(ranting) request for group help

[random user]

Would it be possible to have an in-game reason for the character to not want to free slaves? I'll admit to not knowing this material well, so it may be like trying to play a Paladin who doesn't follow a code of conduct, in which case, this won't be of any help.

Maybe she had done it for a while, but then seen her exhortations cause the death of families -- and she continues to harbor a guilt about it. As such, she knows she *should* be taking a more active role, but she's gunshy after having such a bad result before.

I guess I'm a little confused. Is the other GM and player upset because she doesn't seem to be following the guidelines of the class and background she is playing? Or are they upset because of her play style in general?

If it's just not meeting the expectation of the class and background, that shouldn't be that hard of a problem to solve, unless the DM has plot hooks that rely on her acting a certain way... in which case I would say that if the DM really is a good DM, then the plot hooks can be recycled so that the effort put forth to create them isn't wasted.

If it's a playstyle thing in general, well, that's a much harder problem to solve, and not one I have anything worthwhile to contribute, as that's a very sticky issue.

 

[billd91]

A few points here- the Wild Coast is a slavers area, and Trithereon is a god of individuality and liberty (as pointed out in Complete Divine), she is from Safeton on the Wild Coast. My wife has made a number of points to the GM and another Player that she devotes herself to Self Defense and Retribution (which are two of the things he’s the god of from Greyhawk Gazetteer- the book we had when we started making the character).

When Complete Divine came out my wife gravitated towards the Summoning Domain (half the characters Feats are Summoner feats) and Protection (as defined in the Gazetteer).

Now she (my wife) seems to be catching some static from one of the Players in our group and the GM that she needs to play the entire Portfolio from the Complete Divine and seemingly ignore much of the Gazetteer (the GM is being quite open on the Domains and very kind in that respect). All this tells me that her character should be battling the government of the Wild Coast to free slaves and such, while all my wife wishes to do is play a Summoner, have fun and not be bogged down with politics.

OK, I'm going to focus on this part and not the rest of the post.
1) No player has the right to really say that any player is playing his or her PC "wrong".
2) That said, any priest of Trithereon would know the full theology that his church teaches and espouses and probably should feel morally obligated to so something to succor those in slavery. And, as implied by the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, Trithereon's moral stands are generally far and away more important than being involved in summoning things. His summoned companions are part of his arsenal of weapons to achieve his moral ends and not the end in and of themselves. Players who take this god as their patron should be encouraged to explore that. Note: that's encouraged and not hectored into it by other players.
3) THe LGG also says that each church has a different focus and that's encouraged by the individuality focus of the god. So there's ample justification for your wife to say that her character, with her individual connection with her god, is well able to focus on self defense and personal retribution without going after every slaver she meets.
But, within that framework, I think any good DM will help push the character's role-playing with good moral dilemas, like obviously oppressed slaves. Note also that Safeton has typically been a bulwark against the general lawlessness of the rest of the Wild Coast and that the slavery that exists in the Wild Coast after the Greyhawk Wars is, in no small part, due to the Orcish Empire of Turrosh Mak and the resurgence of the slavelords. And that's a tough nut to crack as a single priest of Trithereon.

 

[Harmon]

Wow!

Umm- thanks for everyone's thoughts.

Couple more points-

Two of the Players (my wife and one other) lost their characters in a big battle (one left and the other died). The group lost their monk (my wife's character), the big barbarian (the other PC) and an NPC cleric (he got passed about a lot).

The GM said that he would not be running another NPC spell caster (includes clerics).

My wife had this idea for a two weapon fighting rogue type. We talked and she agreed that a cleric would be okay- thou she wasn't sure (she really likes Spring Attack and wanted to use that for healing- run in heal, and run bac out- but that just isn't possible as it seems the GM didn't want to work that out). I had noticed Trithereon and was talking about him, she liked the idea and jumped on it. Complete Divine comes out and she falls in love witht eh Summoning Domain. "I can run around and heal, or fight and get twice as much fighting done," thus blowing off steam and filling the cleric spot we needed.

The origin came out of my writing and her ideas- she laid it out and I ran with it.

The GM has said that he will involve her in no more plot lines and that is okay and understood by her (<head scratching> not sure if I told him this part, well I might have just done that ) thou she's a little upset at being excluded, but understands because of what happened.

To those that would say the cleric seems a poor choice to her- she has stated many times to me mainly, but the GM and other Players have heard her say she likes the new character more then the one she lost.

She isn't liking the pressure that is coming from one player and the GM and that is where the stress is coming from. I think what I should do is sit down with her and the GM and define Trithereon from the character's POV, maybe that would help.

Emm- lots of great thoughts and such here, thank you very, very much I know this is a bore-ish subject and not something you all want to read, but I think its something that happens at more tables then we all know.