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Message: <blockquote data-quote="AaronOfBarbaria" data-source="post: 6924734" data-attributes="member: 6701872">Over the years I've seen some players get bent out of shape when they are playing an optimized character and someone else at the table isn't. It is usually because that person getting bent out of shape has expectations of the game that optimization is necessary in order to have appropriate chances at being successful in adventures, and this expectation might even be true if the DM is tailoring the game so that optimized characters are effectively the "baseline" rather than letting the extra power squeezed out of the character by optimization actually be extra. So there is a perception that this other player isn't "pulling their weight" and their character should be regarded as a "liability."It's a thing that, in my experience, complete leaves the table when the DM runs the game with the "baseline" being met by any character not deliberately handicapped by their player (by which I mean things like having the character rely upon a sub-par ability for their primary features, like playing an 8 strength heavy armor wearing front-line fighter that only uses strength-based weapons), meaning that the optimized character kicks tons of butt and the player either is satisfied (because their goal when optimizing was to kick tons of butt, and they are doing just that) or backs off of the optimization a bit (because their goal when optimizing was to match the challenges they would face, so playing a less optimal character is now the way to reach their goal).Neither can I, but I do have some experience with a player who thinks their character is mechanically bad spoiling the mood at the table with their negative attitude - which is sort of similar. The player is too busy lamenting "All my spells suck" or "I probably won't even hit if I try, so why bother?" or that kind of thing so they really aren't doing anything, and their contributions to the game are all poisoned by their bad attitude (that the other players at the table get frustrated by because they want to help everyone at the table have fun, but their suggestions and encouragements are just met with more, often baseless, negativity).</blockquote>

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