Worst DM judgement calls
- Thread starter MerakSpielman
- Start date
Oh this is a very old one and happened at GenCon 14+ years ago in the AD&D open. DM ruled that a Light spell created a globe of light around the party that pentrated walls, floors, and doors, which in turn warned all monsters the party was coming!
Arrrrrrrrrr!
Arrrrrrrrrr!
officeronin
First Post
The Game from Hell
Here's why:
1. The fighter used a polearm with reach, and had combat reflexes. Every enemy would circle around his threatened area -- even if they had no way of knowing what he could do.
2. The campaign revolved around a magical sword that had a special purpose to destroy evil magic swords. It could detect neither evil nor magic.
3. The gnome rogue was run by a good friend of the DM, and was, therefore, immune from everything. My favorite was the half dozen ice trolls that popped up out of the ice 200 YARDS in front of the party. The rogue had been scouting, and was 20 feet on the other side of the trolls. We were around 5th level, and this gnome rogue had a 4 strength, and was encumbered by carrying his dagger. Somehow, he made it back to the party in 2 rounds without taking any AoOs. Later on, to see if there was danger ahead, we'd just toss him into a room and shut the door...
4. He was a slave to the table of "what wealth should the PCs have by X level", but he would go through the books to find the worst treasure possible to fulfill the requirements. +1 half-plate (everyone was a light armor guy, and MW full plate is better), +1 exotic weapons (that no one was proficient in, nor wanted to be), and really specialized stuff, like helms of underwater action. We would then try to sell this garbage and get something marginally useful. All so that the DM could say, "well, I give you the right value of stuff!"
5. After telling him (and gaining approval) that I wanted to pursue a prestige class (loremaster), we were on the way to a city. I told him two weeks before the game night that my PC would go to the library, seek a loremaster, and try to roleplay a little bit of training. Sure enough, on game night my PC goes to the library, finds a loremaster, and tries to engage him in conversation. Nothing. It was like being stuck in an old Atari RPG. I asked him why, and he said, "I hadn't planned on anything."
After all this, half of his players staged an "intervention", asking him to step aside as DM for a few sessions. He said no, and the game folded within two weeks.
Sad.
OfficeRonin
Here's why:
1. The fighter used a polearm with reach, and had combat reflexes. Every enemy would circle around his threatened area -- even if they had no way of knowing what he could do.
2. The campaign revolved around a magical sword that had a special purpose to destroy evil magic swords. It could detect neither evil nor magic.
3. The gnome rogue was run by a good friend of the DM, and was, therefore, immune from everything. My favorite was the half dozen ice trolls that popped up out of the ice 200 YARDS in front of the party. The rogue had been scouting, and was 20 feet on the other side of the trolls. We were around 5th level, and this gnome rogue had a 4 strength, and was encumbered by carrying his dagger. Somehow, he made it back to the party in 2 rounds without taking any AoOs. Later on, to see if there was danger ahead, we'd just toss him into a room and shut the door...
4. He was a slave to the table of "what wealth should the PCs have by X level", but he would go through the books to find the worst treasure possible to fulfill the requirements. +1 half-plate (everyone was a light armor guy, and MW full plate is better), +1 exotic weapons (that no one was proficient in, nor wanted to be), and really specialized stuff, like helms of underwater action. We would then try to sell this garbage and get something marginally useful. All so that the DM could say, "well, I give you the right value of stuff!"
5. After telling him (and gaining approval) that I wanted to pursue a prestige class (loremaster), we were on the way to a city. I told him two weeks before the game night that my PC would go to the library, seek a loremaster, and try to roleplay a little bit of training. Sure enough, on game night my PC goes to the library, finds a loremaster, and tries to engage him in conversation. Nothing. It was like being stuck in an old Atari RPG. I asked him why, and he said, "I hadn't planned on anything."
After all this, half of his players staged an "intervention", asking him to step aside as DM for a few sessions. He said no, and the game folded within two weeks.
Sad.
OfficeRonin
Silver Moon
Adventurer
Two boneheaded calls come to mind.
As a DM I once made the mistake of letting a player who I trusted bring a playing character in from another group without first checking the sheet. It was filled to the brim with powerful magic that threw the group off balance.
As a player, I once had a high-level half-orc fighter who had a group of 1st and 2nd level orc followers. I asked the DM if the followers could join him on the adventure, and the DM said "sure", assumed they would all soon be dead. Several games later they were still kicking. The party enters what turns out to be a dragon's lair, and as the dragon rises up the orc followers all turn and flee in panic. Now, if YOU were an adult dragon with an 16 intelligence, and you saw two separate groups of characters - one being high-level adventurers charging at you with weapons, and the other being low-level orcs running away from you, which would you use your breath weapon on? You guessed it, the orcs got toasted, and the players took down the dragon before he could get another breath weapon off.
As a DM I once made the mistake of letting a player who I trusted bring a playing character in from another group without first checking the sheet. It was filled to the brim with powerful magic that threw the group off balance.
As a player, I once had a high-level half-orc fighter who had a group of 1st and 2nd level orc followers. I asked the DM if the followers could join him on the adventure, and the DM said "sure", assumed they would all soon be dead. Several games later they were still kicking. The party enters what turns out to be a dragon's lair, and as the dragon rises up the orc followers all turn and flee in panic. Now, if YOU were an adult dragon with an 16 intelligence, and you saw two separate groups of characters - one being high-level adventurers charging at you with weapons, and the other being low-level orcs running away from you, which would you use your breath weapon on? You guessed it, the orcs got toasted, and the players took down the dragon before he could get another breath weapon off.
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Here are three of my most recent "mistakes" (all from the same campaign).
1. I had an NPC become possessed by a ghost. Not knowing what they were facing, when the NPC started acting weird they cast charm on him... and it worked. You see, I forgot the whole mind-effecting immunity thing for undead. It worked out great though since the more friendly NPC was able to provide a good deal of exposition and convince the PCs to assist him on his mission (that otherwise he was going to attempt to cooerce them). They never would have known I screwed up until I mentioned later that the NPC was possessed by a ghost. Oops!
2. I like to give my NPCs unique speech patterns so they are quickly discernable when I am controlling a group. Anyways, I had an NPC treant sppeeeakkkk vverrrrrrrrrrrryyy ssssllllloowwwllly. The players were quite obviously annoyed and could not take this somewhat serious character, well seriously. Still, I had maintained at least a modicum of respect for the treant, until a player remarked that the treant was mentally challenged. I had the treant remark, "IIII ammmmm nnnoott aaa trreeetarrrrd". The players were laughing for months afterward and have had trouble taking any NPC with any sort of an accent seriously since then. Oh well, so much for flavor.
3. The PCs had just slain a basilisk and were looking around for additional dangers lurking within the cave. I had the PCs make a Spot check. All those who succeeded caught the gaze of the awaiting medusa and were quickly turned to stone. Every player but one thought the skill check had been a wickedly funny trick. The one however thought that having those who succeed at a skill check be "punished" was grossly unjust. He continued to complain for months. Still, the ensuing battle went well and gave some overlooked characters a chance to shine, so I felt justified in the end.
I have enough rules lawyers in the group to prevent most rule errors and they are generally good natured when I screw up, so no harm done I suppose. Mistakes happen. Enjoy them.
1. I had an NPC become possessed by a ghost. Not knowing what they were facing, when the NPC started acting weird they cast charm on him... and it worked. You see, I forgot the whole mind-effecting immunity thing for undead. It worked out great though since the more friendly NPC was able to provide a good deal of exposition and convince the PCs to assist him on his mission (that otherwise he was going to attempt to cooerce them). They never would have known I screwed up until I mentioned later that the NPC was possessed by a ghost. Oops!
2. I like to give my NPCs unique speech patterns so they are quickly discernable when I am controlling a group. Anyways, I had an NPC treant sppeeeakkkk vverrrrrrrrrrrryyy ssssllllloowwwllly. The players were quite obviously annoyed and could not take this somewhat serious character, well seriously. Still, I had maintained at least a modicum of respect for the treant, until a player remarked that the treant was mentally challenged. I had the treant remark, "IIII ammmmm nnnoott aaa trreeetarrrrd". The players were laughing for months afterward and have had trouble taking any NPC with any sort of an accent seriously since then. Oh well, so much for flavor.
3. The PCs had just slain a basilisk and were looking around for additional dangers lurking within the cave. I had the PCs make a Spot check. All those who succeeded caught the gaze of the awaiting medusa and were quickly turned to stone. Every player but one thought the skill check had been a wickedly funny trick. The one however thought that having those who succeed at a skill check be "punished" was grossly unjust. He continued to complain for months. Still, the ensuing battle went well and gave some overlooked characters a chance to shine, so I felt justified in the end.
I have enough rules lawyers in the group to prevent most rule errors and they are generally good natured when I screw up, so no harm done I suppose. Mistakes happen. Enjoy them.
Sanackranib
First Post
worst judgement
last time I was a player the DM tried to get me to go along with his plotline but ran it in such a way that my character was diametrically opposed to it. so he offers me a deal (part of which was acceass to a book of vile darkness) so I weighed the trade in power vs. selling out and I decided to sell out for power in the intrest of the game. my only stipulation was that I NPC's making the deal show me that they could live up to their end. so they summoned their God or somthing, he was pissed and cast some epic level spell that did 44d6. (did I mention I was a lev5 priest (velsharoon)/level 5 mage (necromancer) 44d6
needless to say that ended that campaign for me, since I was hosting it at my house they wound up having to find a new place to have it as well. all for trying to verify that they could live up to their end. 44 friggin' d6. good grief!
last time I was a player the DM tried to get me to go along with his plotline but ran it in such a way that my character was diametrically opposed to it. so he offers me a deal (part of which was acceass to a book of vile darkness) so I weighed the trade in power vs. selling out and I decided to sell out for power in the intrest of the game. my only stipulation was that I NPC's making the deal show me that they could live up to their end. so they summoned their God or somthing, he was pissed and cast some epic level spell that did 44d6. (did I mention I was a lev5 priest (velsharoon)/level 5 mage (necromancer) 44d6
needless to say that ended that campaign for me, since I was hosting it at my house they wound up having to find a new place to have it as well. all for trying to verify that they could live up to their end. 44 friggin' d6. good grief!
Ukyo the undead
First Post
Please...one minute of silence...
Well... this one is a kind of legend in Brazil..
At a RPG convention, a newbie DM was dming a adventure to a group of players. Everything was being all right until he said:
DM:When you are walking into the woods, you all hear very loud noises, like a giant walking...
The players started to worry...
DM: And you all see a giant red lizard....THE TARRASQUE!!!!
Almost all players: AHHHH!!! run for your lives!!!
They knew they weren´t supposed to outrun the Big lizard, and were just waiting their deaths, when a rookie player, playing a wizard, said:
wizard: I CAST SLEEP ON THE TARRASQUE.
Then, for everyone surprise..
DM: Ok, he slept.
the other players: What...? Well, now we have a chance! Run for your lives!!
Wizard: Wait... I take my dagger...and cut the Tarrasque´s throat.
DM: ahn...ok.
Well... everybody in the game table stopped breathing... no one believing it...
Then a lurker stood up, walked to the stage, picked the microphone and said:
PLEASE, EVERYONE, BE QUIET... I WANT ASK FOR ONE MINUTE OF SILENCE...FOR THE DEATH OF THE TARRASQUE..
Well, that´s a bad Dm´s judgement call.
Well... this one is a kind of legend in Brazil..
At a RPG convention, a newbie DM was dming a adventure to a group of players. Everything was being all right until he said:
DM:When you are walking into the woods, you all hear very loud noises, like a giant walking...
The players started to worry...
DM: And you all see a giant red lizard....THE TARRASQUE!!!!
Almost all players: AHHHH!!! run for your lives!!!
They knew they weren´t supposed to outrun the Big lizard, and were just waiting their deaths, when a rookie player, playing a wizard, said:
wizard: I CAST SLEEP ON THE TARRASQUE.
Then, for everyone surprise..
DM: Ok, he slept.
the other players: What...? Well, now we have a chance! Run for your lives!!
Wizard: Wait... I take my dagger...and cut the Tarrasque´s throat.
DM: ahn...ok.
Well... everybody in the game table stopped breathing... no one believing it...
Then a lurker stood up, walked to the stage, picked the microphone and said:
PLEASE, EVERYONE, BE QUIET... I WANT ASK FOR ONE MINUTE OF SILENCE...FOR THE DEATH OF THE TARRASQUE..
Well, that´s a bad Dm´s judgement call.
Sanackranib
First Post
THE death
LOL!
I soppose that they were all 1st level characters as well.
LOL!
I soppose that they were all 1st level characters as well.
Ukyo the undead
First Post
Indeed they were.
Another time I started a AD&D campaign with some friends. None of us really knew the system including myself, the DM. Then I started the most non-bloodiest and ridiculous fight of all time:
THE BLIND KOBOLDS X THE DRUNKEN PCs
Simply because I forgot to ad to the base thaco ( 20) any modifier for enemies´AC and attacker´s strenght.
It means that everyone needed a natural 20 to hit anyone. Even the mage.
Well, it was a very long and frustrating battle.
Another time I started a AD&D campaign with some friends. None of us really knew the system including myself, the DM. Then I started the most non-bloodiest and ridiculous fight of all time:
THE BLIND KOBOLDS X THE DRUNKEN PCs
Simply because I forgot to ad to the base thaco ( 20) any modifier for enemies´AC and attacker´s strenght.
It means that everyone needed a natural 20 to hit anyone. Even the mage.
Well, it was a very long and frustrating battle.
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