Fiery Diamond
2010-02-23, 10:02 PM
So, yeah. I'm DMing a gestalt campaign. There are four players, each playing a PC: Ranger//Rogue (easily the weakest, since she has no full casting- she's a tank, too *headsmack*); Ranger//Druid (the resident battlefield control guy, does a good job of it too); Monk//Sorcerer (primarily a blaster, does the most damage in general); and Cleric//Bard. The last of the group is my problem.
See, she thinks she's experienced with D&D. She even writes D&D-based fiction. However, despite the fact that both the Tank and the BC guy have less gaming experience than she does, she is the one who knows what she's doing the least. She's a freaking cleric, and she's a feaking bard. You know what her complaint is? "I feel like I'm useless, since the only way I ever help is by healing! I do the least amount of damage of anyone!"
*sigh*
This is despite the fact that she is constantly trying to do "clever" things like "I have a great idea! I'm going to get a giant piece of paper and put a sepia snake sigil on it and hold it up in combat so that the enemy sorcerer will get paralyzed by it 'cuz he can't help but read it!" Not to mention, she one-shotted three Chaos Beasts by banishing them. And yet, she complains.
So, what I would like is some help on assisting her in playing her character well mechanically. Ground rules: Core only unless I give permission (which means almost all core since she's too lazy to look up anything else and she doesn't own any other books); she will not ever be multiclassing - straight Bard//Cleric; she's just about to level up to level 9. Her weapons consist of a rapier and a whip, which she never uses, despite the fact that she got the whip with the intent to trip people. She wants to be primarily built around messing with people's minds.
Please, advise me on how to advise her.
See, she thinks she's experienced with D&D. She even writes D&D-based fiction. However, despite the fact that both the Tank and the BC guy have less gaming experience than she does, she is the one who knows what she's doing the least. She's a freaking cleric, and she's a feaking bard. You know what her complaint is? "I feel like I'm useless, since the only way I ever help is by healing! I do the least amount of damage of anyone!"
*sigh*
This is despite the fact that she is constantly trying to do "clever" things like "I have a great idea! I'm going to get a giant piece of paper and put a sepia snake sigil on it and hold it up in combat so that the enemy sorcerer will get paralyzed by it 'cuz he can't help but read it!" Not to mention, she one-shotted three Chaos Beasts by banishing them. And yet, she complains.
So, what I would like is some help on assisting her in playing her character well mechanically. Ground rules: Core only unless I give permission (which means almost all core since she's too lazy to look up anything else and she doesn't own any other books); she will not ever be multiclassing - straight Bard//Cleric; she's just about to level up to level 9. Her weapons consist of a rapier and a whip, which she never uses, despite the fact that she got the whip with the intent to trip people. She wants to be primarily built around messing with people's minds.
Please, advise me on how to advise her.