In the campaign I am dming there is one character who is physically disabled this is posing problems for the campaign if I am to not have the character die for example in my last campaign the party went into a room with a flood trap there is a locked trapdoor at the top but the character can not swim I keep on running into problems like this what should I do
First, understand that it is OK to kill a player character. But that does not have to be the answer. It could be he is underpowered. I would not take a 1st level character as a full party member if the rest of the party was 10th level. But there are other solutions to this issue.
We need more information. Why is the character disabled and also adventuring? Is he some kind of glass cannon? (Good at one thing but weak at others.)
He should be building a play style that counters his issues. So. Tell us a lot more about him.
What class is the character and what class is the rest of the party? Advise the player and party members to take spells or equipment that could serve to help the disabled character out of situations like that (for example, levitate and a rope to pull them along).
I'm sure the character's disability is also acting as a distraction for you. I don't mean this in a bad way. It's natural to only be able to think of things around the one big problem that you have, but you could also try diversifying your traps more. Use different sources and pick the ones that sound coolest regardless of your prediction of the character's ability to overcome them, and then if there are any you chose that are absolutely impossible, cut them out, but ignoring the problem when looking for the solution will help you get out of this rut. Not every trap has to limit motion.
Don't underestimate your players' problem-solving abilities, but if they aren't thinking of something or aren't looking hard enough, give them a clue or an out (the flood trap could have had a specific rune on the ceiling which, when hit with a ranged attack or a specific type of magic, shuts off the trap). This will make the players feel like they actually solved something and aren't just doomed, whether that solution was originally planned or something you added in later to help them out.
Or, you could just let these traps be hard for that one character, have them be solved by other characters, and then make sure to include moments in your campaign where that one character gets to use their strongest abilities and traits, so that the player of that character doesn't feel unhelpful. (eg. if they were a monk, create an encounter against archers so that they can use Deflect Missile all the time and feel like a badass, or if they were a paladin, create a poison gas trap so that they are the only immune one, and therefore the only one who's able to shut it off)
First, understand that it is OK to kill a player….
Well… it’s okay to kill their character. Killing actual players is best avoided whenever possible.
All joking aside, recognizing the difference between a player and their character is important. It’s what makes it okay for a DM to present a scenario in which a PC dies without it causing bad relations between that DM and that PC’s player. That makes for better D&D.
I assume the player chose to make their character differently abled for roleplay purposes and they didn't just roll real bad and lose a leg or something.
Understand then that the player has signaled that they're OK facing challenges, so give them challenges, BUT understand that there is a way someone with different abilities than other people can still participate at the same or similar levels as their abled fellows. Are they paraplegic without the use of their legs? Well, in a water trap, they could be able to swim just with their arms fine enough. That kind of thing.
Usually there is a reason why the character should still be able to do most things, unless the final boss forces them to cross a tight rope in their wheelchair (and even then, hey, just cling beneath it and monkey bar your way across! Touche, my own example). This might be more of a mountains out of molehills situation when something doesn't seem like it should work, but after more thought, it actually does.
In a metagame-y sense, maybe just be prepared to hand-wave some stuff just so as not to punish this specific player for a character creation choice that they made to add to their enjoyment of the game, not necessarily because they wanted to play on "hard mode".
there's a lot someone can contribute without enjoying pit traps and acid baths first hand! but usually that isn't the aspect of the story we're focused on. the player needs to bring their own plausibility for being there and "somebody carry me!" isn't that. i'd consider offering the character an NPC companion: a loyal care-giver or a helper animal they've trained or even a brute to carry them around like General Krang's android body. then they can split their interaction between both to remain relevant to most challenges. for example, perhaps they've befriended a wolf they can ride as a mount. or the character might be a mage who stays at camp while their familiar perches on a brutish companion's shoulder during exploration of ruins.
...i think many people would probably look at this suggestion and think that sounds like a slippery slope towards an overpowered character (or set of characters). well, it already takes a special player to pull off a glass-cannon or underpowered build without frustrating the table, so what's a little more trust? the real trick is not turning it into an "everyone help the main character!" situation. otherwise, it's really only as overly-versatile as you let it be. that wolf they're riding might be dm controlled and a big wimp to boot. or maybe the character is tied to Hodor's back and unable to do even simple attack cantrips during battle. definitely talk with the player about whether they'd rather just play a normal character with like a sassy, haunted hat with an unresolved quest. otherwise, choosing to play a disadvantaged person in a dungeon full of dexterity checks is not the same as bringing a hot-head barbarian action-magnet to the political talks-a-lot campaign. it's more like bringing a new climber to mount everest ("are you sure you wouldn't rather stay here at base camp? it's pretty high up already and a lot less deadly.").
In the campaign I am dming there is one character who is physically disabled this is posing problems for the campaign if I am to not have the character die for example in my last campaign the party went into a room with a flood trap there is a locked trapdoor at the top but the character can not swim I keep on running into problems like this what should I do
First, understand that it is OK to kill a
playercharacter. But that does not have to be the answer. It could be he is underpowered. I would not take a 1st level character as a full party member if the rest of the party was 10th level. But there are other solutions to this issue.We need more information. Why is the character disabled and also adventuring? Is he some kind of glass cannon? (Good at one thing but weak at others.)
He should be building a play style that counters his issues. So. Tell us a lot more about him.
What class is the character and what class is the rest of the party? Advise the player and party members to take spells or equipment that could serve to help the disabled character out of situations like that (for example, levitate and a rope to pull them along).
I'm sure the character's disability is also acting as a distraction for you. I don't mean this in a bad way. It's natural to only be able to think of things around the one big problem that you have, but you could also try diversifying your traps more. Use different sources and pick the ones that sound coolest regardless of your prediction of the character's ability to overcome them, and then if there are any you chose that are absolutely impossible, cut them out, but ignoring the problem when looking for the solution will help you get out of this rut. Not every trap has to limit motion.
Don't underestimate your players' problem-solving abilities, but if they aren't thinking of something or aren't looking hard enough, give them a clue or an out (the flood trap could have had a specific rune on the ceiling which, when hit with a ranged attack or a specific type of magic, shuts off the trap). This will make the players feel like they actually solved something and aren't just doomed, whether that solution was originally planned or something you added in later to help them out.
Or, you could just let these traps be hard for that one character, have them be solved by other characters, and then make sure to include moments in your campaign where that one character gets to use their strongest abilities and traits, so that the player of that character doesn't feel unhelpful. (eg. if they were a monk, create an encounter against archers so that they can use Deflect Missile all the time and feel like a badass, or if they were a paladin, create a poison gas trap so that they are the only immune one, and therefore the only one who's able to shut it off)
:)
Well… it’s okay to kill their character. Killing actual players is best avoided whenever possible.
All joking aside, recognizing the difference between a player and their character is important. It’s what makes it okay for a DM to present a scenario in which a PC dies without it causing bad relations between that DM and that PC’s player. That makes for better D&D.
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I assume the player chose to make their character differently abled for roleplay purposes and they didn't just roll real bad and lose a leg or something.
Understand then that the player has signaled that they're OK facing challenges, so give them challenges, BUT understand that there is a way someone with different abilities than other people can still participate at the same or similar levels as their abled fellows. Are they paraplegic without the use of their legs? Well, in a water trap, they could be able to swim just with their arms fine enough. That kind of thing.
Usually there is a reason why the character should still be able to do most things, unless the final boss forces them to cross a tight rope in their wheelchair (and even then, hey, just cling beneath it and monkey bar your way across! Touche, my own example). This might be more of a mountains out of molehills situation when something doesn't seem like it should work, but after more thought, it actually does.
In a metagame-y sense, maybe just be prepared to hand-wave some stuff just so as not to punish this specific player for a character creation choice that they made to add to their enjoyment of the game, not necessarily because they wanted to play on "hard mode".
there's a lot someone can contribute without enjoying pit traps and acid baths first hand! but usually that isn't the aspect of the story we're focused on. the player needs to bring their own plausibility for being there and "somebody carry me!" isn't that. i'd consider offering the character an NPC companion: a loyal care-giver or a helper animal they've trained or even a brute to carry them around like General Krang's android body. then they can split their interaction between both to remain relevant to most challenges. for example, perhaps they've befriended a wolf they can ride as a mount. or the character might be a mage who stays at camp while their familiar perches on a brutish companion's shoulder during exploration of ruins.
...i think many people would probably look at this suggestion and think that sounds like a slippery slope towards an overpowered character (or set of characters). well, it already takes a special player to pull off a glass-cannon or underpowered build without frustrating the table, so what's a little more trust? the real trick is not turning it into an "everyone help the main character!" situation. otherwise, it's really only as overly-versatile as you let it be. that wolf they're riding might be dm controlled and a big wimp to boot. or maybe the character is tied to Hodor's back and unable to do even simple attack cantrips during battle. definitely talk with the player about whether they'd rather just play a normal character with like a sassy, haunted hat with an unresolved quest. otherwise, choosing to play a disadvantaged person in a dungeon full of dexterity checks is not the same as bringing a hot-head barbarian action-magnet to the political talks-a-lot campaign. it's more like bringing a new climber to mount everest ("are you sure you wouldn't rather stay here at base camp? it's pretty high up already and a lot less deadly.").
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