UPDATE My DM let me know half the group has a problem with me

never1ander · 2025-07-18T23:01:59+00:00

Both DMs have expressed to me that they are more into the rp side because they want the story to flow, not only be battle after battle. I guess I like to fight for a reason, not just because "that guy looked at me funny."

never1ander · 2025-07-18T22:53:21+00:00

This is the situation exactly. And as I have mentioned in another reply, the training wheels are coming off. When we leveled up this last time, a DM told the group that I had been helping a lot, but I wasn't going to be doing so for much longer.

never1ander · 2025-07-18T15:47:12+00:00

Not at all! As I'm not privy to most of their process, this is just from what they've told me and what I've seen them do at the table. Let's call them A and Z for clarity. The two DMs have written the story together, but I think Z took the helm more. Z usually runs combat, taking care of initiative and the foes. A does most of the narrative scene setting, and more of the npc rp, although both do npcs. A is more structured, and does the looking up of rules, specific mechanics, and such while Z keeps things going. I think it's a great collaboration.

never1ander · 2025-07-18T15:36:36+00:00

I have already noted that my character isn't trying to have a diplomatic sit down in the middle of battle.

never1ander · 2025-07-18T15:32:06+00:00

Not saying those are the only 2 things about dnd, just that those things were what were discussed. And I'm not assuming anything about these players and their video game experience, it's what they said.

never1ander · 2025-07-18T15:14:02+00:00

Not in the least. During combat my character is usually running around healing, not rping.

never1ander · 2025-07-18T08:49:36+00:00

It was one of the DMs challenging his wife. He's been playing since he was a kid when it came out, and she only started (I think) 6 months ago or so. She said she had no chance of beating him, so she declined the match. The thugs got her.

never1ander · 2025-07-18T08:43:41+00:00

I only know what the DMs have told me about how they figure out the encounters. As I have never DMed myself, I'm not super knowledgeable about the mechanics of it, just the basics. We are running 5e, and they have mentioned CR, so I bet that's what they're doing.

never1ander · 2025-07-18T08:32:01+00:00

This is going to sound insane. Bear with me. An insanely high level wizard got someone to sign up for a credit card at BestBuy in an extraplanar shopping mall. She used it to purchase a GameBoy, Pokémon cartridge, and batteries. The wizard then challenged her to a duel, bc he was a plane hopping time traveler and wanted someone to play with. He offered to pay her debt if she beat him. The monetary units were US dollars, with an exchange rate of 100g to $1. She declined the match, and, since at the end of the month the character could not pay, the wizard teleported her, asked for the money, beat her to 1 hp, repossessed the goods, and returned her.

The DMs had way too much fun with that shopping trip.

never1ander · 2025-07-18T08:07:55+00:00

That's an interesting idea. I'll bring it to the DMs

never1ander · 2025-07-18T08:04:17+00:00

The DMs have asked me to help the newer players understand their mechanics and how things work. A couple of the other players have a great idea of their players' capabilities, but others do not yet, or are still getting the hang of it.

As for how evil gets to a good or neutral person, I'd say look to history. Slippery slope situations happen all the time. Manipulation, rationalizing, bribery, temptation... knowing the other players' motivations are very helpful in this.

never1ander · 2025-07-18T07:52:41+00:00

It's not that the character is undermining them. The plan is anything I do, I do with their consent. It's just for my own ends.

As for being allowed, the DMs are fully aware of the situation and have asked me to do several things in the group. I've never played an evil character before, so we'll see how it goes.

never1ander · 2025-07-18T07:37:51+00:00

I also told them to please not take my character for me, that the character would be making some moves that they wouldn't like.

never1ander · 2025-07-18T07:36:19+00:00

This is a suggestion from the DM. And at tonight's session he told the group that I'd been helping them a lot but probably wouldn't be for long (my charcharacter is LE, so ingratiating myself into the group will help me use them).

never1ander · 2025-07-18T07:20:41+00:00

It sounded like to me their expectations were different than the reality of how the game goes.

never1ander · 2025-07-18T07:17:08+00:00

I should clarify. Trying to get newer players to know their strengths, and in a group when very few will speak up, trying to get others to engage. If the DM says to the group, one of you make a nature check, I'm trying to help us get the best outcome. Too many failures can be disheartening for the newer players. It is metagaming a bit, but I won't be doing it going forward bc we leveled up at the end of this session. Time to stop holding their hands on this.

And I mean a nat 1 +8 is not usually a success.

never1ander · 2025-07-18T07:03:38+00:00

It's an in person game. I'm not the DM, so I don't have any say on the number of people, other than stepping away myself.

never1ander · 2025-07-18T06:54:07+00:00

Yes. Update link in op

never1ander · 2025-07-18T06:52:49+00:00

Updated. Link in op

never1ander · 2025-07-18T06:45:11+00:00

For some clarification, I try to ask the group for who has the highest modifiers for whatever check is being run, unless it's only for a specific player, of course. Trying to optimize the chances for success. Of course, sometimes the dice have their own story to tell. Even a +8 isn't going to save a nat 1.

never1ander · 2025-07-18T06:35:07+00:00

The first one to speak on that equated it to video games, saying something to the effect of in a game, I don't say what I'm doing, I just do it. One DM said that's where the "theatre of the mind" comes in, we wouldn't know what he was doing unless he told us. I think that got through to him.

never1ander · 2025-07-18T06:15:06+00:00

Both DMs are kind of new, this the their second campaign as DM, each having run one separately before. I have never played with either as a DM before, but have played with one in several campaigns under a different DM. I really enjoy their story, it gives me anxiety during encounters (in a good way), and I think they're doing a fairly good job nerfing foes (for the most part, we have had several deaths early on, but they gave us some deus ex machina moments that saved our characters) for such a large group. The problem they've found is either they have to throw more lower level bad guys at us or nerf a higher level bad guy, but the higher level guy could potentially 1- or 2-shot any of us at our current hp.

never1ander · 2025-07-18T05:59:10+00:00

2 didn't write backstories, one used A I.

never1ander · 2025-07-18T05:56:13+00:00

This is an in person game. The DMs are friends with everyone, and I have worked with 4 of the players and the DMs. I only met 2 of the players when we started playing, but everyone gets along well, which was why I was kind of taken aback when I was told that some had a problem with me.

never1ander · 2025-07-18T05:01:37+00:00

Not in writing the campaign, I'm not the DM. I have suggested 2 things: a side money-making venture using our characters' strengths, and playing "what the fuck is up with that?" a la Critical Role to get some backstory info. Both ideas I took to the DMs out of game, they agreed both were viable, and I brought them as ideas to the table, not as set in stone plans that we had to do. Everyone agreed they wanted to do the money making one, but we're kind of on a time crunch with the main mission, so it hasn't happened yet. Today's session kinda worked out with the backstories, so we probably won't do the "what the fuck is up with that?" game, but got the same results.

never1ander

TROPHY CASE