THORIX_CLEAVER's Profile

I think it depends on your playing style as a DM. I usually do a lot of Homebrew campaigns that focus in on personal arcs. If the players though are interested in taking part in say a historical the based event I'll try and incorporate them on the edge so they can start to interact with similar characters but if they aren't interested in they just want to explore the sandbox setup that the world is in I will usually allow for personal success arcs rather than just letting them wander around aimlessly. If however you are doing a module such as tomb of annihilation you're going to have to look at the information that the book provides to help aid you in guiding how to interact with the NPCs that are in that module.

Personally I prefer the sandbox approach. I like to allow the characters to actually explore ideas that they have for a character. Oftentimes my players like to play a standard trope story arc ( The chosen One trope, the redeemed one, the medicine journey, revenge arc etc.) These type of players usually have a character in mind or they're just trying to make your life easier as a DM and they really just want to roleplay or have combat. They know that you need info from them to make stories like these fun but not cheesy/predictable since you can still and your own spin (tropes don't automatically mean bad writing. They are tools that can be used to help aid you in telling the story it's only bad if you make an exact replica of someone elses unless you and your players want that). I make their personal arcs the main focus and if there needs to be an overarching scheme I'll let the players decide if they want to be part of it or not.

So the character may come to the conclusion that some people in the world really are good and not manipulative and come to that conclusion right before the druidic lich bbeg drains the entire ecosystem and all life in it including killing the pc, in order to end one campaign and begin another. 

Interesting I haven't done that yet because I'm afraid he'd either eat it or go all of mice and men on it to help it avoid "suffering" though even that might nudge him down an evil path. As of right now he said he wants the character to be chaotic good by the end so I'm nervous to try that. That and the player himself has said there is no such thing as "lawful good characters" in dnd but that's a philosophical discuss for a different thread

@theologyofbagals Thanks for the advice I'll try some of the tips you suggested for the lone wolf cynic part. We did have a discussion about character development at our session zero and the player agreed that he thought his character would work in it I looked it over and I've read many stories that had similar characters and I've even played the jaded rouge that went on to protect a gnomish sorcerer ( mandalorian premise before it was created) but I recognized the plot hook the DM gave and bit it because I wanted a positive development option to try and pull us out of the murder hobo situation that we were spiraling into. And because I knew the DM was looking for a way to get us back into any arc rather then a random selection of encounters and profit. So thank you for the suggestions!

@Caerwyn_Glyndwr what your saying is helpful and I will do some review about how I've handled it. I appreciate it! I am currently trying to do your first suggestion but it's a small group (two friends) so once we completed the other players campaign arc his well have to be tackled. I have only had one conversation with him so far out of game about it but that was where he said I need to just come up with other ideas and we'll see what happens. I'll see if I lighten up a bit on his story will help for a bit.

So here's the thing I have a player that has created a "chaotic neutral" pc that worships a god of death and part of his background is that he was a coward and is now jaded that all good things in life are fleeting and that he just wants to die but his god won't let him ( outside of combat) because he wants him to understand the importance of life before he will allow him to die. This player has a tendency to role play his character to the point that nothing will encourage them to see life as "worth living".

I've tried throwing out kid npcs needing help, the potential for profit if the light of bravery, and literally had his god tell him "you need to rediscover the joy of life otherwise you can't enjoy the after live because all we have here is what has already existed and if that couldn't make you happy you wouldn't be happy after death." 

Note: This deiety is chaotic but recognizes that chaos has a balance that still requires good and evil action. the issue with the PC is that he has done nothing since his trauma and has begun looking at evil as the default and say it always wins and there's no use fighting it.

I don't like killing characters unless I get the ok of the player. But anytime I ask the player what would encourage them I get a shrug and a "We'll see how he reacts to what you set before him.

On top of no assistance from plot hooks or interests the player says I'm not creative enough to create something his character would find compelling (despite creating the entire home-brewed world and multiple avenues for character growth!) I'm kinda reaching my limits so I either need some help to provide additional avenues for growth or I might have to just let the PC die with a failed mission. (He hasn't shown any interest in rediscovering the joy in life so the final mercy of the deiety he worships would simply be to erase his soul.

For he was neutral to the point that his existence meant nothing and no one will remember him. He neither sought honor and glory or villainy and tyranny. He was as bland as a bowl of bleached flour being shuffled from one location to the next adding no flavour but being beaten till near death then left to rest like an ash fill dough ball that had failed to rise to a flushed out character.

I'll be honest I am willing to hear criticism too if you think I need to lighten up. This is my first real campaign I DM for and I want to be fair but I don't like being told that I don't provide role play and character growth when I am trying. But the players aren't providing useful feedback.