What's the most joy your DM has ever killed?

[Warlush]

All DMs are thieves of joy occasionally.

So what is one thing you were super excited to do in a game that the DM pooped all over? This can be a race or subclass that they flat out banned, it can be silly nerfs like adding saving throws to things that don't require saving throws(repelling blast,magic missile), or when they just don't have a firm grasp of the rules(such as refusing to allow undead minions to grapple).

Go nuts gang!

[ff7hero]

Whenever my strong monk (high str, Athletics Expertise but low dex and no Acrobatics proficiency) tried to jump gaps or climb things, if a check was needed it was always Acrobatics.

To be clear, it was to some degree targeted behavior. If I waited for someone else to try climbing/jumping they would roll Athletics. Then when I would try to follow, the situation had arbitrarily changed to require Acrobatics.

Still had a ton of fun with that character, she dominated combat and played right into the fantasy I had in mind for her, but that was the first thought I had when I saw this topic.

[Bigmouth]

This was several editions ago, but I wanted to reflavor my darts as simple spell attacks. Material components cost and weight could be the same as the darts. I just thought it would be way cooler to shoot shards of light or whatever. But all I got was a big nope.

[Ir0ns0ul]

My previous DM was asking our party to do several INT checks all the time and sometimes creating confusion between Investigation and Perception. We actually rolled much more Investigation checks than Perception through the campaign and anytime we needed to recall something or take an important decision to progress, INT check.

I’m not saying he was wrong, it actually made sense. Main problem is that our best INT stat in the party was 10. Our Wizard died by level 2 and “reborn” as a Warlock, so we got stuck a lot because of this terrible INT checks.

[Yakmala]

Was playing in an Adventurer's League game at a convention with a DM I'd never met before. Was looking forward to the module they were running since it was said to have a good mix of roleplaying, puzzles and combat.

The DM proceeded to shut down anything not specific to getting the players to the end of the module as quickly as possible, going so far as to say things along the lines of "I'm skipping this section of the dungeon because it doesn't help you unlock the magic item." or "This NPC doesn't give you anything so let's just move on."

They surgically removed any color or flavor from the module. You got the impression the entire time that they really wanted to be somewhere else and we, the players, were standing in their way.

[stoutstien]

Had a DM demand knowledge checks to check our own campaign notes.
Only time in my life I've walked away mid game

[Spore]

In the finale of our 2 year homebrew campaign he had us being the distraction while the antihero/ forrmer BBEG saved the day. It was an epic finale but never have I felt more betrayed. What was worst is that this was entirely in character and probably a horrible clapback towards our Rogue who had a serious 'thats what my character would do' attitude.

[JackPhoenix]

When he obviously fudged dice to keep our characters from dropping.

Different GM who kept my character alive through GM fiat after he died to unlucky crit and 1 on resulting death save.

[Valmark]

"These stats are too high for your character" *arbitrarily lowers stats*
"Let's see if your race is available in the city" *rolls dice*

Needless to say, I don't play with that person as a DM AND as a player anymore.

[JNAProductions]

As a usual DM, I really hope no one makes a post about me. :P

[Telok]

"I cast a-" "Nope. Invisible antimagic field."
"What do we know about-" "Roll for it."
"I try to-" "Roll for it."
"I cast fire bolt at-" "Webs aren't objects, they're terrain." "The rope bridge isn't an object, it's terrain."
"I attack-" "He cast darkness on last turn, you don't know where he is. Use an action to roll perception."
"I want to climb-" "Roll for it."
"How famous is-" "Roll to see if you've ever heard of it."
"I jump over the 10' pit and-" "Roll for it."
"I'll swim across to-" "Roll for it."
"I ask about-" "Roll for it."
"I cast-" "He saw you cast so he automatically disbelieves the illusion."
"He asked for a bribe, we've got-" "Roll for it."
"I'll copy the-" "You can't, it's an npcs only ability to use the thing."
"I cast darkness and hide." "Hiding is an action so you can't do both. They automatically know where you are and get flanking."
All the same DM.

[ProsecutorGodot]

My DM is, for the most part, pretty good at keeping things moving.

However, there was a time where we cornered a Duergar for questioning. The room was enclosed and there was no way for him to escape.

He had him turn invisible and we were forced to attempt to chase and grapple him around the room. I was fed up at round 1, my more patient allies until round 2. I didn't call him out on the nonsense until round 5.

It was especially dumb that we couldn't actually locate him past the first round since we failed the first grapple (before he hid) and couldn't make a perception check to find him in the same turn to grapple him.

If the Duergar really didn't want to be captured, he should have killed himself or something, not waste so much table time trying to escape an impossible scenario.

[Fable Wright]

"I attack-" "He cast darkness on last turn, you don't know where he is. Use an action to roll perception."

"I cast darkness and hide." "Hiding is an action so you can't do both. They automatically know where you are and get flanking."
All the same DM.

:smallfurious:

This is a pet peeve of mine. At least the advantage from Darkness should cancel the disadvantage of flanking.

The most infuriating thing I've had to deal with so far is "you have no idea where the two-ton demonic gorilla brachiating through the trees is. He leaves no trace to figure out where he is so you can't target him."

[NecessaryWeevil]

Phantasmal Force, when cast by an NPC, created a monster that occupied a PC for several rounds. Phantasmal Force, when cast by my Illusionist, did piddly psychic damage but was otherwise completely ignored. I soon stopped trying to use illusions and basically just played as a subclass-less wizard.

[Warlush]

"I cast a-" "Nope. Invisible antimagic field."
"What do we know about-" "Roll for it."
"I try to-" "Roll for it."
"I cast fire bolt at-" "Webs aren't objects, they're terrain." "The rope bridge isn't an object, it's terrain."
"I attack-" "He cast darkness on last turn, you don't know where he is. Use an action to roll perception."
"I want to climb-" "Roll for it."
"How famous is-" "Roll to see if you've ever heard of it."
"I jump over the 10' pit and-" "Roll for it."
"I'll swim across to-" "Roll for it."
"I ask about-" "Roll for it."
"I cast-" "He saw you cast so he automatically disbelieves the illusion."
"He asked for a bribe, we've got-" "Roll for it."
"I'll copy the-" "You can't, it's an npcs only ability to use the thing."
"I cast darkness and hide." "Hiding is an action so you can't do both. They automatically know where you are and get flanking."
All the same DM.

Oh my gods I had the same DM!

[HappyDaze]

As a DM, I was running a game a few months ago that all the players were enjoying...everyone was having fun but me. I finally decided I'd had enough of the game and the group and told them all they could go {scrubbed} off because I was over it. A few of these players have reached out to me since, but I simply ignore them and I've been happier for it.

[Telwar]

Mine was much more minor than y'all's...back in our 4e al Qadim game, my tiefling elemental sorcerer was chasing an assassin through our host's house, and I was being slowed down by having to open the doors, and didn't want him to just close the door on me again.

So I said I was going to blast the door.

"You can't, it's an object."

I pointed out there's nothing actually saying I can't, say, blow it up.

"Objects take half damage, you probably won't get it."

I point out that I'm doing like 35 points/hit, in 4e objects don't actually take half damage, AND HOW DOES A SIMPLE WOODEN INTERIOR DOOR HAVE 30 HP.

Nope, none of that.

So I opened the damn door. I wasn't even trying to get, like, a cloud of flying flaming debris for an AOE attack, or even to get an Intimidate check for free. I just wanted to blow the damn door down.

[Pex]

Deciding not to DM anymore ending the campaign and gaming group.

[Jerrykhor]

Playing as a Wild Magic sorcerer, I use Tides of Chaos and cast Chromatic Orb.

Round 1
Me: DM, can i surge now?
DM: No.

Round 2
Me: DM, can i surge now?
DM: No.

Round 3
Me: DM, can i surge now?
DM: No.

Once combat is over.
DM: You can surge now.

This was him just realising he has the final say in whether my Surge triggers or not. In the previous session, he would let me Surge whenever i Tides of Chaos+cast leveled spell. I have never been more pissed.

[BloodSnake'sCha]

DM making the steed from find steed controled only and never independent.
I didn't ever used it as nothing but better perception but it made me so mad so I just switched character to a sorcelock.

It shotdown a fun option that wasn't even used.

The DM thinks every fight need to be a challenge when he have 4 tacticians players with optimized character and one player who is so bad at tactics that he make the fights harder(he never understood he accidentally built the strongest character in the party and don't believe us when we tell him about it).

I understand he did it in order to make the fights harder, he also do some minor changes (like giving a character hit by repelling blast a check if he is holding something or someone). He didn't understand that we are interested on in the roleplay and story more then hard fights.

[Waazraath]

All DMs are thieves of joy occasionally.

So what is one thing you were super excited to do in a game that the DM pooped all over? This can be a race or subclass that they flat out banned, it can be silly nerfs like adding saving throws to things that don't require saving throws(repelling blast,magic missile), or when they just don't have a firm grasp of the rules(such as refusing to allow undead minions to grapple).

Go nuts gang!

As moment of reflection: the most joy I ever killed as a DM was with a deck of many things, I gave to a 1st level party (in an older edition of the game). All of them experienced players who knew exactly what it was and what the risks were, I assumed they would give it a wide pass, or mabye try to sell it. Boy I was wrong.

First player: I draw two cards! First card: death, (very) short fight, and roll a new character. Some good laughs though. Second player: I draw three! First card: imprisonment, *poof*. And gone. More laughs, everything still good (though Not As Planned). Third player went wrong: got a major magic item. Given it was level 1, and I didn't totally wanted to disrupt the campaign, I gave him a fairly powerful ranged weapon - it was a major item, but on the weak side of 'major', though the character was melee. I reasoned: this still takes him way beyond what the rest of the party can do, increases his options a lot, and giving a strong major melee item is simply too disrupting. Player was super pissed, and killed off his character. Hurt feelings, campaign almost ended there (at lvl 1).

At that point, I called for a pause. Talked with player, he also deceided to roll a new character, calmed him down a bit. We started again after half an hour or something. Player 4 (who played a ranged martial) thought: nah, no cards, I'll take the bow from the dead body of that the guy who killed himself. No players wanted any more cards. Went back to town, picked up new party members; found a clue that the imprisoned character was actually imprisoned quite nearby. Went there, completed a short quest, and had a complete party once more.

Player 4 kept grumphy about getting only a bow for quite some times though. And player 4 kept making fun of him for quite some time, every time he was saving the day because of his major magic weapon that he had like 10 levels before reasonable.

I've gotten a lot more careful with deck of many things since then.

[Waazraath]

As a player:

- DM had an NPC that 'charmed person'ed' my character, and played it as if it was total mind control and effectively played my character;
- DM that didn't feel like DM'ing anymore and 'anounced' it by having us go though an unwinnable encounter where every character was killed / imprisoned
- DM that singles you out (e.g.: tries to kill familiar, doesn't work because smart playing, and then spends the rest of the session to still kill said familiar, in ways that made less and less sense from the stories perspectieve)

[Valmark]

- DM that singles you out (e.g.: tries to kill familiar, doesn't work because smart playing, and then spends the rest of the session to still kill said familiar, in ways that made less and less sense from the stories perspectieve)

This reminded me- DM killing familiar repeatedly in 3.5 where the death of the familiar meant loss of experience, not money. No rolls, no actions on my part. Not only bad for roleplay, but also rollplay.

Good riddance was leaving that group.

[kingcheesepants]

I'm thankful to say that I've never had as bad an experience as what most of you guys seem to have had. I have had a DM that called for lots of rolls that probably shouldn't have been needed, or would ask for checks based on a skill that didn't make a ton of sense even though my character had proficiency in a skill that made more sense for what I was trying to do. Also a DM that never used passive perception, if I want to see something or notice something I always had to roll, doesn't matter that I had a passive 17. Eventually I retired the character and made another one that wouldn't be so reliant on the dice (more skills, expertise, the lucky feat) and that helped a bit with the constant rolling and no passives.

[ScoutTrooper]

*Incoming Train Noises*

This guy was quite the Conductor. Railroaded hard in CoS where we eventually TPK'd ourselves in some last stand. He had complained that we had messed up so much that he had to get creative, and didn't see a way we were going to win.

It started to fall apart on the way to Vallaki, where a Revenant was coming up the road (random encounter) We didn't engage it. Then it ambushed us when we were dealing with the scarecrows. Wild Magic Sorc proc'd a fireball, killing Ireena.

Once in Vallaki, he erased our lead to find the bones for the church. So the attack happened. The Warlock who had the amulet was imprisoned and stripped of possessions. Broke out without gear, then when all hell broke loose attempted to go back in and retrieve at the very least the amulet, the DM gave back armor and some inventory, but not the amulet.

We bit the hook for the winery, but it somehow over simplified our encounter, so when it felt like we did everything and left. We returned a few days later post the Druid's attack. Not knowing why, he blamed us.

But yeah, so we TPK in the wolves den, he asks if we want to mulligan. We say no. So he brings out this Homebrew campaign idea. We figure, if he couldn't handle publish material going off script. Then his own made world should be easier for him to create and improv off of.

It wasn't.

We got railroaded into a Pestilence horseman brought on plague. We had bought mounts and carts. To which he railroaded us onto a boat and force to leave behind in a town that overcame with the zombie outbreak or whatever.

In the next city we were fighting a Gibbering mouther in a hallway. After the Sorcerer dashed down the hallway to warn the civilians hiding in a room to leave. Dashed back the next round. The Cleric and Bard holding it at bay. Then suddenly it makes it past all three of us, breaks down the door and kills two. In one turn, without any OA and moving +60 ft.

Needless the say, we were about to tell him we're pushing away from the table, and then he got DM fatigue. Since then I have not bought another train ticket.

[cutlery]

As moment of reflection: the most joy I ever killed as a DM was with a deck of many things, I gave to a 1st level party (in an older edition of the game). All of them experienced players who knew exactly what it was and what the risks were, I assumed they would give it a wide pass, or mabye try to sell it. Boy I was wrong.

I did this once, many, many years ago when the main story arc was finished and I wasn't yet sure if I wanted a new post level 12 arc (2e). They decided to play deck roulette.

The problem resolved itself. I think they had fun, though - of a sort. One of them even lived... I think.

[Unoriginal]

Whenever my strong monk (high str, Athletics Expertise but low dex and no Acrobatics proficiency) tried to jump gaps or climb things, if a check was needed it was always Acrobatics.

To be clear, it was to some degree targeted behavior. If I waited for someone else to try climbing/jumping they would roll Athletics. Then when I would try to follow, the situation had arbitrarily changed to require Acrobatics.

Still had a ton of fun with that character, she dominated combat and played right into the fantasy I had in mind for her, but that was the first thought I had when I saw this topic.

Whoa, what did the DM say if you told them to cut that {scrubbed}?

[KorvinStarmast]

Our DM had the dwarf Champion roll "a Dex check" when he said he was using his shield master bonus action to knock something back/prone. The player had just picked it at level 8.

I had to have a quiet talk with the DM after the session.

He also had my cleric roll a Dex check to stay on a horse (just to ride it). I asked him point blank: is there a reason that you are not using Animal Handling? He said no, so I rolled the Dex Check and fortunately passed.

[Master O'Laughs]

In a Curse of Strahd campaign where we the party encountered a bunch of twig/vine blights and either an awakened tree or treant and devised a kill box via the right spells for the job.

DM threw a fit since it would no longer be a "challenging" combat, ended session and then time warped so it never happened in the first place. I was a little pissed off to say the least.

[Pex]

All 2E games.

Playing a druid one time I had cast a spell that allowed the party to avoid a large amount of encounters the DM had planned. I didn't realize it at the time, but that was when he decided to stop being my friend. It took me a while to notice a pattern in future games, different characters. Reacting to whatever happens is fine, but when ever I try something, take initiative, it would never work. NPCs were never nice to me. Not overtly hostile, but never friendly. When one more plan of mine didn't work I got verbally upset, and that's when the DM admitted he did it on purpose to get me riled up. I quit right there, and the façade of his friendship was finally broken.

A DM did not have my character start with the rest of the party as the campaign begins. Everyone else played the game meeting at the tavern and there was a combat. I had to sit there for an hour doing nothing because my character wasn't there. Finally the encounter was over. Game continued. My character hasn't arrived on the scene yet. The party encounters trouble and another combat was about to begin. Rather than sit there for another hour I left.

One DM was first a fellow player in another game. We were both paladins. He was playing as a Righteous Warrior. I was Wholesome Village Hero. He was very upset how I played my paladin to the point of hostility. When he took a turn as DM it was another case of I could never do anything right. I quit.

And people wonder where I get my so called DM hostility. :smallyuk:

[HappyDaze]

All 2E games.

Playing a druid one time I had cast a spell that allowed the party to avoid a large amount of encounters the DM had planned. I didn't realize it at the time, but that was when he decided to stop being my friend. It took me a while to notice a pattern in future games, different characters. Reacting to whatever happens is fine, but when ever I try something, take initiative, it would never work. NPCs were never nice to me. Not overtly hostile, but never friendly. When one more plan of mine didn't work I got verbally upset, and that's when the DM admitted he did it on purpose to get me riled up. I quit right there, and the façade of his friendship was finally broken.

A DM did not have my character start with the rest of the party as the campaign begins. Everyone else played the game meeting at the tavern and there was a combat. I had to sit there for an hour doing nothing because my character wasn't there. Finally the encounter was over. Game continued. My character hasn't arrived on the scene yet. The party encounters trouble and another combat was about to begin. Rather than sit there for another hour I left.

One DM was first a fellow player in another game. We were both paladins. He was playing as a Righteous Warrior. I was Wholesome Village Hero. He was very upset how I played my paladin to the point of hostility. When he took a turn as DM it was another case of I could never do anything right. I quit.

And people wonder where I get my so called DM hostility. :smallyuk:
It seems like all of those DMs were happier not having you participate (even if you were still in their games). What were you doing to make so many DMs act like that towards you?

[Quietus]

Calling myself out on this one : My wife is playing a druid, and had recently got third level spells. We were pursuing an adventure on the island where she was trained, and she used Speak with Plants to gather information about enemies that might be around. There were a couple of enemies nearby that were part of an ambush, absolutely within the range of the spell, and she was specifically asking if the plants nearby knew the location of enemy of these nature-tainting beings.

In my infinite wisdom, I decided to roll a single Perception check for "the plants". Rolled poorly, and informed her that no, there was no threats nearby. Shortly afterward, rolled initiative and proceeded to sneak attack the hell out of the party.

Obviously, in this case, I should have just given it to her - it's one of her two 3rd level spells, and she absolutely should have gotten more value out of it. There has been much endless ribbing of me about this absolute failure on my part, and every single bit of it is absolutely deserved. :smallsigh:

[Unoriginal]

It seems like all of those DMs were happier not having you participate (even if you were still in their games). What were you doing to make so many DMs act like that towards you?


The heck? No one "make" others act like that toward them.

There is *no* reason to treat someone like that. Even if you don't want to play with someone for X or Y you don't sideline them and/or make so they can't do anything, you just tell them to leave.

[JNAProductions]

The heck? No one "make" others act like that toward them.

There is *no* reason to treat someone like that. Even if you don't want to play with someone for X or Y you don't sideline them and/or make so they can't do anything, you just tell them to leave.

I'll echo this. Even if Pex had done something really rude, or somesuch situation like that, the appropriate response is either to talk to them about it and find out if they were intentionally rude or just didn't read the room right or something, or to kick them if they acted with malicious intent.

Passive aggressive {scrubbed} is never the right move.

[HappyDaze]

I'll echo this. Even if Pex had done something really rude, or somesuch situation like that, the appropriate response is either to talk to them about it and find out if they were intentionally rude or just didn't read the room right or something, or to kick them if they acted with malicious intent.

Passive aggressive {scrub the post, scrub the quote} is never the right move.

Well, we'll just have to disagree. Sometimes the best game isn't the one played with the pieces on the table; it's the one played with the pieces sitting around the table.

[JNAProductions]

Well, we'll just have to disagree. Sometimes the best game isn't the one played with the pieces on the table; it's the one played with the pieces sitting around the table.

If you were referring to, as a DM, including a devious plot twist that your players would be shocked at, but enjoy, I'd agree.

You're talking about being a jerk. That's not something you should do.

[Edea]

Passive aggressive {scrub the post, scrub the quote} is never the right move.

Pretty much sums up my thoughts, too.

[HappyDaze]

If you were referring to, as a DM, including a devious plot twist that your players would be shocked at, but enjoy, I'd agree.

You're talking about being a jerk. That's not something you should do.

From my point of view, telling other people what they should do is being a jerk.

[JNAProductions]

From my point of view, telling other people what they should do is being a jerk.

If you only care about yourself? Sure, that's fine.

But the thing is, this is a game you play with others. Would you agree with the statement "You should do your best to make sure everyone at the table has fun," or would you not?

[HappyDaze]

If you only care about yourself? Sure, that's fine.

But the thing is, this is a game you play with others. Would you agree with the statement "You should do your best to make sure everyone at the table has fun," or would you not?

Not with the word "should" in it. Should implies that it is the one true way and that no other options are going to be considered. It's not inclusive. Instead, consider changing that to "could" and giving the one you're talking to a choice about it. They might agree with you, or they might not. Some might be perfectly happy at a table where each player is only concerned with their own fun so long as the others are not actively hampering it.

[JNAProductions]

Not with the word "should" in it. Should implies that it is the one true way and that no other options are going to be considered. It's not inclusive. Instead, consider changing that to "could" and giving the one you're talking to a choice about it. They might agree with you, or they might not. Some might be perfectly happy at a table where each player is only concerned with their own fun so long as the others are not actively hampering it.

So in other words, you're okay playing with people who are actively trying to make the game less fun for you, because that's fun for them? Because "could" means that they could just as easily not work towards making the game more fun for everyone.

Notably, I'm not saying you should suffer to make a game fun for others-you (the general you, in this case) are part of everyone. If a game isn't fun for you, the appropriate action is to leave the game or talk with the other players to work out a compromise to make the game more fun for everyone involved. I've had games-including, recently, a game with some very good friends of mine!-where I wasn't having fun. Everyone else was, so I ended up leaving the game, because the GMing style and what the other players were like just didn't mesh.

Not every game will be to your satisfaction-but you shouldn't have to deal with jerks who are out for your fun.

[DeadMech]

DM: So as you enter the tavern with the puzzle sphere artifact in your backpack to meet your employer you notice there are armed men about the room pretending they aren't looking at you come in blah blah blah...
Me: So this is an obvious trap and my character's not an idiot. I make a break for it out the door.
DM: The armed men start getting up to chase.
Me: duck into an alley to hide and get ready to ambush if they come this way.
DM: No this is over I'm done. I worked really hard and had allot of great stuff planned for you.
Me: What? Fine we can do it over and I won't run out of the obvious trap.
DM: You're ruining everything I have planned. I quit. Bye.

So umm...that was basically my first and only solo game I played on these forums.

[Unoriginal]

Well, we'll just have to disagree. Sometimes the best game isn't the one played with the pieces on the table; it's the one played with the pieces sitting around the table.


Didn't you quit DMing for your previous group after making a thread here where you described most of your players as too insufferable to tolerate?

How would you react if someone went "whoa, what did you do to get your players to treat you that way?"?

[ProsecutorGodot]

DM: So as you enter the tavern with the puzzle sphere artifact in your backpack to meet your employer you notice there are armed men about the room pretending they aren't looking at you come in blah blah blah...
Me: So this is an obvious trap and my character's not an idiot. I make a break for it out the door.
DM: The armed men start getting up to chase.
Me: duck into an alley to hide and get ready to ambush if they come this way.
DM: No this is over I'm done. I worked really hard and had allot of great stuff planned for you.
Me: What? Fine we can do it over and I won't run out of the obvious trap.
DM: You're ruining everything I have planned. I quit. Bye.

So umm...that was basically my first and only solo game I played on these forums.

That actually reminded me of another time (same DM) where we had (once again) captured someone for questioning. I was playing a goody two shoes rogue who had a boy scout like tendency to play at being a member of the city watch.

I left my party to watch him, one at the door and one directly next to him, the man was already manacled. We went to grab a nearby member of the watch so he could be brought in for a proper interrogation and the DM decided that during the time my character was gone (oddly with the highest passive perception) he had slipped loose of the ropes we tied him in and jumped out the window.

In seconds, mere moments of being unobserved by the other 2 people in the room, he had escaped his ropes and lept from the second story window (previously closed) of a building, in manacles. He landed safely and ran away. Apparently nobody noticed until he was already halfway down then street.

It's been years since this incident, the Duergar one came afterward. Can't think of anything more recent than that.

[Warlush]

Well, we'll just have to disagree. Sometimes the best game isn't the one played with the pieces on the table; it's the one played with the pieces sitting around the table.

{scrubbed}

[Littlemike137]

Playing a Fey warlock once, found myself in a sticky situation, something like a bunch of boulders falling towards us (not a rocks fall, everyone dies situation, one where we’d triggered a trap) and I decided to use blink to be gone for a bit, got a 1 on the roll to disappear and he threw me into another plane... at level 6... with no way to get back. I didn’t even ask which plane, just decided to skip the {scrubbed} cause there was no way to get back, except for DMPC shenanigans. He wasn’t a bad dm, just inexperienced but it was definitely a downer.

[Snivlem]

As moment of reflection: the most joy I ever killed as a DM...
I could give plenty examples for OP, but I like this perspective better:

Back in the days we used to take turns DMing, often changing a few times every session. The second time i played i wanted to DM. I hadnt grasped yet that character death was final, so I didnt understood why my friends were so upset when i accidently TPK the party. When I understood, i told them aliens came in a spaceship an ressurected them, but for some reason they werent to happy about that.

Another time, when i was a bit older and should had known better, the same group of friends had been playing a long term campaign without me. I was home on a holiday - I stepped in as a player first, and then volunteered to DM a session. I thought i had a cool idea, but unfortunately i changed the world so much that the whole campaign was ruined for my friends, and they never played in it again. Actually the first was just laughs, this is the most Joy i've ever killed as a DM.

[EphTheorem]

I prepared a Blood Hunter for a high level short campaign of investigating a tomb, filled with all sorts of undead and eldrtich horrors. I thought Grim Psychometry would be of great use to my party in there. And when it finally came time for me to flex my character's ability...The DM stonewalled it every time. Deliberately vague about everything so as not to give any useful information. And when it came time to cast spells to deal with a problem, they'd ask me "Would your character think to do that?" On an Int based class. Example: I anticipated falling traps, so I prepared Fly. Sure enough, I fell victim to one and said, "Aha, time to activiate my flight before I fall to the poisonous spikes below!"

"Would your characrer think to do that in time?"

Would my character, a 15th level caster very familiar with their magic and abilites, think to save themselves from danger with their spells? Yeah, I think they would, actually. Had me make an Int check to remember my own spell, rolled mediocre, ruled I didn't think quick enough and fell into the pit below taking the damage. Lost the spell slot for trying too.

In another campaign where I played a Gunslinger Fighter, a different DM had us fighting a secretive cabal of bounty hunters with a Sorcerer among their ranks who in the past had bound the party completely unable to react while they took my character's gun and murdered a party member, no damage rolled, just insta-dead. I blew my Action Surge round 1 in the confrontation just to kill the caster, knowing how dangerous they were. Found out after the session that the DM retroactively added more hp to the Sorcerer, way beyond what a normal caster should have, just because of my decision to focus them and not get a dangerous spell off. And they did anyway, because even with the added hp, they took so much damage before their turn came that they died, but the DM said "But before they fall, the spell they were going to cast on their turn goes off," Even though that's not how spells work. Not shortly after this combat, we were forced into another situation (just like the one where my party-mate died) where I had to trade my life for the life of another party member that the hunters were after.

No one else in the group seemed to have any issues with what these two DMs were doing. I didn't play with them again after this. And those have been my only experiences with D&D. People wonder why I don't want to go back and why I'm so anal about being a good and fair game designer as a DM.

P.S.: The latter DM told us later on that he was going to write a novel about the campaign. Again, I was the only one that seemed to think this was scummy, straight up yoinking our characters and using us as playthings for his "grand story." I hope it doesn't sell.

[Waazraath]

This reminded me- DM killing familiar repeatedly in 3.5 where the death of the familiar meant loss of experience, not money. No rolls, no actions on my part. Not only bad for roleplay, but also rollplay.

Good riddance was leaving that group.

Yeah, it was 3.5. It was a very good adventure for the rest, cool module, and for the rest very good DM'ing - really have fond memories on it. And I can imagine the familiar (it was a psi chrystal, was playing a psion) was annoying, I used it for scouting, and share pain/vigor combo (made my character really hard to kill). He just got carried away a with trying to kill it, and it just sucks to feel like your singles out. Better to disallow something before (but to be fair, for a relative new DM it's hard to estimate how good a feature was, in that edition.



I did this once, many, many years ago when the main story arc was finished and I wasn't yet sure if I wanted a new post level 12 arc (2e). They decided to play deck roulette.

The problem resolved itself. I think they had fun, though - of a sort. One of them even lived... I think.

Lol. Yeah, somehow, the deck is irresistable. I guess the campaign didn't get a new story arc?



I'll echo this. Even if Pex had done something really rude, or somesuch situation like that, the appropriate response is either to talk to them about it and find out if they were intentionally rude or just didn't read the room right or something, or to kick them if they acted with malicious intent.

Passive aggressive {scrub the post, scrub the quote} is never the right move.

Amen. If you participate in any group, you have social norms and obligations. If you agree to play in a game as the neutral arbiter, you're supposed to be the neutral arbiter. It ain't that hard. If you D&D with a group of people you hang out with, and some are your friends, but some of them you don't like, you can do 2 things. 1) don't play with them. 2) act in a civil and normal way to everybody, including to those you normally aren't inclined to act with socially. Same if you're gonna DM in a game store. All kind of people will show up, some who are closer to what you like, some you might like less: but taking that possitions puts an obligation on you to run the game that is interesting for everybody (including yourself).

And if somehow stuff comes up that makes this impossible, talk about it, and find a solution. Which, ultimitaly, could be that somebody quits the game (which can be yourself). But starting to harass a character in-game because you don't like the player? That's just childish.

[Reynaert]

The latter DM told us later on that he was going to write a novel about the campaign. Again, I was the only one that seemed to think this was scummy, straight up yoinking our characters and using us as playthings for his "grand story." I hope it doesn't sell.

That reminds me of that time the DM wanted to stop DMing and subsequently forbid us from using our characters and the setting any further because he had copyright on all of it.

[HappyDaze]

Didn't you quit DMing for your previous group after making a thread here where you described most of your players as too insufferable to tolerate?

How would you react if someone went "whoa, what did you do to get your players to treat you that way?"?
I'd probably answer the question, and yes, that was me. I mentioned it earlier in this thread too.

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[Unoriginal]

"Doesn't actually want to DM, just want unpaid performers to play-act their novel" is a sadly repeatedly seen mindset. Usually not that literally, though.

Mostly because most people who do this don't have the dedication to actually write a novel and leeching off their players' drive is the closest they'll come to turn their story idea into something.


That reminds me of that time the DM wanted to stop DMing and subsequently forbid us from using our characters and the setting any further because he had copyright on all of it.

Did someone point out to him that copyrights only apply to commercial or otherwise profitable uses?

[Valmark]

Did someone point out to him that copyrights only apply to commercial or otherwise profitable uses?

Plus, I get the setting but the characters were very much not of his creation.

[ff7hero]

Example: I anticipated falling traps, so I prepared Fly. Sure enough, I fell victim to one and said, "Aha, time to activiate my flight before I fall to the poisonous spikes below!"

"Would your characrer think to do that in time?"

Would my character, a 15th level caster very familiar with their magic and abilites, think to save themselves from danger with their spells? Yeah, I think they would, actually. Had me make an Int check to remember my own spell, rolled mediocre, ruled I didn't think quick enough and fell into the pit below taking the damage. Lost the spell slot for trying too.

I don't want to discount your general dislike for this DM, especially since I'm about to voice that I don't agree with his method here, but I also wouldn't have allowed you to cast Fly mid-fall. Not because your character wouldn't think of it. Just because Fly takes an action to cast, you were looking for Feather Fall.

At least I would have resolved it quicker and you wouldn't have lost your spell slot.

[Keravath]

In a Curse of Strahd campaign where we the party encountered a bunch of twig/vine blights and either an awakened tree or treant and devised a kill box via the right spells for the job.

DM threw a fit since it would no longer be a "challenging" combat, ended session and then time warped so it never happened in the first place. I was a little pissed off to say the least.

Wow, that's terrible. My players had found and identified the Gulthias staff from the winery. They wanted to keep it but when the tree blight animated they decided enough was enough and broke the staff killing all the blights within 300'. It was an awesome moment .. then they finished off the remaining barbarians and druids. It still wasn't an easy fight.

[Kurt Kurageous]

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[EphTheorem]

I don't want to discount your general dislike for this DM, especially since I'm about to voice that I don't agree with his method here, but I also wouldn't have allowed you to cast Fly mid-fall. Not because your character wouldn't think of it. Just because Fly takes an action to cast, you were looking for Feather Fall.

At least I would have resolved it quicker and you wouldn't have lost your spell slot.

See, that is a much more reasonable ruling and I hadn't even thought of that. It's not asinine like "Would your character have really thought to do that?" I'd have had no problem if this were the approach taken, that makes so much more sense.

To be clear, this DM was notorious for trying to play people's characters for them and "gotcha" moments that only I seemed to have any issue with. Instead of rewarding you for creative problem solving, they'd try to find a reason why you wouldn't have thought to do that. In particular, they heavily penalized any player with a character that had anything below a 12 in Int, Wis, or Cha. To this person, apparently a 10 Int meant you couldn't tell left from right, a 10 Wis meant you just didn't consider options before acting, and a 10 Cha made you a social pariah. As a player, this person was the "actor" type, and would dominate every social encounter even if they weren't built for it, and try to take care of every problem themselves, even if it meant stepping on the toes of other party members niches. Also thought suboptiamlly built PCs were inherently better characters because of weakness. Just checked all my pet peeve boxes when in the DM role. But they were probably less than half as bad as the latter DM.

[Unoriginal]

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I sincerely thank you for the praise, but I don't think I deserve it. Still, it means a lot.

More importantly, no one's number of posts matters, both on this topic and in general. What anyone says doesn't hold more weight because they say a lot.

If someone on the forum finds that HappyDaze's posts are going against the forum's rules or the person's individual standards, we thankfully have the tools to deal with it. I know I won't be reading his posts in the future, personally.

[Bigmouth]

Once upon a time... there was a bit of gaming (a phase?) where rolling Int was a thing. A possible reaction to Int seeming meaningless for anyone who wasn't a caster? It could be punitive like the example above of 'remembering your own spell' but it was also constructive where people requested them for figuring out random thing. "I'm not finding anything. I roll Int to see if there's something I'm forgetting'. I can't recall when the phase was...maybe it was before all these nice skills came in and cluttered up our D&D? Plus rolling takes some of that pressure off a GM making decisions in a vacuum. (of course, when you're truly on the fence about a decision, that's when the player is bound to roll something dead in the middle and give you not an ounce of help in making the call.)

As a GM I once killed a players joy by...telling him what a marlinspike was. The game assigned loads of equipment during chargen based on background. He saw marlinspike and was inspired. Game after game he kept coming to me with crazy side missions. Eventually he had fish scale armor crafted. A matching fishy helmet. And for the piece de resistance he wanted to get his marlinspike put on a hilt....that's when I had to tell him it was a big sewing needle fishermen used to work on ropes and not in fact the bill from a marlin. After his face fell, I offered to go with his idea...but the damage had been done. The Fish Avenger was never born.

[Kurt Kurageous]

I sincerely thank you for the praise, but I don't think I deserve it. Still, it means a lot.
More importantly, no one's number of posts matters, both on this topic and in general. What anyone says doesn't hold more weight because they say a lot.

You are welcome. We have disagreed before. Last time I was definitely wrong on the facts, and you were gracious about it as always. Just like all the other high rankings I've read.

While quantity is no indication of quality, the senior posters here all seem to be steeped in a culture of learning, teaching, and understanding. That's the norm here.{Scrubbed}

[micahaphone]

Once upon a time... there was a bit of gaming (a phase?) where rolling Int was a thing. A possible reaction to Int seeming meaningless for anyone who wasn't a caster? It could be punitive like the example above of 'remembering your own spell' but it was also constructive where people requested them for figuring out random thing. "I'm not finding anything. I roll Int to see if there's something I'm forgetting'. I can't recall when the phase was...maybe it was before all these nice skills came in and cluttered up our D&D? Plus rolling takes some of that pressure off a GM making decisions in a vacuum. (of course, when you're truly on the fence about a decision, that's when the player is bound to roll something dead in the middle and give you not an ounce of help in making the call.)

As a GM I once killed a players joy by...telling him what a marlinspike was. The game assigned loads of equipment during chargen based on background. He saw marlinspike and was inspired. Game after game he kept coming to me with crazy side missions. Eventually he had fish scale armor crafted. A matching fishy helmet. And for the piece de resistance he wanted to get his marlinspike put on a hilt....that's when I had to tell him it was a big sewing needle fishermen used to work on ropes and not in fact the bill from a marlin. After his face fell, I offered to go with his idea...but the damage had been done. The Fish Avenger was never born.

RIP to the fish avenger, would've been great. I'm sure a slapstick 5e campaign could use a rapier's stats for a preserved marlin's spike.



In a pathfinder campaign, our DM had us go through an "intro" dungeon, with a combat room, a few different kinds of puzzle rooms, etc.

In the combat room the rule or test was "no magic". As soon as anyone cast any magic, the construct's shadow rose up and started fighting us too. then the chandelier came alive and started fighting too. You might think "well just don't use magic ya dummies" except we had only 2/5 nonmagical player, the monk and rogue. the rest of us were some type of caster, who were just supposed to stand there and trade blows, or stand back and plink away with a crummy shortbow. Creative ideas were shut down and punished (attempts to make the chandelier crash onto our opponent made it animate to attack us).

Next room was basically a long corridor of statues, with trapped plates or trip wires, basically each square had a trap. Attempts to use magic were met with warnings of the statues powering up or something so it was just us letting the rogue roll to check for traps, roll to disable traps, someone steps forward, maybe rolls a save against whatever wasn't noticed or disabled enough, rinse, repeat. It took forever and was incredibly boring.

These two rooms summarize the entire "calibration" dungeon, with our DM saying that clearly we needed the easier experience. funnily enough we still haven't finished that dungeon due to IRL getting in the way before the last room of the tomb. It's been 4 months, we've played 2 other systems since then, and are about to do a 3rd.


I know it's entirely anecdotal but every personal experience I've had with pathfinder has been like this - either creative thinking/roleplay is discouraged, or the players lack of system mastery repeatedly leads the DM to say "no you can't do that, because x". Sorry we can't build a rogue with +35 acrobatics or whatever. I even downloaded a program to help create my character, I read guides, yet still my level 5 cleric felt wholly ineffective. I can't tell if I'm just rubbish at building characters in pathfinder or if the heights of big modifiers only comes much much later in the levelling process or what.

[Peelee]

The Mod on the Silver Mountain: Thread re-opened.

[Crucius]

My totem warrior barb found a braindead man in a dungeon and he was convinced that the guy was fine, and that he just needed some fresh air. So he dragged him around the entire dungeon, not knowing it was a lost cause anyways.

The druid in the party kept saying that mercy killing him was the most humane thing to do, but my barb just didn't believe that there was anything wrong with the guy.

As I wanted this to be a moment of growth for my character, I asked the DM if we could have a 'random' encounter with an animal that had an arrow through its head (as a result of a hunt) that noticeably impaired, but in fine physical condition otherwise. I wanted to have a first-hand experience for my barbarian by using the Spirit Seeker ritual spells to learn that there is in fact a difference between mental health and physical health, and that one is not of lesser importance than the other.

In my mind it wouldn't take more than 10 minutes altogether, I could have nice roleplay with the Druid in the party, and have an interesting conversation about mental health albeit in a crude manner (something the barbarian was struggling with himself).

DM said no. No reason given.

The druid killed the guy in his sleep the next session and I wasn't even mad about it. Glad to have it over with.

[da newt]

At session 0 I ask the DM how he rules Conjure Animals - he says you pick the animal forms the spirits take limited by CR and # per the spell.

I create a Shepherd Druid, play through about 12 sessions to finally get level 3 spells.

After the first session that I get to conjure animals, the new Sage Advice Compendium is released, and DM decides the caster gets to state CR and number, DM consults an online list of beasts that live in that environment and rolls to find out what animals show up.

Next session we are fighting in a swamp, I want to conjure a bunch of meat shields (8 cr 1/4), he rolls - 8 Stirges are conjured.

[Laserlight]

Four years ago, we were in a published campaign, and the DM wants us to touch stuff, try stuff out, find the lore. Okay, we do that.

{scrubbed}

Next session we run across a statue with a gem in it; the DM wants us to steal the gem. Two of us are experienced enough to know that "Stealing an Idol's Gem" is a temptation to be stoutly refused, but the DM keeps pushing until the third player gives in, touches the gem. Bam, he's polymorphed into an ooze--maybe he failed a save but I don't think he even got one. We have no way to dispel, communicate, transport, wait safely nearby, fetch a healer to, or otherwise get our buddy back. RIP.

The two remaining PCs try to find a path back out of the dungeon. We run into some minotaurs who bull rush my PC off a cliff, no saving throw. Okay, well, that's a nuisance but I'll survive the fall and can climb back up. Except there's lava sixty feet below, which the DM hadn't mentioned at all. I land on the lava, skate across it with extreme alacrity, wringing the most out of all my abilities and just barely get to the edge without dying. Oh look, there's a ton of priests and guards just standing there by the lava waiting. I surrender, they throw me and my remaining 4hp into a cell which is too hot for humans to survive, and I die. And she said "Ha! I've been trying to kill you!"

Technically not a TPK as our third PC--{scrubbed}--manages to turn into a bat or something and escape. But his character retires from adventuring.