heal another pc and let him die" did you not understand? We had a player (a paladin no less) pull this same garbage (hung in the back and through daggers, never healed people, and deliberately took the most flat stay array possible to deliberately be near useless). We dealt with it as mentioned above. The party created a contract and all members had to sign. If you were hurt and he refused to heal he didn't get treasure. If he hung in the back and hid while the bard was taken down in the front ranks, he got no treasure. If he refused to sign, in character, we said he was out of the party. It worked for us.

 

[Zardnaar]

What happened to role playing? It is obvious that the player wants to play his PC in a particular way. Do you want that he throws that away and instead plays a combat machine without personality? Stop seeing this as a tactical miniature wargame.

He doesn't really role play that much except every character of his is more or less CN either officially or unofficially.

 

[steeldragons]

My immediate thought, and supported after reading the "he's not a jerk/bad player" thing was, "This is someone playing an evil-aligned character and not telling the rest of the party."

Basically, this sounds to me like he's roleplaying...your complaint sounds simply like "he's not being roguey enough." and "the bastard let someone die cuz he refused to get close enough." None of that is your call.

If you want your PC to have issues with this PC's behavior, then have your PC react to him. Seems to me cutting off any bardic help/buff/healing is a no brainer. But saying and scheming with the other players about how to make this other player's character act like you think they should be is...kinda out of line. Sorry.

 

[Zardnaar]

My immediate thought, and supported after reading the "he's not a jerk/bad player" thing was, "This is someone playing an evil-aligned character and not telling the rest of the party."

Basically, this sounds to me like he's roleplaying...your complaint sounds simply like "he's not being roguey enough." and "the bastard let someone die cuz he refused to get close enough." None of that is your call.

If you want your PC to have issues with this PC's behavior, then have your PC react to him. Seems to me cutting off any bardic help/buff/healing is a no brainer. But saying and scheming with the other players about how to make this other player's character act like you think they should be is...kinda out of line. Sorry.

Na he is CG. I did ask him beofre I generated my character if I take a bard will you be near the front lines where I can help you out and buff your damage? He also took the healer feat after wanting to do it as rwe rebuilt the party and someone else was doing the healer role so he wanted to that as well.

I don't ecxpect much but when the Rogue is not even sneak attacking when he could on the off chance the DM throws a random 1d8+2 damage his way at level 10 with 70+hp and the rest of the group is getting slaughtered and he is at the far side of the map doing sod all (several sessions in a row) and he is the medic and he is to far away to be the medic and a PC dies you be doing something wrong.His excuse is uncanny dodge only works 1/round so I might start using the excuse that my healing only works once per day. The problem was he can retaliate after he volunteered to be the healer and we use the healing feat via him a lot. Due to extreme muppetness we are already at the limit of healing resources for the party (no cleric). If he was dealing a bit more damage, healing when he needed to and took some damage so 1 PC was not taking all of it we would be a bit better off (and not have a dead PC).

He only gets in clsoe once the wizard or myself have used some AoE spells and 2 or 3 PCs are down already. I keep runinng out of spells because I ahve to divert some of my spells to healing and aura of vitality breaks my concentration if I have something like enhance ability up so we are using 2 spells we should not have to use in the 1st place and burning through spells at a unsustainable rate. Without spells I struggle to do muchin the way of damage or knock over NPCs so the others can do any damage.

m Earier we talked it out and had primary healer (Rogue, secondary heraler (Druid), and tertiary healer (me) but I am being forced to vecome the primary healer (AFK rogue), the Druid is in animal form or KOed half the time (or dead) and my bard is out of spells as I have to use crap healing spells for the most part on top of spells to stay alive on top of spells I try to buff the party with.

I don't think I am being to selfish. I built a low damage PC designed to make every one else better but I can't dothat due to various other issues. AFAIK most parties would love have a character designed to hand out bbard dice, get advantage for you and heal you in emergencies. My resources are finite though and I am kind of squishy and I always try and help out but if the crunch comes t the crunch and I have to make a choice between saving myself or saving someone else I will chose myself as its not like the other PCs are a wife/child etc.

 

[fjw70]

I would handle it in character. If the PC is not pulling his weight and annoying the other PCs then kick the PC out of the party. Simple as that.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Definitely something to handle in character: bury the one dead, because of his actions, and then ask him kindly to leave and never return if he does not like to lay next to his former comrade.
Then as Players at the table, ask him kindly to make a character that may somehow fit into the party, so the other PCs will take his character on their quests. It is nothing personal.
If the character is an unreliable rogue, he has no place in the party.

 

[KarinsDad]

What happened to role playing? It is obvious that the player wants to play his PC in a particular way. Do you want that he throws that away and instead plays a combat machine without personality? Stop seeing this as a tactical miniature wargame.

What happened to role playing?

If someone isn't pulling their weight in a party, the PCs should drop him (the PC, not the player).

 

[Astrosicebear]

The player is playing you all.

He knows the meta of the situation is that you will not ask him to change characters or leave the game table because he feels "character privilege" is in order... this absurd notion that playing asshat characters is protected under some gaming Constitution.

Handle it both above the board and on the table.

Above the board, tell him hes beings unreasonable and a jerk. This is a cooperative game, and if he doesnt want to help, or cooperate, then there are plenty of others who can fill his seat.

On the table, the characters would probably ditch him. Letting someone die (anyone can do a DC 10 Medicine check btw) is inexcusable, esp if he never tried. As PC's I would never let him touch me again. I would also in game say that he is not pulling his weight, and cut his share of loot to 10%, instead of whatever split it is now. If necessary pool the split and hire an npc cleric.


He can either work as a team, with the team, or be the loner he wants to be, alone.

As the DM, majority rules and common sense rules. I usually try not to side with my players right away and let them work things out, but if i sense some real frustrations or get approached by multiple PCs I will implement some heavy handed solutions. Perhaps the rogue skirting around gets ambushed by an unseen monster. Now HE needs to be saved... if the PCs come save him, it might sink it. If they dont, it might sink in more. Ive had PCs stand by and watch these horrible characters get mauled, kill the beast, and loot the fresh corpse. It usually works for that player.

 

[Lanefan]

One other aspect not yet mentioned is how long this campaign is intended to last. If it's being run as a short campaign or single adventure path and that's it then you'll need to pull out the big hammers because you don't have time to wait. But I've found in long campaigns characters like these tend not to last (though sometimes they do) either because the player gets bored with them, the rest of the party throws them out, or random death gets them and they aren't revived; all meaning it's more possible to just go with it and let it sort itself out in the long run.

Lan-"though when its an ingrained playstyle of a player it's harder to deal with"-efan

 

[the Jester]

If, as you say, the player is good but the character is bad, the solution is simple.

Definitely something to handle in character: bury the one dead, because of his actions, and then ask him kindly to leave and never return if he does not like to lay next to his former comrade.

Then as Players at the table, ask him kindly to make a character that may somehow fit into the party, so the other PCs will take his character on their quests. It is nothing personal.
If the character is an unreliable rogue, he has no place in the party.

Yep. Fire the pc. Give the player a chance to make a pc the rest of the party will be willing to fight beside. If he won't, give him the boot.