DM Schticks That Grind Your Gears

Joshua Randall said:
But, my current DM-ing pet peeve:

DMs who make house rules about core rules that really shouldn't be modified and that cause unwanted downstream effects. Example, allowing a 5-foot step after movement in combat. Umm, wow.

When my group started playing 3rd edition, we played under the mantra: "You can always take a 5' step" (which we interpreted to mean "even after taking a regular move action"). Eventually, though, we saw some of the crazy downstream consequences that you are referring to. And then we realized that we must be doing something wrong. We returned to the Player's Handbook, and all has been well (on that front) ever since.

But, yeah, changing that one rule really does mess up the whole 3rd edition system of combat.
 

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Agent Oracle said:
Here, have a Holy Avenger

Despite the fact that there is perfectly good chart for rolling up treasure in the DMG, this GM will randomly ascribe treasure and gold based on his whims. While this is fun initially, a gross imbalance in the party will ensue, resulting in Hero McUltraequipped and his possee of slightly less-well equipped followers. The DM will gawk in wonder as the party shreds through his BBEGs like they were made of tissue, then will begin throwing higher and higher difficulty enemies against the party, which will ultimately result in a level 10 party dying at the hands of a CR 17 encounter.

No, you can't have a pony. (not for you)

This GM despises all manner of horses with a firey passion of a thousand suns. Whether it's a mule, riding dog, horse, or velociraptor with a saddle, be prepared for every single monster to target it like they were the only edible thing in a thousand miles. If the horse isn't being eaten or shot at, it's running away in the darkness after mysticly untying itself from the hitch.

You want me to do what? heh, it'll cost you.

"Oh, you want those identified? Sure, 300 gold. You need your stats restored? pay me five times the cost, and we'll be copacetic. A potion of Cure light wounds? Heh, do you have a credit card?"
Every service costs FAR more than either the PHB or the DMG indicates it should. apparently, in this world, NPC's are all patterend off the "comic shop guy" from the simpsons, where if you need something, then you must be willing to pay MORE for it.

I find joy in your misery
This GM is all smiles, as long as his party is out of spells, low on hit points, and surrounded by creatures whose CR is 4 levels higher than their combined party level. Nothing ruins his day more than players who want to (ug) roleplay, or "prepare" for the inevitable encounters. If the players come to a town and establish any kind of contacts, he'll kill them off. if they like a magic item, it gets stolen or sundered next combat. Anything to keep the players unhappy.

.

Just to educate you, alot of DM's...if not MOST...do not randomly roll up treasure. They pick and choose, making sure the players get items that are good for them, and good for the adventure, and keeping out gamebreaking items.

And where exactly does it say in the rules that prices for services and goods are locked into those in the DMG/PHB? Nowhere. In the end, the rules have always been guidelines, and the DM is always right. A good DM knows how to keep balance and fairness in his game, and players must trust the DM.
 
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Agent Oracle said:
I can understand that kind of a deal, but when playing in Faerun with the saddleborn background feat, as a Knight with the Mounted Combat bonus feat on top of that, nothing like putting max ranks in Ride and being able to take two seperate checks to change the horse's AC per turn to help the horse survive.

Also, a former GM actually had one-hit-kill cannons being carried by ogres. to kill off horses. He rolled a scatter die instead of damage

If you had been paying attention, A. I rolled to-hit with the cannon. B. I then rolled an artillery die, not a scatter die, to see how far the cannon ball bounced. C. I rolled for damage behind the screen and killed the low hit point mule.

It was a frickin cannon! Let's see you take a cannon, hit a mule with it and see the mule survive.
 
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the DM is always right. A good DM knows how to keep balance and fairness in his game, and players must trust the DM.

Just found another gear to grind. GRRRXXXX!!! That's the sound of the tranny falling out the bottom of the car. I "must" trust the DM? Sorry, played WAY too many games with power tripping DM's to ever fall for that line again.
 


When the DM tells us there is only one way to destroy the evil magic item, and after a long campaign we set up to do it, we do it and nothing happens.
 

Hussar said:
Just found another gear to grind. GRRRXXXX!!! That's the sound of the tranny falling out the bottom of the car. I "must" trust the DM? Sorry, played WAY too many games with power tripping DM's to ever fall for that line again.

Thats when you go find another game or DM. If you play by the book, then what happens when a DM runs a combat and rolls hot and ends up with TPK??? Don't you trust your DM to fudge the combat so that you don't have to put a "the 2nd" behind your characters name?
 

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