The druid is not fighting!!! LONG!

[green slime]

I think the DM should be adjusting the difficulty of the encounters to accomodate the unwillingness of the Druid to join melee so this choice isn't forced upon him the character, at every battle. That isn't to say it shouldn't occur. But knowing this, set up more fights that make the game enjoyable for all the party.

I've seen clerics hestitate to get near a battle because they know they'll go down if the AoO connects, Inspite of their companions needing aide. That is why well-prepared characters carry wands of CSW, to avoid the AoO...

Unprepped Clerics with little or no spells left go down fast in melee. I shudder to think what is going to happen to a Druid.

Sure, the mighty Dire bear is a real horror. With an AC that blind kobold could hit. It can really tear things up. You need to choose carefully about when the ability is going to get used.

If you want to solve this problem, perhaps allowing the players to give some more advice to the Druid, during his turn, than you would otherwise allow. He may just be uncertain as to his character's abilities.

 

[Corinth]

The fact remains that the druid had the means to save his ally, but failed to do so. Whether this failure to do the right thing is a character-related flaw or a player-related flaw is irrelevant. The druid didn't step up when he needed to do so, and he ought to be punished for it. There's no excuse for not giving your all when in such situations.

 

[Wormwood]

The druid didn't step up when he needed to do so, and he ought to be punished for it. There's no excuse for not giving your all when in such situations.

I don't know if 'giving your all' is necessary. but give something at least. I'm sure the PsyWar would have liked to see epic level as well.

From what has been posted, the Druid player is the one with the problem. It is he who does not understand how to play well with others.

 

[Umbran]

Don't make me laugh... A character got killed, and it's his fault because he chose to put himself in harm's way?

No, it is partially his own fault for not having the smarts to back off. In an adventurer's life, outright stupidity is punishable by death.

When you let someone go into the thick of combat so you won't have to, and you happen to be the healer of the group, you have a certain obligation to make sure they make it out alive. I'm picking on the guy because he chose to shirk responsibility and look out for himself.

When you're the only healer in the party, you also have a certain obligation to make sure you make it out alive yourself, since you can't heal anyone if you're dead, or even if you're engaged in melee.

In the situation as it is so far described, for example, there's not much point in moving forward after the psi warrior is down. There's still a drow standing there.

If you stand up to melee, he might kill the druid (he managed a to off one more melee-concentrated character already), and in any event you can't heal while you're busy with melee, and your buddy may bleed to death.

Alternatively, he could step up to cast a healing spell - and the drow then has the choice of sticking his sword back into your freshly healed comrade, effectively negating your spell, or whacking your druid upside the head with an AoO or readied action, quite possibly negating the spell.

Remember that as a druid, he's only got what healing spells he prepared that morning - no clerical swapping. He's got to make those few spells count. So, there's some sense in keeping the healer safe until the drow isn't right there, at least.

 

[DragonLancer]

From what has been posted, the Druid player is the one with the problem. It is he who does not understand how to play well with others.

So, the druid who doesn't have a good AC, should get whacked himself saving a colleague who should have known better than to remain in combat when hurt that badly, only to use valuable healing spells on himself as well because of the Psychic Warriors desire to stay in combat?

In that case perhaps the rest of the party to be spoken to about common sense in combat?

 

[Viking Bastard]

Personally, I just want to see the druid's player's side of the story.

 

[Saeviomagy]

Average hp's of a druid at that level, assuming he's got a con of 8:

7 (first level) + 11 x 3.5 = 45

While I admit it's POSSIBLE that their opponents were regularly doing 45 hps a round, I don't think it's likely.

It's also quite likely that the druid had something that would get the psion up for more than a single round of attacks. Cure critical for instance, which should give some 30 average hitpoints at that level.

Finally, given that there was still a devoted defender present, I doubt that the druid would have had to place himself in the front line to get his spell off, even AFTER the psion went down.

Add to that the fact that the druid should have a fairly beefy animal companion with him, and it's looking like the druid doesn't have a lot to worry about.

All in all, this doesn't seem like a huge risk to me.

Like it or not, the druid is robust enough to enter the front line for a round or two.

Like others have said, the other party members roleplaying their disgust with the druid would not be out of line. I doubt the immediate consequence would be ejection from the party, but if the druid continues to leave others to take the risk, then I can certainly foresee it in his future.

 

[rounser]

Typical of the attitude around here so far... Letting a character die because you're a pathetic waste of oxygen is "good roleplaying", making sure someone who (effectively) betrayed his friends doesn't go on living is "Chaotic Evil".

No, you've got it back-to-front. Letting your friends die is neutral. Murdering your friends because you think they let one of your other friends die is evil.

At least, that's my take on the highly subjective D&D moral compass, but then, I'm a bit sick of CN half-orc barbarians bullying my character in play simply because they've got 20 STR and are fond of using the excuse "CN + half-orc + barbarian + stupid" to get away with blue murder.

Next game I play with one of those in it, I'm playing a LE rogue. (Even a stupid barbarian can only watch his back for so long before he finds cutlery protruding from it one night, all his gear gone, and his greatsword replaced with a wiffle bat.)

 

[mmu1]

I've got a question, does around here who keeps moaning about the Druid taking such horrible risks because of an AAO or two ever heard of Concentration checks?

And it's the Psy-Warrior's fault for staying in melee? It's the tank's fault for actually fighting in melee, and only partially the healer's fault for failing to heal. The mind boggles...

As for the "You can't blame the Druid, it was his character and his choice" crowd - I don't think I've ever heard a bigger load. That's an interesting world you live in - I haven't realized so many people confuse freedom of choice with freedom to act without consequences or criticism.

Oh, and as far Half-Orc Barbarians go, please keep your fantasies to yourself... That doesn't sound remotely like any character I've ever played.

 

[rounser]

Oh, and as far Half-Orc Barbarians go, please keep your fantasies to yourself... That doesn't sound remotely like any character I've ever played.

Supposedly CN? Check.
Barbarian? Check.
Behaves like a murderous bully towards fellow party members? Check.

It must be my imagination.