Friend AND Rules Lawyer -- Need Advice Please

[Lord Pendragon]

Aluviel, the only thing I can do is offer you moral support. You're in a tough spot, and there won't be any easy answers.

The only think I can think of, that I might try in your position, is to simply be relentlessly firm, but friendly, in-game. Every time he brings something up like Air Walk, nip it in the bud. "Take it easy, guy, we all know what he meant." When he starts to go off on one of his arguments, respond with "I understand, but this is the way I'm ruling it, now let's move on..."

It may be that you're doing this already. Keep fighting the good fight. Hopefully he'll eventually realize that you aren't going to let him get away with the nit-picks and rules stretching/bending, and move on. Hopefully.

 

[Tuzenbach]

The other players should team up against his character and deal multiple backstabs to his wizardly @ss! If he objects, say it's not against the rules, is it?

 

[ARandomGod]

The other players should team up against his character and deal multiple backstabs to his wizardly @ss! If he objects, say it's not against the rules, is it?

HA!
Actually, in games I play, if a character *should* get a backstabbin', and the other characters don't do it, I dock the other characters XP for not playing in character. But then again, that's an in the game roll playing rule. They can't stab the character for having a bad player.

Wizard though. That is a lot of rules. Simple enough though, tell him you agree, wizards do get screwed in 3.X (Actually, I do agree, the arcane caster got some serious nerfing). Then rip out the wizard's tounge with something that prevents regeneration, and houserule that there IS no "silent spell" feat.

OK, that's a bit tough. Instead I suggest you have games where there is no out of character talking. He cannot rules lawyer that way. Disobeying the rules will result in varying levels of physical mutilation to the players character. From simple spontanious traps, to getting their tounge ripped out.

There are so many fewer rulings needed if you remove the spellcasting ability!

Oh, and "With a 28 Int. my character would have known... ... "
You can always respond "Obviously not, or else he would have also known to have a player with at least a 28 INT. Next game you can't play higher than your own int. OR charisma! (Neatly removing the sorc option..."

 

[reveal]

Aluvial, from reading your responses to others, it looks like you've already made up your mind: You want him gone and you know you need to tell him he's out. If I had to guess, I would say you're looking for either a) a reason to not kick him out by looking for any suggestion on a way to keep him in or b) justification that what you're thinking about doing is the right thing.

Well, you ARE fully justified is asking him to leave. He obviously is a good friend, but how long will he be your friend if he keeps frustrating you at the table? Soon, if it hasn't already, it's going to spill over into your real life relationship.

It sounds like your friend has a problem with losing, plain and simple. Whether it's in softball, chess, D&D, whatever game you're playing, he just doesn't like to lose. If he's been this way for at least 14 years, then you're a little late in thinking that you can just asked him to stop and expect him to.

Tell him to leave and why. If he accepts it and is still your friend, great. If he doesn't (in the long run; he'll probably be really pissed off for the following few days) and doesn't want to be your friend anymore, then obviously the friendship meant less to him than it does to you.

 

[Saeviomagy]

I felt like answering this one seperate. I think I have the best grasp on the rules in our game. I have everything at hand, have the homemade screens, do the research, have the cheatsheets for the players (and myself), keep excellent notes (I could go back and recount a good number or the major battles in rounds for multiple opponents), a computer with the SRD, all of the stats for spells, feats, monsters, and tables at three clicks of the mouse, and essentially a immense grasp of what it takes to be a successful DM.

Aluvial

I didn't say that you certainly didn't know the rules. I just brought it up as a possibility.

You certainly sound like you know what you're doing, and from the description, this guy sounds like he's being a real pain.

OTOH, you complained about an int of 28 at 14th level. 18 start, 3 increases (21), +6 from an item, dunno where the last +1 comes from probably a book, or a bought wish, either of which are affordable for such a character.

In short, it sounds plausible. It sounds more-or-less normal for a high level wizard. It means you've got save DC's that range from 19-27. Average CR 14 critters will save against those top-tier spells about 10-25% of the time, on their bad saves. That's not all that horrible. He's got a decent chance of wasting his big guns on equal challenges. Much more than that, and it starts being a really bad idea to use any "save or..." spells on any but the weakest of foes.

But you have a problem with it? This might be where your relationship with this guy is breaking down. If he thinks you're ALWAYS contesting him, then he'll fight back. If you push him on the little things, he'll feel the need to defend himself. If you always call him, he'll feel that he may as well start out by trying to get all he can in the first place. Let him away with little, creative things.

Oh, and encourage him to ask you about stuff in advance. Tell him that in game you're likely to make the quickest decision, and that more often than not, the easiest solution to any rules question is that which makes the situation not happen. ie - banning that particular use of the spell.

Tell him WHY you make the decisions you make. And I don't mean "because minor creation says vegetable, and water isn't a vegetable" type reasons. I mean "because if you use simulacrum to create a clone army, the game becomes less fun for everyone" reasons.

Finally - don't take no "oh, but last time you said" when you messed up the rules. Unless you wrote it down as a house rule, it's not a permanent change and he can damn well use the spell how it says.