Indecisive Player and his Character

[atemu1234]

I have a player who wants to later go on to be able to DM his own group (it's half the reason he's around). As such, I have been doing my best to teach him the game.

He starts off with a character idea (normal), but then proceeds to decide he also wants it to do something else (a second idea). He then tries to combine the two. Then he comes up with a third, a fourth, a fifth idea... so on, so forth. In the end, he always comes to me to build his character (because apparently I am a wise elder [let's forget he's almost a year older than me]). When I say I cannot do it, he wants the build to do too much, he either gets angry with me (never aggressively, though), saying that I've helped the other people make their ideas, or he gets sulky because he can't play the character he wanted.

He's been trying to build a Conjurer, then he gets 3/4 of the way through and decides he wants to play something else. How the hell am I supposed to get him to pick one concept and stick with it?

[Necromancy]

New rule! New characters always come in 1 level below lowest living party member

[Tohsaka Rin]

Get a normal water glass.

Get four or five different flavored sodas.

Label each one with the name of a class he wants to take.

Pour an equal amount of each into the glass.

????

Profit!

Seriously. Explain to him that while Ginger Ale and OJ go together fine, adding root beer, pepsi, grape soda, ect ect... Is just a sludgy mess.

Also, y'know, don't actually let him drink it, if he's the kind of stubborn person who thinks performing a foolish action will somehow prove a point.

Ninja'd EDIT - Necromancy, what if (somewhat topically ironically) the party is made up entirely of undead or constructs? :D

[Necromancy]

I forgot to mention/specify it only applies to your own characters and its minimum 1 level below party/or the highest level you have achieved (DMs choice here).

I wouldn't impose anything under level 1.

Basic example.
Level 5 party,
Rerolls are level 4.
He does it again? Well his 4 is still alive so that's a level 3.
The level 4 died? He can make another 4
He made a level 4, 3, 2, and 1? and the 1 is still alive? Guess you'll be playing him today.

Eventually he will lag behind the party and wise up. Fortunately with the exp curve he will more or less catch up eventually.

[pwcsponson]

Step 1: Be a wizard.
Step 2: What does he feel like being today?
Step 3: Take spells that let him be that.
Step 4: ???
Step 5: Prophet

Step 1: Be a factotum.
Step 2: What does he feel like being today?
Step 3: Oh right.
Step 4: ???
Step 5: Profit

[KillianHawkeye]

I forgot to mention/specify it only applies to your own characters and its minimum 1 level below party/or the highest level you have achieved (DMs choice here).

I wouldn't impose anything under level 1.

Basic example.
Level 5 party,
Rerolls are level 4.
He does it again? Well his 4 is still alive so that's a level 3.
The level 4 died? He can make another 4
He made a level 4, 3, 2, and 1? and the 1 is still alive? Guess you'll be playing him today.

Eventually he will lag behind the party and wise up. Fortunately with the exp curve he will more or less catch up eventually.

I don't think you're understanding the OP's problem correctly. We're not talking about somebody who starts playing a character and then wants to play a different character, and then another and another. We're talking about somebody who starts to make character A, then gets idea B and tries to add that to the existing character concept, then gets idea C, then gets idea D, all during the initial character creation process resulting in character concepts that are just too complicated.

[(Un)Inspired]

Have you tried telling the player that you were able to help other player's with their builds because they were more focused?

He seems to expect you to be able to put everything together for him. Have you tried telling him that you simply don't know how to build the type of character he wants? (Even if you don't know how to do it because it's a conceptual mess).

[Janthkin]

He starts off with a character idea (normal), but then proceeds to decide he also wants it to do something else (a second idea). He then tries to combine the two. Then he comes up with a third, a fourth, a fifth idea... so on, so forth. So, he wants to be a Druid.

[Eloel]

Give him a Changeling Chameleon.

[Oneris]

The answer to your problem is to get him into Chameleon (Races of Destiny). It literally can change between class features every day, and it you stick with it for 7 levels, you can be two classes at once.

The Arcane and Divine spellcaster versions have access to every single arcane or divine spell from every class list, so bonus.

Edit: Swordsage'd

[ZamielVanWeber]

This sounds like a problem I used to have; if he is anything like me chameleon won't appeal to him much.
I found what eventually broke me of this habit was investing myself heavily into characters; even then I had issues, but those tend to be because I have other worries. (Last time I gave up playing a beguiler/shadowcraft mage because the next strongest in the party was a dragon shaman; I changed over to a paladin/fist of raziel).

[atemu1234]

Have you tried telling the player that you were able to help other player's with their builds because they were more focused?

He seems to expect you to be able to put everything together for him. Have you tried telling him that you simply don't know how to build the type of character he wants? (Even if you don't know how to do it because it's a conceptual mess).

Yes. I explained. At length. It's the final step of the cycle, before we get to the next week and he says, "Hey, Xian, I have a new idea for a character! "

[ZamielVanWeber]

Try making him write a backstory for each character. Minimum length one page, single space, 12 point font, Times New Roman. Coming up with ideas for this character should make him a bit more attached and slow down his rapid fire builds.

If this fails 1) pile of free NPCs! 2) tell him "I am sorry but no. We need to keep continuity for the party and constantly having to add characters is disruptive. I will need you to please pick one and stick with it."

[Judge_Worm]

Have you considered letting them use the generic classes in UA? They're not going to overpower anything, and it let's them have parts of b, c, and d while still playing a.

[Crake]

And this is why I always start my games at level 1 where all players are nobodies that are ready to build their own legacy with their own bare hands. Incidentally, letting a character grow organically is also lots of fun! (Though doing a bit of forward planning is still recommended, due to the way 3.5 is about pre-requisites and whatnot)

To your player I would just say "Just build a level 1 character, don't make too many plans as to where you want it to go, just a good general idea, and let the character grow from there". That would either let him play the game and find an area he likes that he will focus on with each levelup. Or he will multiclass like no other trying to make a bad character concept and feel the pain of trying to put your finger in all the (black)puddings.