as it says in the title I want to be able to make a cocky DM suffer like he flipped over is pillow and the side was still warm. I am a Goliath with a mainly magic based style with a bit of paladin in there, I would like to know how to deal with a dm who thinks he can put op enemies in there without consequences from his players. Please and Thank you!
Revenge really isnt the way to go.... Maybe try talking first, revenge 2nd?
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Enethia is running a library, Kalnor is with one of his friends(Likely Mithris), Mali is making an elixir, Asari is sad, Ink is dying in Kalnoia, Nox is dead, Zal is eating cheese fries, Tefeerinn is experiencing fuller life, Shardia is watching the safehouse, Mabij is prepping for a trial, Hrakor is running from prophesy, Viperitahk is locked in a strange battle, Void is watching, Redd is writing all of these. See the EXTENSION for the rest
I am more curious as to what you define as OP enemies. My understanding of how AL works is I find it a tad restricting as to what a DM can and cannot use/allow. Not to mention most adventures are pre-written? (please correct me if I am wrong on this bit). Plus I realize this may come as a shock to many a player but... fleeing is a valid strategy in D&D; yes, even in AL.
Honestly, the only thing you can do is talk to the DM. In AL, the DM is expected to balance the opposition by adding or removing thematically appropriate creatures to encounters. The DM can also bump their hit points within the limits allowed for by their hit dice. An AL DM can't change the rules of the game. It is quite possible for the DM to make encounters that are difficult or impossible to win but this is true for EVERY D&D game and is not unique to AL.
In addition, if the characters show that they have no problem with the current encounter, the DM is likely to interpret it to mean that they have not done a good job of balancing and might need to increase the challenge of the next encounter. As a player, there is nothing you can do to prevent that.
However, that said there are some builds that are more powerful or effective than others. Some of these characters will make it easier to deal damage, to deal burst damage, to do crowd control, to support your party or any number of tasks that will make more challenging encounters easier.
e.g.
- GWM and SS on a properly equipped character with the right feats can deal a lot of single target damage
- paladins with smite and the right feats etc can also deal a great deal of burst damage
- most wizards/sorcerers/bards can be very effective against groups with the right spells prepared (fireball, hypnotic pattern, wall of force ... etc ... many tools available)
- rogues and bards can be very effective at the skills aspect of the game with expertise
None of these will cause a decent DM to lose any sleep since they can balance an encounter to deal with it. The only real consequence a player can present to a DM is deciding that the DM doesn't run the type of game they want to play and not playing with them. In game itself, players can behave poorly but that will likely irritate the DM and other players - it doesn't prevent the DM from setting the difficulty of any encounter wherever they want it to be.
TL;DR IF the DM is running things in a way you don't like - have a chat with them.
If your goal is to improve the play of your character so that you are more effective in combat situations then you need to tell everyone the details of your character - race/classes/level/any magic items before anyone can make any reasonable suggestions.
as it says in the title I want to be able to make a cocky DM suffer like he flipped over is pillow and the side was still warm. I am a Goliath with a mainly magic based style with a bit of paladin in there, I would like to know how to deal with a dm who thinks he can put op enemies in there without consequences from his players. Please and Thank you!
Basically, "a dm ... can put op enemies in there without [in world] consequences from his players." In game the DM is god. Best you can do, between games, is change your religion. Leaving the game and becoming a heretic are both options.
I agree wit GregKyae and some others talk with you DM. Then Leave you DM. OR become a DM. As DM I have occasionally made mistakes increasing the encounter level for a very strong group.
Another question is whether your "dm who ... put[s] op enemies" into games then plays fair with following interactions. Normal DMs metagame so as to balance the CR rating of enemies with the strength of parties. Real-world situations might not be like that. If there are high CR enemies in your world then it might possible for low-level parties to stumble into their lairs. This is certainly the way that the high CR enemies might like it. If you're dealing with a harsh but fair DM then characters might need, occasionally, to back down and choose their battles. If you'd be facing certain death, let the village burn for now and seek out challenges that your party's equipped to face. Goliath paladins may not naturally take flexible approaches but, in some circumstances, they might help.
I would like to know how to deal with a dm who thinks he can put op enemies in there without consequences from his players. Please and Thank you!
So, first things first, your relationship with that DM sounds very toxic. While a little bit of competition is fun, D&D is not a "party vs DM" game. If the DM is going out of his/her way to make things too difficult like you say, then you are best just avoiding that DM.
Secondly, there is no solution to your problem. If you make your character more powerful, the DM can add monsters that are even more OP. The DM could even include monsters that specifically counter your character, if they so please. The only way this doesnt happen is if the DM is running a prewritten AL module, in which case the DM isnt even adding OP monsters in the first place, so its a non issue
To summarize, trying to make a character so powerful that it teaches the DM the lesson is not going to happen. At most, your character will end up being a nuisance more than a consequence.
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Three-time Judge of the Competition of the Finest Brews! Come join us in making fun, unique homebrew and voting for your favorite entries!
Re-imagining unpopular subclasses as part of FIFY WotC. Let us know what you think of our changes!
As others have suggested, talk to the DM. If that doesn’t work, avoid playing with the DM if possible. Without further knowledge, that’s about the limit of what can be done.
I’ve mostly done AL through local cons. To help encourage more DMs, AL would help DMs out depending on how much they were running. Things like helping to get passes to the con for running a certain number of hours, to even covering costs for hotel rooms if you were running games the full weekend. But they also gave out review slips to the players at every table for every session. So eventually, the worst DMs stopped getting accepted when they volunteered.
Also, maybe check to see who wrote the adventure if possible. One of our problem DMs that got kicked eventually only seemed to volunteer to run one specific adventure writer, because that adventure writer always made the final room a horrific slog to get through (and if it wasn’t, it wasn’t the final room) after a long series of encounters without the possibility of a short rest (due to story imposed time constraints or the environment forcing hourly exhaustion saves due to extreme heat or cold.
as it says in the title I want to be able to make a cocky DM suffer like he flipped over is pillow and the side was still warm. I am a Goliath with a mainly magic based style with a bit of paladin in there, I would like to know how to deal with a dm who thinks he can put op enemies in there without consequences from his players. Please and Thank you!
The DM is basically god to your game. Being combative with your DM is likely not going to end well for you. A more respectful approach would likely be far more effective plan of action. If the entire group has a problem with the DM, then your entire group should approach the DM with their issue.
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Info, Inflow, Overload. Knowledge Black Hole Imminent!
Did your party survive the battle? If so then the enemy was probably not overpowered. It also depends if it’s one battle or a. Chain of battles with no rests or recovery in between. First as people said, if you feel things are not right, talk to your DM. Second, yes feats, spells, and abilities all help immensely in fights. But your best weapon is teamwork and your brain. A group working well together and using abilities with synergy will roast things that the same exact group will get killed on if they act separately. Maybe the DM is helping you because you learn that in hard fights and not easy ones.
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48
Retired Military plenty of time to play just about any night.
It sounds to me like something has gone a bit wrong there. As many other have suggested, speaking to the DM would be a good starter.
The other part is to realised that it's not players versus DM - it's meant to be a collaborative experience. Of course the DM has to take on the role of the adversaries and present a challenge to the group, but it is difficult from your post to figure out if this is a longer ongoing issue of group vs DM, a genuinely nasty DM who delights in killing players, or indeed yourself getting annoyed at not being able to play exactly how you planned it.
So best route forward for a recurring group/game would definitely be to have a conversation.
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Tell me what you you are trying to achieve - we're telling this story together ....at least I thought we were - Now I am not so sure [OGL 1.1]
Even though the OP isn't interested in this thread anymore, my suggestion is that you stop playing with that DM. If his attitude annoys you so much that you want revenge, why bother playing the game? This is for fun, not some silly ego competition that leads nowhere.
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as it says in the title I want to be able to make a cocky DM suffer like he flipped over is pillow and the side was still warm. I am a Goliath with a mainly magic based style with a bit of paladin in there, I would like to know how to deal with a dm who thinks he can put op enemies in there without consequences from his players. Please and Thank you!
What spellcasting class?
I have a weird sense of humor.
I also make maps.(That's a link)
Revenge really isnt the way to go.... Maybe try talking first, revenge 2nd?
Enethia is running a library, Kalnor is with one of his friends(Likely Mithris), Mali is making an elixir, Asari is sad, Ink is dying in Kalnoia, Nox is dead, Zal is eating cheese fries, Tefeerinn is experiencing fuller life, Shardia is watching the safehouse, Mabij is prepping for a trial, Hrakor is running from prophesy, Viperitahk is locked in a strange battle, Void is watching, Redd is writing all of these. See the EXTENSION for the rest
I am more curious as to what you define as OP enemies.
My understanding of how AL works is I find it a tad restricting as to what a DM can and cannot use/allow.
Not to mention most adventures are pre-written? (please correct me if I am wrong on this bit).
Plus I realize this may come as a shock to many a player but... fleeing is a valid strategy in D&D; yes, even in AL.
Honestly, the only thing you can do is talk to the DM. In AL, the DM is expected to balance the opposition by adding or removing thematically appropriate creatures to encounters. The DM can also bump their hit points within the limits allowed for by their hit dice. An AL DM can't change the rules of the game. It is quite possible for the DM to make encounters that are difficult or impossible to win but this is true for EVERY D&D game and is not unique to AL.
In addition, if the characters show that they have no problem with the current encounter, the DM is likely to interpret it to mean that they have not done a good job of balancing and might need to increase the challenge of the next encounter. As a player, there is nothing you can do to prevent that.
However, that said there are some builds that are more powerful or effective than others. Some of these characters will make it easier to deal damage, to deal burst damage, to do crowd control, to support your party or any number of tasks that will make more challenging encounters easier.
e.g.
- GWM and SS on a properly equipped character with the right feats can deal a lot of single target damage
- paladins with smite and the right feats etc can also deal a great deal of burst damage
- most wizards/sorcerers/bards can be very effective against groups with the right spells prepared (fireball, hypnotic pattern, wall of force ... etc ... many tools available)
- rogues and bards can be very effective at the skills aspect of the game with expertise
None of these will cause a decent DM to lose any sleep since they can balance an encounter to deal with it. The only real consequence a player can present to a DM is deciding that the DM doesn't run the type of game they want to play and not playing with them. In game itself, players can behave poorly but that will likely irritate the DM and other players - it doesn't prevent the DM from setting the difficulty of any encounter wherever they want it to be.
TL;DR IF the DM is running things in a way you don't like - have a chat with them.
If your goal is to improve the play of your character so that you are more effective in combat situations then you need to tell everyone the details of your character - race/classes/level/any magic items before anyone can make any reasonable suggestions.
Basically, "a dm ... can put op enemies in there without [in world] consequences from his players." In game the DM is god. Best you can do, between games, is change your religion. Leaving the game and becoming a heretic are both options.
I agree wit GregKyae and some others talk with you DM. Then Leave you DM. OR become a DM. As DM I have occasionally made mistakes increasing the encounter level for a very strong group.
No Gaming is Better than Bad Gaming.
Another question is whether your "dm who ... put[s] op enemies" into games then plays fair with following interactions.
Normal DMs metagame so as to balance the CR rating of enemies with the strength of parties. Real-world situations might not be like that. If there are high CR enemies in your world then it might possible for low-level parties to stumble into their lairs. This is certainly the way that the high CR enemies might like it. If you're dealing with a harsh but fair DM then characters might need, occasionally, to back down and choose their battles. If you'd be facing certain death, let the village burn for now and seek out challenges that your party's equipped to face.
Goliath paladins may not naturally take flexible approaches but, in some circumstances, they might help.
How often are TPKs in this DM's games? Does he use character sheets like trophies? What exactly is going on here?
So, first things first, your relationship with that DM sounds very toxic. While a little bit of competition is fun, D&D is not a "party vs DM" game. If the DM is going out of his/her way to make things too difficult like you say, then you are best just avoiding that DM.
Secondly, there is no solution to your problem. If you make your character more powerful, the DM can add monsters that are even more OP. The DM could even include monsters that specifically counter your character, if they so please. The only way this doesnt happen is if the DM is running a prewritten AL module, in which case the DM isnt even adding OP monsters in the first place, so its a non issue
To summarize, trying to make a character so powerful that it teaches the DM the lesson is not going to happen. At most, your character will end up being a nuisance more than a consequence.
Three-time Judge of the Competition of the Finest Brews! Come join us in making fun, unique homebrew and voting for your favorite entries!
Re-imagining unpopular subclasses as part of FIFY WotC. Let us know what you think of our changes!
As others have suggested, talk to the DM. If that doesn’t work, avoid playing with the DM if possible. Without further knowledge, that’s about the limit of what can be done.
I’ve mostly done AL through local cons. To help encourage more DMs, AL would help DMs out depending on how much they were running. Things like helping to get passes to the con for running a certain number of hours, to even covering costs for hotel rooms if you were running games the full weekend. But they also gave out review slips to the players at every table for every session. So eventually, the worst DMs stopped getting accepted when they volunteered.
Also, maybe check to see who wrote the adventure if possible. One of our problem DMs that got kicked eventually only seemed to volunteer to run one specific adventure writer, because that adventure writer always made the final room a horrific slog to get through (and if it wasn’t, it wasn’t the final room) after a long series of encounters without the possibility of a short rest (due to story imposed time constraints or the environment forcing hourly exhaustion saves due to extreme heat or cold.
The DM is basically god to your game. Being combative with your DM is likely not going to end well for you. A more respectful approach would likely be far more effective plan of action. If the entire group has a problem with the DM, then your entire group should approach the DM with their issue.
Info, Inflow, Overload. Knowledge Black Hole Imminent!
Did your party survive the battle? If so then the enemy was probably not overpowered. It also depends if it’s one battle or a. Chain of battles with no rests or recovery in between. First as people said, if you feel things are not right, talk to your DM. Second, yes feats, spells, and abilities all help immensely in fights. But your best weapon is teamwork and your brain. A group working well together and using abilities with synergy will roast things that the same exact group will get killed on if they act separately. Maybe the DM is helping you because you learn that in hard fights and not easy ones.
48
Retired Military plenty of time to play just about any night.
It sounds to me like something has gone a bit wrong there. As many other have suggested, speaking to the DM would be a good starter.
The other part is to realised that it's not players versus DM - it's meant to be a collaborative experience. Of course the DM has to take on the role of the adversaries and present a challenge to the group, but it is difficult from your post to figure out if this is a longer ongoing issue of group vs DM, a genuinely nasty DM who delights in killing players, or indeed yourself getting annoyed at not being able to play exactly how you planned it.
So best route forward for a recurring group/game would definitely be to have a conversation.
Tell me what you you are trying to achieve - we're telling this story together ....at least I thought we were - Now I am not so sure [OGL 1.1]
They asked this in September of 2021. I don't think they're coming back...
Even though the OP isn't interested in this thread anymore, my suggestion is that you stop playing with that DM. If his attitude annoys you so much that you want revenge, why bother playing the game? This is for fun, not some silly ego competition that leads nowhere.