Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="knasser" data-source="post: 4596788" data-attributes="member: 65151">A lot of very useful advice has already been given so rather than repeat it or try to come up with my own variations on "put a monster behind him" etc, I'm going to come at this from a different angle.I see two problems of misunderstanding. The first is that the player considers their character "squishy."  I understand that in previous editions of D&D this was the case but in 4e it is much less so. Yes - the wizard is squishier than the fighters, etc, but he can actually take quite a bit of danger without risk of insta-kill. In short, your character is acting as if the first goblin is going to hack his head off in one swing. Losing hit points is like getting arrested. Before it happens, you're terrified. But after the first one, you realise it hasn't killed you and its only if it keeps on happening that you're going to come to a bad end. Your wizard needs to realise being attacked is not the end of the world and that 4e is designed for this. If the player does not accept this then he will resent personally you forcing his character into melee. I bet he's a staff wizard! You should put him in a situation where he has to beat up a goblin guard in melee in a dead magic zone to free his friends or something. Or perhaps there is some demon that can sense when magic is being used and if he magic missiles the guard, game over. Like the arrested analogy, he'll hate the situation, but afterwards he wont stop boasting about it to people. : DThe second problem is related, but broader. The Wizard isn't doing as much to help the party as his team-mates. For some reason, this is considered acceptable. In fact, it is probably considered acceptable to the point that if you do challenge the party to the level that you ought to be able to challenge them were everyone pulling their weight, they still wont adapt their tactics and will just blame you for being too tough on them. Your real challenge is to shift this bloody mindset they are stuck in. I mean, why don't the other characters who are risking their lives daily in going steel to steel with the enemy resent the coward who hides behind the door and chucks ranged attacks in, running at the first sign of danger? That's the real issue. Maybe you could have an NPC warlord or fighter or something along to mock the coward. Who knows? But you need to do something otherwise the wizard will always perceive your efforts to target him as unfair based on the strange notion that he's special somehow. Sure - he can't and shouldn't play the role of defender, but it's a gradiant between that and lilly-livered coward, not a binary either-or.But just to add to the more tactical suggestions given eariler, also consider a running encounter. E.g. a long hallway with many side passages from which minions pour in constantly. The players have to get to the Plot Point at the far end so the wizard will have to stick with the rest of the party as it's a running battle. Bonus points if the wizard doesn't realise it's a running battle and tries to stay behind to give covering fire and then gets cut off and has to go toe to toe with some goblins whilst waiting for a rescue or fighting his way free. In fact - this is exactly the encounter I would use as my first lesson in "Don't Hide In Doorways." : D</blockquote>

Verification