Players forgetting their PC's shtick.

[Doc_Klueless]

With work, school, families, and real life in general, I don't expect people to remember detailed rules in a roleplaying game. As long as they remember they can use abilities, it's fine with me if they need to check the rules on how to do it.

I don't really, either. I was just a little frustrated when I wrote the OP. I've since stepped back, calmed down, and generally gone, "Heck with it. Doesn't ruin the game and I'm still have fun, so who cares?"

If, on the other hand, he does use those abilities all the time (and by all the time I mean at least once a game session), but can't remember the rules with all that practice, then perhaps he needs a cheat sheet. Or perhaps you should just give him a break and help him out. Not everyone is equally skilled at remembering and interpreting rules.

That really was one of my points in the OP. Do you think it would hurt his feelings if I gave him a cheat sheet? Or, to put it another way, would you be insulted if someone gave you a cheat sheet without you asking for it? You see, I don't want him to feel that I'm saying, "Geez, Stupid! Here's the rules you can't remember!"

 

[CarlZog]

I don't really, either. I was just a little frustrated when I wrote the OP. I've since stepped back, calmed down, and generally gone, "Heck with it. Doesn't ruin the game and I'm still have fun, so who cares?"

I think that's the key criteria. It only becomes an issue when the constant rules reference slows the game down to an unreasonable degree -- though I suppose everbody has a different definition of unreasonable.

The higher level the characters the more arduous it becomes to remember the myriad modifiers, feats, special abilities, etc. It is definitely one of the drawbacks of the d20/3.* rules. Cheat sheets can help.

Carl

 

[cmanos]

There is a big difference in forgetting to use an ability of the character class and forgetting how the ability works. Both are the character's issue. I'm not going to remind a player that he forgot to rage his barbarian. Nor am I going to remind a character how to do a Trip attack. That's his responsibility. If he doesn't know how to use the maneuver, he shouldn't be using the nmaneuver.

In the game I play in, there is plenty of time between my previous turn and my next turn for me to pull out my PHB and check up on what I want to do. Granted, it invariably comes down to my turn and I can't do what I wanted because of some action of someone else.

If your guy forgets how to do a trip every time, have him draw up a cheat sheet, check it over and whenever he wants to do a trip, he can pull out the sheet. I did one for grappling.

 

[lukelightning]

I only create characters that I want to play...one with abilities that I want to use (though I do forget them at times... I've forgotten to apply my rogue's sneak attack damage more than once!).

This would be more of a problem in an assigned-character situation, like at a game convention. If you're not used to playing barbarians and you get stuck with one, you might have problems. Or if you are playing a class for the first time, or one that you rarely play.

 

[KB9JMQ]

Oryan77, Nice sheets consider those yoinked.

 

[Delemental]

There is a big difference in forgetting to use an ability of the character class and forgetting how the ability works. Both are the character's issue. I'm not going to remind a player that he forgot to rage his barbarian. Nor am I going to remind a character how to do a Trip attack. That's his responsibility. If he doesn't know how to use the maneuver, he shouldn't be using the nmaneuver.

In the game I play in, there is plenty of time between my previous turn and my next turn for me to pull out my PHB and check up on what I want to do. Granted, it invariably comes down to my turn and I can't do what I wanted because of some action of someone else.

If your guy forgets how to do a trip every time, have him draw up a cheat sheet, check it over and whenever he wants to do a trip, he can pull out the sheet. I did one for grappling.

For our group, I made a few cheat sheets for the maneuvers like trip, grapple, overrun, turning undead, etc. Basically just pasted the relevant portions of the SRD onto cardstock. When someon'es considering a particular maneuver, they can reference the card.

What I don't get is when a player has something they consistently have trouble with, but never write it down when it's explained. One of our players can never remember how to figure spell DC's. But every time I tell him how to do it, he neither writes the formula down, nor does he note down his save DCs. :\

I'm sometimes tempted to give him the wrong formula "oh, it's five plus the spell level plus your ranks in Spellcraft divided by ten", and then wait for him to complain about his DC 12 Flame Strikes.

 

[Oryan77]

Oryan77, Nice sheets consider those yoinked.

Hey thanks They probably need a bit of tweaking since it's been a year since I last updated them. I've thought about removing the spell info and seeing if I could add them to the actual spell sheets I made. That would free up some room to add a small "history & notes" section that I feel lacks from the sheet.

Feel free to email me if you ever have any good suggestions for the sheet.

 

[Parlan]

Just because a character has the ability to do something like rage or turn undead doesn't mean they have to do it every time the opportunity presents itself.

I take offense at that comment. Don't know about clerics, but any Barb who doesn't rage every chance he gets should be beaten about the head and shoulders!!

As a barb, the ONLY thing you have to remember is "Rage early, Rage often!!!"


Gosh, I'm so fired up...

....must....

...smash...

...something!!!


[PS J/k in case it wasn't obvious]

 

[lrsach01]

Aren't you forgetting something?
What?
Like your characters paralyzing fear of water....
Oh yeah.....AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!


All I ever really need to know about gaming I learned from GAMERS

 

[ForceUser]

I played shadowrun for years, playing a smart bodyguard. I grokked the character creation and stats, the bioware and techno equipment, the mythology and magical metaphysics, the cultural mixes and the lingo.

I had to have the damage codes for my guns explained to me every single time I shot them. Every game in the first fight I had to have someone explain it to me quickly then I was good for the day. The letters I could remember how they connected to the health levels but the numbers always went screwy. Some mechanics just don't click with some people. And that is one reason I never GMd SR. I played a ton, loved it and had an incredibly badass combat machine character who shot a lot of people, but the mechanics of damage codes just didn't click in for me.

I'm with you. Shadowrun was dense. I could make characters all day long, but don't ask me to explain how combat worked or how damage was resolved.