I played in a game like this once. The second time my Wizard committed suicide out of frustration over not being able to cast spells it actually worked. The first time I was saved against my will by healing. I then informed them that I was not having any fun with this game and went home. The next week we played at my house and I ran the game. I am still friends with most of the players and it was almost 10 years ago.
You do have options available to you. Offer to run a game on another night of the week, see if someone else wants to run one, find other players and start a new group. But the biggest choice is to stop being miserable in this game, or to keep playing. Everything else is just details.
Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 8
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Take a level of Barbarian!
Roleplay your Rage ability as your frustration at the lack of wizardly research opportunities in this suck-ass world.
Even if your stats aren't great, the stat boosts should help you be at least OK in melee.
If you are going to continue with this group, I recommend that you take Spell Mastery. I have a feeling that you are going to need it.
3: Embrace the suck. Have your character desperately and futiley try to use his minimal abilities plus frantic improvisation, only to fail miserably at every turn (from the sound of it, the 'failure' part will not require any action from you). Show the GM just HOW well you can roleplay by having your wizard apologize to his comrades for his uselessness at every opportunity, before going out in a blaze of ignominy in a (failed) attempt at a heroic sacrifice. Then, see '2', or more usefully, '4'.
Yessss.
You: "Arathalos the Grey performs delicate arcane gestures, and bellows 'Time, submit to my will! Haste!'"
Party: Haste? Sweet.
You: Oh no, he doesn't have Haste in his spellbook. He just remembered hearing about the spell at some point, and thought maybe he could improvise it.
I was in such a gauntlet-campaign once. Unfortunately nobody, me included, had the gumption to tell the GM that we weren't having fun. If I had it to do over again... Inform your GM that you're not enjoying the campaign, using phrasing that does not cast blame or sound judgemental, such as:
You: I'm not enjoying this campaign.
(Not "This campaign isn't fun," and not even "I don't enjoy your campaign." The difference is subtle but important if you want a serious discussion rather than just a pouty GM.)
+1.
If he's unwilling to do anything but fark your character, bail.
"I'm not having fun" would be a serious thing to say for a GM who cares at all about having a good time with you playing your character. That's the point, after all.
This guy sounds like he's 13. If he's not pubescent, he's got issues. 1e was abandoned for good reason.
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i need to hear a little more about this so i can think of a solution that doesn't sound like a grotesque act you would find in a SAW movie.
but from what i gather, if being a wizard is the problem, i wouldn't reccomend a caster of that sort. a bard or other spontaneous ally buffing oriented caster is a maybe. playing a "Submissive" build is the easiest way to schmooze most DMs (And most Groups). in fact, you should heavily roleplay the submissive tendencies as well. roleplay them to the point it makes the DM sick.
character ideas for submissive builds
life oracle focused on healing and removing conditions
buffing oriented archery bard with perform sing, act, dance, or oratory as thier primary performance
if it's you that he sees as a problem, i would reccomend taking a stress leave. doesn't have to be permanent. but maybe the stress leave will make him realize the hostilities he has performed against you.
I'm just a noob, but
1) This game sounds pretty interesting. You're the smartest guy in the party, have you figured out the secrets behind this post apocalyptic world? There HAS to be some payoff to all the weird stuff you've been put through.
2) If you're roleplaying, why is your wizard still a wizard? Have you thought about taking a level in Alchemist? They can freely learn stuff from wizard books, of which you have one. Not the best choice, I know, but it seems like a credible path your wizard might take in this post apocalyptic world.
By the way, what's the rest of the adventuring crew made of? Is everyone else having fun?
I'm just a noob, but
1) This game sounds pretty interesting. You're the smartest guy in the party, have you figured out the secrets behind this post apocalyptic world? There HAS to be some payoff to all the weird stuff you've been put through.
2) If you're roleplaying, why is your wizard still a wizard? Have you thought about taking a level in Alchemist? They can freely learn stuff from wizard books, of which you have one. Not the best choice, I know, but it seems like a credible path your wizard might take in this post apocalyptic world.
By the way, what's the rest of the adventuring crew made of? Is everyone else having fun?
About no.1, it doesn't matter how smart his character is, it doesn't matter how many skill points he has, it doesn't matter what spell he casts (when he allows him to do so), simply anything he does doesn't work.
About no.2, i am pretty sure that since the wizard can't find any material to craft anything then the alchemist won't be able to find the materials needed for bombs and mutagens, oh and by the way how does making your character suck even more (by multiclassing a wizard to alchemist) is going to help him?
as i have said in other threads: this is the kind of game i walk out of.
however, that should be a last resort, not first choice.
as someone above may have mentioned,</sarcasm> you should talk to your DM
if you intend to stick it out with your wizard i second the spell mastery feat.
if you want another spellcaster then i heartily recommend the verdent bloodline sorcerer for the following reasons.
1)good lvl 1 bloodline power.
2)good bonus spells
3)3rd level power gives you effective ring of sustanance, which sounds like it could be useful.
4)later powers allow you to heal yourself, a resource that may be rare during this campaign.
if you don't believe in sticking this out then i don't think anyone here's going to hold it against you. personally, if you aren't exaggerating (and it doesn't sound like you are) then i'd walk out if i was in your shoes.
There might have been a reason that none of the other players chose a wizard.
It's also possible that the DM has hears ridiculous people on the boards complaining about GOD wizards, and has over-reacted.
Either way, you're got to talk to this person. It's the only way out. It's not going to magically change. YOU have to take action to change it.
I'm split between saying "talk to the GM" and "bring down the campaign with you". On a personal plane the second could be easily justified by saying that you thought it would have been fun. I mean, if the GM think you have fun by being screwed, why shouldn't he believe that you thought he would have fun too.
The question is, why you still didn't talk about it with him? Just tell him that you are not having fun. It doesn't matter how you do it, but you have to be crystal clear that you really don't have fun with the way things are going: if he say again that he has his agenda, just tell him to let you know when things will change and that you won't bother playing until then.
^yup, multi-class. I think you're the type to enjoy the alchemist, so even if it won't end up being effective or useful, at least it'll be fun. Unless you've already played one, in which case I suggest playing a bard. You could sit around during battle with a scowl on your face, singing the blues. That'd be pretty funny. And maybe you'll be able to boost your knowledge checks too :).
I'm just a noob, but
1) This game sounds pretty interesting. You're the smartest guy in the party, have you figured out the secrets behind this post apocalyptic world? There HAS to be some payoff to all the weird stuff you've been put through.
2) If you're roleplaying, why is your wizard still a wizard? Have you thought about taking a level in Alchemist? They can freely learn stuff from wizard books, of which you have one. Not the best choice, I know, but it seems like a credible path your wizard might take in this post apocalyptic world.
By the way, what's the rest of the adventuring crew made of? Is everyone else having fun?
About no.1, it doesn't matter how smart his character is, it doesn't matter how many skill points he has, it doesn't matter what spell he casts (when he allows him to do so), simply anything he does doesn't work.
About no.2, i am pretty sure that since the wizard can't find any material to craft anything then the alchemist won't be able to find the materials needed for bombs and mutagens, oh and by the way how does making your character suck even more (by multiclassing a wizard to alchemist) is going to help him?
Look, first of all, he's not going to get anywhere playing the wizard as is. By multi-classing, he's basically choosing to play a Level 1 character instead of a Level 0 character. That's a step up. Also, it's an effective, good-natured form of protest that his friends will all recognize--He gets the benefits of complaining/walking away without the costs of walking away. That's a big deal, given his ties to that social circle.
If multi-classing does not, in fact, yield more benefits, then so what? The worst case scenario is that the GM basically planned to ignore and belittle him during the whole campaign anyway. The second-worst case scenario is that the GM needed him to be a high level wizard to save the world, and by multi-classing he basically ruined the overall arch of the campaign. But so what? Ruining the campaign seems to have been a pretty popular suggestion in this thread anyway. In that case, the failure's the GM's, not the player's.
Secondly, as far as multi-classing options go, Alchemists benefit from similar stats as wizards, can retain much of the spells from the wizard books, can learn spells faster than this particular wizard, and can craft faster and cheaper than every other class (not sure if he can take advantage of the crafting feats he already taken, though). It's basically a leaner, meaner wizard. Story wise, this is the best option if the wizard wants to retain some connection to his wizarding roots, assuming the magus is a non starter.
As far as crafting mutagens and the like, they don't cost more than standard spell-components, and he can make bombs with his radio-active urine if it comes down to that--And if he can't, then he'll at least have the satisfaction of throwing vials of his own urine at the enemy. Epic win. Auto-critical every time, if I was the GM.
At the whole intelligence score thing--That was an appeal to role play. If he's roleplaying a smart character who's effectively powerless, the role-play appropriate thing to do might be to fight for more power and relevance, OR it might be to figure out the mystery. Not by rolling a dice, mind you, but by sleuthing out the world (not sleuthing out the GM by making fake rolls). Chances are the GM sucks, and is involved in bad game design. But if you're going to give him a chance, then give him the best chance you can.
Sounds like the DM has picked you as whipping boy. Been in that spot once or twice myself. Are you by chance a young person playing with a crowd of older gamers? I've noticed a trend in my time of some DMs being dismissive towards younger players at their table. Regardless, I wouldn't waste any more time on it if you're just getting dumped on the entire game.
thats expanded arcana your thinking of
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I'm curious if the orignal poster is still around and what ever happened with this.
Had a similar issue once. I played a sorcerer.
For plot reasons which he did not want to tell us, we were in a place where we could not use magic for 3-4 sessions. (Basically, the final boss, a lich would detect us if we used any magic at all. Personally, I think that's a stupid reason as the damn lich could have warded its area or cast some scrying stuff, but whatever)
The Druid in the party could still wildshape as it was a supernatural ability
The Cleric could fight as she had 3/4 BAB
I have BAB, proficient only with simple weapons, and had a +0 to str (i was a blaster sorcerer. Not the best build, I know)
So I had to pretty much sit on the sideline for 3 sessions. By the third one I got so fed up, I started casting spells out of spite. We had an encounter, so I cast a few buffs. DM got pissed and summoned some demon to attack me, thinking that would scare me straight
I told him that if he wanted to kill me, that's fine. I'd happily like to reroll a character that could actually do something. Taking away a character's main class feature may work as a gimmick for a session, given that there is a good reason and there's other stuff that can be done. But give a half assed reason and do it for 3 weeks is not enjoyable. Hell, he was surprised when he found out Sorcerers only have 1/2 HD BAB.
Anyway, he didn't kill my character. Not for a semblance of compassion, but because he needed my character alive for the plot. I'd like to point out how much I hated that I couldn't play my class, and I couldn't even get myself killed to switch out to something else because I was not allowed to.
So...yeah, just go and try to get your wizard killed and re roll a sorcerer if your DM has some vendetta against wizards. Hell, if he has a thing against casters, just roll AM BARBARIAN
Don't re-roll, just have him try things that he's clearly incapable of. Like casting healing spells on people, barbarian rages, etc.
When people ask what you're doing, explain that you're clearly not a wizard anymore, and so you're experimenting. Play with being gimped and play it up. Embrace it and enjoy it.
If he wants you as the whipping boy, this will drive him spare.
I was not warned nor was expecting this campaign to be a total post apocalypse scenario. I started at level 1 with NO SPELL BOOK, a dagger and only level 0 spell memorized (for some plot driven reason I started the game with a character that had already used his 2 level 1 spells). So, miracle! after the 3rd session I finally found my character spell book back, even with the help of the full party we fail to create any opportunity for my character to rest and actually get some spells back.
Now I am level 4 and so far using every resources at my disposal I was able to get an invisibility scroll and a protection from evil scroll, the DM did not give the party any resting chance so far therefore I was not able to learn those spells and I will not be able to do so until maybe 2-3 game sessions from now.
every time I use magic little to nothing happen, detect magic gave a monstrous headache to my character (feel unconscious once because of this) until the plot progressed to a certain point, every time I complain about my action to be useless the DM justify himself with plot related arguments that only ''he'' knows.
The initial brief of the game was pretty much: ''I will try something new and we will focus on role play and a big epic story'' (so far the role play we have is that every NPC is a douche and/or as no idea of what is going on) also most of our characters woke up in the middle of the ruins of a city that none of them knew and any tentative to get information so far have been fruitless. On the other hand one character has knowledge of the city we are in (Out and In game knowledge that is) and he knows how to get around. So even with + 10 in knowledge local I get no information...
Oh, oh. I am afraid that the other posters' suggestions to convert to sorcerer won't work. It sounds like the GM's apocalypse has messed up magic itself. Though if the divine casters are not having trouble, then only arcane magic is hosed. How powerful were the other wizards you encountered? Perhaps they did not want to share their spells because then you would know how weak those spells had become and how helpless the wizard was.
My guess is that the GM has laid out a giant mystery: survive the post-apocalypse chaos and figure out what happened. Unfortunately, he assumes that withholding clues deepens the mystery. Really, hiding the clues causes people to forget the mystery.
And unfortunately, the mystery nerfs your character. Your GM said that the party would focus on roleplaying. Your wizard is the character who would have the greatest incentive and skills to crack the mystery, which in the GM's mind would mean that your wizard would have plenty of opportunity to roleplay solving the mystery. Except that the lack of clues and time to think about the clues prevents your wizard from doing so. Point out to your GM that wandering randomly because he provides no guidance beyond the struggle for survival is not roleplaying.
If your wizard has any sense under those dire circumstances, he would multiclass. "My father always wanted me to be a FILL-IN-THE-BLANK. Wizardry has failed me. It is time to try that. Good thing he made me take lessons." What is your character's second best stat? I presume his best stat is Intelligence, but only arcane spellcasting classes strongly favor Intelligence.
If you want to stick with an arcane class, Sanjiv Jagtap's suggestion of alchemist is the best option. Even if alchemists' bombs no longer work, the alchemist's Throw Anything ability adds his Intelligence bonus to the damage of any splash weapon. If he can mix only a weak acid that does 1d2 damage with his Craft(alchemy) skill, it becomes 1d2+Int in his hands. If he can't find bottles, he can make clay pots. (I have played an alchemist in the wilderness, making extracts out of roots and fruit.)
My guess could be wrong. Maybe he wanted an extremely low-power campaign. The telltale for that would be that the best weapons the fighter could find were a dagger and a broken plank. Maybe he is copying a favorite video game and has not figured out how a wizard is supposed to fit into the setting.