How to deal with a DM who is specifically targeting you

[caoshunter22]

I've been playing with a DM that for whatever reason wants to kill off my character very quickly. My character is a level 2 Cleric following the trickery domain and isn't even the healer of the group. In combat I'm not doing a lot of damage compare to the 2 fighters or the wizard in the group yet for some reason the DM keeps making most of the enemies come after me. I think I was getting lucky since most of the attack roles the DM did for the creatures where bad so my character has never been killed yet but has gone down a few times already. I was given a magical shield that gave my character a pool of dice 3d6 dice to heal. However for some reason the DM decided to take it a way since the DM said it was too over powered and the narrative reason was it's a artifact of some god. So I don't want to just leave the game since it took a long time to find a group that was excepting inexperienced players. I have already asked the DM but all I've gotten back is there is a narrative reason which isn't related to my character's backstory

So some advice on how to deal with a DM like that and maybe some ideas for a tank or high damaging characters.

[JoeJ]

The only real way to deal with a hostile DM is to find somebody else to play with. However, you should probably talk with them first, because it might simply be a misunderstanding on the part of one or both of you.

[Man_Over_Game]

Well, the magic shield you got sounds far too strong for a level 2 character. I'd expect something like that for a level 8 if it recharged.

If he wants to focus you, and he believes you're overpowered, go Moon Druid and invest in melee-heavy spells. Go Bear form and take 34 damage for the team, then send your Illusion out to Thunderwave a group of enemies for some easy damage. Moon Druids are notoriously durable, and the general solution to dealing with them is to ignore them while they're wildshaped. Now the DM is caught in a choice of attacking the person who wants to be attacked or changing his strategy.

Until then, focus on playing defensively and let the Fighters do most of the heavy lifting. Maybe ask the tougher of the two Fighters to pick up Sentinel when they can.

[DeTess]

I've been playing with a DM that for whatever reason wants to kill off my character very quickly. My character is a level 2 Cleric following the trickery domain and isn't even the healer of the group. In combat I'm not doing a lot of damage compare to the 2 fighters or the wizard in the group yet for some reason the DM keeps making most of the enemies come after me. I think I was getting lucky since most of the attack roles the DM did for the creatures where bad so my character has never been killed yet but has gone down a few times already. I was given a magical shield that gave my character a pool of dice 3d6 dice to heal. However for some reason the DM decided to take it a way since the DM said it was too over powered and the narrative reason was it's a artifact of some god. So I don't want to just leave the game since it took a long time to find a group that was excepting inexperienced players. I have already asked the DM but all I've gotten back is there is a narrative reason which isn't related to my character's backstory

So some advice on how to deal with a DM like that and maybe some ideas for a tank or high damaging characters.

I'd honestly tell him straight up that you're not having fun this way. There might be an actually narrative reason, and if you're dealing with a reasonably good DM, getting told that you don't like this will result in that narrative getting resolved or abandoned in quick order. If he just keeps singling out your character even after you let your concerns known, I'd suggest talking to the other players to get their views, and then deice based on that whether to quit or not. Remember, No gaming is better than bad gaming.

[Sigreid]

It sounds like the DM may be trying to make you the center piece to the campaign at the moment, i.e. there's some religious zealot reason you're being targeted.

That said, you've basically got three courses of action. You can straight up tell the DM that you're not having fun being the only kid with a pork-chop around your neck playing with the pitbulls. You can just roll with it. You can leave the game.

[Captain Panda]

Honestly the context matters.

I've 'targeted' players before as a DM, because the enemies they were fighting were intelligent and one character was dramatically easier to hit and had powerful abilities. There's no reason that an intelligent group of archers would ignore a wizard wearing a bath robe as armor and just aim at the guy in plate with 22ac and the shield spell, at least after a couple shots at him establish that they just aren't going to damage him. If you're in a party where you are the softest, squishiest guy out there and you do powerful things (healing, blasting) that draw attention to you, it's reasonable to expect a target on your chest.

If it's just that the DM doesn't like you, you should probably find a new group. If the DM hates you that's just not gonna be a fun time for anyone. But talk to him first and see what the problem is. Maybe he isn't doing it intentionally. Oh, and that shield? That's really not all that OP.

[sophontteks]

Its not bad for you to be focused and if you want you can go ahead and take advantage of it. Clerics in 5e make some of the best tanks in the game. You have good armor, a shield, and good HP. Just soak up the hits and let your other party members burn the enemies down.

If you could switch domains at request, switching to life will really turn the tables. You will become extremely difficult to take down. I mean you can bonus action heal yourself for 1d4+3 at level 2 with healing word, and at level 6 you automatically gain health when healing others.

Life is a front line healer. If he lets you, it would really turn this on the DMs head and his tactic would he doing you a favor.

[Man_Over_Game]

Its not bad for you to be focused and if you want you can go ahead and take advantage of it. Clerics in 5e make some of the best tanks in the game. You have good armor, a shield, and good HP. Just soak up the hits and let your other party members burn the enemies down.

If you could switch domains at request, switching to life will really turn the tables. You will become extremely difficult to take down. I mean you can bonus action heal yourself for 1d4+3 at level 2 with healing word, and at level 6 you automatically gain health when healing others.

Life is a front line healer. If he lets you, it would really turn this on the DMs head and his tactic would he doing you a favor.

Go Life, grab Heavy Armor Master. When he decides he doesn't want to focus you anymore, start abusing Warding Bond + Heavy Armor Master for some great synergies.

[tchntm43]

A couple questions that could be relevant:
1. Is this a group of friends who all knew each other prior to the game, or did this group come together to play this campaign (meaning you don't know the DM personally)?
2. Who gave you the "overpowered" shield? I'm assuming it's the same DM since I don't really know how else your character got it, but it seems weird for him to be complaining about something he gave you.

[caoshunter22]

Its not bad for you to be focused and if you want you can go ahead and take advantage of it. Clerics in 5e make some of the best tanks in the game. You have good armor, a shield, and good HP. Just soak up the hits and let your other party members burn the enemies down.

If you could switch domains at request, switching to life will really turn the tables. You will become extremely difficult to take down. I mean you can bonus action heal yourself for 1d4+3 at level 2 with healing word, and at level 6 you automatically gain health when healing others.

Life is a front line healer. If he lets you, it would really turn this on the DMs head and his tactic would he doing you a favor.

Worth a shot to ask but depending on how much he doesn't like me he might not allow it. Also this might be a type of hazing since I'm the newest member of the group. While no one said anything no one seemed surprised the DM was going after my character.

[DeTess]

Worth a shot to ask but depending on how much he doesn't like me he might not allow it. Also this might be a type of hazing since I'm the newest member of the group. While no one said anything no one seemed surprised the DM was going after my character.

A group that believes hazing is necessary or even acceptable for something like DnD is a group you need to get out of ASAP.

[caoshunter22]

A couple questions that could be relevant:
1. Is this a group of friends who all knew each other prior to the game, or did this group come together to play this campaign (meaning you don't know the DM personally)?
2. Who gave you the "overpowered" shield? I'm assuming it's the same DM since I don't really know how else your character got it, but it seems weird for him to be complaining about something he gave you.

Well I don't know the DM personally I was told by a friend he knew someone who is a DM. While searching a body I rolled a nat 20 and according to the DM that's when people find enchanted items on any body. I'm not sure if that's normal but that's how the DM described it to me.

[Man_Over_Game]

I only wish you had known this was going to happen before you started. I would have rolled up a character specifically designed to take a hit.

A few ideas:

Bear Totem Barbarian
Zealot Barbarian
Abjuration Wizard
Moon Druid
Bladesinger Wizard
Tempest Cleric


Attack me, PLEASE.

[DeTess]

Well I don't know the DM personally I was told by a friend he knew someone who is a DM. While searching a body I rolled a nat 20 and according to the DM that's when people find enchanted items on any body. I'm not sure if that's normal but that's how the DM described it to me.

It's not. Natural 20s and natural 1s aren't a thing for skill checks, but if you do want to reward it dropping a super powerful item that you haven't evaluated for balance is not the way to do it.

[caoshunter22]

I only wish you had known this was going to happen before you started. I would have rolled up a character specifically designed to take a hit.

A few ideas:

Bear Totem Barbarian
Zealot Barbarian
Abjuration Wizard
Moon Druid
Bladesinger Wizard
Tempest Cleric


Attack me, PLEASE.

Thank you and I'll look over your suggestions.

[caoshunter22]

It's not. Natural 20s and natural 1s aren't a thing for skill checks, but if you do want to reward it dropping a super powerful item that you haven't evaluated for balance is not the way to do it.

Well he's the DM and I'm not very experienced with the game so I just assumed he knew what he was doing.

[sophontteks]

Worth a shot to ask but depending on how much he doesn't like me he might not allow it. Also this might be a type of hazing since I'm the newest member of the group. While no one said anything no one seemed surprised the DM was going after my character.

Well, it'd be a good way to find out.

You could describe a specific scenario in more detail qnd we could tell if its normal or not.

You receiving a powerful magic item is not normal and quite a score.

[MaxWilson]

I've been playing with a DM that for whatever reason wants to kill off my character very quickly. My character is a level 2 Cleric following the trickery domain and isn't even the healer of the group. In combat I'm not doing a lot of damage compare to the 2 fighters or the wizard in the group yet for some reason the DM keeps making most of the enemies come after me. I think I was getting lucky since most of the attack roles the DM did for the creatures where bad so my character has never been killed yet but has gone down a few times already. I was given a magical shield that gave my character a pool of dice 3d6 dice to heal. However for some reason the DM decided to take it a way since the DM said it was too over powered and the narrative reason was it's a artifact of some god. So I don't want to just leave the game since it took a long time to find a group that was excepting inexperienced players. I have already asked the DM but all I've gotten back is there is a narrative reason which isn't related to my character's backstory

So some advice on how to deal with a DM like that and maybe some ideas for a tank or high damaging characters.

Either leave the game, or revel in your job of drawing aggro: Dodge while casting Shield of Faith or Sanctuary with your bonus action, and laugh your head off every time the monsters miss you.

[Man_Over_Game]

Either leave the game, or revel in your job of drawing aggro: Dodge while casting Shield of Faith or Sanctuary with your bonus action, and laugh your head off every time the monsters miss you.

Oh, duh, Sanctuary! How did I forget about that? Best aggro deterrence in the game.

[MaxWilson]

Oh, duh, Sanctuary! How did I forget about that? Best aggro deterrence in the game.

If you're standing near any other PCs though Shield of Faith is better. Sanctuary is for when you want to run into the middle of the enemy mob, Dodging and laughing like a loon.

[caoshunter22]

Well, it'd be a good way to find out.

You could describe a specific scenario in more detail qnd we could tell if its normal or not.

You receiving a powerful magic item is not normal and quite a score.

Well the group was going up against 3 blood clerics and an inquisitor. According to the DM the all 2 of Blood Clerics casted Shield of Faith on themselves and moved past the fighter and engaged my character and both used bonus actions to attack me and both attack rolls hit. The other blood cleric started to cast a ritual that once was once completed his next turn he casted it on me and everyone in a 30 feet of me had to make a constitution saving throw and anyone one who failed had to to take a d6 of damage which I failed. The inquisitor engaged the fighters. While my character didn't die he want down by the 3rd round.

[Man_Over_Game]

Well the group was going up against 3 blood clerics and an inquisitor. According to the DM the all 2 of Blood Clerics casted Shield of Faith on themselves and moved past the fighter and engaged my character and both used bonus actions to attack me and both attack rolls hit. The other blood cleric started to cast a ritual that once was once completed his next turn he casted it on me and everyone in a 30 feet of me had to make a constitution saving throw and anyone one who failed had to to take a d6 of damage which I failed. The inquisitor engaged the fighters. While my character didn't die he want down by the 3rd round.

It could have been because of the fact that you were a "holy" cleric, where they weren't. Or it could have been because they recognized at some point that you were the healer/caster of the group. Or maybe the DM made that decision as a metagamed tactical choice to get an advantage against the players.

They were clerics. It was reasonable that they might know what you were capable of if you showed off a cleric feature. Or maybe your DM just is inexperienced and didn't think about how to make narrative combat.

[caoshunter22]

It could have been because of the fact that you were a "holy" cleric, where they weren't. Or it could have been because they recognized at some point that you were the healer/caster of the group. Or maybe the DM made that decision as a metagamed tactical choice to get an advantage against the players.

They were clerics. It was reasonable that they might know what you were capable of if you showed off a cleric feature. Or maybe your DM just is inexperienced and didn't think about how to make narrative combat.

I suppose but the DM knew I wasn't the healer of the group and previous combat encounters he's done the same thing. it was mostly just fights with bandits and a few undead. However the undead apparently where to high of an CR rating for turn undead to have any effect.

[sophontteks]

I suppose but the DM knew I wasn't the healer of the group and previous combat encounters he's done the same thing. it was mostly just fights with bandits and a few undead. However the undead apparently where to high of an CR rating for turn undead to have any effect.

That is a dead relic from old editions. In 5e turn undead works against all undead, provided they fail the save. If the DM wasn't rolling, he's, well, he's cheating. Aaaaand that's a pretty bright red flag.

[DeTess]

I suppose but the DM knew I wasn't the healer of the group and previous combat encounters he's done the same thing. it was mostly just fights with bandits and a few undead. However the undead apparently where to high of an CR rating for turn undead to have any effect.

That's not a thing in 5e. They'd all have had to roll a wis save and on a failure they'd be trying to get away from you, even if they where too strong to be outright destroyed.

[Throne12]

Ok so you want to play defense. Cast Sanctuary on yourself then use the help action for one of the fighters. Also when you get 2nd level spells the spell minor image is also going to be one you are going to want. When you get 3rd lv spells you are going to want spirit guardians or as are table calls it Blender zone. Also pick up feat shield master for aoe effects.

[caoshunter22]

That is a dead relic from old editions. In 5e turn undead works against all undead, provided they fail the save. If the DM wasn't rolling, he's, well, he's cheating. Aaaaand that's a pretty bright red flag.

Yeah there was no wisdom saving throws. One other reason why me might want to kill of my character has a wisdom of 19.

[Shuruke]

Tbh this group doesnt sound like somethong you'll want to continue being part of.

I have a lot of war stories from groups like this and only a very very few are fun and the fun ones always had multiple bad examples right after.


I suggest finding another group and if you'd like just message me we can chat a bit ,and if u want u can join one of my discord campaigns.


If he has a reason for focusing you narrative wise their needs to be hints.

Things like the clerics pointing at your holy simple and hissing youuuuuuu with u then realizing their god is an enemy of yours etc.

It sounds like this DM isn't playing the game as intended.


All games should be played with intent of everybody having fun

[Danielqueue1]

In my experience things like this happen with inexperience, incompetence, malice, or some combination of the above.

For each of the situations listed there are a few explanations,

Undead CR,
1 used to playing 3.X the DM genuinely confused the ability.
2 the DM switched turn undead and destroy undead in their mind.
3 The DM had an idea in his mind on how he wanted the adventuring day to go and A, wasn't very good at adapting, B, was to stubborn to change, or C, had some secret he was really really bad at forshadowing.
4 the DM hates your guts and you should find a different group.

Shield loot
1 "Crap what was I thinking? That is too powerful of an item to give at level 2!"
2 the DM had some secret he was really really bad at hinting at.
3 the DM has some outdated notions about what clerics should be doing in a game and decided to "teach the new guy" how to play a cleric in a terribly conceived manner. (That's a game i walked away from and never looked back)
4 the DM hates your face and you should find a different group.

Blood clerics
1 the DM had some detail about this cult that he was very very bad at communicating (Clerics have to have their holy symbols out to use them, so they may have a beef with your deity)
2 the DM wanted to make a point about how dangerous these fellows are what with their coordination and tactics and whatnot and you just happened to be the one in the back line.
3 you really were the easiest target for them.
4 the DM hates the cut of your jib and you should find a different group.

These lists are by no means exhaustive.
(He could also hate that certain je ne sais quoi you have about you.)

I tend to go with the quote "never attribute to malice what can be explained by incompetence." But you are the one who is actually there not us. Talk to the DM and find out.

And if it so be that it really is malice on the DMs part. Walk out that door and don't ever look back.

[Agent-KI7KO]

If there is a narrative reason for enemies to be tunnel visioning you, it needs to come out fast or you leave.