How do you recover? [Archive] - Wizards Community

How do you recover? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Nighttrain
05-17-05, 12:11 AM I'm new to D&D and my character is a fighter. The team (of 5) esentially voted me the leader because of my presence on the battlefield (I have a background in military history and can pretty much guide everyone to their advantages). Since I was voted upon to lead the group, I felt it best to do it democratically by majority vote with my input being the final deciding factor in case of a split.

We had (notice how I said HAD) a Rogue that was pretty much ineffective in his role so I basically spent most of the time searching for traps, scouting, reporting and the such rather than he. So being the "leader" of the warband, I had made a decision to leave the cave we were exploring (gut feeling on it being nothing but bad news, boy was I right) but the rest of the group wanted to stay. We came to a hall that had a spell (dunno what it was called, it made it dark and you couldn't see for more than 5') and two of us (the only survivors) wanted to leave . After grumbling and testing the hall with all sorts of contraptions (i.e. tying a crowbar to a rope and tossing it down the hall for tripwires and the like) the group wanted to chance the passage.

The only way I would go down the thing was if everyone held onto the rope (50') @ 10' increments. As it turned out, that was the exact spacing of the blocks that were to fall on three of our party members' heads as a result of my stepping on a pressure plate that the crowbar didn't trip. We lost three characters (including the NPC Cleric) and I had to basically sell my soul to my diety to get out of the cave alive.

This is the problem I have with the scenario:
1) I actually wanted to trudge ahead and avenge my comrads deaths as well as I could (hopefully) dying in the process to ease the loss of everyone else's characters.

2) The GM gave me an out by using my inexperience (and this is purely speculative) as a fulcrum to sway my decision between life and death. The other's didn't feel too bad once they learned I was going to charge into the Orc stronhold (and get killed) for them. Then they heard the news, I was transported safely to town AND BECOMING A CLERIC TO ATONE FOR MY BAD DECISION, THUS GAINING A LEVEL FOR MY NEGLIGENCE. Needless to say, this did not go over well with the others.

How does one respond to this predicament? Any input is greatly (and I do mean it) appreciated.

Thanks,
Nighttrain
Fenris Frost
05-17-05, 12:50 AM Personally, I think a Paladin would have been more apropriate.

But as for how to respond? That's amazingly difficult. Are your friends angry about it? They feel it's unfair that the DM is buffing a character that's going to die in a few sessions?

Perhaps a good way to go about mending this is talk with your DM and suggest the following (which also happens to be a handy way for the other guys' new characters to join the party):

So, you're the fighter/cleric (who should have been a paladin, but that's ok) wandering about town with the only other party member to survive the terrible traps laid out by the disgusting ravening orc horde. You're looking for a group of bold and strong adventurers skilled in many avenues to join you in the removal of this evil blight, and to avenge the deaths of your comrades, with your own if necessary.

The DM has the dead guys make new characters (of the same level as your character) and they hear the cry put out by a new Fighter/Cleric in town. He and his associate look fairly roughed up, as though they just barely escaped with their lives from some terrible danger. The word they put out seems to confirm this belief, as it tells of his fallen party and his interest in gaining a new one to help him destroy the orcs that were responsible for their deaths. Their job would be to battle into an orc stronghold and either slay as many as possible and make sure that the Fighter/Cleric dies an honorable death avenging his fallen allies, or clear the place out if they're more successful.

This gives your DM a workable adventure that could last several sessions (as well as a wicked balancing act as he tries to balance encounters so as not to kill the whole party), provides plenty of roleplay opportunity, grants your friends new characters that will instantly have a reason to join forces and form a party, and if nothing else, it sounds rather cool. You might also end up with a base of operations if your DM feels like it, which could also lead to more adventures as orc allies of the originals come to avenge the avenging of your allies. I hope this helps you out any.

Fenris
Nighttrain
05-17-05, 01:10 AM But as for how to respond? That's amazingly difficult. Are your friends angry about it? They feel it's unfair that the DM is buffing a character that's going to die in a few sessions?

I feel so, but I think it was more the fact that I had said I would go on and die, then came back from the little "kill the fighter session" only to find that I was no longer going to die. As for the rest, I agree a Paladin would have been much better (Int:10, Wis: 12, Cha:5 acid damage permenantly scarred me) these aren't the stats of a Cleric, and I am essentially hindered for the rest of my growth as a character. I will definately suggest the option of returning to the stronghold as I feel it is quite along the lines of what I had in mind from the get-go. At the very least I'll try to convince him to make me a Paladin (since I haven't drawn up the level of Cleric yet) and die a righteous death for my comrads safety,or that I be punished (i.e. no level at all) to ease the sway of decision making (though I have been knocked @ -3hp twice against trolls and narrowly escaping death protecting the group) I may still have to die to get back on their good side.

Thank you very much for your input,
Nighttrain
R-man
05-18-05, 03:24 AM Talk to your DM, he may have kept you alive for the sole purpose of allowing him to continue his campaign. If you are uncomfortable playing your character then you need to talk to the DM and ask if perhaps your character could be made an NPC who goes out and recruits a new team to go back and get his revenge.

And then ask if you can make up a new party member to go with the rest of the party. i.e. you completely give up you old character and make up a new character.

If your DM is just being nice, you need to make him aware that he has made you uncomfortable with his decision and that you would prefer to make up a new character.

Either way the first thing you should do is speak with the DM! Communication is the key here. Unlike in D&D real people can't read minds and if you want them to know whats on yours you need to tell them.
snowlynx
05-18-05, 10:13 AM Two things you can do here if the problem they had was that you gained a level:

1) Ask that instead of gaining levels, you become a fighter devoted to the cause of the clergy. This probably isn't unreasonable (and if you wanted, there's a prestige class, Pious Templar, in the complete divine- even if you don't take it, it should prove that a fighter can follow the clergy without being a cleric.)

2)Ask that you lose a level due to the pain of the cirumstances, and that the level gained into cleric becomes that lost fighter level.

3)Ask that you take your NEXT level in cleric, not that you get it now. You're working toward the path, but don't have the experience to do so.

Regardless, I guess you should tell the players and the DM that you're uncomfortable with the situation, and see if they have a solution.
Nighttrain
05-18-05, 07:39 PM Thanks all. This is really great information and is very helpful. I'll talk to my DM tonight and see how he feels about the situation.

Thanks again, I really appreciate it.
Nighttrain

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Nighttrain 05-17-05, 12:11 AM	I'm new to D&D and my character is a fighter. The team (of 5) esentially voted me the leader because of my presence on the battlefield (I have a background in military history and can pretty much guide everyone to their advantages). Since I was voted upon to lead the group, I felt it best to do it democratically by majority vote with my input being the final deciding factor in case of a split. We had (notice how I said HAD) a Rogue that was pretty much ineffective in his role so I basically spent most of the time searching for traps, scouting, reporting and the such rather than he. So being the "leader" of the warband, I had made a decision to leave the cave we were exploring (gut feeling on it being nothing but bad news, boy was I right) but the rest of the group wanted to stay. We came to a hall that had a spell (dunno what it was called, it made it dark and you couldn't see for more than 5') and two of us (the only survivors) wanted to leave . After grumbling and testing the hall with all sorts of contraptions (i.e. tying a crowbar to a rope and tossing it down the hall for tripwires and the like) the group wanted to chance the passage. The only way I would go down the thing was if everyone held onto the rope (50') @ 10' increments. As it turned out, that was the exact spacing of the blocks that were to fall on three of our party members' heads as a result of my stepping on a pressure plate that the crowbar didn't trip. We lost three characters (including the NPC Cleric) and I had to basically sell my soul to my diety to get out of the cave alive. This is the problem I have with the scenario: 1) I actually wanted to trudge ahead and avenge my comrads deaths as well as I could (hopefully) dying in the process to ease the loss of everyone else's characters. 2) The GM gave me an out by using my inexperience (and this is purely speculative) as a fulcrum to sway my decision between life and death. The other's didn't feel too bad once they learned I was going to charge into the Orc stronhold (and get killed) for them. Then they heard the news, I was transported safely to town AND BECOMING A CLERIC TO ATONE FOR MY BAD DECISION, THUS GAINING A LEVEL FOR MY NEGLIGENCE. Needless to say, this did not go over well with the others. How does one respond to this predicament? Any input is greatly (and I do mean it) appreciated. Thanks, Nighttrain
Fenris Frost 05-17-05, 12:50 AM	Personally, I think a Paladin would have been more apropriate. But as for how to respond? That's amazingly difficult. Are your friends angry about it? They feel it's unfair that the DM is buffing a character that's going to die in a few sessions? Perhaps a good way to go about mending this is talk with your DM and suggest the following (which also happens to be a handy way for the other guys' new characters to join the party): So, you're the fighter/cleric (who should have been a paladin, but that's ok) wandering about town with the only other party member to survive the terrible traps laid out by the disgusting ravening orc horde. You're looking for a group of bold and strong adventurers skilled in many avenues to join you in the removal of this evil blight, and to avenge the deaths of your comrades, with your own if necessary. The DM has the dead guys make new characters (of the same level as your character) and they hear the cry put out by a new Fighter/Cleric in town. He and his associate look fairly roughed up, as though they just barely escaped with their lives from some terrible danger. The word they put out seems to confirm this belief, as it tells of his fallen party and his interest in gaining a new one to help him destroy the orcs that were responsible for their deaths. Their job would be to battle into an orc stronghold and either slay as many as possible and make sure that the Fighter/Cleric dies an honorable death avenging his fallen allies, or clear the place out if they're more successful. This gives your DM a workable adventure that could last several sessions (as well as a wicked balancing act as he tries to balance encounters so as not to kill the whole party), provides plenty of roleplay opportunity, grants your friends new characters that will instantly have a reason to join forces and form a party, and if nothing else, it sounds rather cool. You might also end up with a base of operations if your DM feels like it, which could also lead to more adventures as orc allies of the originals come to avenge the avenging of your allies. I hope this helps you out any. Fenris
Nighttrain 05-17-05, 01:10 AM	But as for how to respond? That's amazingly difficult. Are your friends angry about it? They feel it's unfair that the DM is buffing a character that's going to die in a few sessions? I feel so, but I think it was more the fact that I had said I would go on and die, then came back from the little "kill the fighter session" only to find that I was no longer going to die. As for the rest, I agree a Paladin would have been much better (Int:10, Wis: 12, Cha:5 acid damage permenantly scarred me) these aren't the stats of a Cleric, and I am essentially hindered for the rest of my growth as a character. I will definately suggest the option of returning to the stronghold as I feel it is quite along the lines of what I had in mind from the get-go. At the very least I'll try to convince him to make me a Paladin (since I haven't drawn up the level of Cleric yet) and die a righteous death for my comrads safety,or that I be punished (i.e. no level at all) to ease the sway of decision making (though I have been knocked @ -3hp twice against trolls and narrowly escaping death protecting the group) I may still have to die to get back on their good side. Thank you very much for your input, Nighttrain
R-man 05-18-05, 03:24 AM	Talk to your DM, he may have kept you alive for the sole purpose of allowing him to continue his campaign. If you are uncomfortable playing your character then you need to talk to the DM and ask if perhaps your character could be made an NPC who goes out and recruits a new team to go back and get his revenge. And then ask if you can make up a new party member to go with the rest of the party. i.e. you completely give up you old character and make up a new character. If your DM is just being nice, you need to make him aware that he has made you uncomfortable with his decision and that you would prefer to make up a new character. Either way the first thing you should do is speak with the DM! Communication is the key here. Unlike in D&D real people can't read minds and if you want them to know whats on yours you need to tell them.
snowlynx 05-18-05, 10:13 AM	Two things you can do here if the problem they had was that you gained a level: 1) Ask that instead of gaining levels, you become a fighter devoted to the cause of the clergy. This probably isn't unreasonable (and if you wanted, there's a prestige class, Pious Templar, in the complete divine- even if you don't take it, it should prove that a fighter can follow the clergy without being a cleric.) 2)Ask that you lose a level due to the pain of the cirumstances, and that the level gained into cleric becomes that lost fighter level. 3)Ask that you take your NEXT level in cleric, not that you get it now. You're working toward the path, but don't have the experience to do so. Regardless, I guess you should tell the players and the DM that you're uncomfortable with the situation, and see if they have a solution.
Nighttrain 05-18-05, 07:39 PM	Thanks all. This is really great information and is very helpful. I'll talk to my DM tonight and see how he feels about the situation. Thanks again, I really appreciate it. Nighttrain