Whizbang Dustyboots
Gnometown Hero
How is a familiar not worth a feat?
This DM sounds like kind of a weenie.
This DM sounds like kind of a weenie.
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who should choose familiar/spells DM or player?
- Thread starter Elf Witch
- Start date
AntiStateQuixote
Enemy of the State
And here I am trying to figure out if I should report the post for him saying anal prick dip . . .Nyaricus said:And you.... I like youBlackMoria said:
Whizbang Dustyboots
Gnometown Hero
It can kill a level 1 commoner! It's an XP machine, man!taliesin15 said:
Shadowslayer
Explorer
Flexor the Mighty! said:
I see what you're saying, but I don't buy the whole "style" thing. The player is supposed to pick this stuff for himself, and the DM won't let him.
Thats not a difference in style...thats a DM overstepping himself.
Mycanid
First Post
I dunno ... of course it would be easier if these sorts of things were known of before the whole game/campaign started ... but sometimes there are bases that just aren't covered. Hmm.
Well, I personally had no problem with letting the DM choose what familiar came my way. And yes 3Wiz, We also rolled for height, weight, eye color, land of origin, etc., etc. But not everyone likes that method.
I guess I always enjoyed the surprise and unexpected element of the game myself. Then again, I didn't play a whole lot of wizards either.
Of course there is always the possibility that the DM has something BETTER in mind for you that you are not aware of, and your insisting on the cat gets in the way of something he wants to arrange to let the adventure unfold as it should or as he would like.
All the same ... just try talking with him out of game (not during it) and tell him what you think. Maybe it will work. Maybe you will see something you haven't been seeing so far - for good or bad. Maybe it will be clearer to you whether or no to pack up and go elsewhere or to grin and bear it for the moment for reasons you hadn't otherwise noticed. :\
Wouldn't want to be in your shoes though. Good luck!
Well, I personally had no problem with letting the DM choose what familiar came my way. And yes 3Wiz, We also rolled for height, weight, eye color, land of origin, etc., etc. But not everyone likes that method.
I guess I always enjoyed the surprise and unexpected element of the game myself. Then again, I didn't play a whole lot of wizards either.
Of course there is always the possibility that the DM has something BETTER in mind for you that you are not aware of, and your insisting on the cat gets in the way of something he wants to arrange to let the adventure unfold as it should or as he would like.
All the same ... just try talking with him out of game (not during it) and tell him what you think. Maybe it will work. Maybe you will see something you haven't been seeing so far - for good or bad. Maybe it will be clearer to you whether or no to pack up and go elsewhere or to grin and bear it for the moment for reasons you hadn't otherwise noticed. :\
Wouldn't want to be in your shoes though. Good luck!
MonkeyDragon
Explorer
A-hem.
I thought you were a roleplayer: "How is it roleplaying to have my character determined by random ROLLS?"
Point out that having your spells and familiar chosen for you hurts your character development personality wise.
Point out that there are all kinds of things that the PC has no control over that the player chooses. Jim the Sorceror has no control over the fact that his charisma is high and his strength is not. But the player is the one that chose to put those stats there. That's why Jim is good at being a sorceror. There are probably all kinds of people in the world who are decidely unsexy, but they have some inborn magic. They just aren't adventuring sorcerors because they can only cast first level spells. Same thing with feats, backstories, and even gear. Joe the fighter has no control over what kind of armor the shopkeep sells...but the player wants chain, so chain it is.
Finally, point out that because it's you the player choosing the stuff, because the PC didn't choose it, he's still making do with what he has. You can still roleplay the experience of seeing a kitty answer your call for a familiar. You can still roleplay having a spell happen.
In one of my games, I had a druid take a level of sorceror. He roleplayed the whole thing. He was sitting outside the keep, working on his armor, and whoa! Where'd that ray of frost come from? It came from ME! How'd I do that? Zzzt! Wow! He went to the party wizard and asked him questions about arcane magic and his familiar (as he had the sudden desire for one). The wizard tried to tell him that wizardry is better, and that his raven was a gift from his parents.
When they next went into town, he went to the magic shop and asked the shopkeep about all these strange things. The guy told him he was a sorceror, explained what it was all about, and sold him a kit of the materials for the familiar ritual. He does the ritual, and look! A ferret! He didn't know that a ferret would answer his call for a friend, but there she was. And the player chose every bit of it.
In short...another boo for the DM.
I thought you were a roleplayer: "How is it roleplaying to have my character determined by random ROLLS?"
Point out that having your spells and familiar chosen for you hurts your character development personality wise.
Point out that there are all kinds of things that the PC has no control over that the player chooses. Jim the Sorceror has no control over the fact that his charisma is high and his strength is not. But the player is the one that chose to put those stats there. That's why Jim is good at being a sorceror. There are probably all kinds of people in the world who are decidely unsexy, but they have some inborn magic. They just aren't adventuring sorcerors because they can only cast first level spells. Same thing with feats, backstories, and even gear. Joe the fighter has no control over what kind of armor the shopkeep sells...but the player wants chain, so chain it is.
Finally, point out that because it's you the player choosing the stuff, because the PC didn't choose it, he's still making do with what he has. You can still roleplay the experience of seeing a kitty answer your call for a familiar. You can still roleplay having a spell happen.
In one of my games, I had a druid take a level of sorceror. He roleplayed the whole thing. He was sitting outside the keep, working on his armor, and whoa! Where'd that ray of frost come from? It came from ME! How'd I do that? Zzzt! Wow! He went to the party wizard and asked him questions about arcane magic and his familiar (as he had the sudden desire for one). The wizard tried to tell him that wizardry is better, and that his raven was a gift from his parents.
When they next went into town, he went to the magic shop and asked the shopkeep about all these strange things. The guy told him he was a sorceror, explained what it was all about, and sold him a kit of the materials for the familiar ritual. He does the ritual, and look! A ferret! He didn't know that a ferret would answer his call for a friend, but there she was. And the player chose every bit of it.
In short...another boo for the DM.
Boo, Hiss to the DM. Tell him if he wants to manage his PC's characters in such a fashion, he should be writing novels, not DMing.
But if you want to be slightly more polite, point out that's seriously curtailing the game's fun factor for you. If he doesn't believe you're serious, don't show up to the next session. There's zero reason you should have endure that because someone's misguided view of roleplaying causes them to want to remove player choice.
Also, show him this thread, as someone else pointed out before.
But if you want to be slightly more polite, point out that's seriously curtailing the game's fun factor for you. If he doesn't believe you're serious, don't show up to the next session. There's zero reason you should have endure that because someone's misguided view of roleplaying causes them to want to remove player choice.
Also, show him this thread, as someone else pointed out before.
Mycanid
First Post
Monkey Dragon - you can't see how random rolls in the beginning could be the basis for some incredible opportunities for role playing as opposed to thinking up a character ahead of time and making everything fit into that idea?
Don't get me wrong - I am not saying that a person could NOT rp with the latter model. Indeed, it seems to be more and more the standard nowadays. Nothing wrong with it!
However, some of the most interesting rp'ing experiences I had were when I was presented a collection of stats and characteristics and the like in the beginning, and then periodically have something else thrown into my life that helped form the character. THIS was a blast. And some of my most memorable games come from this .. "style". It IS possible to roleplay in this way.
Again though ... I know that it is just not to most people's liking.
This may be somewhat off the topic. I am not necessarily defending the DM and saying his ruling was good or bad. I am merely saying that I had many experiences of "rolling with the changes" as they came along and thoroughly enjoying the game. If the player stays in the game perhaps he will see something totally unexpected emerge or come about. I am not saying she should leave or go ... merely trying to show another way to look at the whole thing if she decides to stay that may make it more interesting.
Don't get me wrong - I am not saying that a person could NOT rp with the latter model. Indeed, it seems to be more and more the standard nowadays. Nothing wrong with it!
However, some of the most interesting rp'ing experiences I had were when I was presented a collection of stats and characteristics and the like in the beginning, and then periodically have something else thrown into my life that helped form the character. THIS was a blast. And some of my most memorable games come from this .. "style". It IS possible to roleplay in this way.
Again though ... I know that it is just not to most people's liking.
This may be somewhat off the topic. I am not necessarily defending the DM and saying his ruling was good or bad. I am merely saying that I had many experiences of "rolling with the changes" as they came along and thoroughly enjoying the game. If the player stays in the game perhaps he will see something totally unexpected emerge or come about. I am not saying she should leave or go ... merely trying to show another way to look at the whole thing if she decides to stay that may make it more interesting.
Templetroll
Explorer
Back in first edition we used that Familiar spell and played it that if you sent away a familiar you had to wait one game year to try again, just like with a 'no familiar' roll.
Now, one DM decided that being an apprentice wizard to learn magic you should make a charisma check to determine how your master felt about you when he wrote up your spell book! Yes, someone did get a lousy roll... Luckily, the player was one of the brighter fellows in our group and intensely snarky and stubborn.
The character made certain to memorize one lousy new spell each day until he was able to use it effectively in an encounter! It didn't have to be a battle, just some use that made the spell worthwhile at least once. If he had gotten two lousy spells he would then memorize and strive to use the next one. When it was time to level up and he would get new spells he would roleplay the encounter and unctously thank his mentor for the fine spells and describe the instances in which they proved effective. After going through 5 levels of spells the mentor told the wizard, "Just tell me what you want. There is nothing bad enough at these levels that they aren't good spells." Coincidentily, the DM also dropped the charisma roll around that time.
Now, one DM decided that being an apprentice wizard to learn magic you should make a charisma check to determine how your master felt about you when he wrote up your spell book! Yes, someone did get a lousy roll... Luckily, the player was one of the brighter fellows in our group and intensely snarky and stubborn.
The character made certain to memorize one lousy new spell each day until he was able to use it effectively in an encounter! It didn't have to be a battle, just some use that made the spell worthwhile at least once. If he had gotten two lousy spells he would then memorize and strive to use the next one. When it was time to level up and he would get new spells he would roleplay the encounter and unctously thank his mentor for the fine spells and describe the instances in which they proved effective. After going through 5 levels of spells the mentor told the wizard, "Just tell me what you want. There is nothing bad enough at these levels that they aren't good spells." Coincidentily, the DM also dropped the charisma roll around that time.
