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#1 cryosilver Dec 17, 2006 20:54:25

I’ve seen a lot of threads lately that say things like “My player is overpowered and overshadowing the group. What should I do?” And invariably, the myriad responses come down to one of two camps: the “kill the character by DM fiat or similarly deal with it in game” and the “talk to the player OOG about it” camp. Me, I’m a member of a smaller camp. The “don’t let it happen” camp. My games have a few houserules, but what they basically boil down to is “it is within the DM’s rights to say No,” and “don’t be a jerk.” There seems to be a lot of people around that think that if it has been published, it is their Pelor-given right to use it. I disagree. I read the chapter of the DMG that states that prestige classes and optional material are just that: optional. I do not allow just any prestige class into my games. Players have to ask, and there’s a good chance I’ll say “No.” By assuming everything disallowed before explicitly allowed, a lot of problems can be prevented without having to retroactively change feats or classes. This is one of the two primary methods of the “don’t let it happen” philosophy. The second is the “don’t be a jerk” rule. Players should realize that D&D is a cooperative game, and should be fun for everyone, DM and players alike. So should the DM. Hence the rule. This means that players don’t pick disruptive classes or feats, try to hog the spotlight, deliberately ignore plot hooks, etc. This means that DMs don’t deliberately put paladins into impossible situations, arbitrarily kill PCs, etc. What it boils to is a matter of basic civility and manners. Much like you (should) say “please,” “thank you,” “you’re welcome” and such niceties, you should game nice. Dungeons and Dragons is an opportunity to enjoy yourself with others, and enjoyment is made much easier with some basic manners, including not kill your friend’s cleric just because you’re being a jerk. Finally, not being a jerk means sometimes you take one for the team. That might mean compromising your vision a little, but some characters don’t work well in D&D, and you need to acknowledge that. So, you avoid loners, psycho killers, rapists, etc, unless the group is cool with that. By pre-empting problems, a happier and more cohesive group forms. It’s sad that “Don’t be a jerk” has to be an actual rule, but it hangs right over my DM chair, as a constant reminder that while the main appeal of D&D is doing whatever you want in a game, that doesn’t mean you SHOULD.