New game woes

[Mjolnirbear]

Ack.

So. One of my players is going to run a game. I came up with a few concepts and one was a really lucky halfling girl child fey lock. Far traveler background. Wild sorcerer at second level. Creepy as hell from all her time in the fey.

And he shot me down. À child adventurer is just not reasonable. She'd fall and cry, or run from combat.

I get it. He's DM. He can say no. But I'm a believer in not being a burden on the party. He didnt even consider I'd have worked that issue out.

I'm restricted to phb. Every race in there is boring when played normally. I wanted something unique. I found it. But it was too unique.

Arg. Just arg. /headdesk

[Kane0]

The child part was the only objection?

Halflings are like children already, it's not much of a distinction.

[LaserFace]

TBH I wouldn't approve a child character either.

Does the campaign not have any sort of primer or setting details that establish what's acceptable, or help spark inspiration? Is there no indication of the tone of the game, or a style of play the party prefers? Maybe you can adjust the concept to fit better. A childlike prankster, or maybe a lowlife vagabond who refuses to grow up and take on responsibilities, or even a mature character who is nevertheless seen as kind-of a child by others due to inexperience (or maybe they're just a relatively young elf, instead).

If you're still struggling, maybe just skip straight to the Background section. Try to develop your concept based on character traits and imagery you find interesting. Then, pick the rest based on what serves that concept best.

[Mjolnirbear]

He was fine with the concept until he realised I didn't mean someone who looked like a character. And it's fine. But my imagination can easily supply a tough street urchin who doesn't cry because weakness gets preyed on and will run when it's smart or fight when running is a bad idea. Or a weird fey child who literally is not fazed by monsters and weird **** because in the fey wild what's one more scary hag or twisted creature compared to what she's already seen?

It's fine. It's his own homebrew world. Just that our ideas of what is interesting and logical are apparently different. Lol

[Sariel Vailo]

I allowed a child necromancer with a housecat a zombie house cat and only rhe player of that character enjoyed themself.every one else literally wanted a new character to replace the pc it was sassy and dimwitted and only 10 years old in body the character was 8000 years in spirit and ditzy by nature. So i may never let it go again uless they try to act difrent if only one player is enjoying themself it is a problem if all players or majority are fine with youre newborn just hatched dragonborn cool.

[ImproperJustice]

I guess the GM is unfamiliar with Aria Stark, X23, Harry Potter, Eragon, Rand Al'Thor, Ender Wiggin or any myriad number of child protagonists within fantastic literature?

It's one of the most common tropes in any PC group. Heck, my wife once GM'd a game where all the PCs were children and it was intensely scary/challenging.

Is your GM young and just intimidated by the idea of an unconventional character?

[Sigreid]

Why don't you see how the DM feels about shifting to early teen instead of a child. You can keep most of the concept without necessarily creeping him out.

[Hooligan]

Just play a non-child Halfling. It's basically just a cosmetic aspect of the concept anyway

[hymer]

He didnt even consider I'd have worked that issue out.

My guess would be that the reaction is to the child, rather than however the child would be played. I'd have the same reaction, proabbly while keeping myself from eyerolling. It's hard to articulate the digust with the concept of a child hero, especially instantly when face to face. So you just blurt out whatever comes first.

I agree with what several above have said: Just make the same character, but not a child.

[Decstarr]

Just play an ordinary halfling who has some special type of genetic disease which makes him/her look younger than the actual age (I'm sure stuff like that exists IRL, might require some googling.) You can still apply everything you have in the concept and maybe this PC likes posing as a younger person because he/she is always underestimated because of it. Could also have some mental issues from constantly being treated like/regarded as a child and starts to believe he/she actually is a child. If your DM's main concern was the potential risk of having a minor adventure, this might solve it.

Or give your DM some material to read, fantasy books are full of youth protagonists. I mean, just look at what Kvothe has been doing ever since he was a little boy and then say again that kids are useless :P

[Unoriginal]

Would he be ok with a teen?

[nickl_2000]

The DM may feel weird about putting a child in the situations that he has planned. I could see not wanting to potentially kill a child or put them in death traps.

Did you ask why?

[scalyfreak]

Ack.

So. One of my players is going to run a game. I came up with a few concepts and one was a really lucky halfling girl child fey lock. Far traveler background. Wild sorcerer at second level. Creepy as hell from all her time in the fey.

Devil's Advocate here:
So you want to play a child, that lives as an adult adventurer, that has infernally good luck, and the protection of a supernatural power? Please stop trying to be a special snowflake.

Devil's advocate piece over - I think your character concept sounds great. However, I can see how an inexperienced DM, or one who doesn't know you very well, might jump to conclusions. (Even though he's one of your players, he doesn't know what you are like as a player. That distinction might be a lot more important to him than it seems to be to you.)

Just a thought, and no one else has mentioned it yet.

[Slipperychicken]

I'd have disallowed it because I don't want to spend my weekends roleplaying violence against children.


I'd probably let it pass in a more lighthearted game, maybe some scooby-doo kind of investigative drama, but not a game like dnd which revolves around the PCs being engaged in constant bloodshed, mayhem, and other intense unpleasantness. It's already hard enough pushing through after characters get maimed or killed, just think about the desolation of knowing that the victim is a child on top of everything else. Or even just realizing that this child who wouldn't even be old enough to drink IRL, who is about as big as a toddler, is inflicting unimaginable pain and death on so many human beings, but is supposed to be a good guy somehow? Maybe it's because my attitudes toward children have changed somewhat, but it's just a recipe for heartbreak IMO.

[Mjolnirbear]

I might do the "looks very young" thing. I have backup concepts, they just don't pull as strongly.

I'm not disputing him saying no, and many of you have given great reasons. I'm just frustrated he didn't even know how I was gonna play it.

As for the special snowflake comment? The luck is represented solely mechanically, through halfling luck and (next level) wild magic rerolls. The protected by the power of the fey is literally the power she gets from her patron. There is no special snowflake crap going on.

[Beelzebubba]

Sounds great for Vampire, but with the kind of regular physical violence in D&D it's a bit too creepy.

[Maxilian]

Sounds great for Vampire, but with the kind of regular physical violence in D&D it's a bit too creepy.

It is creepy regardless of character (be it a young boy, a teenage girl or an 88 old woman) depending the way its described.

Its like when people play Kobolds / goblins / halfling / etc and other small / cute races, they sometimes go with the childish feel to it. (and most cases, when it comes to kobolds, they happen to be almost childs most of times)

[scalyfreak]

As for the special snowflake comment? The luck is represented solely mechanically, through halfling luck and (next level) wild magic rerolls. The protected by the power of the fey is literally the power she gets from her patron. There is no special snowflake crap going on.

Oh, I know that. Like I said, I was just playing Devil's Advocate.

[RazorChain]

Ack.

So. One of my players is going to run a game. I came up with a few concepts and one was a really lucky halfling girl child fey lock. Far traveler background. Wild sorcerer at second level. Creepy as hell from all her time in the fey.

And he shot me down. À child adventurer is just not reasonable. She'd fall and cry, or run from combat.

I get it. He's DM. He can say no. But I'm a believer in not being a burden on the party. He didnt even consider I'd have worked that issue out.

I'm restricted to phb. Every race in there is boring when played normally. I wanted something unique. I found it. But it was too unique.

Arg. Just arg. /headdesk


Circumvent it and become even more creepy. Make a character that is cursed to look like a child or trapped in a child's body. One player of mine did that and will never ever do so again as he was always treated as a child. The group even had a problem explaining why they were dragging him along considering all the social stigma they encountered. This was in a low magic world where they were more apt to be burnt for heresy or witchcraft if they tried explain that the child was cursed. The local authorities would have explained it as the child was possessed by a demon.