First level PC in high level campaign

[Kibo]

When I was your age...uphill (both ways)...ZzzzZzzz

The trap was a pit trap Samnell's character fell into, then a 5x5x20 chunk of stone fell from the ceiling, smashing him flat. Furthermore, it would go off again if someone stepped on the stone that smashed him flat, smashing that PC into the ceiling. This is the type of DM we're dealing with: Evil, Evil, Evil.

I would have given him a ref check to avoid the pit. It's DnD not Toon. Maybe a bonus for having balance, or tumble. Depending on the quality of the total he'd either have escaped unharmed, or ended up on the side of the pit rolling a high climb check (gotta be quick), or skewered on sharpened bamboo sticks oblivious to the stone block.

If your characters can't react in the span of time they shift their weight on uneven surfaces, they can't dodge spells and dragon breath. May as well not even have Dexterity as a stat in a game like that. Could always get your friends addicted to mudding.

Samnell's making a wizard that specializes in defense. I've already made an Elven Sorcerer that knows only Mage Armor and Shield, and is good with a x-bow.

He'll love it when a plan comes together.

I might see what annoying things I could think up with cantrips too. I would really more be about just screwing with the DM by trying to out meta game him. I knew one guy who was brilliant at this, and would just tank a whole adventure (or game of Capture the Flag) if he thought it got to the point where it was unsalvageable. It could be *quite* entertaining at times. Ahhh the stories.... Who knows what he might have done with a light weight telekinesis.

But more seriously. I think you're nearing a point I did a while back. I didn't always GM/Dm whatever. Way back I never even wanted too. It was I thought that the adventures of the guy willing to shoulder the "burden" of GM'ing just weren't that much fun anymore, but I still wanted to play. And I wasn't the only one who felt this way.

When you're playing Robotech and you're not flying in Valkyries, really what the hell is the point, right? And it's not that I would have switched sooner, after all the early days are like bad, yet funny, sketch comedy. So I can't exactly say I wished I chucked it all, and came to where ever it is I ended up sooner. It's not as if I didn't have my own quirks anyway .

Thus began my era of experimentation. Which was mostly me, and just one other guy from the group I gamed with essentially goofing off in random game systems, Leading Edge (Aliens the RPG ) and others. And it really wasn't anything else other than going about day to day crap in another world. The setting alone made the adventures, such as they were, transmundane. If you've played shenmue, you've got a pretty good idea what it was all about. A directionless punk, saving kittens and looking for love. Sounds stupid, and maybe it was, but it was an important step for me.

Then after a while, it started to get cool. And we were like, "huh?" This is kinda sweet, and cool, in a way that doesn't make me think of the last half hour of SNL. So then we started to try to bring people in, including our most prolific GM's and DM's, and then things REALLY got funny. We went from cool like The Chase and Terminal Velocity to American Ninja III: Bloodhunt and Kickboxer 4.

We kept playing together switching off GM'ing, and the more we played the sweeter it got. Sure there was the occasional rough spot. But when you're pretty reliably busting out games which you in retrospect should have video taped so it could be condensed and sold as a script, well it starts to get to be a different kind of fun. And now, that kind of fun is all I really want from RPG's. But that's me.

Sorry for rambling. But there is something of a point. You seem you might be approaching that kusp. Maybe it's time, and it just seems like a giant pain in the butt. All I'm saying, is that if that's what's holding you back, don't letting. Start simple and casual. I found it a helluvalot more fun. You and Samnell could get together and run a quick loose game once a week for a couple of hours and just play around with stuff. If suffering the random whims of some random guy in some random hole isn't the most fun you could be having, why do it. You can do better, and have more fun.

Either that or get him to start running Paranoia, he should be fantastic at that. And when run well, that is extremely fun and funny.

 

[Samnell]

Re: When I was your age...uphill (both ways)...ZzzzZzzz

I would have given him a ref check to avoid the pit. It's DnD not Toon. Maybe a bonus for having balance, or tumble. Depending on the quality of the total he'd either have escaped unharmed, or ended up on the side of the pit rolling a high climb check (gotta be quick), or skewered on sharpened bamboo sticks oblivious to the stone block.

If your characters can't react in the span of time they shift their weight on uneven surfaces, they can't dodge spells and dragon breath. May as well not even have Dexterity as a stat in a game like that. Could always get your friends addicted to mudding.

Sorry, rand, I think I'm hijacking your thread.

I was about to ask for a reflex save. Our gnome rogue said the area was safe and the DM started snickering. At this point we all know we're in deep. He started rolling dice for whatever reason and looked at me. My paladin was next in the marching order.

Owen was one of those guys too nice to live. Very devoted to his fellow party members. The kind of guy you see in a fifties sitcom. I knew his unfailing goodwill would get him killed eventually. His childhood friend, the gnome, tells him that it's safe. By now the DM's laughing out loud. I'm laughing too because I know there's a trap there and I know Owen is taking it. I try to be a good sport.

I take the step. The DM describes Owen falling into the pit and instantly thereafter a huge stone block lands on him. He turned Owen into a quarter. I think I must have been reaching for my d20 or something because he took the time to say explicitly that I was dead.

At the time I wasn't too upset because Owen wasn't getting on well with the party anymore. After the last TPK we restarted from first (my idea, actually. No one who started at first had made it to tenth where we were before). The concept is that we were all friends from childhood and everyone was good aligned.

But then we got two new players two sessions into the new campaign. These players (one is the DM's best friend or something) weren't required to abide by either the childhood friendship requirement or by the good alignment requirement. The dwarf bard was sort of ok to get along with, but the human fighter came across early on as out for himself and that was it. That and the loss of a player who moved pretty much killed the friendly group dynamic we'd had going.

Owen had flourished in that and wasn't really built to handle a more amoral group. He just wasn't as fun to play. I didn't have much chance to adjust him or get to know the newer PCs, so it didn't make a big deal to me right then.

It's been grating on me since, though. Instakills are basically DM cheating. Whether it's a trap or sixteen rabid tarrasques landing on you it's just bad form.

 

[Buttercup]

I agree that the next time you have TPK one of you should offer to DM. This guy isn't into creating a fun game, he's into power.

So I would say it doesn't matter much what you create, since your DM is being a jerk, who will find a way to kill your character no matter what.

 

[randcortin]

If I suggested I DM, he would just laugh... he's DM'd D&D for over 10 years, and I've only been playing since February of this year... and the only other person who might DM has stated he doesn't want to stage a coup over this matter... I just want to make a character that has maximum survivability while still being able to get exp (Do to the anti-Milo rule, named after a character who would throw a few spells, have them resisted, and run, a PC must hit and deal damage in order to get experience for an encounter... though if he does something like healing instead of doing damage, I believe that's all right...)

 

[mmadsen]

I just want to make a character that has maximum survivability while still being able to get exp...

It sounds like you want good defense (Hit Points, Saves) with at least a little toe-to-toe fighting ability, and that sounds like a Paladin to me.

 

[NewbyDM]

heh, i would try to find another group... i don't want to be totured in a rpg .
But if you do want to survive as long as possible... i would suggest something like a archer... stay out of the fight all times!!! Find cover and .... RUN if something goes wrong!!

I played wizard in a campain with a cruel DM (i know the situation )... and managed to stay alive very long by keeping the fighting force between me and the enemy, also try not to be in sight... cover and spells like fly, feign death, invisibility, ropetrick and such are live savers..

goodluck!

p.s. DM is in my opinion something u have in you... after so-many-years of playing im still a crappy DM, i had DM's with far less play experience, that were a 1000times better then me

 

[Plane Sailing]

(Do to the anti-Milo rule, named after a character who would throw a few spells, have them resisted, and run, a PC must hit and deal damage in order to get experience for an encounter... though if he does something like healing instead of doing damage, I believe that's all right...)

He's piling on the whacky house rules, eh? Have you spoken to him out-of-game about the lack of satisfaction you're feeling? Have you asked him what he sees his role as DM to your group being? It may well be that he has vastly different expectations and isn't aware of what others feel (I'm hoping )

Otherwise you're stuffed, since the only way for low level characters to survive around high level characters is to spend most of their time hiding and watching the other heroes at work, picking up tips along the way Or does he expect 1st level wizards to charge in, dagger swinging once they've used up their 1st level spell?

It sounds to me as if you would really benefit from someone else DM'ing - or at least agree to start a parallel campaign so you can alternate games; that might work better than an out and out "coup"

Cheers

 

[Uller]

If I suggested I DM, he would just laugh... he's DM'd D&D for over 10 years, and I've only been playing since February of this year... and the only other person who might DM has stated he doesn't want to stage a coup over this matter... I just want to make a character that has maximum survivability while still being able to get exp (Do to the anti-Milo rule, named after a character who would throw a few spells, have them resisted, and run, a PC must hit and deal damage in order to get experience for an encounter... though if he does something like healing instead of doing damage, I believe that's all right...)

If it were me, I'd tell the DM that the game could be more fun if he'd make some adjustments:

1) Tone down the killing of PCs. Death is no big deal if you're losing a PC or two every session.

2) Come up with a rule for introducing PCs beyond first. The game is supposed to be fun...it isn't much fun to play a 1st level PC in a party with 6th or 7th level characters (it can be fun for a diversion, but not as a regular thing). Next character has half the XP of the rest of the party...next character is one or two levels below the rest of the party. Etc.

3) Tell him that you think insta kill traps are bogus. Sure...sometimes it is realistic, but realistic does not necessarily equal fun.

If he won't listen to reason, then find another group...A DM should take feedback and adjust the game to make sure people are having fun. I don't see you guys having much fun for very long...

Edit: If one of my "newbie" players asked to DM, I'd gladly let him. I'd make suggestions and offer to help with rules and what not, but I'd be very pleased to see a player want to "grow". There is no reason a newbie player with a little bit of ambition can't DM. Just get a low-level pre-fab adventure and got to it!

 

[randcortin]

But if you do want to survive as long as possible... i would suggest something like a archer... stay out of the fight all times!!! Find cover and .... RUN if something goes wrong!

Actually, my character right now is an archer - 3 levels of Fighter, Human, with the feats Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Weapon Focus (all longbows), and Improved Initiative. I got the idea from the Hero Builder's Guidebook, for the Ultimate Archer, and so far he hasn't gone below 6 HP, though he was dodging 3d12 a round from a cannon-armed magic user.

 

[Voadam]

Well, I would say play whatever you want that will be fun from first level on (don't count on making it to higher levels), just recognize that whatever you come back as will be weaker than everybody else so he should not be expected to be a front line tank. Strategies you can use are Hey I'm here for support whether that is as a missile weapon specialist, scout, healer, wizard who buffs or summons things, etc. Perhaps you can direct the party to political intrigue plots instead of dungeons where lack of physical survivability is less important than wits and interaction.