bards in your world, advice sought

[doktorziplok]

hey all, after a series of character deaths, i've decided to tempt dm-wrath and am out to play a bard. not just any bard mind you, a nasty bard. "felix" doesn't run around looking for court favor or even acceptance. he is a con-artist, a scammer, a wolf-in-sheep's-clothing. he excells in trickery. he plies his "bardic music" (perform: storytelling) in neferious ways, to cheat at cards, to gather information on lonely widows, to get a free night at the inn. he relishes in jail-time because it gives him opportunity to absorb what other inmates know or to impress the guards (gather information/diplomacy) all to increase his skills (mostly knowledge: bardic/local). felix cheats at cards, pulls the wool over eyes, and is not above selling out his travelling companions (i.e. party members). he is very diplomatic, crafty, greedy, and a master forger. he is with the current party only because he sees them as easy marks/bodyguards to the next metroplolis. he can't fight his way out of a paper sack, but in a social situation watch out.

i knew what i was getting in to with the current party, a combat-heavy bunch.

now, my biggest issue resides in that the dm has apparently rewritten the bard.

example one: i was attempting to cheat at cards, while playing i started telling a tall tale (bardic music) and then offering a suggestion that the other players' hands weren't all that good and they should fold. i was promptly told 2 of 4 couldn't hear me. sitting at the same table, 3 feet away, couldn't hear me... this is before i suggested anything, during the "start of bardic music" phase, with a dc of 33.

example two: using my superior forging skills, i attempted to craft a letter from one of the local ruling clans securing us a free night in an inn. i was told flat out "no." this is after i "wasted" an hour of the group's time roleplaying my gathering of enough information to know the who/what/when/why/where/how such a letter would need to be crafted.

example three: i attempted to start up a three-card monte game in a city street, again to be told "no." basically, i was told that if i even considered it, the local cops would swarm all over me. knowledge:bardic/local checks revealed no information on whether i would be arrested, beaten in the streets, or could bribe myself out of the situation.

example four: apparently suggestion or charm person only work on party members when cast by an npc.

example five: (the good thing) diplomacy is really broken now. with a +19 dip skill and a roll of 5 (24 total) i was able to turn a guard from hostile to friendly and convince him to let the party pass while he returned to wherever.

my question is: how do i make the most of my character given these circumstances? short of leaving the group in search of one that plays by the rules, what would you do?

 

[Chimera]

Find a new GM.

Yeah, I know that you asked for other options. But if the guy is pulling the stunts that you describe, he's going to pull them again and again and again.

 

[Crothian]

Sit down with the DM out of game and ask him why he isn't following the rules of the game. Also ask him if he hates you and that's why he is being unfair.

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

I concur with the others, except where it concerns screwing around with the other party members. It's not fun to play when some antisolcial member of the party decides to play a bad guy and uses skills against you that you have no chance of resisting. It's just bad form unless everyone in the group is cool with it (and I've yet to play in one where that would have gone over well).

 

[Imret]

how do i make the most of my character given these circumstances?

As suggested, discuss with your DM why he has no interest in bards being a useful character class, or at least why he has no interest in your bard being useful.

short of leaving the group in search of one that plays by the rules, what would you do?

Well, if it were my bard, I wouldn't stop short of leaving that group; at the least, I'd advocate a change of DM's.

 

[Michael Silverbane]

I would also suggest that you speak with your DM. I would, however, also suggest that you refrain from being accusatory in your words or tone for as long as possible.

Let him know that you thought that you could do X in Y situation, but that, as it turns out, that is not apparently the case... Or whatever. it may simply be that the DM in question is unfamiliar with those sorts of rules and/or aspects of the game and is ruling that they do not work either in error or because he is uncomfortable with that sort of play.

Again, without being accusatory or hostile (which I know can be dificult when your efforts are being frustrated in such a way), try to talk it out with the DM to find out what the problem is with either the style of play that you've chosen to engage in, or the type of character that you are playing, or the way that the character's abilities work.

Of course, sometimes it does turn out that the other guy is just being a jerk, in which case it is entirely appropriate to reach across the table and smack him.

Later
silver

 

[doktorziplok]

I concur with the others, except where it concerns screwing around with the other party members

agreed, but when it's for something like: [cast charm person] "hey pc, look over there while i cast alter self because i don't want you knowing i'm a spell-casting bard and not a rogue." is kinda weak to not let it work.

try to talk it out with the DM to find out what the problem is with either the style of play that you've chosen to engage in, or the type of character that you are playing, or the way that the character's abilities work.

to paraphrase what the dm said when i presented this concept: "super cool." i was encouraged to go the route i went for, ahem, "roleplaying opportunities."

thanks for the responses so far. i don't want to leave the group because it's the only chance i get to play (i dm my own game) with people who are older, my only other options involve playing in games with "kids."

i wouldn't have had a problem if i had known ahead of time, but these issues seem to come up on the spot.

i should also mention that it's not just my bard that's getting the muddy end of the stick. divine casters are soon to be subject to a piety system (a beat-this-dc-to-cast-a-spell system), arcanists are going to be subjected to spell component audits, bad guys can take out-of-initiative actions, a withdrawal action provokes AoO (unless the bbeg does it out of turn).

again, thanks, but leaving isn't a viable option yet (we'll see how next session goes). any other suggestions on making the most of a gimped character?

 

[Hodgie]

I would suggest falling into line for a session or two. Still try to do your roleplaying, just make sure not to eat up so much time. That way when you talk to the DM and he invariably goes to the players for support they don't have a bunch of examples where they sat for an hour while you roleplayed. You are much more likely to win if you have popular support.

 

[Crothian]

I'd buy the DM a DMG and ask him to read it. Or you can request he write down all his house rules for everyone now instead of springing them on people in the middle of a game.

 

[GAAAHHH]

I would get together with all the other players and have everyone make fighters.

When the DM shows up for next game, explain to him that since every other class is getting messed over, you are all going to play the class that he obviously wants you to play.