So, the setting is some area of eberron. We went from a large city. Three days travel away to some backwater village with maybe 50 population. There's a large Market that drifted in town, complete with an avatar of pelor. At third level, the party each lost their best magic item. I play a barbarian, my weapon was stolen. There was a weapon vendor outside the tavern. Even though I knew it was a gyp(selling magical weapons for all the 300 gold I had). Several will saves saves later(why am I making a d20 roll and what am I adding to it in 4e?) and I'm stuck buying what I know will bite me in the butt later. Several, because between the cleric and I, we thought of several good reasons to not buy it.
So, we go to fight, every rumer for this area is a small armed force with 3 wizards. That's about 15 different rumors btw. Turns out it's a graveyard with a rogue that commands undead. So we fight. Turns out the sword I bought takes half the damage dealt, and gives it to me. Ones are now houseruled as fumbles that end your turn, 20s are crits at full damage. The barbarian was healed a lot. He eventually collapsed for the 3rd time, and the gm says the sword will give him strength to fight if he wants it(We were fighting 17 undead and a rogue who was geared out the wazoo. All those of pelor were given full health and immunity to everything for one round after dropping under 0 hp). Not only were these undead doing hard damage with stacking ongoing, but they also explode for a minimum of 20 damage. So, things are looking grim in the 4th round. The rogue does something and all the skeletons explode. Everyone takes massive damage(minor action). Next round, all the zombies explode, everyone takes massive damage(minor action). Two people drop, the warlord was hit hard enough that he's flat out dead. The rogue is doing as much damage as two exploding enemies each turn from his normal attacks. Bard falls to the negative, and rogue keeps attacking till he dies. Barbarian charges the rogue in anger. Deals a crit that does more damage to him, then the rogue. Wizard casts some cloud spell that does frost. Rogue uses an ability that makes it hit the barbarian on the rogue's turn. Crits the barbarian(dead now). Then runs over and kills the cleric. When the last three guys start to converge, rogue kills himself. Turns out the rogue is carrying a level 8 armor and a level 13 weapon. Barbarian took a total of 80 damage, just from the sword. He had about 48 hp with a 19 con. Four guys dead, and the three remaining have to be pursuaded to share anything or res the 3 that want to be ressed. Before the barbarian died, enough damage and such was dealt that he levels after the res. Oh, that's even with the 20% penalty for not killing most of the undead(they exploded). And the 10% penalty for 'leaving someone behind'(to save the bard, I left the warlord and the cleric to hold for a round. It was against 4 undead. How was I supposed to know they would all explode...). Also, the dm now puts four skulls on his dm screen for the 4 players he's killed.
Barbarian finds out the sword wants to just feed or something and if he is without fights, something bad will happen to him. Some guys go to the faire that just arrived, magic items can be bought now at a 20% markup.
Skeletons attack the tavern. Due to recent conversations with the sword(gm had the sword basically claiming ownership of the barb now), the sword is not treated as non-magical. The sword now taunts at every miss. The barbarian makes a comment back, and the sword deals 15% of his health to the barbarian. No weapon strike. No save. Nothing.
Turns out the rogue is now a lich. We eventually get back to the graveyard. We fight 15 undead this time, and the lich/rogue who is now wielding a level 8 weapon in addition to the two others(he stole them from the shop keepers). More will saves for the barbarian right off the bat(why am I rolling to make my own will saves, and what do I add?), and the barbarian is now forced to stay away from the fight, and go after the kidnapped cleric of the town(not the real place he is, the sword makes an image of the guy). Will save will save will save. Fourth turn in, with the party in major trouble, the barbarian makes a save(rolled a 19). He was going to provoke an attack from a ghoul because he's still running forward, thinking he's in the air(slipped and fallen twice, too). Realizing it's his only chance, he backs up 5 feet and throws the sword into the ghoul. Rolls a 12, and the barbarian still misses. Well, it's night, the moon is shining, and it turns out this is the graveyard the sword was made from(??? it did some frost damage once a day). So, it explodes. Now everything on the board takes 35 damage. Except the rogue who is healed that much. All but one of the undead survives. All blamed on the barbarian(gm supporting that thought). I convinced them that there was no way I would have known it. Lich/rogue is having a blast dealing 30 points of damage each attack, and getting two a round. Most of the time, it's in the form of an aoe doing 10 points to 3 people. The new fighter and the cleric say they can deal with the last ghoul(who's bloodied). The barbarian pulls out his javelin, two hands it, charges the rogue. Crit for the damage a barbarian does when a barbarian crits while rolling 5s and 6s. Hits with his ability that gives him a basic after a crit. Much more damage. Rogue finally falls. Rogue had taken about 300 damage(yeah, I kept track this time). He was healed twice(for a 35 and for something else). Rogue says he's alive as long as his stone is safe. We followed him to this point, it wasn't around.(perception 28 couldn't find it)
Now we get back into town alive with the town's cleric. We reached level 5. We each have about 2800 gold from selling stuff and other things. The minute I try to get a sword for the barbarian, there are no magic items for sale. The faire is still in town, but too bad. Nothing there. The big city is 3 days away, but too bad, can't leave for that since it's a timed adventure(6 day round trip equals total loss). The barbarian has a level 2 magic cloak(+1 to saves), and level 1 gloves(+1 thievery). That's it.
This adventure is designed to last till level 13. That whole time, we will not have access to a town with magic items.
Add onto that, house rules are popping up at the rate of 4 a session. The DM wants this to be hackmaster, and assures us we will like it more. I wanted to play a 4e game...
If you read this far, I commend you. I wanted to spell out the whole thing, because it's been building to this point. This whole thing was about 3 sessions long. I don't know what to do. My experience tells me to split. One of the founders already has. I want to keep this going because the group is fun. I'm the one who first said yes. The cleric, me, and the bard were the only ones for the first session(a one-shot adventure that was fun). I talked the the gm before when he forced that sword on me that is a constant harrassment. I talked to him about my dislike for the house rules, but I gave him the benifit of the doubt since he says everyone has liked them in all the other games. And he's got more experience then me.
What should I do? There's a game tonight, and all I can think of is the party will be destroyed this time. We fought 4 encounters as one the first time. 15 guys and a lich after a battle against 10 skeletons the second time. We have 3 people who are brand new to the game. He says this module is designed to be hard for experienced players. We are living by the skin of our teeth. I don't know hackmaster. I don't want to play a quasi version of it. I've tried everything I could to keep the game fair. The four experienced players are trying every trick in the book to survive, and it's not working.
the dm now puts four skulls on his dm screen for the 4 players he's killed.
We have 3 people who are brand new to the game. He says this module is designed to be hard for experienced players.
I don't know hackmaster. I don't want to play a quasi version of it.
My experience tells me to split. One of the founders already has.
that about sums it up
If you enjoy playing with the group, then offer to DM for them or at the very least see if anyone else there is willing to DM. Just pick up a few one shots and run them, there's no doubt in my mind that you'll be at the very least ten times the DM that this guy is, and if you have new people they'll heavily benefit from actually being able to play the game by the rules.
I've also never played hackmaster and have at best very limited experience with it, but from that experience this doesn't even sound like hackmaster. The fact that you and the rest have lasted three sessions with this guy says loads about your patience and tolerance, I would have walked after the 4 PK's. Normally I'd hesitate to jump right to "leave" but I can't see talking to this guy doing anything. Some people just aren't meant to DM, this guy seems like the poster child for that.
Really, thanks for the help. I guess I just needed to get my thoughts out in the open.
If you need advice, e-mail me. My e-mail is the same as my user name, minus one f. I have a g-mail account(and if you want a gmail invite, I can send ya one).
Also, as an aside, your level 5 4E cleric or bard can simply convert gold into a magic item as a ritual caster. The missing magic shop is annoying, but not game breaking.
All in all, I would play within his little rules and throw the ol' no plot survives first contact with the players. When he tries to railroad just railroad him back. As long as you have options to go against whatever he has planned you go that way. Once he refuses to give you anymore options then just threaten to quit. Its DMs like this that give the rest of us a bad name and causes a board like this to exist.
If the higher number tells you to run away then you have three options, to quit the group, to replace the DM, or to kick out the DM.
Regardless of the choice remember that it is often better to not play D&D at all than to be stuck in a game that sucks diarrhetic tarrasque dung.
Also, the dm now puts four skulls on his dm screen for the 4 players he's killed.
In my opinion, a DM who does the job for the sole purpose of collecting dead PC's isn't worth my time to play with.
Eric the Grey
BTW I am assuming that the other players think the DM is as off base as you do? Have you talked to them?
Your best bet will probably be getting someone else to DM. If you like the guy who's DMing otherwise, then consider keeping him as a player.
Also, the dm now puts four skulls on his dm screen for the 4 players he's killed.
This is either an amusing in-joke with the DM or else it's a sign of a D&D apocalypse. However, neither bodes a particularly attractive future if I'm reading your response correctly.
I've had a player or two before who actually thrived on their PC's facing relentless hardship, struggle, and persecution because it was an enjoyable challenge and a change of pace from what could often be just one easy, but tedious, victory after another. I take it that is NOT AT ALL what you are enjoying about the game enough to stay, but instead it's the comeraderie and roleplaying of the other players. So you have to decide if that's enough to make up for tolerating a DM and game rules you don't like. I've sorta been in that situation before and it's not an easy call to make. These days, however, my philosophy has been that no game is better than a bad game (or one that requires TOLERATING a heap of crap to scrape up some good stuff from the bottom of the pile.)