Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
ShortQuests -- Pocket Sized Adventures! An all-new collection of digest-sized D&D adventures designed for 1-2 game sessions.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Umbran" data-source="post: 1567635" data-attributes="member: 177">Okay, dismissive and insulting things like the "Chutes and Ladders" comment aren't constructive.The fact is, not all players are rules-monkeys who can get all they need from reading and reviewing rulebooks and character sheets.  Some folks learn and remember by doing.  And if they don't get to do the thing very often, they don't learn and remember it so well.Now, one is tempted to say, "Such plaeyrs should not play mechanically complicated characters".  In some cases that may be the best choice.  But I'll note that it doesn't help either the DM or the player grow.  It can also lead to a dissatisfied player - a player can be good and enthusiastic about playing the personality and role of a high-level wizard, but simply not be too apt with the game mechanics.  There are a lot of things the DM can do to help such a player.Some folks do well with quick-reference sheets.  A 20th level character usually has a huge number of options availbale to them.  They appear on the character sheet in very short form.  They appear in the rulebook in long form, mixed with lots of other stuff.  An intermediary set of papers can be useful and keep down book-reference time at the table.  List out the spell names and one-sentence descriptions, another page with spell range, casting times, components, and saves.  Another with the character's feats spelled out, and so on.Also, if it is a spellcasting character who has taken Spellcraft and/or Knowledge (Arcana), you can use that to help out.  Those skills exist specifically to represent knowledge the character has that the player doesn't, after all.  So, if the character can pass checks, you can give them hints on effective tactics.</blockquote>

Verification