What to do with a Player who doesn't like his class

[Ranger REG]

I just concluded the most successful session I have ever ran. Almost every player was into the game more than usual. For a group that mainly is hack-and-slash they were roleplaying with the NPCs they encountered, even conversing with the ones they knew were unimportant. Combat went faster than it usually does as almost everyone was ready for their turn and knew what they wanted to do. Except for one player.

I did everything I could to get him into the game, have the NPCs say interesting things to him, but he was detattched and everyone commented on it. I asked him earlier and he said he thinks his class "sucks and isn't fun to roleplay" (He is playing a Duskblade...which defiantly doesn't suck) and he doesn't like it. What should I do to get him into the game?

Thanks!

Have him retire his character to an NPC and have him rolled up a new one.

Two sessions later, bring back the character, accusing the party of betraying him (real or imagined) and then have fun showing how the class is done. Decide if he becomes the group's enemy or a wildcard playing both sides of the fence (who probably knows the group's true enemy).

 

[Nightfall]

Kill his character. Make him a ghost then we'll see what he likes! That or have him retrain for another class.

 

[delericho]

If it's really the class that's bothering him, then either have him retire the character and bring in another one (with no hit on XP, accumulated wealth, or whatever), or have him rebuild the character to suit (whether using the retraining rules from PHB2 or not. I usually go for 'not'.)

 

[Nightfall]

Del,

That or just have him die a quick death and start over again. But I agree, if he's not happy then he should change it to something he would be happier with.

 

[Ranger REG]

Kill his character. Make him a ghost then we'll see what he likes! That or have him retrain for another class.

No way. As a DM, I'd salvage that character for future re-use.

 

[Hussar]

Meh, you've played two sessions with this character. Drop it like a bad habit and let him try something else. It happens. It's not like the character is integral yet. Sometimes you see an idea that you like but it doesn't pan out. No harm, no foul.

 

[Gwaihir]

I had this situation in my current campaign. One player was playing (gestalt) Ranger/Rogue with a touch of Wizard.

When we were 12 ish sessions into the campaign, A year for us, he had told me he wanted to deviate from his original ranger/rogue and be a wizard, so I created a situation in which he could start taking wizard levels. Which he did.

However, a few months later level 7ish, I heard rumblings through the grapevine that he was unhappy with his character, which he was now playing as a wizard, ignoring his ranger abilities. So he was understandably unhappy being a 1st level wizard in a party of 7th level characters.

So I put a pool in a dungeon, that when drank from, the characters whole life passed in front of his eyes. Then I told him, this one time, you can completely rebuild your character. I gave some rules about changing his ability scores, and tada, he was a 7th Wizard/7th rogue, and much happier.

 

[WayneLigon]

I asked him earlier and he said he thinks his class "sucks and isn't fun to roleplay" (He is playing a Duskblade...which defiantly doesn't suck) and he doesn't like it. What should I do to get him into the game?

I'd ask him what he wants to play and see if the character could be rebuilt with another class or class combination, if he wants to keep the same personality, background, etc (and such would be possible with the new class). Otherwise offer him a session where he dies heroically to accomplish some goal the party needs and then introduce a new character. I don't want anyone at the table playing something they don't like.

 

[Calico_Jack73]

Let him switch characters and don't nerf his new character for doing it. Life is too short to play a character that you don't like.

 

[talien]

I have a similar situation.

I'm letting the player switch, and I figured out a way for that to happen in game. Here's the thing that bugs me though:

One of the definite disadvantages of multi-classing is that you are more of a jack-of-all trades. You have more flexibility but you trade off for it in your power level. So our resident fighter is cranking along quite happily, but our psychic warrior/rogue is not. Because he's split between two classes.

Things "stopped being fun," when the disparity became apparent around 10th level. In other words, monsters can now start beating him to a pulp. he sure as heck wasn't complaining when all of his powers came into play at the lower levels.

In other words, I'm getting a vibe that some players enjoy the advantages of multi-player but don't want to be in it for "the long haul" and thus want to recreate their character when the disadvantages of multi-classing crop up. Sort of like being annoyed that you didn't get the job you wanted because you never chose a major in college.

Of course, it's all about having fun, so far be it from me to stop any player from rebuilding. But it still bugs me a bit, as I almost feel like PCs need to be warned about the long-term consequences of multi-classing. And that it's not fair to the PCs who stuck with their single classes from the start.