Problem player/(possible not definite) munchkin

[Utopia724]

So there is this player in my group which almost always plays 3.5 2ith applicable 3.0 material and occasional random d20 games. Almost all of us DM once in a while but I'll only cover the player based issues here. So to start he's a rules lawyer and that normally isn't a problem he's just big on rules. The problem is either interpretation or musunderstandings. Such as when reading the warlock class he believes that he is entitled an eldritch blast attack every turn regardless of if he double moved, used an invocation or made a melee attack. He also is insistent on playing as powerful of a race as possible putting stress on those that DM and try to be lax so as not to limit and just keep a general don't do 100's of damage a hit guaranteed without burning through resource such as spell slots and don't do pun-pun crap. That last bit hasn't been am issue we just toughed out limiting options and LA. LA to him isn't an issue as he normally plays some melee character with ridonk strength. But again, not recently an issue. The biggest issue is he's a hothead and can't accept being wrong and when the stress builds it blows up into an arguement in which he generally still won't believe he was wrong. How would you guys deal with a high-op rules lawyering hothead like this? I mostly want a way to calmly explain it because he gets irrational when angry so I believe it to be the best way to get through to him

[Darth Ultron]

I will go on record and say don't ''talk to the player", but I'm sure many others will say do that.

A great way to deal with a hot head...one that always works...is to simply not let them get ''hot".

A great way that works in an RPG is to simply put the character in their own solo game, within the main game. Really, just let him do ''whatever" he wants....just don't let it effect the main game.

[DeTess]

I'd say this is 100% an out-of-game issue, so you should avoid trying to solve it using in-game methods. I don't know this guy, so I can't give any precise advice. I'd imagine talking to him completely separate from the game, and just calmly explaining the issue ("Hey, you've got this tendency to get really argumentative while playing, which is hurting my enjoyment, etc."), but I don't know whether that's an option or not, or whether he'll take that personal as well.

[tstewt1921]

As a DM you have to say no to some things, you build the world and provide the rules they will be playing by, if he wants to play outside those rules then just tell him no and explain that his character, race or whatever doesn't fit in the timeline or story. When it comes to the game and the rules there is always one rule greater than any rule written in the books and that is rule 0, whatever the DM says goes.

[bean illus]

Does he know about gitp? Tell him truthfully that you check all your questions here.

He will either have to accept most of your decisions, or he can sink his aggression into the well moderated, near infinite, anonymous, energy sucking black hole of trying to be stupid here in the playground.

If that doesn't work, use rule zer0 as pleasantly as possible. Try saying; 'I'm looking to DM a certain flavor. If a player has a question, just try playing it my way first, and if your underpowered we'll give it another look'.

[Mordaedil]

Tell him to read his class. Under Invocations, it says "A warlock's invocations are spell-like abilities; using an invocation is therefore a standard action that provokes attacks of opportunity." And next to Eldritch Blast entry is a little (Sp) which means, you guessed it, a spell-like ability is therefore a standard action that provokes attacks of opportunity.