The player has just gotten more difficult. One of the other players got bull rolls with modifiers of 2 +3 and 4, 0s and I felt it wouldn't make the game interesting so I allowed him to reroll and even rerolled on camera for him so there wasn't any min maxing. But with modifiers like that I don't believe he would min max. Well the warlock finds it unfair that our Goliath Barbarian went from a +3 to +5. Even though he has 2 negative stats and his constitution is one of the lower stats. I want to be fair and I feel like my choice was right but he is just making me second guess myself
Thank you guys for your help, sorry for putting this out there. It feels like petty venting but I really appreciate the help <3
As much fun as rolling is, even with Mercer's 70 rule, it can get pretty unbalanced, and some players can be upset that the one thing they were supposed to be good at is being usurped because someone got a higher roll than they did on ability tied to that skill.
Try using Standard Array or Point Buy to make it more balanced. The group should understand you're still new and still learning and the game hasn't started yet.
This is a good idea for balance, but may be tough to go back on it now. I don't like the idea of taking from everyone else just because one person is upset for, imo, a bad reason. I assume the barbarian got a +5 in str, which really only affects athletics, and combat strength. That's barbies' bread and butter, where as a warlock has some great damage early, but also has utility and a main stat that benefits social skills. I really do think this guy is irrationally upset, but as with many advice threads, the caveat is that I'm getting this story second hand, so I could be very wrong. Again, I encourage you to talk as that will get to the root of the problem, where as trying to change the game for them is just treating the symptoms.
Welcome to this side of the table! We have cookies¹.
I strongly suggest that as a first-time GM, you just say "No homebrew." I also suggest you say "PHB only" or "PHB+SCAG only". I wouldn't inflict Xanathar's classes on any new GM.
As for Artificer, you could say "Icewind Dale is set in the Forgotten Realsm, not Eberron, so nothing in the Eberron rulebook is usable in this game."
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¹ If there are no cookies then make a few comments like, "Well, I'm hungry for cookies, oh, look, no-one brought cookies, I guess I'll just kill a character or two instead."
While I agree with "No Homebrew" if you're allowing all classes, then Artificer isn't a homebrew or Eberron only class. Yes, it was invited for a new class in 3.0, which was Eberron based, it also existed in 1st edition with Tinker Gnomes from Krynn, but there's major differences in those classes and racial ideas of what it means.
Artificers canonically exist in Toril/ Forgotten Realms through both Lanan and the Temple of Gond, and have since the early/ mid-90s.
Map 2.1 on Beyond has dark duchess on it and bremen. The poster map has the scale so you are going have to estimate the distance. It looks to me that is 20 to 22 miles away from Bremen. So now you just need to know how your group is traveling.
Map 2.1 on Beyond has dark duchess on it and bremen. The poster map has the scale so you are going have to estimate the distance. It looks to me that is 20 to 22 miles away from Bremen. So now you just need to know how your group is traveling.
Totally forgot about the scale, thank you. For his travel away I think since he probably didnt know the lay of the land as we have written it, he and the crewmates would have gotten lost and probably ended up in like Douglas hold XD.
…Artificer isn't a homebrew or Eberron only class.
If you haven't purchased the Eberron: Rising from the Last War sourcebook (which I haven't) then you don't get access to the class here on dndbeyond.com. I'm calling that "Eberron-only" (especially when the players in my current campaign want to be artificers or warforged :-).
Seriously though, it later books creep the power up. For example, there aren't any options in the PHB that get anywhere as much dipping as Xanathar's hexblade warlocks. Artificer gets many, many quesions here (as well as at gitp and enworld), more than any PHB classes do.
I think that a first time GM should start simple. Just PHB for the first few months. Get comfortable with the system, then start adding rulebooks.
…Artificer isn't a homebrew or Eberron only class.
If you haven't purchased the Eberron: Rising from the Last War sourcebook (which I haven't) then you don't get access to the class here on dndbeyond.com. I'm calling that "Eberron-only" (especially when the players in my current campaign want to be artificers or warforged :-).
Seriously though, it later books creep the power up. For example, there aren't any options in the PHB that get anywhere as much dipping as Xanathar's hexblade warlocks. Artificer gets many, many quesions here (as well as at gitp and enworld), more than any PHB classes do.
I think that a first time GM should start simple. Just PHB for the first few months. Get comfortable with the system, then start adding rulebooks.
Update on the player; thing have been alright in the prep for my campaign but last night in the session he dm and I am apart of, something stupid happened.
He has a dm npc in the campaign of a 2ft high lizardfollk druid, kinda became the butt of all jokes in the campaign. He is running Descent into Avernus and we are currently in Avernus. Last session we met mad Maggie and did the quest for her, this session we did the dream (trying not to spoil anthing). Apparently in last night session his dmnpc recieved something in secret from Mad Maggie that transformed his 2ft lizard folk into a 6ft god looking lizard folk with antlers. A while back he sent me his dmnpc character sheet for some testing. Last night I though I would check out what spells his character had. Turns out his druid knew 44 spells, and had no feat that allowed him to know cleric spells. He also ended the session with saying there is more lore behind his dmnpc and when I asked about our stories being applied into the campaign, he said that was up to us.
When I brought this information to him, he said he didnt know about the 44 spells (he would know as he used the character last night) and that in non of the campaigns he had been in, did the dm include the characters stories into the world. He also said that he would be deleting his dmnpc because we the party felt that he had been focusing on his character over others.
His character is kind of a Mary Sue, and I have played enough games to know that they are never a healthy addition to the campaign.
(Thanks for the help, loved the conversations happening, question:how long have you guys been dming and do you prefer it over being a player?)
Also I have created a dmnpc for my campaign but her whole reason is to provide information on the towns and provide the rumors of the ten towns, she is designed to be a traveling novelist looking for her next adventure story but be an absolute coward in combat.
So at this point, it sounds like the player is a major pita.
You know what to do with that. Scare them. Scare them to death. Allow them to play anything they want. Tell that one person individually that they can make their character anyway and anyhow they want. Just tell them "don't tell the other players."
Then when they try to do something using their "super ability" bring out the elephant. It's a common trope called The Worf Effect.
If any character in anything is described as being super-awesome and almost unbeatable at something, the first encounter is someone who is better than them at it and completely destroys them.
Otherwise known as "Always a bigger fish" if that's more your fandom.
I have ran DMPCs before, but with some caveats. That character has to be someone either a player or as a character knows, either through personally knowing them or knowing stories about them. Not everyone at the table, just one person either in or out of character. They have to be a legitimate character I have played in a game, at least once as a player, not a DM. They have to have an obvious handicap and they are not there to usurp or make the party look incompetent. They are there to help out and make a memorable moment for the group. They are only there for that reason and they go their own way afterwards. Your traveling novelist sounds fine.
This is a good idea for balance, but may be tough to go back on it now. I don't like the idea of taking from everyone else just because one person is upset for, imo, a bad reason. I assume the barbarian got a +5 in str, which really only affects athletics, and combat strength. That's barbies' bread and butter, where as a warlock has some great damage early, but also has utility and a main stat that benefits social skills. I really do think this guy is irrationally upset, but as with many advice threads, the caveat is that I'm getting this story second hand, so I could be very wrong. Again, I encourage you to talk as that will get to the root of the problem, where as trying to change the game for them is just treating the symptoms.
Welcome to this side of the table! We have cookies¹.
I strongly suggest that as a first-time GM, you just say "No homebrew." I also suggest you say "PHB only" or "PHB+SCAG only". I wouldn't inflict Xanathar's classes on any new GM.
As for Artificer, you could say "Icewind Dale is set in the Forgotten Realsm, not Eberron, so nothing in the Eberron rulebook is usable in this game."
___
¹ If there are no cookies then make a few comments like, "Well, I'm hungry for cookies, oh, look, no-one brought cookies, I guess I'll just kill a character or two instead."
While I agree with "No Homebrew" if you're allowing all classes, then Artificer isn't a homebrew or Eberron only class. Yes, it was invited for a new class in 3.0, which was Eberron based, it also existed in 1st edition with Tinker Gnomes from Krynn, but there's major differences in those classes and racial ideas of what it means.
Artificers canonically exist in Toril/ Forgotten Realms through both Lanan and the Temple of Gond, and have since the early/ mid-90s.
Map 2.1 on Beyond has dark duchess on it and bremen. The poster map has the scale so you are going have to estimate the distance. It looks to me that is 20 to 22 miles away from Bremen. So now you just need to know how your group is traveling.
No Gaming is Better than Bad Gaming.
Totally forgot about the scale, thank you. For his travel away I think since he probably didnt know the lay of the land as we have written it, he and the crewmates would have gotten lost and probably ended up in like Douglas hold XD.
If you haven't purchased the Eberron: Rising from the Last War sourcebook (which I haven't) then you don't get access to the class here on dndbeyond.com. I'm calling that "Eberron-only" (especially when the players in my current campaign want to be artificers or warforged :-).
Seriously though, it later books creep the power up. For example, there aren't any options in the PHB that get anywhere as much dipping as Xanathar's hexblade warlocks. Artificer gets many, many quesions here (as well as at gitp and enworld), more than any PHB classes do.
I think that a first time GM should start simple. Just PHB for the first few months. Get comfortable with the system, then start adding rulebooks.
Understandable, and I agree with PHB only.
Update on the player; thing have been alright in the prep for my campaign but last night in the session he dm and I am apart of, something stupid happened.
He has a dm npc in the campaign of a 2ft high lizardfollk druid, kinda became the butt of all jokes in the campaign. He is running Descent into Avernus and we are currently in Avernus. Last session we met mad Maggie and did the quest for her, this session we did the dream (trying not to spoil anthing). Apparently in last night session his dmnpc recieved something in secret from Mad Maggie that transformed his 2ft lizard folk into a 6ft god looking lizard folk with antlers. A while back he sent me his dmnpc character sheet for some testing. Last night I though I would check out what spells his character had. Turns out his druid knew 44 spells, and had no feat that allowed him to know cleric spells. He also ended the session with saying there is more lore behind his dmnpc and when I asked about our stories being applied into the campaign, he said that was up to us.
When I brought this information to him, he said he didnt know about the 44 spells (he would know as he used the character last night) and that in non of the campaigns he had been in, did the dm include the characters stories into the world. He also said that he would be deleting his dmnpc because we the party felt that he had been focusing on his character over others.
His character is kind of a Mary Sue, and I have played enough games to know that they are never a healthy addition to the campaign.
(Thanks for the help, loved the conversations happening, question:how long have you guys been dming and do you prefer it over being a player?)
Also I have created a dmnpc for my campaign but her whole reason is to provide information on the towns and provide the rumors of the ten towns, she is designed to be a traveling novelist looking for her next adventure story but be an absolute coward in combat.
https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/27901126/tuLWO4
Dont know if link works but this is the link he sent me at level 3, we are now level 7
So at this point, it sounds like the player is a major pita.
You know what to do with that. Scare them. Scare them to death. Allow them to play anything they want. Tell that one person individually that they can make their character anyway and anyhow they want. Just tell them "don't tell the other players."
Then when they try to do something using their "super ability" bring out the elephant. It's a common trope called The Worf Effect.
If any character in anything is described as being super-awesome and almost unbeatable at something, the first encounter is someone who is better than them at it and completely destroys them.
Otherwise known as "Always a bigger fish" if that's more your fandom.
I have ran DMPCs before, but with some caveats. That character has to be someone either a player or as a character knows, either through personally knowing them or knowing stories about them. Not everyone at the table, just one person either in or out of character. They have to be a legitimate character I have played in a game, at least once as a player, not a DM. They have to have an obvious handicap and they are not there to usurp or make the party look incompetent. They are there to help out and make a memorable moment for the group. They are only there for that reason and they go their own way afterwards. Your traveling novelist sounds fine.
I’ve been DMing off and on since college. I love it but being a player is fun too.
This guy sounds like a real Mary Sue. You gotta rein him in hard. Make it clear what you will and won’t allow.