Alia Blackburn's page

Thank you everyone for the advice. I sat down and talked with each of my players to get how they feel about this. They're very neutral, one leaning on the side of kicking her out if she doesn't improved. I've talked to her and understand where she is coming from a bit better. I'm giving her two sessions to at least be more of a team player, if not I'm booting her. It gives her a chance to improve but also lets her know she runs the risk of leaving the table completely if she doesn't at least be on the team.

So recently some friends and I decided to do a new campaign and I should take the reins as DM. It's been amazing until we added a new player. I was excited at firs but as the sessions went on it became apparent that she did not wish to be a team player. She decided to play a mute ranger which I was fine with, it was an interesting idea. But, as a ranger in combat she kept running off by herself and getting put in critical danger, and role playing she would be utterly disrespectful to nobles, guards and even other players. She ended up betraying the party for their first big bad which ended up with the party killing her. Her reasoning was that the party wasn't bonding with her.

The party did reach out to her. Two memebers tried to learn sign language to communicate better, even asking her to teach them but she shot them down. Invited out to the town, she said no. She also insulted many NPCs included 3 nobles, two of which were housing her, the deputy of the town, and the entire party.

I have tried to work with her. Her new character started out promising only for her to press all the party members to tell them everything about themselves, which many have dark past and don't open up so easily. They continuously try to bully one players character. They don't participate in combat. I even had a scene and they, in spite of being all about the laws, started strangling a man in the middle of town in the middle of the day! They're suppose to be LG!

They continually insult and demean other player characters and even if it's in character. The players and myself are not enjoying playing with her and none of the PCs like her character. I'm going to talk with her about all this but I did this before with the mite ranger and she doesn't listen.

Do any other DMs have experience with this sort of thing? And how did you handle it? I'm going to talk more with her tonight about her and her characters actions and how that is impacting others and the game.

I'm fine with a bit of chaos but her chaos isn't the fun type! The fun type was my players drugging a body and overdosing a monster!

Ascalaphus, thank you! This is exactly the kind of advice I was looking for. Knowing this makes me feel much more confident that I can plan combat so that everyone can shine!

Undead can be fun to play with if the GM allows. One time I played with someone who was undead and kept it hidden from the entire group. Though he always found a way out of it when Detect Undead was used. He passed it off most the time as there must be something undead in his old bag of holding, so if they wanted they were free to go in and find it.

I don't want to throw him under the bus, and I do want to let him shine in combat where he is the best at. Since, like others said, the others will shine in roleplaying. I guess a better way to word all this is how to, if he does prove to be league a head of everyone else (since the campaign has yet to star), make combat fair for everyone?

So far from what I gathered people have suggested...

-Nerf his damage. Which is bad cause he does have knowledge of like all monsters. And it defeats what he wants to do with his characters. I also don't think that that would build good DM-Player relations.

-Buff the others. I wouldn't mind that but giving them free or even planned loot to put them on a even playing ground he will likely feel left out by not receiving a buff.

-Let him stomp out combat. Yes, this would be fair but as I stated the others also enjoy combat.

What I will do. Is talk to him about how this campaign will be, some of the issues I'm worried about and discuss these with him and the other players to help build up a solution.

See I really like the last one. I'm currently playing an Aasimar bard and I'm only putting ranks into skills she used last level because she worked on improving them. While I tend to lean more towards setting up feats to make since I've enjoyed playing her a lot.

If you enjoy playing like that sometimes a low start level would be interesting. What are some of you concepts? I would love to hear them!

I guess it might not be as strong as I think it might be. I might just be nervous about combat in general as I know it's the thing he loves and I already feel as if combat is my weakest area as a DM. Thank you all for the help. I should just plan basic level one encounters to test waters and see how things go and if I need help again.

So through my years of being a player I've played with a wide amount of people and noticed a few themes with those I've played with repeatedly. I have a friend that no matter who we play they end up being really great friends. A loner sorceress and a bubbly monk, a pretending to be stupid fighter and sassy bard, an sweetheart arcanist and sarcastic assassin. Even if their personalities are quite different we always end up being best of friends by the end of our adventures.

I have another friend, who is now my boyfriend, our characters got together romantically. Even if we don't intend them to be. This could be because of our own relationship.

I just wanted to hear stories of other people's experiences of this types of situations and how they played out! I would love to hear them and how your characters became friends or even more!

I love planning everything. I'm a pretty new DM but I enjoy sitting down and designing the dungeons, planning out encounters, loot, and major events that need to happen.

For me I find it to be fun and a challenge to try to react to what my players do what I didn't plan for. Because I've learned no matter how much you know the player and their character they will ALWAYS do something you don't plan for.

Aside from that I enjoy being a player and reacting more. I love learning all about what the DM did and the love they poured into NPCs.

I've always wanted to play a Gnoll. But I do love any animal races such as Kitsune, Catfolk, and all the others. Has anyone played normally considered monsters such as Lamia and Centaurs?

Ah, he dropped the Spellblade part.

I'm suspecting the original idea was a Tiefling Bladebound, Kensai, Spellblade Magus.

Yes actually, that's what he's doing. I got him to drop one of those, though at the top of my head I can't remember what it is.

Also, a lot of you are assuming the others don't even like combat. They do enjoy it, it's just not what they LOVE THE MOST ABOUT THE GAME.

The main thing I'm worried about is not the fact he is a power gamer (which is the term I should have used). It's that I fear I won't be able to cater to his and the other combat wants and needs at future levels. In order to make combat challenging for him a tougher monster would be needed, but this monster if the others tried to go against would die outright and might not even damage it. I don't want to make it so the other players don't even want to engage in combat knowing that there is only one player who can handle it.

I'm not talking a boss. I'm talking normal encounters.

I want to repeat. THE OTHER FOUR DO ENJOY COMBAT.

I have talked to him about this. In fact, he told me that he wouldn't try to 'actively break my game'. Which from knowing him for about two years actually means something scarily enough. I even talked him out of playing a race that was more monster than anything else, and talked him out of stacking three archetypes.

As for Chess Pwn, I don't want just one person to stomp the encounters. The others are good, just don't optimally build or have the best build, it's just not their play style. They like combat but that's not the thing they *LOVE* about D&D. All five enjoy combat and all five like to feel useful during it. I don't think it's fair to have him be the only one who can take out things in combat.

Ryan, I really do like your idea. I never thought of secretly deducting some of the damage players do before. It could make it much more balance until they all hit that stage of evenness. One of his archetypes will allow him to get an intelligent weapon at some point, and I could factor in how the weapon itself 'feels' or 'thinks'.

I guess it will all depend on how things play out. You're both right I should make sure before we start to talk to him so he understands.

Alright, so I'm starting a new campaign in the summer with me and a few friends. It's basically a horror campaign with undead and mind-messing ups. Standard fun and hurt/comfort.

Aside from my biggest issue with working on the first level 1 encounters to build up to the horror is one player I have. He is a min-maxer. From his stats, to feats, to skills, everything has to be min-maxed so he ramps up in strength pretty fast. He's even taking on TWO archetypes which I didn't know you could do until I looked deeper into the rulebooks. Now, I'm not saying this is a bad thing or the wrong way to play. The issue lies with.

He's the only min-maxer in the group.

Everyone else plays how they want even if it's not the optimal or best way. Heck, one wanted to be a healer but didn't want to be a cleric so they're a witch. Which is perfectly fine.

Now, I've had issues with this player before by being a PC with him in the group with me, and him when he DMed. He values the rulebook ABOVE the what the DM says and tries to FIGHT the DM on the rules. He zeros in on the wording and will try to break games and find loopholes. "Well, it's worded like this which means I can't NOT do that." Now, I understand rules are important but the DM is GOD in their campaign. If they don't want a certain rule they can through it out. I had a DM who hated confirm crits so he just go rid of them and changed how one adds their stuff to attack rolls.

I want to have combat be fun, but adding in that there's this level 1 who is already PRIMED and above everyone else in adding things to die rolls and will only get stronger (I mean duh) it's a bit daunting.

He only finds fun in combat. So when planning this campaign I asked each player what they love the most and what they hate the most so I could find an even ground for everyone. 4/5 love the roleplaying and learning about each others characters and any NPCS. They also said while combat is fun they don't value it too highly as long as there is some for each session, doesn't have to be fancy or anything. 1/5 said they're not a strong roleplayer and don't care much for NPCs ar all but they love combat and being able to wreck things and being the strongest they can be.

So you see my issue. A min-maxer who loves combat and dislikes roleplaying. And four who don't min-max, neutral about combat, and love roleplaying.

How can I deal with him? I know if I bend or remove or deny any rules he'll fight me on them to the point it might ruin the game for the others. And in order to make combat and future combat challenging for him it could spell certain death for the other four who aren't min-maxing. When the other players are enjoying chatting up NPCs and learning about them he'll be bored out of his mind.

What do I do to prevent any conflicts and make him understand I'm the DM my word is law even if it's written a certain way in the rulebook? Please help.