New DM, I need help! :[

[Cydia]

Hey guys,
I'm running my first d&d 3.5 campaign. My players are amazing, except one...I know he is lying about his dice rolling, my other players have caught him doing this. He has tried to lie about rules, and I do not believe he is being completely honest with us about his character and what his character is actually able to do...I'm gonna have everyone start rolling on the table, and I'm going to be collecting character sheets...
I'm at a loss on what to do...any suggestions? I need help! :smallfrown:

[Gavinfoxx]

Just tell him that everyone is going to be rolling out in the open, and you are going to have to collect everyone's character sheet to check them for errors and make a copy. You'll give them back when you are done.

[hex0]

Take him aside and politely tell him to knock it off. Also, dice rolls of players should almost always be in the open. (on the table)

Point him in the direction of the Luck feats if he is so worried about rolling poorly.

[skycycle blues]

Why weren't people already rolling on the table?

Check character sheets. Don't take his word on things, check them yourself. Make sure he isn't using anything you don't approve of. If he's cheating, don't let him play with you.

You're the DM, you have final call on what he's allowed to do.

[KillianHawkeye]

First, his character should have been approved by you to begin with so you knew what it is capable of. If he's using material you're not very familiar with, either don't allow it or get familiar with it.

Second, you should at least review everyone's sheets every so often to make sure that no errors, intentional or unintentional, crop up.

Since you are the DM, he shouldn't be able to lie about rules unless he is taking advantage of your lack of rules knowledge. Having a solid grasp of the rules and being familiar with the specific abilities of the PCs will allow you to avoid his influence. You are the DM, so you make the rules.

Finally, if he continues to cheat his dice rolls even after you call him on it, then you can either get the whole group to help in policing him or just don't bother inviting him to your games anymore.

[Bloodgruve]

I game with a player that clears the dice very quickly if a roll of 5 or less shows. Sometimes quicker than others can catch it. Most of the time the rolls are successful even though her initial thought is that it failed, so she kind of reverse cheats ;) We have ask her not to clear so quickly but I usually watch her rolls closely.

If a player would cheat in one of my games I would call him out at the first possible chance that you see it happen and have proof. Accusation in front of peers usually does a good job of stopping the unwanted behavior, just make sure you're in the right.. Or maybe he will quit, either way the solution was found.

GL
Blood~

[Anxe]

Rolling on the table in full view for players is something every group I've come across does. Same for having the DM check the character sheet. Just tell everyone that. If he's still obnoxious then the obvious conclusion is that he doesn't want to do what everyone else is doing, so he doesn't get to play.

[Anderlith]

I don't know why everyone isn't rolling out in the open already (even the DM) Next time you think he is cheating give him a Yahtzee cup & tell him to roll on the table from now on.

Why didn't you check & double check the character sheets at the start & keep a database of their growth?

[Cydia]

My players consist of my boyfriend (no worries no favoritism), our good friend, and the trouble player..I trust my boyfriend and our good friend to have my back because I am still a noob, i'll admit it, and they have had my back, thats how I know he's lying about rules.
As for the dice rolling on the table, I didn't think it was a big deal until our friend caught him, then caught him again...I try to give everyone a chance, but he has definitely pushed my buttons...I just dont wanna cause a big deal and I know if I approach the situation even slightly wrong he will blow up...

also the character sheets, I trust my players, just not him....I am still new...

[Zhirax]

Hey and welcome to the magical world of dm'ing 3.5

i have had the precise same problem. he rolled and picked up the die right after rolling it and tried to bend the rules whenever he could

i tried different things to make him stop, but he never did and never will.

i tried:
1. talking with him
2. outing his cheating
3. making all roll together in the open '

then i tried a different approach.
i gave him indgame challenges that couldn't be overcome by dice roll, and when i finally let him roll dice i made a big deal out of it, pumping it up so everybody was looking at him and observing. this worked he fought it in the start but at last he cheated less and all was good:)

second don't trample him, people that cheat wants to succeed and be awesome. let them do it, if i doesn't ruin your game and story let him heat if it makes him happy.

lastly if this is not a friend that you want to keep, tell him that you wont tolerate cheating as it ruins the experience for you and the others. and if he can't accept it he can't game with you anymore

[KillianHawkeye]

As for the dice rolling on the table, I didn't think it was a big deal until our friend caught him, then caught him again...I try to give everyone a chance, but he has definitely pushed my buttons...I just dont wanna cause a big deal and I know if I approach the situation even slightly wrong he will blow up...

also the character sheets, I trust my players, just not him....I am still new...

I know it doesn't seem like a big deal, but establishing some standard practices will help you out in the long run.

The DM is the referee and arbiter of the game. Don't let being new make you timid.

And if he's the sort to "blow up" over something wrong that HE is doing, he certainly isn't the sort of person I would continue gaming with. But that's just my 2cp.

[Kenneth]

It is a someheat accepted rule that you roll out in the open (except for the secret rolls the DM must do) and that your character and character sheet needs final approval from the DM.

approval is there for many reason, maybe you are playing an elve-before teh elve cival war campaign and a dwarf would just be out of place. down to teh 'uhh how does you 1st level druid have a base attack bonus of +7?'



Its always easier to start with a firm grip then losen it up than the other way around. and by that i mean, at first be a little harsh with the rules and then ease into a more relaxed style of gaming is a much easier and more accepted way that not having many rules and then suddenly slamming an iron fist down LOL. I would alwasy expcet first time DMs to be a bit more 'harsh' than needed to as they themsevels are still getting used to the game.

[Cydia]

thank you everyone! I appreciate the feedback! :smallsmile:

[Dulenheim]

My, Late, advice to you is to check the source material he is using, and make sure he's not making things up. I'm not sure if you have house rules, but whenever you do or do not, there's always rule 0: The DM is Always right.

This may sound like going to an extreme, really, but if you feel like dropping a piano on a character, you can. Don't let anyone fight you when you run the game. Time you spend with a player arguing about rules, or letting said player complain about the rules, is wasted time you could have used to have fun with the rest of the good players :3

oh, and always make them roll in front of the others, and yell their dice results, it has worked fine with me.

Hope that helps :D