DM vs Player

[JacktheRabbit]

Thanks doc, thats a nifty way of doing it... I might borrow that for my game.

I like it cause it takes some of the sting out of save or die type effects and petrifications from the players point of view but at the same time if the player fails the save but the cleric steps in and saves him the character is still out of that battle pretty much (unless the cleric can spend a heal on bringing the character back to full hitpoints) which does not nerf what is generally the monsters primary attack ability.

If you look at say a Bodak or a Basilisk they really are nothing without their special attacks.

 

[Allanon]

The same way. The character falls to the group with -1 to -7 hitpoints and when he hits -10 his body changes to stone. Of course a healing spell won't reverse the process but a Dispel Magic or Break Enchantment spell would, also I might allow any spell that boosts the characters fort save a chance to grant the character a second saving throw. If the second saving throw is made then the character doesnt turn to stone and instead stabalizes.

That's a great idea, makes it more cinamatic as you can describe the slow process of turning to stone. Well this should improve my game a lot, thank doc !

 

[JacktheRabbit]

That's a great idea, makes it more cinamatic as you can describe the slow process of turning to stone. Well this should improve my game a lot, thank doc !

No problem.

 

[Lalato]

My DM just threw an Undead monster of doom at us in the middle of the night. How convenient that we weren't able to regain our spells so all we could do was fight hand to hand. As the undead started slicing through us like swiss cheese, I think he felt a little bad and allowed one party spellcaster to use a spell in an interesting way to contain the undead monster. Were it not for that, we would have all died.

Oh well... that will teach me to use any spells during the day... for fear that I will need them at night.

--sam

 

[Bagpuss]

Oh well... that will teach me to use any spells during the day... for fear that I will need them at night.

I'm surprised you've lasted so long without learning that lession. The time to rest is when you can still handle an reasonably difficult ecounter. You don't carry on until your on less than half hit points and no spells left, otherwise you are leading yourself open for trouble. Most predators are nocturnal after all.

 

[Lalato]

I'm surprised you've lasted so long without learning that lession. The time to rest is when you can still handle an reasonably difficult ecounter. You don't carry on until your on less than half hit points and no spells left, otherwise you are leading yourself open for trouble. Most predators are nocturnal after all.

I didn't give you enough info for you to fully understand the situation. Please don't presume to tell me how to play a game I've been playing for more than 20 years.

We were not camping out in the wild. We were spending the night in a secure mansion. Even so we set up a watch. Am I to assume that every night I spend in a secure place is going to be filled with encounters? That seems a bit ludicrous.

The DM forced us to be "groggy" for 2 rounds so we really couldn't do anything. On top of the other two spellcasters rolled a "1" on their listen checks so the DM ruled that the characters could only be awakened by another character. We were all sleeping in different rooms so this made things a bit difficult.

Anyway... it was a harrowing experience. It was nearly a TPK, until the DM ruled that a Wall of Force could be used to trap the incorporeal creature.

--sam

 

[Darklone]

Hmm. Well. My druid polymorphed into a large eagle to carry the group as usual in a town where this isn't that unusual. We have been there more than once already. But alas, there were a lot of archers doing their daily practice and the DM laughed happily and declared that every archer with line of sight would happily shoot at that oversized eagle (with people sitting on his back).

That's a nice death. But that was in a group where the groups drow paladin died exactly once per session.

 

[diaglo]

Anyone have a DM just outright kill your character with no real explanation?

I suffered that fate with a LN half-orc cleric of Hextor. Night encounter, so only 2 of 7 people awake, and he wasn't one of them. No armor, no nothing, fast asleep. Dead in one coup-de-gras. And then the assassin ran away.

He claims he rolled randomly to see who would get hit. I claim he was being vindictive in wanting to just kill a character for no reason.

if he hadn't done it before or he hadn't given you warnings about having better guards/alarms/wards in place. i would agree with you.

if however, you reached 7th lvl by playing with this "killer" DM the entire time. i would squarely place the blame on you.

7th lvl characters should know to be more watchful. they didn't power up to 7th lvl by not taking risks and not covering their arses.

 

[Oni]

Very simply that is not fun, not in the least little bit.

In my oppinion the DM has a responsibility to make the game enjoyable (at least not work in the opposite direction). PC's have to be treated special, different rules than the rest of the world. If the PC's want to use death attacks, and midnight coup de graces, and death magic it's all well and good, there are always more baddies around the corner. But reducing the life or death of a PC to a single die roll or worse yet no die roll at all is not fun for them. While there has to be danger and life or death situations I think the DM should be working to make those situations ones where the PC's have a goodly amount of control over their fate via their choices.