Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Krynn 11-22-04, 02:01 AM	Alright we're playing an epic-level good based game. All the characters in this game are ECL 25. Basically two parties have converged and joined forces. Well one of our players is new to D&D I think. He is playing a tiefling rogue. We explained to him that this is a party driven game. He is convinced that his character has never worked with a party before. Now we're in this dungeon crawl, he hasn't made any attempt to befriend anyone in the party and we are convinced that there is no reason for the party to stick around with him after this adventure is over. His backstory is that he is the sterotypical loner anti-social redemed evil but hiding what he is still. He is a dragonhunter who has killed two dragons with no knowledges, never worked with anyone, no sleight of hand, little use magic device, and only 184 HP. We've brought these problems up to the DM and I think he's getting frustated listening to it. Any ideas how we as players can deal with him without bringing the DM any more headaches? We will keep him if we can find a way to work things out but otherwise...
The_Dark_One 11-22-04, 02:47 AM	Warning: Long winded lecture ahead. :teach: You could point out that the game is one oriented toward playing characters with the structure of an adventuring party. You could point out to him that, if he makes no effort to form attachments within the party, then there would be no concievable reason for his character to hang around after the conclusion of the current adventure. Then, the badass-and-oh-so-interesting-loner will go his seperate way and pass beyond the scope of the game. If his next character is the same type, the same thing will happen. Ask him how much fun he will have constantly making characters that are one level below the lowest level member of the party after every single adventure. Then have the Bender talk with him. Explain that Bender is selfish and anti-social and evil. Then point out how many times he has saved the lives of the other members of the crew (and even missed Fry when he got his own apartment that Bender wasn't allowed to live in :weep: ). The missions the crew goes on during episodes of Futurama are often like D&D adventures. Sure, Bender acts like he doesn't care, but he is often there when the others need him.... My point is that a total loner would never be a good addition to an adventuring party and probably wouldn't even exist. Everyone needs friends to make it in this world (Even Hiei has friends) I would like to take this time to apologize for unexplained references to Futurama and Yuyu Hakusho. If you have never heard of either of these shows, I have just wasted your valuable time (you'll never get it back :eek: )
Black Kitten 11-22-04, 06:47 AM	Maybe you should ask the DM whether there could be a special Native Outsider slayer around in order to cut that thief down a little. Once he understands he cannot beat a specialised opponent on his own, he may understand what the party is for. Especially if the rest of the party constructively toasts the guy.
Mister Mayhem 11-22-04, 02:18 PM	Now we're in this dungeon crawl, he hasn't made any attempt to befriend anyone in the party and we are convinced that there is no reason for the party to stick around with him after this adventure is over. Then don't. The easiest way of dealing with players who play anti-social characers is to have your PCs react in an entirely realistic way. If they don't like him, don't want him around, and don't need him, they should tell him so. Your characters should tell his character that they don't like him, don't trust him, and that he should get get lost. If he wants to play, he should create a character that the rest of the party are at least willing to work with. Otherwise, you are all being forced to chnage your characters behaviour, and the needs of the many etc.
Callista 11-22-04, 03:26 PM	Suggest to the player the possibility of having his character "warm up" to one or more PCs. He can still be a loner; but with sort of a patron/mentor in the party. I have a similar character; a level 5 barbarian who grew up alone in the wild with pretty much no reason to learn social skills. Consequently, she is definitely a loner, not to mention reckless when confronted with any evil creature--long (back)story. So far, she's been working with the party because she was assigned to work with them by a person in authority, but if the authority figure steps out? Problems ensue. Anyhow, with her personality I will have trouble keeping her from deciding to strike out on her own and ditch the "weak" (i.e., hit dice lower than d12s) people she's been traveling with--unless she manages to form a tentative friendship with one of the other characters. Which, of course, I plan to have her do. If that doesn't happen, I'll have to retire her, since she has no reason not to strike off on her own. Currently, one of my friends' characters is set to move into that "mentor" position; she's playing a sorcerer who's a bit unbalanced, but only about half as antisocial as my own character. My character admires the sorcerer's sheer killing power, spell-wise; so I'm going to see if we can work something out--perhaps starting as a "who can smash and/or fry the most enemies" competition, who knows? Loner PCs simply have to form attachments, and early on--even if it's only to one fellow PC--or they become impossible to pull off correctly. Consider a love affair, if a fellow player of the correct gender is amenable to it; but beware break-ups, since they'll inevitably lead to a retired character. All in all, a friendship is the best way to go, I think.