Little over a year now I've been playing with the group as a human fighter. I really enjoy playing with these people. However it's getting harder and harder with each session. My fighter is the most useless thing on the field. Even the warlock (Not-Hexblade) using a sickle is more an effective fighter. I have 18 in strength and 14 in con with a big old 8 in dex.
Outside of combat my character is actually a lot of fun to play as but in combat she is easily the worst thing out there.
Currently doing a sword and shield with the dueling fighting style at level 5. I go down almost every encounter. I joined this group later than the others. 3 out of 4 of the original players are on their second character, either due to death or something removed them from the story.
I somehow became the face of the party, despite one of the players being a Bard(the last original member) with 20 charisma vs my 10. She is fun dealing with social situations and fun for exploring. However, I loath combat.
I asked the DM on either changing out my character for a new that is more suited for this campaign. Or change some stats around to make her tougher. Or change out my stats to become an archer. Sadly he will not budge on either.
Last night(our session day) I went down (again) we were playing with the rules of if someone goes to stabilize someone and you get a 2-5 on a failed roll that's 1 failure to the death saving throws. Nat 1's were 2 failed saves, That happened twice and he goes one saying that was never a thing! That literally happened to the druid- now- wizard not even 8 sessions ago!
I asked about what can I do to fix her and I was basically told( In a way I felt I was being talked down too)
"Your character is perfect how she is. Sure she could be built different to be an absolute tank or an extremely heavy striker, but I guess part of the fun is knowing that she can change overtime and you can make her how you want. Also, when she does land her hits, they can be deadly, the only other player who has more consistently deadly (the rouge)"
However, I just hate playing her in combat. Short of tossing this douce canoe off a cliff I'm not sure how I can get the DM to let me either rebuild my character from the ground up or make another character that I would much more enjoy playing.
TL;DR I want to keep playing with these people but I hate playing the character I'm stuck with, So it makes it hard too.
I would not compare it to changing clothes. Unless I want to get a fresh pair of clothes that haven't been washed in about 5 months.
I end up going down usually around the first three rounds of combat and then I'm just sitting on my thumb with the next hour and a half waiting for everyone else to finish.
I'm a lot newer to character creation so I thought I did a pretty good job however, I just feel like I want to actually contribute to the party in combat but it just sucks cause it keeps happening over and over It's even bad when one of the players accuse me of purposely trying to kill my character. (I said I don't want to play this character but I'm not going to go that far)
I know I may sound like a spoiled child but just I'm not having fun like what do you do in a situation like this?
Your stats aren't actually bad for a character that can wear heavy armor. Unless you're running around in medium/light armor, you should have relatively high AC and certainly have good HP, so going down every fight might have more to do with the DM's tactics than your build.
That being said, your character is the one thing you get to control in this game. The DM doesn't get to say, "Your character is perfect the way they are" because it is not the DM's character.
I would emphasize that the character is not a good fit for you. If the DM thinks your character so great they are free to take her over as an NPC, but you are not having fun and you want to go another way. This is a pretty basic aspect of the social contract of the game and the DM pushing back against it implies there might be other interpersonal dynamics going on here, but at any rate you need to stand firm here. One player not having fun brings down everyone's experience.
Yes I did voice my concerns to the DM that's where I got that little spiel about how they're perfect the way they are.
That is a direct quote from them, the only thing that is different is me changing the rogue's name to rogue.
As far as magic items go I finally got my first one recently guess what it was.
Gauntlets of ogre strength.
Which for my character who already has a strength of 18 completely useless and I was basically but in a spot to where I had to be happy about this. It's great to get magic items but this item is completely rendered useless by my character stats already.
I second the advice to communicate to your DM that you aren't having any fun with the character and want to tinker with her so that your enjoyment of the campaign improves. But I think there also might be a mismatch of expectations and gaming values, here, and it also warrants a conversation.
The homebrew death save rules and the number of character deaths lead me to think that your DM is running a gritty, hardcore, combat-heavy kind of game. It makes sense to me that they would not be interested in allowing mid-campaign changes to mitigate the deadliness of combat, as that's a starring feature of the game they want to run. Moreover, a melee fighter is going to go unconscious a lot in games like these, so to the DM, your situation is normal. What they might not understand is that it isn't normal or fun for you. You're looking for a different gaming experience, and that's okay. But it needs to be discussed.
Every good DM wants their players to enjoy the game. When we find out someone isn't having fun, we work with them to fix it - but we might not give the players exactly what they ask for. Sometimes because we can't, as it would force us to use a DM style we don't like. Personally, I would not allow a player to swap stats around; you dance with the girl you brought, and you can tinker when you level up. I might give special feats or magic items in the interim to help the player enjoy it more, but reconstructive surgery on a character sheet is not something I'd allow unless the player had tried and failed to make the best of a perfectly viable build. As for swapping out characters entirely, it can be a massive pain for DMs of RP-heavy or backstory-integrated campaigns, as well as pause or derail party bonding and distract from the ongoing narrative. Does this nullify the fact that you aren't having fun with your fighter? Not at all, but it might give context to why the DM isn't eager to let you ditch your fighter, especially if they don't understand how unhappy you are...or if they aren't interested in running the kind of game you want to play.
Share your feelings and hopes with your DM and ask what they might be willing to do to help you have fun with your character. If they're not willing to do anything, then that's a red flag that this might not be a good fit for you.
personally, i wouldn't like it if players sprung their surprise brand new characters on me right before a session. however, what choice has the player been given? i'd recommend an old salesman trick of offering up a big ask and then following up with a more reasonable ask...
show the DM a pre-printed new character sheet that you're interested in. new class, new name, new haircut, new purpose. DM sees this, tells you all the ways it's just not a good fit for the party. sorry, too big a change for right before the next session. darn.
now you use the words "i don't want to continue with my current character as they are now." remind DM that you've brought up your feelings before and you're serious about a change. then you show them the other pre-printed character sheet, this one being an ideal reworking of your current fighter (including a replacement uncommon item for those gauntlets of ogre power). same name, roughly the same function, and ready roll off the lot this very hour. any rough edges can be identified and sanded down as you go. also you didn't bring your old character sheet.
obviously they can still say no. just as obviously you can voice an immediate interest in farming and the resale value of used armor. hopefully everyone quietly agrees it would be in everyone's best interest to rock the boat the least and keep moving forward.
I might recommend referring your DM to this very thread, since a majority of players support the way you feel, with the obvious provision this isn’t a regularly recurring thing (which you in no way have suggested it will be). Honestly you might enjoy playing with the group but if the DM is purposely getting in the way of your fun it almost sounds like they’re trying to get rid of you without kicking you out. Very repulsive and passive aggressive I’d say.
So from what I read in your original post the issue was combat and being taken out in combat (you like playing the character out of combat?).
current play style in combat is Sword & Board (sword & shield), there are other things you can do to avoid getting hit or to tank; some suggestions.
ranged combat - bow, crossbow, throw something. Keep walking backwards and attacking at range
Stick them with the pointy end & run - simply run behind the others, use them as a meat shield. Disengage & walk away. yes it’s a turn used but who cares if you are the last one standing
Stand and bleed - stick everything into Con and take tough, let the others focus on killing things, you’re just there to look pretty with blood running down your face.
Try different styles of combat to see if changing it up makes you enjoy your current character more. In the least it will make the other players think differently. especially if they suddenly find themselves at the front being poked with pointy things ;)
And it might make your DM think differently as well.
I might recommend referring your DM to this very thread, since a majority of players support the way you feel, with the obvious provision this isn’t a regularly recurring thing (which you in no way have suggested it will be). Honestly you might enjoy playing with the group but if the DM is purposely getting in the way of your fun it almost sounds like they’re trying to get rid of you without kicking you out. Very repulsive and passive aggressive I’d say.
i don't entirely disagree with you, but i think it's a little more mundane than hurtful (although maybe still passive agressive): i kinda think somebody is way overvaluing a "tank" character. a melee bard and melee wizard are having fun while the one sword and board player takes a fall every combat? sounds like the monsters have a strange preference for chewing on armor.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
unhappy at the way in which we lost individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
tell them you don't like features disappeared quietly in the night: providefeedback!
Sorry to hear about your very unfortunate situation. Since talking to your DM about how you feel and that your request to change character or modify it was met with a refusal, you're only options left is to either leave the game or keep playing your fighter a different way. One way to do so could be to rely more heavily on thrown weapons to make range weapon attacks from a distance rather than fighting in melee. This should make you go down less frequently. There are fights though where your character should shine with a solid AC and decent attack and damage rolls, Action Surge etc...Try to trade your magic item with another party member or with a merchant if possible. If you give it a try and after you still feel this way, then at least you will have tried everything you could to improve your game play experience and tell them before you quit. Good luck, truly.
A meat shield is an art and a dirty job, but it quickly become a real let down when no one has your back, especially after you drop while protecting them!
I'm curious though, seeing how your character seem decently built, since you go down almost every encounter, do you feel being treated unfairly or it's only a matter of unluck? Do you think monsters target you more than the others? Also is the DM rolling in the open or made in private, possibly fudging? Why when you end up going down you are never getting healed back up and instead have to wait for everyone else to finish? Don't you have a bard in the party healing teamates?
What you describe is not a typical D&D experience for games i run or play in, something's wrong and abnormal.
Based on the post, it seems like your DM is going for a meat-grinder kind of game. A bard, fighter, rogue, warlock, and wizard should be able to handle most encounters fairly easily in a normal campaign. I get the sense that the DM may be using your fighter as a tool to build drama similar to how Worf in TNG was essentially used as a threat barometer; baddy of the week takes him out with ease = big scary.
I am saddened to read that talking to the DM did not help, but his response does make me feel more sure about my above comment - you are the second highest damage dealer in the game, have reasonable stats, a shield, presumably decent armor, and apparently are missing your attacks a lot? Something isn't adding up for me. Talk to your DM again and remember that the game is meant to be fun for everyone. No D&D is better than bad D&D and even if your DM is acting appropriately, you are not having fun.
Based on the post, it seems like your DM is going for a meat-grinder kind of game. A bard, fighter, rogue, warlock, and wizard should be able to handle most encounters fairly easily in a normal campaign. I get the sense that the DM may be using your fighter as a tool to build drama similar to how Worf in TNG was essentially used as a threat barometer; baddy of the week takes him out with ease = big scary.
I am saddened to read that talking to the DM did not help, but his response does make me feel more sure about my above comment - you are the second highest damage dealer in the game, have reasonable stats, a shield, presumably decent armor, and apparently are missing your attacks a lot? Something isn't adding up for me. Talk to your DM again and remember that the game is meant to be fun for everyone. No D&D is better than bad D&D and even if your DM is acting appropriately, you are not having fun.
I had the same reaction about the style of game (meat grinder)
OP, would you mind explaining a bit on how you play? Do you run in and stand there swinging? What are the others doing to help? Do the enemies focus all on you? How long are your fights (in rounds, which typically average around 3-5 per combat)? Do fights go much longer than that?
It’s puzzling why your character goes down so much
At this level you should have some heavy armor (probably not plate) so your low DEX shouldn’t matter except initiative. You should have decent HP
Also, if your character did not go down in combat so much, but stayed up every fight, would you have fun with this character? Or would you still want to switch?
optimizing this one player's AC is only going to perpetuate this player's predicament. if the dm is targeting mostly one person, if the dm is having trouble fine tuning the CR of encounters, and fellow party members don't appear to be putting much effort into charm/fear/sleep/hold/heal backup, then making the player a more efficient servant facilitates everyone except the player. if the party is in such need of frontliners then they can bring in a hireling or two, train a pack of dogs, drape a clever bull in mail, stumble upon a shield guardian amulet, etc.
until the dm and party rethink their distribution of duties, the player can go slow, peek around corners, set ambushes, and throw javelins. trade the gauntlets of ogre power for a headband of intellect and start coordinating battle like a general, why not! there are ways to continue to be a team player without carrying the team on your back.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
unhappy at the way in which we lost individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
tell them you don't like features disappeared quietly in the night: providefeedback!
optimizing this one player's AC is only going to perpetuate this player's predicament. if the dm is targeting mostly one person, if the dm is having trouble fine tuning the CR of encounters, and fellow party members don't appear to be putting much effort into charm/fear/sleep/hold/heal backup, then making the player a more efficient servant facilitates everyone except the player. if the party is in such need of frontliners then they can bring in a hireling or two, train a pack of dogs, drape a clever bull in mail, stumble upon a shield guardian amulet, etc.
until the dm and party rethink their distribution of duties, the player can go slow, peek around corners, set ambushes, and throw javelins. trade the gauntlets of ogre power for a headband of intellect and start coordinating battle like a general, why not! there are ways to continue to be a team player without carrying the team on your back.
After I had posted the suggestion that the OP reconsider their tactics in battle, I read the post again. That was when I also realized that there doesn't seem to be any teamwork amongst the PCs. It kinda sounded like combat encounters were every PC for themselves. Like you said, are spells being used to help with "crowd control"? Is the flanking rule in effect, and if so is the rogue getting into position? Etc...
This is also why I asked what the player is doing, what the others are doing, etc... Something seems off. I get that the Fighter is the only frontliner, but I'm currently playing a Druid, with a melee Fighter, Bard, Ranged Ranger, and Rogue. And there are a lot of combats where it's not just the Fighter getting attacked. And the OP even said in another post, "I end up going down usually around the first three rounds of combat and then I'm just sitting on my thumb with the next hour and a half waiting for everyone else to finish." so I wonder how many rounds there typical battle goes if it took another hour and a half to finish after the 3rd round. What is the party doing to survive after the fighter is down where there isn't a TPK?
Little over a year now I've been playing with the group as a human fighter. I really enjoy playing with these people. However it's getting harder and harder with each session. My fighter is the most useless thing on the field. Even the warlock (Not-Hexblade) using a sickle is more an effective fighter. I have 18 in strength and 14 in con with a big old 8 in dex.
Outside of combat my character is actually a lot of fun to play as but in combat she is easily the worst thing out there.
Currently doing a sword and shield with the dueling fighting style at level 5. I go down almost every encounter. I joined this group later than the others. 3 out of 4 of the original players are on their second character, either due to death or something removed them from the story.
I somehow became the face of the party, despite one of the players being a Bard(the last original member) with 20 charisma vs my 10. She is fun dealing with social situations and fun for exploring. However, I loath combat.
I asked the DM on either changing out my character for a new that is more suited for this campaign. Or change some stats around to make her tougher. Or change out my stats to become an archer. Sadly he will not budge on either.
Last night(our session day) I went down (again) we were playing with the rules of if someone goes to stabilize someone and you get a 2-5 on a failed roll that's 1 failure to the death saving throws. Nat 1's were 2 failed saves, That happened twice and he goes one saying that was never a thing! That literally happened to the druid- now- wizard not even 8 sessions ago!
I asked about what can I do to fix her and I was basically told( In a way I felt I was being talked down too)
"Your character is perfect how she is. Sure she could be built different to be an absolute tank or an extremely heavy striker, but I guess part of the fun is knowing that she can change overtime and you can make her how you want. Also, when she does land her hits, they can be deadly, the only other player who has more consistently deadly (the rouge)"
However, I just hate playing her in combat. Short of tossing this douce canoe off a cliff I'm not sure how I can get the DM to let me either rebuild my character from the ground up or make another character that I would much more enjoy playing.
TL;DR I want to keep playing with these people but I hate playing the character I'm stuck with, So it makes it hard too.
I would not compare it to changing clothes. Unless I want to get a fresh pair of clothes that haven't been washed in about 5 months.
I end up going down usually around the first three rounds of combat and then I'm just sitting on my thumb with the next hour and a half waiting for everyone else to finish.
I'm a lot newer to character creation so I thought I did a pretty good job however, I just feel like I want to actually contribute to the party in combat but it just sucks cause it keeps happening over and over It's even bad when one of the players accuse me of purposely trying to kill my character. (I said I don't want to play this character but I'm not going to go that far)
I know I may sound like a spoiled child but just I'm not having fun like what do you do in a situation like this?
Your stats aren't actually bad for a character that can wear heavy armor. Unless you're running around in medium/light armor, you should have relatively high AC and certainly have good HP, so going down every fight might have more to do with the DM's tactics than your build.
That being said, your character is the one thing you get to control in this game. The DM doesn't get to say, "Your character is perfect the way they are" because it is not the DM's character.
I would emphasize that the character is not a good fit for you. If the DM thinks your character so great they are free to take her over as an NPC, but you are not having fun and you want to go another way. This is a pretty basic aspect of the social contract of the game and the DM pushing back against it implies there might be other interpersonal dynamics going on here, but at any rate you need to stand firm here. One player not having fun brings down everyone's experience.
My homebrew subclasses (full list here)
(Artificer) Swordmage | Glasswright | (Barbarian) Path of the Savage Embrace
(Bard) College of Dance | (Fighter) Warlord | Cannoneer
(Monk) Way of the Elements | (Ranger) Blade Dancer
(Rogue) DaggerMaster | Inquisitor | (Sorcerer) Riftwalker | Spellfist
(Warlock) The Swarm
Yes I did voice my concerns to the DM that's where I got that little spiel about how they're perfect the way they are.
That is a direct quote from them, the only thing that is different is me changing the rogue's name to rogue.
As far as magic items go I finally got my first one recently guess what it was.
Gauntlets of ogre strength.
Which for my character who already has a strength of 18 completely useless and I was basically but in a spot to where I had to be happy about this. It's great to get magic items but this item is completely rendered useless by my character stats already.
I second the advice to communicate to your DM that you aren't having any fun with the character and want to tinker with her so that your enjoyment of the campaign improves. But I think there also might be a mismatch of expectations and gaming values, here, and it also warrants a conversation.
The homebrew death save rules and the number of character deaths lead me to think that your DM is running a gritty, hardcore, combat-heavy kind of game. It makes sense to me that they would not be interested in allowing mid-campaign changes to mitigate the deadliness of combat, as that's a starring feature of the game they want to run. Moreover, a melee fighter is going to go unconscious a lot in games like these, so to the DM, your situation is normal. What they might not understand is that it isn't normal or fun for you. You're looking for a different gaming experience, and that's okay. But it needs to be discussed.
Every good DM wants their players to enjoy the game. When we find out someone isn't having fun, we work with them to fix it - but we might not give the players exactly what they ask for. Sometimes because we can't, as it would force us to use a DM style we don't like. Personally, I would not allow a player to swap stats around; you dance with the girl you brought, and you can tinker when you level up. I might give special feats or magic items in the interim to help the player enjoy it more, but reconstructive surgery on a character sheet is not something I'd allow unless the player had tried and failed to make the best of a perfectly viable build. As for swapping out characters entirely, it can be a massive pain for DMs of RP-heavy or backstory-integrated campaigns, as well as pause or derail party bonding and distract from the ongoing narrative. Does this nullify the fact that you aren't having fun with your fighter? Not at all, but it might give context to why the DM isn't eager to let you ditch your fighter, especially if they don't understand how unhappy you are...or if they aren't interested in running the kind of game you want to play.
Share your feelings and hopes with your DM and ask what they might be willing to do to help you have fun with your character. If they're not willing to do anything, then that's a red flag that this might not be a good fit for you.
personally, i wouldn't like it if players sprung their surprise brand new characters on me right before a session. however, what choice has the player been given? i'd recommend an old salesman trick of offering up a big ask and then following up with a more reasonable ask...
show the DM a pre-printed new character sheet that you're interested in. new class, new name, new haircut, new purpose. DM sees this, tells you all the ways it's just not a good fit for the party. sorry, too big a change for right before the next session. darn.
now you use the words "i don't want to continue with my current character as they are now." remind DM that you've brought up your feelings before and you're serious about a change. then you show them the other pre-printed character sheet, this one being an ideal reworking of your current fighter (including a replacement uncommon item for those gauntlets of ogre power). same name, roughly the same function, and ready roll off the lot this very hour. any rough edges can be identified and sanded down as you go. also you didn't bring your old character sheet.
obviously they can still say no. just as obviously you can voice an immediate interest in farming and the resale value of used armor. hopefully everyone quietly agrees it would be in everyone's best interest to rock the boat the least and keep moving forward.
unhappy at the way in which we lost individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
tell them you don't like features disappeared quietly in the night: provide feedback!
I might recommend referring your DM to this very thread, since a majority of players support the way you feel, with the obvious provision this isn’t a regularly recurring thing (which you in no way have suggested it will be). Honestly you might enjoy playing with the group but if the DM is purposely getting in the way of your fun it almost sounds like they’re trying to get rid of you without kicking you out. Very repulsive and passive aggressive I’d say.
So from what I read in your original post the issue was combat and being taken out in combat (you like playing the character out of combat?).
current play style in combat is Sword & Board (sword & shield), there are other things you can do to avoid getting hit or to tank; some suggestions.
ranged combat - bow, crossbow, throw something. Keep walking backwards and attacking at range
Stick them with the pointy end & run - simply run behind the others, use them as a meat shield. Disengage & walk away. yes it’s a turn used but who cares if you are the last one standing
Stand and bleed - stick everything into Con and take tough, let the others focus on killing things, you’re just there to look pretty with blood running down your face.
Try different styles of combat to see if changing it up makes you enjoy your current character more. In the least it will make the other players think differently. especially if they suddenly find themselves at the front being poked with pointy things ;)
And it might make your DM think differently as well.
i don't entirely disagree with you, but i think it's a little more mundane than hurtful (although maybe still passive agressive): i kinda think somebody is way overvaluing a "tank" character. a melee bard and melee wizard are having fun while the one sword and board player takes a fall every combat? sounds like the monsters have a strange preference for chewing on armor.
unhappy at the way in which we lost individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
tell them you don't like features disappeared quietly in the night: provide feedback!
Sorry to hear about your very unfortunate situation. Since talking to your DM about how you feel and that your request to change character or modify it was met with a refusal, you're only options left is to either leave the game or keep playing your fighter a different way. One way to do so could be to rely more heavily on thrown weapons to make range weapon attacks from a distance rather than fighting in melee. This should make you go down less frequently. There are fights though where your character should shine with a solid AC and decent attack and damage rolls, Action Surge etc...Try to trade your magic item with another party member or with a merchant if possible. If you give it a try and after you still feel this way, then at least you will have tried everything you could to improve your game play experience and tell them before you quit. Good luck, truly.
A meat shield is an art and a dirty job, but it quickly become a real let down when no one has your back, especially after you drop while protecting them!
I'm curious though, seeing how your character seem decently built, since you go down almost every encounter, do you feel being treated unfairly or it's only a matter of unluck? Do you think monsters target you more than the others? Also is the DM rolling in the open or made in private, possibly fudging? Why when you end up going down you are never getting healed back up and instead have to wait for everyone else to finish? Don't you have a bard in the party healing teamates?
What you describe is not a typical D&D experience for games i run or play in, something's wrong and abnormal.
Based on the post, it seems like your DM is going for a meat-grinder kind of game. A bard, fighter, rogue, warlock, and wizard should be able to handle most encounters fairly easily in a normal campaign. I get the sense that the DM may be using your fighter as a tool to build drama similar to how Worf in TNG was essentially used as a threat barometer; baddy of the week takes him out with ease = big scary.
I am saddened to read that talking to the DM did not help, but his response does make me feel more sure about my above comment - you are the second highest damage dealer in the game, have reasonable stats, a shield, presumably decent armor, and apparently are missing your attacks a lot? Something isn't adding up for me. Talk to your DM again and remember that the game is meant to be fun for everyone. No D&D is better than bad D&D and even if your DM is acting appropriately, you are not having fun.
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I had the same reaction about the style of game (meat grinder)
OP, would you mind explaining a bit on how you play? Do you run in and stand there swinging? What are the others doing to help? Do the enemies focus all on you? How long are your fights (in rounds, which typically average around 3-5 per combat)? Do fights go much longer than that?
It’s puzzling why your character goes down so much
At this level you should have some heavy armor (probably not plate) so your low DEX shouldn’t matter except initiative. You should have decent HP
Also, if your character did not go down in combat so much, but stayed up every fight, would you have fun with this character? Or would you still want to switch?
EZD6 by DM Scotty
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/397599/EZD6-Core-Rulebook?
optimizing this one player's AC is only going to perpetuate this player's predicament. if the dm is targeting mostly one person, if the dm is having trouble fine tuning the CR of encounters, and fellow party members don't appear to be putting much effort into charm/fear/sleep/hold/heal backup, then making the player a more efficient servant facilitates everyone except the player. if the party is in such need of frontliners then they can bring in a hireling or two, train a pack of dogs, drape a clever bull in mail, stumble upon a shield guardian amulet, etc.
until the dm and party rethink their distribution of duties, the player can go slow, peek around corners, set ambushes, and throw javelins. trade the gauntlets of ogre power for a headband of intellect and start coordinating battle like a general, why not! there are ways to continue to be a team player without carrying the team on your back.
unhappy at the way in which we lost individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
tell them you don't like features disappeared quietly in the night: provide feedback!
This is also why I asked what the player is doing, what the others are doing, etc... Something seems off. I get that the Fighter is the only frontliner, but I'm currently playing a Druid, with a melee Fighter, Bard, Ranged Ranger, and Rogue. And there are a lot of combats where it's not just the Fighter getting attacked. And the OP even said in another post, "I end up going down usually around the first three rounds of combat and then I'm just sitting on my thumb with the next hour and a half waiting for everyone else to finish." so I wonder how many rounds there typical battle goes if it took another hour and a half to finish after the 3rd round. What is the party doing to survive after the fighter is down where there isn't a TPK?
EZD6 by DM Scotty
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/397599/EZD6-Core-Rulebook?