A thread for the DMs: Worst players you've had

[atemu1234]

I forgot that some people actually roll their HP per level. I have never had to do it so i often forget it's there.



After some quick reading, that thread had been inactive for about a month before i made mine. Given how quickly things move on this forum, it was probably buried under a few dozen pages.

Also, who plays a wizard with less than 14 CON?

[Sliver]

Also, who plays a wizard with less than 14 CON?

People that think that Fireball gives you such a high deflection bonus to armor that if the DM even manages to target you, he must be cheating.

[Chester]

Ages ago, while I was DMing, the group was exploring a small cave tunnel, which led to a door.

Worst Player: "There are no doors in caves."

[Vhaidara]

Ages ago, while I was DMing, the group was exploring a small cave tunnel, which led to a door.

Worst Player: "There are no doors in caves."

Hang on. Did he just say that, or did he try and actually fight you on it? That sounds like something that I or one of my players would say, to which the rest of us would just laugh.

[Chester]

Hang on. Did he just say that, or did he try and actually fight you on it? That sounds like something that I or one of my players would say, to which the rest of us would just laugh.

No, he really felt that doors could not be in caves.

These days, I'll say it for comical effect, in sort of mocking tone.

[Olfgar]

Well lets see.

- He would complain if you use a module for a one off type of game or string together a couple to make a short fun campaign because it means he wouldnt be able to get into his character since it would "essentially be meaningless". **He felt like it meant that character would only be used for that and be discarded. Remember this last bit for later.

- He would complain if you didnt put in enough effort at creating and describing a world you created for your own campaign. He wanted to make sure his character would be believable for the campaign world and needed as much detail for it as possible. This part in it self isnt bad, the following reason is why it is here.

- He would then ignore everything you created and wrote and design his characters to be a Lawful Good Werewolf Paladin princess from a LG Werewolf kingdom, who while in her human shape would still have wolf like ears and a tail. No, I am not exaggerating, and I know for a fact there is at least one of the people who play with him who frequent these forums.

- He only EVER played a female human paladin with a great sword. Ok I lied, he played a male Hellbred(?) Paladin...with a great sword.

- Bitch and moan if anyone suggests running a campaign where he cant feasibly be a human female paladin, such as a shorti-ish campaign where the party plays as a group of goblins for funsies. Everyone but him are on board with the idea. (Speaking of, if anyone could PM some quick ideas for it I would love you).

- Refuses to learn the game mechanics, ie, the only one. What dice do I roll. By some Miracle of pelor, he has finaly remembered you use the d20 to roll your attack just based on repitition...it doesnt mean how ever that he knows how to calculate his attack roll.

- Worst and most damning of all, he NEVER creates his character, but instead shows up on game day (a minimum of 1.5hours late) and gets someone else to make it for him, with the only inpout he gives being then name, gender, race and what class (as you have already learned, are all always the same) while he watches youtube or plays something like BlazBlue on our buddies console.

[bjoern]

Our group has been playing together for 12 years. One guy, who well call "M" , is one of the stronger optjmizers in the group. Whenever we make new guys he always makes a top notch character that is more than capable of contributing to the party. The only problem is when he plays the role of the beat stick.

Most recent example: we encounter a group or monstrous bugs of some kind or another. There were 6 bugs up front and one huge bug in the back. First thing he does is to charge past all the smaller bugs, provoking AoO from them all (most miss) , and go straight for the big one. Now there is nothing between the party squishies and the 6 bugs. He finds himself overwhelmed by the larger one and gets eaten. The rest of the party had to change roles to try to keep the bugs off the weaker party members. Frustrating.

Would have been a good encounter too, some dumb bugs with no mind for tactics. We could have team worked the whole lot of em of we had fought as a unit.

[dascarletm]

Also, who plays a wizard with less than 14 CON?

When you want to be Mr. Glass.

[Synar]

On the subject of vargouille pronunciation, I would like to point out that in french, gargoyle is spelled "gargouille" and pronunciated GAR-GOO-YE, while vargouille is spelled, well, "vargouille", so I just kind of assumed it had the same pronunciation. So having vargouilled become VAR-GWEEL in english does seem quite weird.
I would assume it would either be pronunciated as in french (as it seems like a french word [words in -ouille being quite common in fench]), or as gargoyle.

[The Random NPC]

On the subject of vargouille pronunciation, I would like to point out that in french, gargoyle is spelled "gargouille" and pronunciated GAR-GOO-YE, while vargouille is spelled, well, "vargouille", so I just kind of assumed it had the same pronunciation. So having vargouilled become VAR-GWEEL in english does seem quite weird.
I would assume it would either be pronunciated as in french (as it seems like a french word [words in -ouille being quite common in fench]), or as gargoyle.

I think you're in the wrong thread.

[Crake]

I think you're in the wrong thread.

there was a discussion on page 2 about it

[The Random NPC]

there was a discussion on page 2 about it

My bad, there was a thread about pronunciations and I didn't recall the discussion.

[Th3N3xtGuy]

Well lets see.

- He would complain if you use a module for a one off type of game or string together a couple to make a short fun campaign because it means he wouldnt be able to get into his character since it would "essentially be meaningless". **He felt like it meant that character would only be used for that and be discarded. Remember this last bit for later.

- He would complain if you didnt put in enough effort at creating and describing a world you created for your own campaign. He wanted to make sure his character would be believable for the campaign world and needed as much detail for it as possible. This part in it self isnt bad, the following reason is why it is here.

- He would then ignore everything you created and wrote and design his characters to be a Lawful Good Werewolf Paladin princess from a LG Werewolf kingdom, who while in her human shape would still have wolf like ears and a tail. No, I am not exaggerating, and I know for a fact there is at least one of the people who play with him who frequent these forums.

- He only EVER played a female human paladin with a great sword. Ok I lied, he played a male Hellbred(?) Paladin...with a great sword.

- Bitch and moan if anyone suggests running a campaign where he cant feasibly be a human female paladin, such as a shorti-ish campaign where the party plays as a group of goblins for funsies. Everyone but him are on board with the idea. (Speaking of, if anyone could PM some quick ideas for it I would love you).

- Refuses to learn the game mechanics, ie, the only one. What dice do I roll. By some Miracle of pelor, he has finaly remembered you use the d20 to roll your attack just based on repitition...it doesnt mean how ever that he knows how to calculate his attack roll.

- Worst and most damning of all, he NEVER creates his character, but instead shows up on game day (a minimum of 1.5hours late) and gets someone else to make it for him, with the only inpout he gives being then name, gender, race and what class (as you have already learned, are all always the same) while he watches youtube or plays something like BlazBlue on our buddies console.

I don't mean to be a ******* here but it seems to me like hes has some repressed sexual fantasies involving a half animal-half anime character.

[(Un)Inspired]

I don't mean to be a ******* here but it seems to me like hes has some repressed sexual fantasies involving a half animal-half anime character.

What makes you think his fantasy is sexual in nature?

It doesn't seem like it's a repressed fantasy if he keeps bringing it up.

[Barstro]

He only EVER played a female human paladin with a great sword.

This sounds like he believes D&D is one long single story and that you are wrongly ruining the story by inexplicably altering the world. His issue seems to be that he "just doesn't get it".

[LoyalPaladin]

- He only EVER played a female human paladin with a great sword. Ok I lied, he played a male Hellbred(?) Paladin...with a great sword.

I mean... as long as he worships Torm...

Honestly though, as long as he enjoys the one archetype that is probably fine. I think the blatant disregard for the rules or his own character creation is the bigger problem. Have you just tried talking to him? I swear it fixes 90% of all problems. If he's too big an issue, just tell him to walk. I did that to one of my players, low and behold, they shaped up because they didn't want to ship out.

[goto124]

If the paladin was male I would've said he was compensating.

There's a rarer version of female compensation, but I don't think it'll be done with swords.

[Vhaidara]

If the paladin was male I would've said he was compensating.

There's a rarer version of female compensation, but I don't think it'll be done with swords.

Giant "Shields"?

[Toilet Cobra]

Have you just tried talking to him? I swear it fixes 90% of all problems.

Words of wisdom. Most of us have seen players (many of whom are detailed on this very thread) who refuse to get their act together even after an honest discussion of the problem, but sometimes it seems like people are afraid to do the easiest and most obvious thing and instead just let bad players do whatever they want to the game while they sit there brooding in silence.

[SangoProduction]

Power of one guy who intentionally broke his character

Power of the party by comparison

[Vhaidara]

...You know, the first one looks more fun...

[LoyalPaladin]

Words of wisdom.

You've got to have wisdom to be a Paladin.

[Th3N3xtGuy]

What makes you think his fantasy is sexual in nature?

It doesn't seem like it's a repressed fantasy if he keeps bringing it up.

It doesn't necessarily have to be sexual related. But there is some psychological tick if he keeps having the same character with a certain look race/class/etc. Honestly I wouldn't be able to stand this guy.

[(Un)Inspired]

It doesn't necessarily have to be sexual related. But there is some psychological tick if he keeps having the same character with a certain look race/class/etc. Honestly I wouldn't be able to stand this guy.

What's a psychological tick?

Isn't it one of those 2e psionic monsters?

[LoyalPaladin]

What's a psychological tick?

Isn't it one of those 2e psionic monsters?

You better tell me where that is located. Because I am having a session tomorrow and our resident Psionic is going to have a bad time.