TLDR: my friend john built his fighter as a tank, now he does no damage and doesn’t tank and everyone is unsatisfied with his character.
Hi, I’ve been playing DnD for like a year after I got hooked into the world by bardurs gate 3, the point is that currently I’m in a lvl 7-20 campaign and our party of 6 is at level 9 but I’m having problems with my friends fighter build, the reason I’m making this post is to ask for your opinion on what to do and how do deal with him.
This campaign is a continuation of water deep dragon heist and one of the players, let’s call him John played a fighter and built him as a tank, in that campaign we were only 5 players, a bard, sorcerer, cleric (me), wizard and fighter. At that moment it was really useful to have another frontline and his manouvers gave him flexibility, the thing is that in this campaign another friend joined and he made a paladin focused on tanking and the DM allowed us to remake our characters but not the class, ie; feats, background and point distribution, because we were transitioning into the 2024 rules from 2014.
Now into the conundrum, everyone changed something about their character, but John stayed the same, a fighter tank using a long sword and a shield. after fighting several battles and leveling til 9, we noticed something, he doesn’t really do much in battle and takes a lot of time in his turn just to deal 14-20 damage while everyone does more damage and is more useful.
One moment that opened our eyes was after a really tough fight were John and the paladin got downed and I as the cleric decided without a doubt to heal the paladin, John asked me why I didn’t healed him first and I just said that the paladin standing there is more useful than him. John’s fighter to put it bluntly is mediocre, he doesn’t do damage, he never stays in the front to tank and easily fails mental saving trows, I don’t know how many times I’ve dreamt of having a fighter champion great weapon master demolishing enemies turn 1.
I can say without an ounce of doubt that If he stoped playing or his character died it would change nothing, literally nothing, I’ve asked all of my friends playing the campaign for their opinion on this and everyone has said the same, we need melee damage and he doesn’t tank nor does damage. I know that asking someone to play the way you want is the epitome of selfishness, but what do you do when the other 5 players experience is muddied when one character can’t do their respective role and suffer because of it. If I built a cleric focused solely on melee but lacking in casting everyone on my party would suffer and not enjoy the session because I’m not full filing my role as the support/healer.
That’s why I”ve come to ask for your opinion on this, do we as a party bring the issue to the DM and player or wait til someone character dies due to the lack of damage and we start pointing fingers? If you need more info, ask away I just don’t know how to tackle this issue
Thank you
Edit: some stuff I forgot to mention
Because we are in a dungeon we long rest sparingly due to Halaster (the big bad) not allowing just wait the long rest cooldown, so we do several encounters a day, due to 5 of our party being caster and 1 half caster our strength is tied to our spell slots, that’s why it’s more noticeable that we lack that short rest damage.
everyone built their character using the 2024 backgrounds and choose their feats and point distribution.
I don’t really know what his build is or what if power fantasy is, he is a lvl 9 battle master, uses sword and shield and has 23AC, he got the shield master, dasher (or speedy) and mage slayer as feats so he has 18 STR, 16 sec and 16 dex, we bought him a cursed long sword that ignores are phisical resistances and is +1, the most op weapon we have is azuredge a legendary sentient battle axe who would never have him as his master due to his alignment and goals.
Our DM changes the campaign so we only use the undermountain dungeon as way to progress the story so we can’t go to water deep that easily and everyone is starved for magic items, we have 2 rings of protection, the cursed sword, azuredge, an adamantine plate armor, a fireball wand and a crown that gives +2 Int to a max of 16, we are just going to enter level 6, but I’m aware that the fighter is the most item hungry class
Not everyone plays with perfectly min/maxed characters, and if your friend is not asking for help, then perhaps his character isn't the problem.
First, let's start with the claim that he doesn't do enough damage - that's not his job. You said he was built to be a "tank". The job of a tank is to absorb attacks. Any effort to maximize how many attacks they can absorb will lessen the damage that they inflict, because the two are diametrically opposed ideas. To maximize damage, he would need to ditch his shield, which makes him less useful as a 'tank'. Sword and board maximizes AC, and his d10 hp (and hopefully higher Con) together are what make him a 'tank'. Being in front is a must, but ONLY if he gets support. Anyone up front without support gets annihilated, especially in 5e24 where everything does a lot of damage. No one likes to play a character that gets taken to zero hp (or close to it) in every fight. I know the adventure you are playing, if the DM is using the 5e24 version of each of those monsters, that dungeon is going to 'tickle' (and by that I mean 'hurt')... because that's how we did it, you have to be very careful you don't get in over your head.
Second, instead of trying to "fix" what he wants to play, perhaps another strategy might be for the group to rethink its strategy in order to make better use of what you have. We don't always get to pick our teammates, but can almost always find ways for everyone to contribute by playing up to each others' strengths, covering for each others' weaknesses, and becoming successful. That adventure has many factions, and just about every one can be negotiated with. Is your group collecting allies or just enemies? You have a Bard (though one isn't required for this), but has your group tried talking in lieu of fighting? If you go thru that adventure trying to kill everything you encounter, you are going to have a rough time of it, especially around where you are now. It becomes harder and harder to find safe areas to rest. I think we entered that dungeon at 4th level, sounds like you entered at 7th, so you've had it eas"ier" for the first few levels of it (unless the DM upped the encounters).
If he wants to maximize AC and hp, make sure he gets the best armor and con raising magic items (and the shield guardian that you'll find, if you haven't already). That will make him very tough to bring down (the job of a tank), and then his job becomes blocking and controlling enemies (using his maneuvers that you mentioned), while everyone else does the damage. If he refused to be the 'guy out front' then give those items to the Paladin instead, and let the fighter do his thing.
Also, keep in mind that the charts for determining encounters in 5e are based on no magic items in the group. Adding magic items requires DMs to increase the encounters. I only say that because you say the group is 'magic item starved' - I would suggest that you are not. When I played that adventure, my character refused to take most of the magic items offered, I found that in 5e, I just don't need them. As long as you stay at a dungeon level appropriate for your character's level, each subclass gets everything they need to handle the challenge (especially since they eliminated damage reduction vs non-magical weapons).
I notice you did not mention what kind of bard or cleric the are being played? The role they play changes greatly depending on what subclass they choose. If the Wizard, Bard, and Cleric all chose to take paths that require them to stay out of melee then the party is too unbalanced (can't expect 2 out of 5 to take all the hits).
To be honest it sounds more like the group has a problem working together, than there being a problem with any one character's subclass/weapons choices.
I play in a campaign where the person wearing the best armor, highest AC, second highest hp total, who was 2nd best at melee - hides in the back of every fight that they can. Is it ideal? No. Do we make it work? Yes. In our group even the sorcerer and wizard rush into melee - because that's what works for our group makeup. Just sounds like your group needs to find what works for you.
As I see it, the major issue is the slow turns and a DM who is not giving the fighter the tools they need. There likely might also be play issues with lack of effective use of maneuvers (I am presuming Battlemaster based on post) and positioning.
Starting with the first, that is something that your DM should have a conversation with the player about. Primarily, that kind of problem should be addressed between the DM and player, rather than between two players. To the extent a player should get involved, it should be less about lecturing them on their turn speed and more about helping them by asking after-the-fact questions about why they made certain decisions… without making it seem like you are Monday morning quarterbacking or otherwise telling them off.
The second issue is items. Your fighter is actually dealing the expected amount of damage for a player your level with limited items available. That is a problem created by the DM, not the player.
Fighters are the energize bunny of classes. Their class is balanced around needing the least resources and dealing consistent damage over the course of a long adventuring day. Where other classes have flashy effects like spells and rages and smites, fighters just do their thing and do it without fail. To that end, they are the most reliant on magic items to make up some of the difference, something that only becomes more apparent the higher your level and the more attacks they have to take advantage of those items. A single Magic item aimed at the fighter can help sol d this problem.
Lastly, there is the skill issue. Like with slow play, this is a teaching moment, not a cause to be upset. Better understanding their decisions, then offering your own perspective can go a long way toward fixing these issues, provided you do not do so in a way that is off putting.
Finally, with the exception of the slow play issue, which directly hurts your gameplay experience, it does not really matter all that much. D&D groups have had underperforming party members since the game started - as long as you all are having fun, there really is no need to judge someone else’s character. The slow play hurts you; the fact that they do less damage (damage generally being one of the least decisive elements of a combat) just means the fights are a likely insignificant bit longer. If they are disappointed in their character, that is one thing; but no reason to get disappointed on their behalf.
As I see it, the major issue is the slow turns and a DM who is not giving the fighter the tools they need. There likely might also be play issues with lack of effective use of maneuvers (I am presuming Battlemaster based on post) and positioning.
Starting with the first, that is something that your DM should have a conversation with the player about. Primarily, that kind of problem should be addressed between the DM and player, rather than between two players. To the extent a player should get involved, it should be less about lecturing them on their turn speed and more about helping them by asking after-the-fact questions about why they made certain decisions… without making it seem like you are Monday morning quarterbacking or otherwise telling them off.
The second issue is items. Your fighter is actually dealing the expected amount of damage for a player your level with limited items available. That is a problem created by the DM, not the player.
Fighters are the energize bunny of classes. Their class is balanced around needing the least resources and dealing consistent damage over the course of a long adventuring day. Where other classes have flashy effects like spells and rages and smites, fighters just do their thing and do it without fail. To that end, they are the most reliant on magic items to make up some of the difference, something that only becomes more apparent the higher your level and the more attacks they have to take advantage of those items. A single Magic item aimed at the fighter can help sol d this problem.
Lastly, there is the skill issue. Like with slow play, this is a teaching moment, not a cause to be upset. Better understanding their decisions, then offering your own perspective can go a long way toward fixing these issues, provided you do not do so in a way that is off putting.
Finally, with the exception of the slow play issue, which directly hurts your gameplay experience, it does not really matter all that much. D&D groups have had underperforming party members since the game started - as long as you all are having fun, there really is no need to judge someone else’s character. The slow play hurts you; the fact that they do less damage (damage generally being one of the least decisive elements of a combat) just means the fights are a likely insignificant bit longer. If they are disappointed in their character, that is one thing; but no reason to get disappointed on their behalf.
Additional to this, if the DM is falling into the common trap of allowing lots of Short Rest/Long Rest between fights, then the casters are never slowing down, and allowing the martial classes to show their staying power.
You say he's got an AC of 23 and STR of 18, and presumably a fairly chunking CON giving him decent HP, so as far as I can see he's set out to play a tank and has built a tank. He's hard to hit, can take a hit when he is, and does a totally standard amount of damage for a 9th level Fighter.
I think the problem is less him and more you not understanding what the role of a tank is, he's not there to do huge amounts of damage, that's the job of the spell casters at the back, his job is to do consistant damge every round and make sure enemies don't get to the squishy casters at the back. So long as he's achieving that then he's doing his job.
D&D is very flexible and adaptable. Ok, apparently he's not playing his role, but you can adapt around that. He's already had a player step on his toes and start taking that role...so why is him stepping back from that a bit a major issue? I'm not seeing it.
You say he contributes nothing to the party, but also say he's doing late teens damage per round. That's really not nothing. Over the average encounter, he's taking out one of the enemies.
Is the party getting hammered every fight? Is he enjoying himself? Those are the important questions.
To be honest, this could be an issue for the DM. It means rebalancing encounters, and for an unpredictable player or one that's not so orthodox, that can be a pain. Last night, I had a player decide that going up against Strahd was suicide and had his character take his leave and left the party to deal with Strahd without him. That was unexpected, and turned what was already meant to be a tense and desperate encounter into something even harder. They survived, exhilarated and had fun...but adapting the encounter to still be fun even when players throw curveballs. If he's behaving consistently, then it's all the easier for the DM to adapt to.
For players though... he's not harming anyone. Just let him play how he finds fun. The DM should adapt, but so long as he's having fun, then let him get on with it. Don't freak out about how others enjoy the game, so long as they're not proactively causing problems (that's a different issue).
If he isn't having fun, then there's natural space for a conversation. Why isn't he having fun? Maybe he can change how he do things. Also be prepared for the elephant in the room - he might have been set on his character being that tank, and now someone has come in and pushed him, well, maybe not out, but certainly cut his limelight in half. That's potentially a major issue, and I can't say I blame him.
If he's having fun, figure out a way to have fun with that. Don't worry about him not being optimised. If he's not having fun, then that's a conversation to have with him about what needs to change - and be prepared for the possibility that the thing that needs to change might not be him.
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If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
TLDR: my friend john built his fighter as a tank, now he does no damage and doesn’t tank and everyone is unsatisfied with his character.
Hi, I’ve been playing DnD for like a year after I got hooked into the world by bardurs gate 3, the point is that currently I’m in a lvl 7-20 campaign and our party of 6 is at level 9 but I’m having problems with my friends fighter build, the reason I’m making this post is to ask for your opinion on what to do and how do deal with him.
I don’t really know what his build is or what if power fantasy is, he is a lvl 9 battle master, uses sword and shield and has 23AC, he got the shield master, dasher (or speedy) and mage slayer as feats so he has 18 STR, 16 sec and 16 dex, we bought him a cursed long sword that ignores are phisical resistances and is +1, the most op weapon we have is azuredge a legendary sentient battle axe who would never have him as his master due to his alignment and goals.
It is not up to you to "deal" with his character.
It is not up to you to "deal" with his character.
You've been playing for a year and are already an expert in how somebody else should create and play their character? Wow. If anything it sounds like the GM is not presenting him or the party with opportunities to use the skills he has. According to you he has high AC, high STR, and a decent amount hp. In the example you gave, if he had less hp and lower AC, he would have gone down earlier in the fight. Did you think about that?
Devaluing a fighter because he has low INT, WIS, or CHR? Seriously?
The discussion should not be how to change HIM. The discussion with the GM should be how can the GM present challenges that allow the entire party to shine. Just be happy with how you play your character, maybe he is perfectly fine hanging out with friends and optimization isn't his thing.
Be thankful you aren't in a party that has a wizard with no spells.
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I'm noticing you said everyone has an issue, but you haven't actually talked about HIM having an issue.
If he's having fun with his guy you're SOL. If he's fine playing his character there isn't anything you can do.
If that is the case, talk the DM into giving him a magic weapon of some kind to band aid his poor damage. Hell, make it sentient so no one else can try and take it. Its what usually happens when I'm playing with new players, we had a blood hunter who had no idea what was going on half the time, managed to find the dwarven thrower in PotA and he was first on the list to get it.
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TLDR: my friend john built his fighter as a tank, now he does no damage and doesn’t tank and everyone is unsatisfied with his character.
Hi, I’ve been playing DnD for like a year after I got hooked into the world by bardurs gate 3, the point is that currently I’m in a lvl 7-20 campaign and our party of 6 is at level 9 but I’m having problems with my friends fighter build, the reason I’m making this post is to ask for your opinion on what to do and how do deal with him.
This campaign is a continuation of water deep dragon heist and one of the players, let’s call him John played a fighter and built him as a tank, in that campaign we were only 5 players, a bard, sorcerer, cleric (me), wizard and fighter. At that moment it was really useful to have another frontline and his manouvers gave him flexibility, the thing is that in this campaign another friend joined and he made a paladin focused on tanking and the DM allowed us to remake our characters but not the class, ie; feats, background and point distribution, because we were transitioning into the 2024 rules from 2014.
Now into the conundrum, everyone changed something about their character, but John stayed the same, a fighter tank using a long sword and a shield. after fighting several battles and leveling til 9, we noticed something, he doesn’t really do much in battle and takes a lot of time in his turn just to deal 14-20 damage while everyone does more damage and is more useful.
One moment that opened our eyes was after a really tough fight were John and the paladin got downed and I as the cleric decided without a doubt to heal the paladin, John asked me why I didn’t healed him first and I just said that the paladin standing there is more useful than him. John’s fighter to put it bluntly is mediocre, he doesn’t do damage, he never stays in the front to tank and easily fails mental saving trows, I don’t know how many times I’ve dreamt of having a fighter champion great weapon master demolishing enemies turn 1.
I can say without an ounce of doubt that If he stoped playing or his character died it would change nothing, literally nothing, I’ve asked all of my friends playing the campaign for their opinion on this and everyone has said the same, we need melee damage and he doesn’t tank nor does damage. I know that asking someone to play the way you want is the epitome of selfishness, but what do you do when the other 5 players experience is muddied when one character can’t do their respective role and suffer because of it. If I built a cleric focused solely on melee but lacking in casting everyone on my party would suffer and not enjoy the session because I’m not full filing my role as the support/healer.
That’s why I”ve come to ask for your opinion on this, do we as a party bring the issue to the DM and player or wait til someone character dies due to the lack of damage and we start pointing fingers? If you need more info, ask away I just don’t know how to tackle this issue
Thank you
Edit: some stuff I forgot to mention
Because we are in a dungeon we long rest sparingly due to Halaster (the big bad) not allowing just wait the long rest cooldown, so we do several encounters a day, due to 5 of our party being caster and 1 half caster our strength is tied to our spell slots, that’s why it’s more noticeable that we lack that short rest damage.
everyone built their character using the 2024 backgrounds and choose their feats and point distribution.
I don’t really know what his build is or what if power fantasy is, he is a lvl 9 battle master, uses sword and shield and has 23AC, he got the shield master, dasher (or speedy) and mage slayer as feats so he has 18 STR, 16 sec and 16 dex, we bought him a cursed long sword that ignores are phisical resistances and is +1, the most op weapon we have is azuredge a legendary sentient battle axe who would never have him as his master due to his alignment and goals.
Our DM changes the campaign so we only use the undermountain dungeon as way to progress the story so we can’t go to water deep that easily and everyone is starved for magic items, we have 2 rings of protection, the cursed sword, azuredge, an adamantine plate armor, a fireball wand and a crown that gives +2 Int to a max of 16, we are just going to enter level 6, but I’m aware that the fighter is the most item hungry class
Have you asked him why he is not doing much damage? Are you looking at him or his results? Are you clouded by his previous performance?
What is 16 sec? You gave him a cursed item? What is an op weapon?
Everyone is starved of high magic, then in that case everyone is on the same playing field.
Is it the character he created or is the issue with the person? 2014 is not the same as 2024, so maybe that is the issue.
Not everyone plays with perfectly min/maxed characters, and if your friend is not asking for help, then perhaps his character isn't the problem.
First, let's start with the claim that he doesn't do enough damage - that's not his job. You said he was built to be a "tank". The job of a tank is to absorb attacks. Any effort to maximize how many attacks they can absorb will lessen the damage that they inflict, because the two are diametrically opposed ideas. To maximize damage, he would need to ditch his shield, which makes him less useful as a 'tank'. Sword and board maximizes AC, and his d10 hp (and hopefully higher Con) together are what make him a 'tank'. Being in front is a must, but ONLY if he gets support. Anyone up front without support gets annihilated, especially in 5e24 where everything does a lot of damage. No one likes to play a character that gets taken to zero hp (or close to it) in every fight. I know the adventure you are playing, if the DM is using the 5e24 version of each of those monsters, that dungeon is going to 'tickle' (and by that I mean 'hurt')... because that's how we did it, you have to be very careful you don't get in over your head.
Second, instead of trying to "fix" what he wants to play, perhaps another strategy might be for the group to rethink its strategy in order to make better use of what you have. We don't always get to pick our teammates, but can almost always find ways for everyone to contribute by playing up to each others' strengths, covering for each others' weaknesses, and becoming successful. That adventure has many factions, and just about every one can be negotiated with. Is your group collecting allies or just enemies? You have a Bard (though one isn't required for this), but has your group tried talking in lieu of fighting? If you go thru that adventure trying to kill everything you encounter, you are going to have a rough time of it, especially around where you are now. It becomes harder and harder to find safe areas to rest. I think we entered that dungeon at 4th level, sounds like you entered at 7th, so you've had it eas"ier" for the first few levels of it (unless the DM upped the encounters).
If he wants to maximize AC and hp, make sure he gets the best armor and con raising magic items (and the shield guardian that you'll find, if you haven't already). That will make him very tough to bring down (the job of a tank), and then his job becomes blocking and controlling enemies (using his maneuvers that you mentioned), while everyone else does the damage. If he refused to be the 'guy out front' then give those items to the Paladin instead, and let the fighter do his thing.
Also, keep in mind that the charts for determining encounters in 5e are based on no magic items in the group. Adding magic items requires DMs to increase the encounters. I only say that because you say the group is 'magic item starved' - I would suggest that you are not. When I played that adventure, my character refused to take most of the magic items offered, I found that in 5e, I just don't need them. As long as you stay at a dungeon level appropriate for your character's level, each subclass gets everything they need to handle the challenge (especially since they eliminated damage reduction vs non-magical weapons).
I notice you did not mention what kind of bard or cleric the are being played? The role they play changes greatly depending on what subclass they choose. If the Wizard, Bard, and Cleric all chose to take paths that require them to stay out of melee then the party is too unbalanced (can't expect 2 out of 5 to take all the hits).
To be honest it sounds more like the group has a problem working together, than there being a problem with any one character's subclass/weapons choices.
I play in a campaign where the person wearing the best armor, highest AC, second highest hp total, who was 2nd best at melee - hides in the back of every fight that they can. Is it ideal? No. Do we make it work? Yes. In our group even the sorcerer and wizard rush into melee - because that's what works for our group makeup. Just sounds like your group needs to find what works for you.
Playing D&D since 1982
Have played every version of the game since Basic (original Red Box Set), except that abomination sometimes called 4e.
As I see it, the major issue is the slow turns and a DM who is not giving the fighter the tools they need. There likely might also be play issues with lack of effective use of maneuvers (I am presuming Battlemaster based on post) and positioning.
Starting with the first, that is something that your DM should have a conversation with the player about. Primarily, that kind of problem should be addressed between the DM and player, rather than between two players. To the extent a player should get involved, it should be less about lecturing them on their turn speed and more about helping them by asking after-the-fact questions about why they made certain decisions… without making it seem like you are Monday morning quarterbacking or otherwise telling them off.
The second issue is items. Your fighter is actually dealing the expected amount of damage for a player your level with limited items available. That is a problem created by the DM, not the player.
Fighters are the energize bunny of classes. Their class is balanced around needing the least resources and dealing consistent damage over the course of a long adventuring day. Where other classes have flashy effects like spells and rages and smites, fighters just do their thing and do it without fail. To that end, they are the most reliant on magic items to make up some of the difference, something that only becomes more apparent the higher your level and the more attacks they have to take advantage of those items. A single Magic item aimed at the fighter can help sol d this problem.
Lastly, there is the skill issue. Like with slow play, this is a teaching moment, not a cause to be upset. Better understanding their decisions, then offering your own perspective can go a long way toward fixing these issues, provided you do not do so in a way that is off putting.
Finally, with the exception of the slow play issue, which directly hurts your gameplay experience, it does not really matter all that much. D&D groups have had underperforming party members since the game started - as long as you all are having fun, there really is no need to judge someone else’s character. The slow play hurts you; the fact that they do less damage (damage generally being one of the least decisive elements of a combat) just means the fights are a likely insignificant bit longer. If they are disappointed in their character, that is one thing; but no reason to get disappointed on their behalf.
Additional to this, if the DM is falling into the common trap of allowing lots of Short Rest/Long Rest between fights, then the casters are never slowing down, and allowing the martial classes to show their staying power.
You say he's got an AC of 23 and STR of 18, and presumably a fairly chunking CON giving him decent HP, so as far as I can see he's set out to play a tank and has built a tank. He's hard to hit, can take a hit when he is, and does a totally standard amount of damage for a 9th level Fighter.
I think the problem is less him and more you not understanding what the role of a tank is, he's not there to do huge amounts of damage, that's the job of the spell casters at the back, his job is to do consistant damge every round and make sure enemies don't get to the squishy casters at the back. So long as he's achieving that then he's doing his job.
D&D is very flexible and adaptable. Ok, apparently he's not playing his role, but you can adapt around that. He's already had a player step on his toes and start taking that role...so why is him stepping back from that a bit a major issue? I'm not seeing it.
You say he contributes nothing to the party, but also say he's doing late teens damage per round. That's really not nothing. Over the average encounter, he's taking out one of the enemies.
Is the party getting hammered every fight? Is he enjoying himself? Those are the important questions.
To be honest, this could be an issue for the DM. It means rebalancing encounters, and for an unpredictable player or one that's not so orthodox, that can be a pain. Last night, I had a player decide that going up against Strahd was suicide and had his character take his leave and left the party to deal with Strahd without him. That was unexpected, and turned what was already meant to be a tense and desperate encounter into something even harder. They survived, exhilarated and had fun...but adapting the encounter to still be fun even when players throw curveballs. If he's behaving consistently, then it's all the easier for the DM to adapt to.
For players though... he's not harming anyone. Just let him play how he finds fun. The DM should adapt, but so long as he's having fun, then let him get on with it. Don't freak out about how others enjoy the game, so long as they're not proactively causing problems (that's a different issue).
If he isn't having fun, then there's natural space for a conversation. Why isn't he having fun? Maybe he can change how he do things. Also be prepared for the elephant in the room - he might have been set on his character being that tank, and now someone has come in and pushed him, well, maybe not out, but certainly cut his limelight in half. That's potentially a major issue, and I can't say I blame him.
If he's having fun, figure out a way to have fun with that. Don't worry about him not being optimised. If he's not having fun, then that's a conversation to have with him about what needs to change - and be prepared for the possibility that the thing that needs to change might not be him.
If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
It is not up to you to "deal" with his character.
It is not up to you to "deal" with his character.
You've been playing for a year and are already an expert in how somebody else should create and play their character? Wow. If anything it sounds like the GM is not presenting him or the party with opportunities to use the skills he has. According to you he has high AC, high STR, and a decent amount hp. In the example you gave, if he had less hp and lower AC, he would have gone down earlier in the fight. Did you think about that?
Devaluing a fighter because he has low INT, WIS, or CHR? Seriously?
The discussion should not be how to change HIM. The discussion with the GM should be how can the GM present challenges that allow the entire party to shine. Just be happy with how you play your character, maybe he is perfectly fine hanging out with friends and optimization isn't his thing.
Be thankful you aren't in a party that has a wizard with no spells.
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
I'm noticing you said everyone has an issue, but you haven't actually talked about HIM having an issue.
If he's having fun with his guy you're SOL. If he's fine playing his character there isn't anything you can do.
If that is the case, talk the DM into giving him a magic weapon of some kind to band aid his poor damage. Hell, make it sentient so no one else can try and take it. Its what usually happens when I'm playing with new players, we had a blood hunter who had no idea what was going on half the time, managed to find the dwarven thrower in PotA and he was first on the list to get it.