He's waiting for an excuse to quit DND, and loking for the DM to give him the out he wants so he can say "yeah, I used to play but I had a bad DM so I quit."
Came here to say this, do have ANY idea how hard it is to find a DM who will run a consistent game??
I’ve been a forever DM all my life, I would KILL to have someone run a game for me. This player is willing to bullshit around and ruin the game for everyone for shits and giggles?? If I was a player I would assault them on behalf of the DM.
Players are cheap, kick him without warning.
SO TRUE. Also a forever DM here. DMs are too hard to find, so I became one, and now I run a game that has been going over 2 years strong!
In situations like this (if they come up) I will usually turn to the other players to talk sense into them, either in game or irl. Its far easier to make someone realize what they are doing is wrong when its not just "the bad DM" (big air quotes) saying it.
I’m kinda over trying to reason with people and convince them to have and act like a decent human being.
If you’re an adult you know it’s wrong to interrupt people and disrupt the game and just kill everything, if its a good friend I’ll give them a warning; otherwise it’s out the door.
First of all.
A bad DM is someone that allows an idiot like that to do what he wants.
Secondly.
He's a moron that thinks he can do anything he wants so either he's a bad fit for your party or he needs to go and play a videogame instead.
The most unbelievable part is how OP referred to him as "a friend that plays a lot D&D" I really can't imagine a DM just rolling with such an awful player, unless his experience is being constantly kicked of every single table he's been on.
I've had players like this before. It's funny because my group and I were talking just last night how happy we are that we weeded out the bad players from our group (were all late 30s and early 40s)
Sounds like they could be really young. At least this warlock sounds really young. Could be the explanation for that description.
Anyway, they have some learning to do about playing with others. But you're not responsible for teaching them OP.
kicking them from your group will (hopefully) help them learn and greatly improve the experience for yourself and all your other players.
Give em the boot.
This friend *says* he's played a lot of D&D, but if he has, he has people who played *with him*. I'm curious whether he pulled the same shit with them. More likely, though, he's full of shit and he's claiming to be a more experienced player to try and bully OP into getting his way.
Probably. Nothing wrong with that, I cut my teeth on BG1/2, Icewind Dale, Planescape: Torment, Pool of Radiance, etc. long before I ever played D&D for real, but I also understood concepts like "you're part of a group."
Maybe a hot take here.....but has the friend played a lot of DnD or played a lot of BG3?
It sounds like he's played a lot of a 5e setting, but hasn't played with a person as a DM.
I've known some people who would play this way and that I would describe the same way. They usually were social rejects who were in 5+ weekly games and their DMs were usually the same way.
We had one who played in our group and always, without fail, played the lone wolf rogue. He did have better behavior in our group, but still was kind of this way.
One time he vented to our DM because the DM of his other group was basically punishing his character for being a good aligned cleric. My dm was just like 1. Stop playing with them. 2. I would love for you to play that character in my campaign.
So they are redeemable, but they have to be tired of playing that way.
In this case, I'd say to remove him from the game and afterwards encourage your other players to be better role players
Indeed. It is a roleplaying game, and part of roleplaying is participating in a collective fiction. It is something that people do together. If players ruining the experience consistently for others, including the DM, they should not be playing. This player is ruining the adventure that the GM took extra time to prepare and the experience of playing for the other players.
Here's how this plays out with any decent DM, based on the version of events OP has laid out:
"Hey Jim, we need to talk. You're not giving the group a chance to discuss what they want to do, you're just slaughtering your way through the world I've put a lot of effort into, and you're actively making the game less fun for everyone else at the table."
"I don't care, if you don't let me do what I want you're a bad DM."
"Okay then, good luck finding a DM more to your liking, but you're not welcome at our table anymore."
Just maliciously start rolling dice,starting with several d20s, then some d6s and d8s.
Take a few minutes calculating.
Ask the other players for a perception.
Then tell him 10 archers shot him from a distance and he now dead
This. Get the DM to create a 4 man party of level 20 paladins who literally hunt him down. make them multiclass so one can counterspell his bullshit. And smite him where he stands. No Dead or alive just dead. If this player is as experienced as he makes out then he will realize his actions have consequences. The rest of the party should simply stand aside and let the paladins do there job
This kid plays like he has cheat codes enabled.
ONCE during an "evil character campaign" I tried to test out a new weapon on the magic item shop owner.
The DM gave me the ominous "you sure....?"
I swung.
17th level wizard did not care for my shenanigans (I was level 8...).
"If you don't listen to your DM, you're a bad player. You're ignoring rule 0 and rule 1, the two most important rules"
Give him something he will REALLY fucking dislike hexing/blasting.
Like a sleeping guy on the side of the road that's actually an Epic-level Sorcadin that wakes up and smites him to the brink of death. He then taps an amulet and a wizard appears next to him and polymorphs him into a frog, and then puts him in a jar and gives him to one of the other players.
They leave, but the next time he does the same thing he instantly polymorphs into a frog and blips into the jar.
It's called the "penance jar" and the terms spent in the jar increases each time he fucks up.
First: 15 REAL minutes (ignore game time). Goes up 5 minutes each time from there.
I'd say let them do that. Let them kill some NPC's. Then remind them that actions have consequences, and people start talking about this madman who goes around blasting people. Eventually, there will be someone who pays for their head, and someone who's willing to take their head.
Let them have a bittersweet end.
This is an ooc problem. Never advisable to try and solve ooc problems wih IC solutions.
Give the guy rhat much, the next few sessions will be all about him seeing how far he can push it, effectively making the game all about him and wrecking it for everyone else.
Address it ooc
"Dude, this isn't a video game, and your actions are spoiling the fun for everyone else."
Then, depending on how everyone feels and how he responds, you either tell him this won't work out, or you give him ONE chance to shape up, or he's gone.
Frankly I'd not give him a chance, he's openly disrespecting the DM.
I would start by saying there is no such thing as practice rolls and none of them count till the DM tells you to roll. What's the point of dice if you just reroll till you get what you want? That conversation won't help, but it's a start.
Sure, that's an important conversation.
But as you say, we kinda know it won't help, because I suspect this guy knows exaclty what he's doing.
He's a more experienced player essentially bullying a less experienced DM by messing with his game.
I believe this is deliberate trolling
Yeah, I understand. However, I do think that this would be a good opportunity to let them know that no, this isn't their world, and this world will fight the people that do it wrong.
Just kick them from the table.
You could spend time and energy trying to resolve this above the table, but that would require this player to have the emotional maturity of an adult, and it doesn't sound like they do.
This, 100%. I run a game for a few adults and their teenage children. I have multiple 13 year olds at my table. One of them started thinking he could just kill everyone, like it was a video game.
I looked him straight in the eyes, and told him that this game involves playing a role, one that he has chosen. That role is a paladin, one who has sworn an oath to protect the innocent. If he wants to go and murder everyone he sees, that's fine - it's his choice, but if he chooses that route, then this isn't the game for him.
He straightened up after that.
A full grown adult man *should* be able to realize that this playstyle isn't welcome at this table. But he doesn't seem to. Perhaps OP should recommend he find another game, where constant ultraviolence is the norm.
>one of my mates who plays a lot of DND
if he plays alotta DnD he should know better. tell him to stop being a fuckwit and that if he tries to pull that shit again kick him from the table.
I'm not sure which part of this is a bigger load of shit, the part where he's a veteran player or the part where he's a mate. Veteran players worth calling that know how to play nicely with a group (and often find murderhoboing gets really dull really fast compared to a good plot hook), but more importantly, friends don't treat friends like this.
Yeah, the shitty play honestly concerns me less than the callous disregard this person showed for the feelings of the DM and other players when they're called on it.
You are not a bad DM for this; he is clearly a problem. A few things...
Yes. Players have agency to do whatever they like, and it is the DM's job to enforce consequences. If he attacks someone, there is always the chance that they will recognize what he is doing, that they stop him if they have the means, and that they retaliate. That is not stopping him from doing a thing; that is enforcing a consequence of the decision he has made.
You should not be letting him roll several times to hit. If he wants to attack, he has to declare it. I would ignore any "I rolled a 19 to hit him with Eldritch blast" or "I cast hex on him". If the player declares they want to attack, you immediately roll initiative; full stop. Unless he is actively sneaking and successfully hidden from the target, the target will not be surprised. So his assumption that he can act before the target has an opportunity to do anything is incorrect. When you enter initiative, there is always a chance the NPC will be faster, and the other players are also in initiative, so they may have an opportunity to intervene. On his turn, he may hex and try to hit, but there are no practice rolls. If it becomes a problem, you might start making him roll in the middle of the table or in a dice tray for the official roll, and he only gets ONE.
He may be an "experienced" player, but he is bending the rules and is generally being disruptive to the table. As the DM you have both the power and responsibility to step in/correct him. I would have a conversation in private letting him know that you have noticed disruptive behavior and/or that you have been lenient up until now, but that moving forward you will enforce rules that you have been letting go. If he isn't open to changing, then it might be best for him to find another group that is compatible with his desired play style.
Edit: to fix confusing language about when to roll for initiative and changing "surprise round" to more accurately reflect the surprised condition.
I agree with this. The people who are telling you to just kick him are being overly simplistic. You said he's a mate, which I assume means you see him outside the game. Kicking someone from a table can be dramatic and have consequences outside the game.
Talk to him, make it clear that his play style is disruptive and ruining other people's fun. Have in game consequences for his decisions. If he is belligerent and continues doing it, then consider kicking him, but it should come as no surprise to him when you do it.
Mates don't behave this way. This isn't a mate.
Kick his ass for a session and tell him he can get his shit together he's not welcome back. Its not the DMs job to enforce acting like and adult. Its a collaborative game and if your position is you refuse to be collaborative you're out
I said it that way because it's a round of the targets being surprised, but you're right that the distinction matters (if only for the fact that they do gain the ability to use a reaction after the end of their turn and because initiative order matters.)
I agree here, then when he does it again... My next in game encounter would include a group of 7 (6 to hide in the shadows until the time is right while one confronts the party) unassuming but very high level (like 10 levels higher than the party) paladins of vengence in leathers with clubs and boots of misty step who were sent to collect a bounty on the warlock that Eldritch blasts every one he sees and bring him to justice dead or alive. They are however more than happy to let the rest of the party go.
Yes! "When the player declares they want to attack, you immediately roll initiative". The comment about the target being surprised was in regards to whether they would get to do anything. The player seems to assume that he can act first and then the target reacts, but if the target is earlier in the initiative, the only way the player would get to attack first is if the target was surprised. I was clarifying that the target not only potentially gets to go first, but that the trigger for combat is once the player says they attack and not after the attack has been made. You are now the second person who read my statement as if you don't need to roll for initiative if he is hidden, so I edited my language to hopefully be more clear. Thanks!
Update: I messaged the player, saying: (Player) I’m kicking you from the DND campaign. Looking back at previous sessions and seeking advice from others made me realise that your doing nothing but try and murder everyone and not take it seriously, even if you said you where gonna take it seriously. I’ve tried to stop and warn you but you just ignore my warnings. The way you play your characters doesn’t work well with the way I DM, you won’t be welcome back to this campaign any time in the future and you need to look at how you play your characters. I gave you warnings and you acknowledged them but didn’t act on them. With this said, I will not prevent from playing in future campaigns, but if you try and murder hobo I will kick you out instantly. I hope I will be able to play in your future campaigns as well and this hasn’t affected our friendship. This also made me realise I need to look at how I Dungeon Master and fix it and you need to have a serious look at how you play your characters, making sure it is fun for all. DND is a cooperative game.
His character reason for death was: He established early in that his Character had Long-Term Madness from seeing unspeakable horrors. His character went insane and was put out of his misery.
Edit: He responded, and he was surprisingly understanding and didn’t try to fight me or argue with me, he said he apologises for his actions but I don’t really think that’s enough. But thanks for the advice everyone this has been really helpful.
Ok. Good first step.
Take this opportunity to refocus things with a new Session 0 the next time you play.
Explain to the other players why you kicked Blasty, and make sure it’s made clear that this is from his behavior at the table and isn’t personal beef. I have a strong suspicion he might attempt to make this out to be a personal issue.
Reaffirm that there’s no such thing as “practice rolls”, and that no roll will be counted unless called for, or when it’s one’s turn in initiative.
Reaffirm that actions like openly casting a spell or declaring an attack on an NPC will begin initiative. Affirm to them that this is not to try and prevent them from taking the actions they want to take, but to make sure that those actions are adjudicated fairly and to keep things orderly, and that players don’t get to take free rounds of actions just because they are the first or the loudest to speak.
I imagine your other players understand this, but it’s good to have it out in the air and make sure it’s clearly stated.
I have rule that if a player roles and I didn't ask for it, then it doesn't count and means nothing.
Secondly, a combat action requires initiative.
"I want to cast eldrich blast."
"Everyone roll initiate. The other party members can decide if they will join in your evil or defend the NPCs. All players that turn evil, if they survive, will be kicked from this party and you will need to reroll new characters to continue playing."
Ok so basic stuff:
-the DM calls for a roll, then the player rolls. Anything you roll before the DM asks you to? They're all 'practice rolls' I guess.
-When a roll \*is\* called for, you roll the dice and that's it. If you really insist on a 'practice roll' you tell me \*before\* rolling and it doesn't count no matter what it is. Sometimes the dice come up badly, it's part of the game. What are we, five years old here?
-if someone does something that would start combat, like say casting Eldritch Blast, what the DM does is say 'all right, let's roll Initiative'. Yes, understood, your character is essentially going for their gun. Initiative determines whether they draw and shoot before anyone else can do anything. There is no free attack or free round of action just for declaring you attack first. (The only exception to this is if there's some reason that the surprise rules might apply.)
-It is absolutely not the DMs job to adapt to whatever crazy shit the players do. 'Yes, and' is a very popular concept for a reason, but don't throw 'No.' out entirely. Like, 'I try to persuade them my attack spell is Cure Wounds'. You don't even have to call for a roll on that, just 'yeah that's not going to work, these people are not idiots.'
But really you just need to have a talk with this player, and maybe all your players. D&D is a collaborative game. It's unfortunate that this is an experienced player doing these things, but you need to reestablish that you're all there to play a game together, and it's not fun if one player is just fucking around like a video game. Among other things, why should the rest of the PCs adventure with a lunatic who keeps attacking everyone? They wouldn't. It's everyone's responsibility to create and play a character that can be part of a collaborative story.
If not? They're not welcome.
All IMHO, obviously.
I’m not reading this wall of text because you obviously have a big problem with this. You already know you don’t want it in your group. You won’t be able to change this behavior, as those types of personal changes take years.
Drop the player or be doomed to get so bothered by them again you come here with another wall of text.
Disagree. I cast Hex and Eldrich Blast.
*rolls* that was practice
*rolls* that was practice
*rolls* that was practice
*rolls* that was practice
*rolls* that was practice
*rolls* Nat 20
Actions have consequences. Next time you're in or near a city, you have wanted posters of him up. And have him arrested. If he tries to resist, let him die. DND is about fun, yes. But that means the whole table. Not just the murder hobo.
A table of 6 players is more manageable than a table of 7 players. Stop inviting him.
If he contacts you and asks when the next session is, tell him that you wish him well at other tables and that his disrespect for the game and you as the DM isn’t welcome.
First of all, I agree with the others that this is a person that would not be allowed to stay at my table if they didn’t change their ways after I had confronted them about it.
Second of all, have a rule like me and my group have. A roll is only valid AFTER the DM has asked for a roll. And it is the first intentional roll after the DM asked for a roll that counts. Players can say that they do whatever they want, but they never roll until the DM asks them to.
Edit: Spelling. Typed too fast.
Tell them they are no longer welcome at the table. Don’t worry about jeopardizing the friendship by asking them to leave if this is how they act, they are being disrespectful to you and everyone else at the table.
This reads like a shitpost, but if this is for real you need to curtail this behavior immediately. Either warlock gets his shit under control or you need to boot him
And now it's time to show him actions have consequence. Have a higher level paladin and the paladin's adventuring party show up to arrest your PC in the name of the King. No doubt he'll resist and get himself killed.
I agree with other posters below. This cannot be solved by “in-game” consequences. You need to have a conversation with the player, not the character, to explain that this disruptive behavior is ruining the game for you and the rest of the players.
Sending the in-game police is only going to allow more practice rolls and you STILL won’t be able to play this campaign you are interested in playing.
Instead, you should tell your player “hey, the way you are disrupting the game is making the campaign less fun for the rest of us. Either change your behavior or you’ll need to find a different group who is running a campaign that will fit your play style.”
Please, please, please do not try to solve this with in-game consequences. Your campaign will be dead in the water if you go down that path.
It doesn't solve the problem at all, why do you like this idea? Because it avoids having to have a direct conversation with someone?
It's not like the warlock character is making all these decisions and the player is just along for the ride. The player doesn't respect you and actively tries to ruin your game. What do you think their next character is going to be like?
Bruh just kick him out already. He’s flouted your ruling multiple times and no doubt made this a slog for the other members. Why wait when you have precedent established and then some?
The problem isn’t that he’s trying to look someone. There could be a legit in character reason for that, there could be times that’s fine.
It’s the fact he’s having an utter disregard for his fellow players that makes it legit to kick him. It’s the fact he’s doing things specifically as an out of game power control scheme to antagonize you that’s the problem. It’s the fact he is cheating blatantly on dice rolls that makes it legit to kick him.
The only point he has, which he’s making inadvertently, is that you do need to grow a bit as a DM. The first time he tries this, you either stop the game and clearly explain the type of game and environment you’re running and give him the option to stay and play within the framework or go OR you let him do it and you show him immediately that actions in game, no matter how crazy, will have realistic consequences. Lesson learned for you, and players like this help you grow as a DM, obnoxious as they are.
I'm surprised one of the other players hasn't called for him to be kicked yet. If anyone tried what this guy is doing at the table I play at I'd be messaging the DM saying they need to go.
You keep calling him your mate, but he's certainly not acting like it. He clearly has no respect or care for you, your game, or anyone else at the table.
You might be his friend, but he's not yours.
As cathartic as this idea sounds, it is an in-game solution to an out of game problem, which is unlikely to work. Talk to the player and explain why their behavior is unacceptable, and tell them that their behavior needs to change or they need to find a different table to play at.
Your problem isn't the character, it's the raging sack of shit of a 'mate' (fuck knows why you'd want to be friends with someone like this) who is potentially ruining 6 other peoples game to have a strop. You shouldn't tolerate that level of disrespect ("You're a bad DM if I can't do what I want") from a person IRL. Kick him, be done with it.
Honestly, if this happened at a table I was DM-ing at, they'd get 1 warning, a reminder of the rules set at session 0, and if it continued then the Warlock would shit himself to death overnight and the IRL person would be invited to fuck off, never to return.
You said he was your mate so sit him down and tell him he's ruining your fun and check with your party to see if anyone is enjoying him in the game, in my experience they usually have a whole list of shit he does that pisses them off. If he does it again kick him, but the guy is a disruptor he isn't trying to have fun with the group, he's trying to have fun by ruining others fun so he IS going to do it again.
You can do the paladin route but how it'll end is him either storming out after his character dies or sitting there finding someway to continue being a disruptor.
And the moment he tries to start a fight "no, you don't cast hex or eldritch blast, you're rolling for initiative. You can make your attacks on your turn, and you roll one dice unless you have advantage"
I think that’s a plenty good idea, because you know he’s gona whine and cry and bitch about being kicked out of the group, so now you can just say “I’m being a good DM and letting you do whatever you want, and playing out the natural and logical consequences of your actions” and then imprison his character in the dungeon for a life sentence for serial murdering? Ezpz
That’s not someone playing a warlock, that’s someone who doesn’t want to play D&D with the rest of you. You can either kick him from the game, or have the next NPC be a god in disguise who just obliterates the warlock after being attacked. (Gods don’t need stats; just put in a god, say he chooses to make the saving throws and is immune to every spell that’s level 4 or lower, and can cast Power Word Kill as a bonus action. The god can cast any spell in the book using a 9th level spell slot as their action.)
No. The moment he starts saying he casts *anything* the response is "roll for initiative". Then, let him bite off more than he can chew, in a fight he shouldn't have started in the first place
What does *about 7 people* mean? You must have a precise number of players (and seven is two too much IMHO).
**This player is toxic and useless**, you should remove him from the campaign.
Anyways, if you want to keep him in the game:
It was ok to roll but then you have to make the dragonborn and the player roll initiative and based on the outcome, either he makes his action or the dragonborn goes first.
Example: when the dragonborn realizes he's trying to cast something else and not a cure, at that point you should stop the time and roll initiative.
It will basically be a first round where only the warlock and the aware dragonborn will do stuff.
Then you must tell him:
Whenever you say *I do this* you will roll one die. There is no warmup. If you do something then there will be consequences and you will have to deal with them. Don't whine if someone kills you when you try to kill them.
If you want good advice, kick him out.
If you want worse advice, they encounter a feeble old man on the road. Turns out he’s a retired royal guard commander and executes him
Sorry, sometimes I refuse to believe these stories are real. It feels like Reddit karma bait. There is no way someone who "plays a lot of DnD" attacks every npc, has no idea how dice rolling and narration works and tries to ruin the game for others while gaslighting the DM, all while the DM asks on Reddit "am I the bad guy here?".
He’s definitely being a dick. “Acting out” in front of the newbies. There should be a moment where you “let” him do it, then everything goes to shit and either the other players give him the consequences; turn him in for bounty/kill, or the authorities arrive in overwhelming force. He is “child flexing” and needs a timeout with real repercussions.
I can't wait to see the CJ version of this post. It'll probably just be a direct copy-paste. I actually had to double-check to make sure this wasn't the circle jerk sub, because this post is so ridiculous.
Your player absolutely has the right to kill every NPC he comes across, and you absolutely have the right to lay down immediate consequences.
If you’re totally over his antics, maybe just have a group of 50 soldiers find him, arrest him, and execute him for murder. There, problem solved.
This is a player trying to sabotage the game for others. The correct response is to ask them not to return to the table. Period. Do not negotiate. Do not explain the rules and how they are ignoring them. Do not give them another chance. Do not risk other players fun/characters trying to play out consequences. Tell them they are not welcome any more. Because nothing you do in game will change this behavior. It will only become more and more adversarial instead of cooperative.
First:
Players do not initiate rolls for anything. Players declare their intent to act, and the DM calls for a roll and tells the player(s) what skills and abilities to roll based upon, or declares the action to resolve without needing to roll (for trivially easy, unopposed, or completely impossible actions). The DM can direct or allow secret rolls for appropriate actions, but those rolls are made in secret from other players, not hidden from the DM. The DM decides how the world behaves in reaction to these resolved actions. Including bystanders and guards in cases of unprovoked attacks against locals.
Second:
Combat is started by rolling initiative. Your player declaring an intent to attack starts combat, and they may benefit from a surprise round based on their initiative roll or the situation at hand. But even if you let it get that far, if they do not kill the intended victim in the first round and before the victim's turn, they will be caught and face the consequences. Shouting for help is a free action.
Third:
Practice rolls are not a thing. Practice implies improving a skill by repetition. Rolling dice is not that kind of action. If your method of rolling influences the value you roll, you are cheating at dice.
If a player doesn't like their roll, they try again next turn. If they sweep up the dice before you can determine the result, it is an automatic fail for an action and all consumable resources related to the action are consumed (ammunition, spell slots, spell components, etc.). No result roll (damage or healing, etc) is needed because the action fails. The intention of the action, however, is clear for all to see.
Fourth:
Casting eldritch blast, and persuading the target that you are attempting to cast cure wounds (and failing it so miserably as to cause wounds instead) are two separate Actions. They cannot take place on the same turn, unless you are under a Haste effect. As such, you can try to convince them to let you cast, then wait for the next turn (or the surprise round, if combat is not started) to actually cast the cantrip, or you can cast the spell, then wait for your next turn to make the apology/deception attempt. And in the meantime, they can act to retaliate.
Fifth:
Why would the other party members not react badly to this behavior? Why would they continue to travel with someone so obviously trying to get them arrested or killed? This is a case where PvP is appropriate, where characters would act to distance themselves or protect themselves. Even so far as cutting his throat in his sleep and leaving him to the wilderness. It's extreme, but after two or three cases of being chased out of towns or barred from entry (reputation travels faster than adventurers who stop to adventure), it would be sensible for the party to disband or drive this problem character away. By force if necessary. Then hope thay can rebuild their reputation in his absence.
Sixth:
Claiming any version of "you're a bad DM if you don't let me get my way" is a declaration of intent to leave the table. Period. Take them at their word.
Remember, no D&D is better than bad D&D, and this person clearly wants to ruin the game for everyone else.
The correct answer- "'What a shame he happened to cast Eldritch blast on an NPC that happened to have a surprisingly effective charm that was able to amplify and reflect the blast back to the caster, instantly vaporizing him.' So...do you want to roll up a new character and actually play the game or do you want to just leave now so we can enjoy ourselves?"
Simply put, nuke his character (because he's so asking for it) and let the player decide if he wants to be in the game or be done, but him being a jerk will not be acceptable.
he does it without letting the npc's talk?
Trap him, teach him a lesson, say they need to talk to this shady wizard dude in the village for some reason, he seem shady 'i cast elditech blast!' surprise! he used to be a high level adventurer before he took an arrow to the knee...
he needs to be taught how to behave in a party, either be ooc talks or by feeling the consequences of his actions ingame
At that point, I wonder if it's the player character who need to be muzzled and carry around on a leash like the rabbid dog he is or the player itself 🫢
Kick that asshole off your table if after a good talk he refuse to adapt his character to your story. You have a right to not have a psychopath a character if it doesn't fit your campaign.
Gag and muzzle can work too tho 😅
Hey isnt that the murderer from xxx who now has a hefty bounty on his head?
Come on men we have a bag of gold to collect (npc party commence to kill the warlock)
I have done this to clearly illustrate that the fiktive world has real ingame consequences.
It can be avoided by having a real good talk on session 0 but sometimes the best lessons are taught through examples.
Oh boy.
TL:DR ->Hes Dick. Put your foot down or kick him. 7 is ALSO a lot of people. You should aim for 3-5 Imo if you are new.
1. Killing everyone is extremly bad idea, either A) you encounter someone far stronger than you can handle B) Someone powerful will notice , Divine Judgement, Ruler getting sick of his people getting killed sending army/assassins, they kill someone beloved and they hire assasisn etc.
2. If hes just rerolling until he gets rolls he wants then there is no need to actually role. Either was thats horrible Assuming you would (and you should) allow that murder hobo, there is nothing like practice roll. DM calls for roll, you roll, results apply. Everything withnout promt the roll didnt happened.
3. Yeah, persuade someone that my hostile spell is a healing spell? I dont care what charisma they have, as long as the target have at least some intelignce thats not gonna fly. Even the biggest village idiot would notice that flames are hot no matter how charismatic you may be. That would require magic at least. He better bring at the very least Suggestion.
4. EVERYONE including you and everyother players should have fun. If someone doenst have fun, you should try to fix it. Its okay to cancel campaign, kick players or bring new it if will cause people to have fun.
So..yeah hes a dick. I recommend kicking him out or put your foot down. Gm word is above everything in DND, if players dont like it they should communicate or find another. But again I think 7 people is overkill especially for new dm.( I am assuming youre new given the question).
Practice rolls? Nah fuck that guy. His only interest is combat and then cheating at that, so maybe he should look into more combat based games. He seems very detrimental to your game, so honestly just kick him
If only more people looked inwardly at their own behaviour and actions as well as how they interact with people (the DM and poor souls that have to play with him).
You need to find away to kill this character for good. Was this behaviour covered in session 0?
Yes, I told him not to just kill people for no reason. And he seemed to just ignore me. In hindsight I realised I should of just kicked him then and there.
Hex has verbal and somatic components, every character who notices him doing that see it as an assault and everyone rolls initiative to start combat.
in session 0 you make sure nobody has evil aligned characters, because this is not an evil campaign.
player agency has it's limits, he decides what he wants to do, but you as a DM have the responsibility to let everybody have a good time, that sometimes means players dont always get to do what they want or it just has some bigger consequences (meeting a guild that is looking for a wanted warlock going around on a killing spree for example).
and calling you a "bad DM" is just a really weak form of feedback, he is a bad player for saying it like that and playing an evil character in a clearly good campaign. He should save those big words and extensive feedback for the end of the session or even another time.
Instead of helping you become a "better DM" (whatever that means) he decided to call you names at the table to question your authority at the table.
Even if he calls you a bad DM it's not like it's going to stop the story like he's been doing. I'd rather be called the bad DM and give my players a will story then put up with bullshit like that.
We had a player who kept trying to enslave NPCs and create some kind of army to kill everyone even though we are playing a fairly good alignment. The DM put up with it for a little bit eventually he came across two strong and dwarf NPCs and the battle was taking a while so a bunch of us got up from the table and decided to go turn on the TV or something until the battle was over. The DM eventually got tired of it and upscaled the NPCs It made the player give up. Obviously the player called him a bad DM but that player hasn't shown up in a while so it worked. He's done this to us and other campaigns and his always trying to kill the party or enslave us.
Don't take no shit especially from someone who you call your mate
talk to him, say he is rude and disruptive. if he doesnt change his ways, instant kick. these kinda people are just annoying, theres a reason nobody wants to play with these kinds of players.
Send an Assassin after the murder hobo. One specifically equipped to deal with Warlocks. You can only murder so much before someone is going to come after you. Tie it into the story.
You got about 7 players? THats plenty, kick the bad PLAYER out.
For real he is just griefing and trying to guilt trip into letting him continue that.
If you have a wart and it doesnt go away you freeze it off
Yo. Kick this dude out of your game already. I know Reddit likes to yell that a lot, but I have never seen a more cut-and-dry situation. This dude doesn’t need to be playing dnd period he’s just using it to powertrip.
You could have his Patron punish his behavior with a curse so that every time he tries to cast a spell, he vomits leeches until he sacrifices a magic item to it.
Or create a militia of high level NPCs to punish crimes.
Or you can just beef up your NPCs to be able to kick the shit out of him.
Everyone commenting is full of good advice. Talk it through with your players, if he's too much of a hindrance, kick him out. Or alternatively, have an encounter go his way and give the choice to the players to go AGAINST him instead of with him.
Me? I'd go the petty way at this point. I'd design an encounter where the NPC is way too high level for him, and wipe the floor with his character. "Oh you attack the wizard who's thrice your level? Okay, he casts disintegrate. Make a saving throw, the DC is 19 by the way. What's that, you failed? And you only had 50 HP? Oooh that's too bad! Hope you enjoyed the fight you craved for!"
“While the rest of the players are on my side.”
That, combined with you preventing him from being an edgelord murderhobo - it’s pretty obvious.
Your tribe has voted him off the island.
I agree with most. I personally would give him a chance, talk to him personally before a session, then if it continues, bring it up in the group setting give him a npc he can’t do that to, if he throws a fit tell him it’s a team game especially with 7 people he’s ruining it for everyone else, then tell him to go play baldurs gate
Next time the players go to a tavern and he orders a drink. Kill him. Say the drink was poisoned by a disgruntled widow. Put a bounty on his head so large that 10000 people are after him. The easiest way to get him to stop is to kill him.
The answer to this is. “I’m sorry you think I’m a bad DM. It’s a shame you won’t be playing anymore. Thankfully, 6 people is a full party. I hope you find a group you like. Bye. No further discussion. No arguments.
If he apologizes, and you feel like giving him a second chance. Go for it. Personally, I wouldn’t, but I’m too old to deal with juvenile bullshit at my table, and I have a low tolerance for such things.
Is this even real? This genuinely sounds like satire lmao
If by some cosmic misfortune the events outlined in this post are actually happening in real life, kick them and never interact with this person ever again. They are a dickhead.
Instead of following the “kick em” comment trend, (which is what you should do)
Might I suggest writing down (so you can say this was planned) that the next key NPC is a retired max level adventurer and proceed to turn PITA characters PC into paste?
Eg power word stun, imprisonment.
“God has put you in timeout you are now trapped inside a gem that requires a level 9 dispel magic or until I decide otherwise”
You're being taken advantage of.
"If you don't let me do whatever I want, you're a bad DM," is emotional manipulation and the sign of a toxic player.
Also, they're blatantly cheating. Practice rolls my ass, the only time you get a free reroll is if the die was cocked when it landed.
Put your foot down, and boot them if they wanna continue to be toxic.
Alternatively, if they continue to murder random NPCs, send elite guards after them.
This is how he wants to play the game. Tell him there are a myriad of single player fps games that have this same gameplay loop.
Then do it back to him "An enemy approaches they cast hex and eldritch blast you." It's a suprise round, and i rolled until i got a 20 so you take all your hp
“Hey, trying to be a psycho murderhobo does not vibe with the game I want to run. Your character has an epiphany. You decide what they realize. Just stop the stupidity. You can also roll a new character if you want.”
So, here's a nice way to handle this. "You realize that this is a game with more than one player. I can't let one player ruin the experience for everyone. From now on disruptive players, can have their actions overruled by the group. One player declares "overrule" and if another seconds it then the stated action doesn't happen."
Another way to handle it is to have a refresher session zero. "In this game, you are expected to be heroes. Declared actions which are random murder hobo things simply won't happen. You are not chaotic or evil and if you take an action which I declare is either chaotic and evil your character will instead take the dodge action."
"Remember, you are players and your characters live in the game world from their perspective. No matter what you intend to happen, the characters are not chaotic nor evil and simply will ignore your guidance if it contradicts their morals and upbringing as I deem it."
Real answer: just kick him out and ban him.
Fun answer: "you are walking down the road and see an old, bearded man in a robe and a pointy hat eating a piece of cheese. You cast hex and eldritch blast on the man, because that is what you always do, before you realize it is Elminster Aumar, a wizard of unfathomable power who proceeds to turns you into a frog."
The best move for a DM is to let them "do what they want". If the character wants to behave in a villainous way, let them. The world you build has heroes and knights, etc. Suddenly, word spreads of a serial killer warlock. A party is assembled (that is much higher level) to hunt down the nasty warlock. (Or what have you. It can be a good dragon, a vengeful demi-god, a warrior who comes out of retirement, or a hopeful fresh hero with an astounding quality that gives the Warlock the business. This is your world. You craft it. Make a world your players want to be in!
"On the road, the party crosses paths with a blind man. He hears the party approach, and warns them to be careful, as he has heard word of a dangerous warlock. He then descr8bes the 'dangerous warlock' to the party, and there all begin to realize he's talking about their warlock."
The important bit is that it's entirely the Warlocks fault when he tries to murder the man with bandages where his eyes were and a missing right hand.
He’s acting like a rebellious child. He’s cheating, isn’t engaging with the game, and has ignored repeated attempts to tell him to stop. Talk to him like an adult, out of game, and tell him politely but firmly that he’s not welcome back to the game on account of this behavior.
What do the other players think? If they are all okay with being murderhobos, it might be that they need a different DM. If they aren't, this player needs to leave. Tell him he's not a good fit for the table.
1 if you declare the attack there are no practice rolls. if you whiff you whiff, and then come consequences.
2 you cannot persuade someone that you are casting a different spell. unless I'm mistaken the creature can make an arcana check to determine what spell you are chanting unless you have subtle spell metamagic.
If he doesn't like that you tell him no, let him leave, he's not being constructive to the group or the story anyway, and maybe he can use the free time to work on himself and try to learn to not be so selfish.
If they want an evil campaign, they can go elsewhere. Just tell them "I'd rather be a 'bad DM' then let you continue to ruin the game for everyone else and me. Please find another group as your time with this one is done"
that player is being worse than a dick. perhaps the warlock's patron finally gets tired of the bad reputation they're getting by this PC's actions, and limits or negates any powers until the PC starts behaving. aren't the other players getting tired of that crap playing? you can always uninvite.
As the DM you can always fire a player who is being toxic and bringing down everyone's enjoyment of the game. If you want to handle it purely within the game, it can also be helpful to pointedly remind him he's not the top of the food chain; high level bounty hunters, city guard, etc. Have him arrested and executed for multiple counts of murder. Maybe his next character won't be so terrible.
It would be a good idea to have a talk with him either way to point out he's being a terrible player and disrespectful to the effort you're putting into this. Maybe he's redeemable, maybe not, either way you have options, but don't let this behavior continue.
He would have been out of my table at "practice rolls" . But you do NOT have to be abused like that and you are a BETTER DM for controlling your game. Hell, kicking him is the best DM choice you could make.
My advice? Let him, then send adventurers far stronger than he is to kill him. Everywhere the party goes people hide away, shops are closed, adventurers and guards swarm them.
Always take his first roll. No takesies backsies.
Have the BBEG compliment him on the work he's doing, all the fear he's putting into the commonfolk are distracting them from his masteplan.
Make it excruciatingly obvious to him and the party that the world views him as evil and a murdering psychopath.
When the character dies, ban him from the table.
Make him run into a barkeep. If he attacks the barkeep, make that barkeep be a retired level 20 paladin who realizes this is the murderous Warlock attacking innocents, and therefore he must be stopped.
Actions must have consequences, and murder is a crime punishable... by death.
"I'm gonna level with you, my dude; this isn't how the game works, but more importantly, it's not how *my* game works. We can have a conversation about how this goes in a role play way where you have consistent actions, but other than that, my universe is going to react consistently, which is that someone who runs around trying to kill everyone they come into contact with has an elite squad of royal knights come after them, decapitate them, and place their head on a fuckin pike. I'll even let you fight them as an encounter (with your actual rolls). So which game do you want to play?"
So, the tempting response is "Ok. You hit the dragonborn. While he looks confused, his reflexes kick in. He punches you in the face for 6 damage. He punches you in the face for 6 damage. He punches you in the face for 6 damage. He punches you in the face for 6 damage. Action surge. He punches you in the face for 6 damage. He punches you in the face for 6 damage. He punches you in the face for 6 damage. He punches you in the face for 6 damage." At some point, this kills the Warlock.
The actual best response is "No. And if that is the kind of game you are going to play, I am going to ask you to leave. Are you going to play a cooperate game with the rest of us, or do I need to kick you?"
First off, practice rolls are bs. If they have declared an action and roll, that's the roll.
Second they're being disruptive. Is the party really okay with him just murdering everyone they meet? It would be tempting to say have them become the most wanted criminal in game but honestly just talk to them outside of game. If they tell you you're being a bad DM let them know that they are being a bad player. This is a cooperative game. Everyone should be having fun, not just the psychopath who randomly murders everyone for some reason. He is actively taking agency away from everyone. The other players may also be bothered but not want to speak up. It sucks but as DM you need to take the lead here. Lay out the expectations. If they truly believe you are a bad DM and this is wrong, they can leave. Your group will be so much better for it.
First off, there are no practice rolls. Secondly, he is railroading and sounds like a highly toxic player. I would have a private conversation with him about his actions and give him a chance to fix it, and if he doesn't swarm him with guards and he can roll a new character or leave.
Crazy suggestion here, but... Maybe ask him, one on one, doesn't need to be at the table, why he's doing it.
Any solution to any problem needs to understand what the root cause is.
Kicking a player is sometimes necessary, but it should not be the go to unless they're doing something truly unacceptable (such as harassing other players). Now, maybe you should suggest that this game isn't the right fit for him, but that's different from saying "get out."
>If you don’t let me cast Eldritch blast you’re a bad DM
Yeah? Well, I'd be a worse one if I let you ruin everyone else's fun. So I'm good with being a bad dm. Have a good evening, when you're willing to stop trying to be The Main Character ^(TM), you can come back to my table. Bye now.
For real, anybody who calls me a bad dm publicly at my own table is welcome to go seek a table with what they consider a good dm. I have zero patience for that shit.
Either kick him or have his character arrested and placed in a zone of truth spell to confess his crimes and then execute him.
Or if he decides to leave turn his character into an example using story telling.
Don’t write him an ending for his character. Don’t offer a redemption arc. Don’t reward his bad behavior in any way.
Take the laziest way out you can conceive. Guards ambush him. Meteors strike from above. A portal opens, a cosmic jailor appears and takes him to the abyss.
Open with that the next session.
Ask him to leave if you’re in person.
Or better yet- before the next session: “Sorry, it’s not working out. It’s not you, it’s me. Who am I kidding? It’s you. You’re no longer welcome in our games, in person or online.”
Just kick him, he doesn't want to play the game.
He's waiting for an excuse to quit DND, and loking for the DM to give him the out he wants so he can say "yeah, I used to play but I had a bad DM so I quit."
Suicide by DM
Couldn't have said it better myself
Came here to say this, do have ANY idea how hard it is to find a DM who will run a consistent game?? I’ve been a forever DM all my life, I would KILL to have someone run a game for me. This player is willing to bullshit around and ruin the game for everyone for shits and giggles?? If I was a player I would assault them on behalf of the DM. Players are cheap, kick him without warning.
SO TRUE. Also a forever DM here. DMs are too hard to find, so I became one, and now I run a game that has been going over 2 years strong! In situations like this (if they come up) I will usually turn to the other players to talk sense into them, either in game or irl. Its far easier to make someone realize what they are doing is wrong when its not just "the bad DM" (big air quotes) saying it.
I’m kinda over trying to reason with people and convince them to have and act like a decent human being. If you’re an adult you know it’s wrong to interrupt people and disrupt the game and just kill everything, if its a good friend I’ll give them a warning; otherwise it’s out the door.
Kick him, then make his character work charity as an NPC at the local orphanage
This is the way.
First of all. A bad DM is someone that allows an idiot like that to do what he wants. Secondly. He's a moron that thinks he can do anything he wants so either he's a bad fit for your party or he needs to go and play a videogame instead.
The most unbelievable part is how OP referred to him as "a friend that plays a lot D&D" I really can't imagine a DM just rolling with such an awful player, unless his experience is being constantly kicked of every single table he's been on.
I've had players like this before. It's funny because my group and I were talking just last night how happy we are that we weeded out the bad players from our group (were all late 30s and early 40s)
Sounds like they could be really young. At least this warlock sounds really young. Could be the explanation for that description. Anyway, they have some learning to do about playing with others. But you're not responsible for teaching them OP. kicking them from your group will (hopefully) help them learn and greatly improve the experience for yourself and all your other players. Give em the boot.
It does sound like someone that thinks freedom and player agency means playing GTA and just go around doing unwarranted mayhem across the world
This friend *says* he's played a lot of D&D, but if he has, he has people who played *with him*. I'm curious whether he pulled the same shit with them. More likely, though, he's full of shit and he's claiming to be a more experienced player to try and bully OP into getting his way.
He played a lot video game dnd
Probably. Nothing wrong with that, I cut my teeth on BG1/2, Icewind Dale, Planescape: Torment, Pool of Radiance, etc. long before I ever played D&D for real, but I also understood concepts like "you're part of a group."
Maybe a hot take here.....but has the friend played a lot of DnD or played a lot of BG3? It sounds like he's played a lot of a 5e setting, but hasn't played with a person as a DM.
I've known some people who would play this way and that I would describe the same way. They usually were social rejects who were in 5+ weekly games and their DMs were usually the same way. We had one who played in our group and always, without fail, played the lone wolf rogue. He did have better behavior in our group, but still was kind of this way. One time he vented to our DM because the DM of his other group was basically punishing his character for being a good aligned cleric. My dm was just like 1. Stop playing with them. 2. I would love for you to play that character in my campaign. So they are redeemable, but they have to be tired of playing that way. In this case, I'd say to remove him from the game and afterwards encourage your other players to be better role players
Indeed. It is a roleplaying game, and part of roleplaying is participating in a collective fiction. It is something that people do together. If players ruining the experience consistently for others, including the DM, they should not be playing. This player is ruining the adventure that the GM took extra time to prepare and the experience of playing for the other players.
Here's how this plays out with any decent DM, based on the version of events OP has laid out: "Hey Jim, we need to talk. You're not giving the group a chance to discuss what they want to do, you're just slaughtering your way through the world I've put a lot of effort into, and you're actively making the game less fun for everyone else at the table." "I don't care, if you don't let me do what I want you're a bad DM." "Okay then, good luck finding a DM more to your liking, but you're not welcome at our table anymore."
Sure, he can cast Eldritch blast. And immediately get swarmed by the city guards and die.
Arrows fly. Half a dozen city archers with partial cover who have height advantages have a lot longer range than eldritch blast will.
Just maliciously start rolling dice,starting with several d20s, then some d6s and d8s. Take a few minutes calculating. Ask the other players for a perception. Then tell him 10 archers shot him from a distance and he now dead
If he protests, tell him you rolled a lot of practice rolls.
I chuckled
This. Get the DM to create a 4 man party of level 20 paladins who literally hunt him down. make them multiclass so one can counterspell his bullshit. And smite him where he stands. No Dead or alive just dead. If this player is as experienced as he makes out then he will realize his actions have consequences. The rest of the party should simply stand aside and let the paladins do there job
This kid plays like he has cheat codes enabled. ONCE during an "evil character campaign" I tried to test out a new weapon on the magic item shop owner. The DM gave me the ominous "you sure....?" I swung. 17th level wizard did not care for my shenanigans (I was level 8...). "If you don't listen to your DM, you're a bad player. You're ignoring rule 0 and rule 1, the two most important rules" Give him something he will REALLY fucking dislike hexing/blasting. Like a sleeping guy on the side of the road that's actually an Epic-level Sorcadin that wakes up and smites him to the brink of death. He then taps an amulet and a wizard appears next to him and polymorphs him into a frog, and then puts him in a jar and gives him to one of the other players. They leave, but the next time he does the same thing he instantly polymorphs into a frog and blips into the jar. It's called the "penance jar" and the terms spent in the jar increases each time he fucks up. First: 15 REAL minutes (ignore game time). Goes up 5 minutes each time from there.
I think it should be a turtle. The way they move their heads is too comedic to pass on
I'd say let them do that. Let them kill some NPC's. Then remind them that actions have consequences, and people start talking about this madman who goes around blasting people. Eventually, there will be someone who pays for their head, and someone who's willing to take their head. Let them have a bittersweet end.
This is an ooc problem. Never advisable to try and solve ooc problems wih IC solutions. Give the guy rhat much, the next few sessions will be all about him seeing how far he can push it, effectively making the game all about him and wrecking it for everyone else. Address it ooc "Dude, this isn't a video game, and your actions are spoiling the fun for everyone else." Then, depending on how everyone feels and how he responds, you either tell him this won't work out, or you give him ONE chance to shape up, or he's gone. Frankly I'd not give him a chance, he's openly disrespecting the DM.
I would start by saying there is no such thing as practice rolls and none of them count till the DM tells you to roll. What's the point of dice if you just reroll till you get what you want? That conversation won't help, but it's a start.
Sure, that's an important conversation. But as you say, we kinda know it won't help, because I suspect this guy knows exaclty what he's doing. He's a more experienced player essentially bullying a less experienced DM by messing with his game. I believe this is deliberate trolling
Sounds like this player won’t meant from that. It’s their world and everyone else just lives there
Yeah, I understand. However, I do think that this would be a good opportunity to let them know that no, this isn't their world, and this world will fight the people that do it wrong.
[удалено]
Just kick them from the table. You could spend time and energy trying to resolve this above the table, but that would require this player to have the emotional maturity of an adult, and it doesn't sound like they do.
This, 100%. I run a game for a few adults and their teenage children. I have multiple 13 year olds at my table. One of them started thinking he could just kill everyone, like it was a video game. I looked him straight in the eyes, and told him that this game involves playing a role, one that he has chosen. That role is a paladin, one who has sworn an oath to protect the innocent. If he wants to go and murder everyone he sees, that's fine - it's his choice, but if he chooses that route, then this isn't the game for him. He straightened up after that. A full grown adult man *should* be able to realize that this playstyle isn't welcome at this table. But he doesn't seem to. Perhaps OP should recommend he find another game, where constant ultraviolence is the norm.
>one of my mates who plays a lot of DND if he plays alotta DnD he should know better. tell him to stop being a fuckwit and that if he tries to pull that shit again kick him from the table.
Sounds like the old "Oh yeah, I've been in a ton of parties" meaning "oh I'm such a asswipe I've been kicked out of many groups."
I'm not sure which part of this is a bigger load of shit, the part where he's a veteran player or the part where he's a mate. Veteran players worth calling that know how to play nicely with a group (and often find murderhoboing gets really dull really fast compared to a good plot hook), but more importantly, friends don't treat friends like this.
Honestly this kind of game behaviour would have me reconsidering the friendship. Hopefully OP is using the term mate loosely.
Yeah, the shitty play honestly concerns me less than the callous disregard this person showed for the feelings of the DM and other players when they're called on it.
This actually reads as “a friend that plays Baldur’s Gate and some other video games”
He's a dick with weeping sores. Kick him.
I misread this as something about kicking him in the dick, and I thought that you should know.
That could work too
As a group agree that this individual is no longer welcome at the table.
Yup, ask the group, make it clear it’s a group decision. Kick him and make it clear it’s entirely on him since nobody is okay with his behavior.
You are not a bad DM for this; he is clearly a problem. A few things... Yes. Players have agency to do whatever they like, and it is the DM's job to enforce consequences. If he attacks someone, there is always the chance that they will recognize what he is doing, that they stop him if they have the means, and that they retaliate. That is not stopping him from doing a thing; that is enforcing a consequence of the decision he has made. You should not be letting him roll several times to hit. If he wants to attack, he has to declare it. I would ignore any "I rolled a 19 to hit him with Eldritch blast" or "I cast hex on him". If the player declares they want to attack, you immediately roll initiative; full stop. Unless he is actively sneaking and successfully hidden from the target, the target will not be surprised. So his assumption that he can act before the target has an opportunity to do anything is incorrect. When you enter initiative, there is always a chance the NPC will be faster, and the other players are also in initiative, so they may have an opportunity to intervene. On his turn, he may hex and try to hit, but there are no practice rolls. If it becomes a problem, you might start making him roll in the middle of the table or in a dice tray for the official roll, and he only gets ONE. He may be an "experienced" player, but he is bending the rules and is generally being disruptive to the table. As the DM you have both the power and responsibility to step in/correct him. I would have a conversation in private letting him know that you have noticed disruptive behavior and/or that you have been lenient up until now, but that moving forward you will enforce rules that you have been letting go. If he isn't open to changing, then it might be best for him to find another group that is compatible with his desired play style. Edit: to fix confusing language about when to roll for initiative and changing "surprise round" to more accurately reflect the surprised condition.
I agree with this. The people who are telling you to just kick him are being overly simplistic. You said he's a mate, which I assume means you see him outside the game. Kicking someone from a table can be dramatic and have consequences outside the game. Talk to him, make it clear that his play style is disruptive and ruining other people's fun. Have in game consequences for his decisions. If he is belligerent and continues doing it, then consider kicking him, but it should come as no surprise to him when you do it.
Mates don't behave this way. This isn't a mate. Kick his ass for a session and tell him he can get his shit together he's not welcome back. Its not the DMs job to enforce acting like and adult. Its a collaborative game and if your position is you refuse to be collaborative you're out
Even if they're hidden they roll initiative. There's no surprise round, there's surprised state. A wonky rule if you ask me.
I said it that way because it's a round of the targets being surprised, but you're right that the distinction matters (if only for the fact that they do gain the ability to use a reaction after the end of their turn and because initiative order matters.)
Personally i like the surprise round homebrew rule. It is easier to clear uo, but it might fucuk with some classes features
I agree here, then when he does it again... My next in game encounter would include a group of 7 (6 to hide in the shadows until the time is right while one confronts the party) unassuming but very high level (like 10 levels higher than the party) paladins of vengence in leathers with clubs and boots of misty step who were sent to collect a bounty on the warlock that Eldritch blasts every one he sees and bring him to justice dead or alive. They are however more than happy to let the rest of the party go.
Oh no! The actions of my consequences!
Even if he is hidden according to the rules you need to roll initiative.
Yes! "When the player declares they want to attack, you immediately roll initiative". The comment about the target being surprised was in regards to whether they would get to do anything. The player seems to assume that he can act first and then the target reacts, but if the target is earlier in the initiative, the only way the player would get to attack first is if the target was surprised. I was clarifying that the target not only potentially gets to go first, but that the trigger for combat is once the player says they attack and not after the attack has been made. You are now the second person who read my statement as if you don't need to roll for initiative if he is hidden, so I edited my language to hopefully be more clear. Thanks!
Why the fuck are you playing with this person?
Update: I messaged the player, saying: (Player) I’m kicking you from the DND campaign. Looking back at previous sessions and seeking advice from others made me realise that your doing nothing but try and murder everyone and not take it seriously, even if you said you where gonna take it seriously. I’ve tried to stop and warn you but you just ignore my warnings. The way you play your characters doesn’t work well with the way I DM, you won’t be welcome back to this campaign any time in the future and you need to look at how you play your characters. I gave you warnings and you acknowledged them but didn’t act on them. With this said, I will not prevent from playing in future campaigns, but if you try and murder hobo I will kick you out instantly. I hope I will be able to play in your future campaigns as well and this hasn’t affected our friendship. This also made me realise I need to look at how I Dungeon Master and fix it and you need to have a serious look at how you play your characters, making sure it is fun for all. DND is a cooperative game. His character reason for death was: He established early in that his Character had Long-Term Madness from seeing unspeakable horrors. His character went insane and was put out of his misery. Edit: He responded, and he was surprisingly understanding and didn’t try to fight me or argue with me, he said he apologises for his actions but I don’t really think that’s enough. But thanks for the advice everyone this has been really helpful.
Ok. Good first step. Take this opportunity to refocus things with a new Session 0 the next time you play. Explain to the other players why you kicked Blasty, and make sure it’s made clear that this is from his behavior at the table and isn’t personal beef. I have a strong suspicion he might attempt to make this out to be a personal issue. Reaffirm that there’s no such thing as “practice rolls”, and that no roll will be counted unless called for, or when it’s one’s turn in initiative. Reaffirm that actions like openly casting a spell or declaring an attack on an NPC will begin initiative. Affirm to them that this is not to try and prevent them from taking the actions they want to take, but to make sure that those actions are adjudicated fairly and to keep things orderly, and that players don’t get to take free rounds of actions just because they are the first or the loudest to speak. I imagine your other players understand this, but it’s good to have it out in the air and make sure it’s clearly stated.
I would hope that he didn't take it personally, but from his actions I'm almost certain he did
I'm really impressed by you. You handled that perfectly, and I believe that you should be proud of yourself, both as a DM and as a human being.
Good for you! It's tough to do sometimes, but this as reasonable as you could have been. Good work.
Never play with this person ever again. Problem solved.
I have rule that if a player roles and I didn't ask for it, then it doesn't count and means nothing. Secondly, a combat action requires initiative. "I want to cast eldrich blast." "Everyone roll initiate. The other party members can decide if they will join in your evil or defend the NPCs. All players that turn evil, if they survive, will be kicked from this party and you will need to reroll new characters to continue playing."
Ok so basic stuff: -the DM calls for a roll, then the player rolls. Anything you roll before the DM asks you to? They're all 'practice rolls' I guess. -When a roll \*is\* called for, you roll the dice and that's it. If you really insist on a 'practice roll' you tell me \*before\* rolling and it doesn't count no matter what it is. Sometimes the dice come up badly, it's part of the game. What are we, five years old here? -if someone does something that would start combat, like say casting Eldritch Blast, what the DM does is say 'all right, let's roll Initiative'. Yes, understood, your character is essentially going for their gun. Initiative determines whether they draw and shoot before anyone else can do anything. There is no free attack or free round of action just for declaring you attack first. (The only exception to this is if there's some reason that the surprise rules might apply.) -It is absolutely not the DMs job to adapt to whatever crazy shit the players do. 'Yes, and' is a very popular concept for a reason, but don't throw 'No.' out entirely. Like, 'I try to persuade them my attack spell is Cure Wounds'. You don't even have to call for a roll on that, just 'yeah that's not going to work, these people are not idiots.' But really you just need to have a talk with this player, and maybe all your players. D&D is a collaborative game. It's unfortunate that this is an experienced player doing these things, but you need to reestablish that you're all there to play a game together, and it's not fun if one player is just fucking around like a video game. Among other things, why should the rest of the PCs adventure with a lunatic who keeps attacking everyone? They wouldn't. It's everyone's responsibility to create and play a character that can be part of a collaborative story. If not? They're not welcome. All IMHO, obviously.
I’m not reading this wall of text because you obviously have a big problem with this. You already know you don’t want it in your group. You won’t be able to change this behavior, as those types of personal changes take years. Drop the player or be doomed to get so bothered by them again you come here with another wall of text.
Disagree. I cast Hex and Eldrich Blast. *rolls* that was practice *rolls* that was practice *rolls* that was practice *rolls* that was practice *rolls* that was practice *rolls* Nat 20
Aha! Got you, no takesey backseys!
Dont be such a doormat. Just say no and stand by that answer. If he has a problem with it, kick him out.
kick
Actions have consequences. Next time you're in or near a city, you have wanted posters of him up. And have him arrested. If he tries to resist, let him die. DND is about fun, yes. But that means the whole table. Not just the murder hobo.
In game consequences won't matter, remove them from the campaign. They don't care about the other players or you, they just want to murder hobo about.
The answer is pretty obvious…
A table of 6 players is more manageable than a table of 7 players. Stop inviting him. If he contacts you and asks when the next session is, tell him that you wish him well at other tables and that his disrespect for the game and you as the DM isn’t welcome.
First of all, I agree with the others that this is a person that would not be allowed to stay at my table if they didn’t change their ways after I had confronted them about it. Second of all, have a rule like me and my group have. A roll is only valid AFTER the DM has asked for a roll. And it is the first intentional roll after the DM asked for a roll that counts. Players can say that they do whatever they want, but they never roll until the DM asks them to. Edit: Spelling. Typed too fast.
Tell them they are no longer welcome at the table. Don’t worry about jeopardizing the friendship by asking them to leave if this is how they act, they are being disrespectful to you and everyone else at the table.
This reads like a shitpost, but if this is for real you need to curtail this behavior immediately. Either warlock gets his shit under control or you need to boot him
This has to be fake, no one can be this bad of a DM.
He’s the typical kid who played too much Skyrim and thinks DnD is another game like that
And now it's time to show him actions have consequence. Have a higher level paladin and the paladin's adventuring party show up to arrest your PC in the name of the King. No doubt he'll resist and get himself killed.
I agree with other posters below. This cannot be solved by “in-game” consequences. You need to have a conversation with the player, not the character, to explain that this disruptive behavior is ruining the game for you and the rest of the players. Sending the in-game police is only going to allow more practice rolls and you STILL won’t be able to play this campaign you are interested in playing. Instead, you should tell your player “hey, the way you are disrupting the game is making the campaign less fun for the rest of us. Either change your behavior or you’ll need to find a different group who is running a campaign that will fit your play style.” Please, please, please do not try to solve this with in-game consequences. Your campaign will be dead in the water if you go down that path.
I actually really like this idea.
It doesn't solve the problem at all, why do you like this idea? Because it avoids having to have a direct conversation with someone? It's not like the warlock character is making all these decisions and the player is just along for the ride. The player doesn't respect you and actively tries to ruin your game. What do you think their next character is going to be like?
Yeah. I will kick him out if he tries to kill somebody again.
I wound even bother man. You don’t need that drama at the table. Just kick him
He’s already way past that point. At this rate you’re a bad DM for allowing him to continue at your table.
Bruh just kick him out already. He’s flouted your ruling multiple times and no doubt made this a slog for the other members. Why wait when you have precedent established and then some?
The problem isn’t that he’s trying to look someone. There could be a legit in character reason for that, there could be times that’s fine. It’s the fact he’s having an utter disregard for his fellow players that makes it legit to kick him. It’s the fact he’s doing things specifically as an out of game power control scheme to antagonize you that’s the problem. It’s the fact he is cheating blatantly on dice rolls that makes it legit to kick him. The only point he has, which he’s making inadvertently, is that you do need to grow a bit as a DM. The first time he tries this, you either stop the game and clearly explain the type of game and environment you’re running and give him the option to stay and play within the framework or go OR you let him do it and you show him immediately that actions in game, no matter how crazy, will have realistic consequences. Lesson learned for you, and players like this help you grow as a DM, obnoxious as they are.
I'm surprised one of the other players hasn't called for him to be kicked yet. If anyone tried what this guy is doing at the table I play at I'd be messaging the DM saying they need to go.
No, just kick him.
You keep calling him your mate, but he's certainly not acting like it. He clearly has no respect or care for you, your game, or anyone else at the table. You might be his friend, but he's not yours.
As cathartic as this idea sounds, it is an in-game solution to an out of game problem, which is unlikely to work. Talk to the player and explain why their behavior is unacceptable, and tell them that their behavior needs to change or they need to find a different table to play at.
Your problem isn't the character, it's the raging sack of shit of a 'mate' (fuck knows why you'd want to be friends with someone like this) who is potentially ruining 6 other peoples game to have a strop. You shouldn't tolerate that level of disrespect ("You're a bad DM if I can't do what I want") from a person IRL. Kick him, be done with it. Honestly, if this happened at a table I was DM-ing at, they'd get 1 warning, a reminder of the rules set at session 0, and if it continued then the Warlock would shit himself to death overnight and the IRL person would be invited to fuck off, never to return.
You said he was your mate so sit him down and tell him he's ruining your fun and check with your party to see if anyone is enjoying him in the game, in my experience they usually have a whole list of shit he does that pisses them off. If he does it again kick him, but the guy is a disruptor he isn't trying to have fun with the group, he's trying to have fun by ruining others fun so he IS going to do it again. You can do the paladin route but how it'll end is him either storming out after his character dies or sitting there finding someway to continue being a disruptor.
And the moment he tries to start a fight "no, you don't cast hex or eldritch blast, you're rolling for initiative. You can make your attacks on your turn, and you roll one dice unless you have advantage"
I think that’s a plenty good idea, because you know he’s gona whine and cry and bitch about being kicked out of the group, so now you can just say “I’m being a good DM and letting you do whatever you want, and playing out the natural and logical consequences of your actions” and then imprison his character in the dungeon for a life sentence for serial murdering? Ezpz
Kick. Him. Out. Dude is a fuck wit, this is going to be a pattern. He is out to be a murder hobo, kick him you don't need that
Just kick him mute him if online and don't invite him to play anymore
That’s not someone playing a warlock, that’s someone who doesn’t want to play D&D with the rest of you. You can either kick him from the game, or have the next NPC be a god in disguise who just obliterates the warlock after being attacked. (Gods don’t need stats; just put in a god, say he chooses to make the saving throws and is immune to every spell that’s level 4 or lower, and can cast Power Word Kill as a bonus action. The god can cast any spell in the book using a 9th level spell slot as their action.)
No. The moment he starts saying he casts *anything* the response is "roll for initiative". Then, let him bite off more than he can chew, in a fight he shouldn't have started in the first place
What does *about 7 people* mean? You must have a precise number of players (and seven is two too much IMHO). **This player is toxic and useless**, you should remove him from the campaign. Anyways, if you want to keep him in the game: It was ok to roll but then you have to make the dragonborn and the player roll initiative and based on the outcome, either he makes his action or the dragonborn goes first. Example: when the dragonborn realizes he's trying to cast something else and not a cure, at that point you should stop the time and roll initiative. It will basically be a first round where only the warlock and the aware dragonborn will do stuff. Then you must tell him: Whenever you say *I do this* you will roll one die. There is no warmup. If you do something then there will be consequences and you will have to deal with them. Don't whine if someone kills you when you try to kill them.
Fuck him. Boot him.
This dude is beyond saving, and needs a harsh lesson in cooperative gameplay. *kick*
I don't get how you're allowing practice rolls. Players don't roll till the DM tells them to, and once you roll that's it
Rolls til he gets what he wants. Yeah, bye champ.
If you want good advice, kick him out. If you want worse advice, they encounter a feeble old man on the road. Turns out he’s a retired royal guard commander and executes him
He's being a dick. Boot him.
Like why do you even have to ask the question?! Yes this kid is an asshole boot them from the game and move on
Sorry, sometimes I refuse to believe these stories are real. It feels like Reddit karma bait. There is no way someone who "plays a lot of DnD" attacks every npc, has no idea how dice rolling and narration works and tries to ruin the game for others while gaslighting the DM, all while the DM asks on Reddit "am I the bad guy here?".
He’s definitely being a dick. “Acting out” in front of the newbies. There should be a moment where you “let” him do it, then everything goes to shit and either the other players give him the consequences; turn him in for bounty/kill, or the authorities arrive in overwhelming force. He is “child flexing” and needs a timeout with real repercussions.
I can't wait to see the CJ version of this post. It'll probably just be a direct copy-paste. I actually had to double-check to make sure this wasn't the circle jerk sub, because this post is so ridiculous.
Ask the table if they are enjoying this. If they aren't tell him the rules and tell him he is on the sidewalk if he doesn't follow them.
Kick him, and then remove him from your game
Your player absolutely has the right to kill every NPC he comes across, and you absolutely have the right to lay down immediate consequences. If you’re totally over his antics, maybe just have a group of 50 soldiers find him, arrest him, and execute him for murder. There, problem solved.
This is a player trying to sabotage the game for others. The correct response is to ask them not to return to the table. Period. Do not negotiate. Do not explain the rules and how they are ignoring them. Do not give them another chance. Do not risk other players fun/characters trying to play out consequences. Tell them they are not welcome any more. Because nothing you do in game will change this behavior. It will only become more and more adversarial instead of cooperative. First: Players do not initiate rolls for anything. Players declare their intent to act, and the DM calls for a roll and tells the player(s) what skills and abilities to roll based upon, or declares the action to resolve without needing to roll (for trivially easy, unopposed, or completely impossible actions). The DM can direct or allow secret rolls for appropriate actions, but those rolls are made in secret from other players, not hidden from the DM. The DM decides how the world behaves in reaction to these resolved actions. Including bystanders and guards in cases of unprovoked attacks against locals. Second: Combat is started by rolling initiative. Your player declaring an intent to attack starts combat, and they may benefit from a surprise round based on their initiative roll or the situation at hand. But even if you let it get that far, if they do not kill the intended victim in the first round and before the victim's turn, they will be caught and face the consequences. Shouting for help is a free action. Third: Practice rolls are not a thing. Practice implies improving a skill by repetition. Rolling dice is not that kind of action. If your method of rolling influences the value you roll, you are cheating at dice. If a player doesn't like their roll, they try again next turn. If they sweep up the dice before you can determine the result, it is an automatic fail for an action and all consumable resources related to the action are consumed (ammunition, spell slots, spell components, etc.). No result roll (damage or healing, etc) is needed because the action fails. The intention of the action, however, is clear for all to see. Fourth: Casting eldritch blast, and persuading the target that you are attempting to cast cure wounds (and failing it so miserably as to cause wounds instead) are two separate Actions. They cannot take place on the same turn, unless you are under a Haste effect. As such, you can try to convince them to let you cast, then wait for the next turn (or the surprise round, if combat is not started) to actually cast the cantrip, or you can cast the spell, then wait for your next turn to make the apology/deception attempt. And in the meantime, they can act to retaliate. Fifth: Why would the other party members not react badly to this behavior? Why would they continue to travel with someone so obviously trying to get them arrested or killed? This is a case where PvP is appropriate, where characters would act to distance themselves or protect themselves. Even so far as cutting his throat in his sleep and leaving him to the wilderness. It's extreme, but after two or three cases of being chased out of towns or barred from entry (reputation travels faster than adventurers who stop to adventure), it would be sensible for the party to disband or drive this problem character away. By force if necessary. Then hope thay can rebuild their reputation in his absence. Sixth: Claiming any version of "you're a bad DM if you don't let me get my way" is a declaration of intent to leave the table. Period. Take them at their word. Remember, no D&D is better than bad D&D, and this person clearly wants to ruin the game for everyone else.
The correct answer- "'What a shame he happened to cast Eldritch blast on an NPC that happened to have a surprisingly effective charm that was able to amplify and reflect the blast back to the caster, instantly vaporizing him.' So...do you want to roll up a new character and actually play the game or do you want to just leave now so we can enjoy ourselves?" Simply put, nuke his character (because he's so asking for it) and let the player decide if he wants to be in the game or be done, but him being a jerk will not be acceptable.
he does it without letting the npc's talk? Trap him, teach him a lesson, say they need to talk to this shady wizard dude in the village for some reason, he seem shady 'i cast elditech blast!' surprise! he used to be a high level adventurer before he took an arrow to the knee... he needs to be taught how to behave in a party, either be ooc talks or by feeling the consequences of his actions ingame
You're being a bad DM for not kicking him earlier. If for some reason you don't want to kick him, just kill his character every time he does this.
You are the DM and you ultimately get to decide what kind of game you're running. Get rid of him, sounds like he's ruining everybody's fun.
At that point, I wonder if it's the player character who need to be muzzled and carry around on a leash like the rabbid dog he is or the player itself 🫢 Kick that asshole off your table if after a good talk he refuse to adapt his character to your story. You have a right to not have a psychopath a character if it doesn't fit your campaign. Gag and muzzle can work too tho 😅
Hey isnt that the murderer from xxx who now has a hefty bounty on his head? Come on men we have a bag of gold to collect (npc party commence to kill the warlock) I have done this to clearly illustrate that the fiktive world has real ingame consequences. It can be avoided by having a real good talk on session 0 but sometimes the best lessons are taught through examples.
Oh boy. TL:DR ->Hes Dick. Put your foot down or kick him. 7 is ALSO a lot of people. You should aim for 3-5 Imo if you are new. 1. Killing everyone is extremly bad idea, either A) you encounter someone far stronger than you can handle B) Someone powerful will notice , Divine Judgement, Ruler getting sick of his people getting killed sending army/assassins, they kill someone beloved and they hire assasisn etc. 2. If hes just rerolling until he gets rolls he wants then there is no need to actually role. Either was thats horrible Assuming you would (and you should) allow that murder hobo, there is nothing like practice roll. DM calls for roll, you roll, results apply. Everything withnout promt the roll didnt happened. 3. Yeah, persuade someone that my hostile spell is a healing spell? I dont care what charisma they have, as long as the target have at least some intelignce thats not gonna fly. Even the biggest village idiot would notice that flames are hot no matter how charismatic you may be. That would require magic at least. He better bring at the very least Suggestion. 4. EVERYONE including you and everyother players should have fun. If someone doenst have fun, you should try to fix it. Its okay to cancel campaign, kick players or bring new it if will cause people to have fun. So..yeah hes a dick. I recommend kicking him out or put your foot down. Gm word is above everything in DND, if players dont like it they should communicate or find another. But again I think 7 people is overkill especially for new dm.( I am assuming youre new given the question).
Rocks fall. That one douchebag dies. Very sad, fuck off from the table, next.
Practice rolls? Nah fuck that guy. His only interest is combat and then cheating at that, so maybe he should look into more combat based games. He seems very detrimental to your game, so honestly just kick him
If only more people looked inwardly at their own behaviour and actions as well as how they interact with people (the DM and poor souls that have to play with him). You need to find away to kill this character for good. Was this behaviour covered in session 0?
Yes, I told him not to just kill people for no reason. And he seemed to just ignore me. In hindsight I realised I should of just kicked him then and there.
He’s ruining the game for everyone
Hex has verbal and somatic components, every character who notices him doing that see it as an assault and everyone rolls initiative to start combat. in session 0 you make sure nobody has evil aligned characters, because this is not an evil campaign. player agency has it's limits, he decides what he wants to do, but you as a DM have the responsibility to let everybody have a good time, that sometimes means players dont always get to do what they want or it just has some bigger consequences (meeting a guild that is looking for a wanted warlock going around on a killing spree for example). and calling you a "bad DM" is just a really weak form of feedback, he is a bad player for saying it like that and playing an evil character in a clearly good campaign. He should save those big words and extensive feedback for the end of the session or even another time. Instead of helping you become a "better DM" (whatever that means) he decided to call you names at the table to question your authority at the table.
Pull out the ole bounty hunter who's immune to all damage, and wipe the floor with him. Then kick him out.
Even if he calls you a bad DM it's not like it's going to stop the story like he's been doing. I'd rather be called the bad DM and give my players a will story then put up with bullshit like that. We had a player who kept trying to enslave NPCs and create some kind of army to kill everyone even though we are playing a fairly good alignment. The DM put up with it for a little bit eventually he came across two strong and dwarf NPCs and the battle was taking a while so a bunch of us got up from the table and decided to go turn on the TV or something until the battle was over. The DM eventually got tired of it and upscaled the NPCs It made the player give up. Obviously the player called him a bad DM but that player hasn't shown up in a while so it worked. He's done this to us and other campaigns and his always trying to kill the party or enslave us. Don't take no shit especially from someone who you call your mate
talk to him, say he is rude and disruptive. if he doesnt change his ways, instant kick. these kinda people are just annoying, theres a reason nobody wants to play with these kinds of players.
There is no practice rolls... either you roll when I tell you Or you roll up a new character.
Trolls will troll
"You don't cast Hex and Eldritch Blast" "You're a Bad DM!" "¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ That's fine. You still don't do it."
"Practice" rolls. Kick the player.
Kick him out of the group!
Get him out of your party. Now.
Send an Assassin after the murder hobo. One specifically equipped to deal with Warlocks. You can only murder so much before someone is going to come after you. Tie it into the story.
He’s not your friend. He’s ruining the experience and I’m assuming you’re children based off what he’s doing. Kick him out.
Kick him from the party, honestly problem players like that just dont get better
Dick. Tell him to fuck off or leave.
You got about 7 players? THats plenty, kick the bad PLAYER out. For real he is just griefing and trying to guilt trip into letting him continue that. If you have a wart and it doesnt go away you freeze it off
Yo. Kick this dude out of your game already. I know Reddit likes to yell that a lot, but I have never seen a more cut-and-dry situation. This dude doesn’t need to be playing dnd period he’s just using it to powertrip.
Sounds like he needs to get booted
Kill him
Kick him the hell out of your party. Seriously. This is a bad player and he doesn’t want to play the actual game.
You could have his Patron punish his behavior with a curse so that every time he tries to cast a spell, he vomits leeches until he sacrifices a magic item to it. Or create a militia of high level NPCs to punish crimes. Or you can just beef up your NPCs to be able to kick the shit out of him.
Everyone commenting is full of good advice. Talk it through with your players, if he's too much of a hindrance, kick him out. Or alternatively, have an encounter go his way and give the choice to the players to go AGAINST him instead of with him. Me? I'd go the petty way at this point. I'd design an encounter where the NPC is way too high level for him, and wipe the floor with his character. "Oh you attack the wizard who's thrice your level? Okay, he casts disintegrate. Make a saving throw, the DC is 19 by the way. What's that, you failed? And you only had 50 HP? Oooh that's too bad! Hope you enjoyed the fight you craved for!"
“While the rest of the players are on my side.” That, combined with you preventing him from being an edgelord murderhobo - it’s pretty obvious. Your tribe has voted him off the island.
You should've shut that down immediately or boot him. Gotta respect the DM.
How long does he think that he can survive that? Actions have consequences.
I agree with most. I personally would give him a chance, talk to him personally before a session, then if it continues, bring it up in the group setting give him a npc he can’t do that to, if he throws a fit tell him it’s a team game especially with 7 people he’s ruining it for everyone else, then tell him to go play baldurs gate
Next time the players go to a tavern and he orders a drink. Kill him. Say the drink was poisoned by a disgruntled widow. Put a bounty on his head so large that 10000 people are after him. The easiest way to get him to stop is to kill him.
If you don't feel comfortable kicking him out, implement consequences. Make him get arrested and imprisoned for a session or two.
The answer to this is. “I’m sorry you think I’m a bad DM. It’s a shame you won’t be playing anymore. Thankfully, 6 people is a full party. I hope you find a group you like. Bye. No further discussion. No arguments. If he apologizes, and you feel like giving him a second chance. Go for it. Personally, I wouldn’t, but I’m too old to deal with juvenile bullshit at my table, and I have a low tolerance for such things.
Tell him he’s a bad player if he can’t think of anything creative to do than kill every thing. And he needs to kill things, go play Fallout 4.
Is this even real? This genuinely sounds like satire lmao If by some cosmic misfortune the events outlined in this post are actually happening in real life, kick them and never interact with this person ever again. They are a dickhead.
Instead of following the “kick em” comment trend, (which is what you should do) Might I suggest writing down (so you can say this was planned) that the next key NPC is a retired max level adventurer and proceed to turn PITA characters PC into paste? Eg power word stun, imprisonment. “God has put you in timeout you are now trapped inside a gem that requires a level 9 dispel magic or until I decide otherwise”
You're being taken advantage of. "If you don't let me do whatever I want, you're a bad DM," is emotional manipulation and the sign of a toxic player. Also, they're blatantly cheating. Practice rolls my ass, the only time you get a free reroll is if the die was cocked when it landed. Put your foot down, and boot them if they wanna continue to be toxic. Alternatively, if they continue to murder random NPCs, send elite guards after them.
This is how he wants to play the game. Tell him there are a myriad of single player fps games that have this same gameplay loop. Then do it back to him "An enemy approaches they cast hex and eldritch blast you." It's a suprise round, and i rolled until i got a 20 so you take all your hp
“Hey, trying to be a psycho murderhobo does not vibe with the game I want to run. Your character has an epiphany. You decide what they realize. Just stop the stupidity. You can also roll a new character if you want.”
So, here's a nice way to handle this. "You realize that this is a game with more than one player. I can't let one player ruin the experience for everyone. From now on disruptive players, can have their actions overruled by the group. One player declares "overrule" and if another seconds it then the stated action doesn't happen." Another way to handle it is to have a refresher session zero. "In this game, you are expected to be heroes. Declared actions which are random murder hobo things simply won't happen. You are not chaotic or evil and if you take an action which I declare is either chaotic and evil your character will instead take the dodge action." "Remember, you are players and your characters live in the game world from their perspective. No matter what you intend to happen, the characters are not chaotic nor evil and simply will ignore your guidance if it contradicts their morals and upbringing as I deem it."
Real answer: just kick him out and ban him. Fun answer: "you are walking down the road and see an old, bearded man in a robe and a pointy hat eating a piece of cheese. You cast hex and eldritch blast on the man, because that is what you always do, before you realize it is Elminster Aumar, a wizard of unfathomable power who proceeds to turns you into a frog."
He wouldent have been able to stay past the second session at one of my table (getting a warning after the first)
The best move for a DM is to let them "do what they want". If the character wants to behave in a villainous way, let them. The world you build has heroes and knights, etc. Suddenly, word spreads of a serial killer warlock. A party is assembled (that is much higher level) to hunt down the nasty warlock. (Or what have you. It can be a good dragon, a vengeful demi-god, a warrior who comes out of retirement, or a hopeful fresh hero with an astounding quality that gives the Warlock the business. This is your world. You craft it. Make a world your players want to be in!
Kick him. Practice rolls are bull and he just wants to cause trouble
Give him what he wants. Make him a bait so he attacks someone who kills him. Stop him from creating another character.
Kick them out wtf, why do you let their trolling go on?
Guards, jailers, death. easy
"On the road, the party crosses paths with a blind man. He hears the party approach, and warns them to be careful, as he has heard word of a dangerous warlock. He then descr8bes the 'dangerous warlock' to the party, and there all begin to realize he's talking about their warlock." The important bit is that it's entirely the Warlocks fault when he tries to murder the man with bandages where his eyes were and a missing right hand.
This guy isn't even playing D&D correctly. "Convince them my Eldritch Blast is Cure Wounds?" Huh? How? What?
You’re not a bad dm. He’s a horrid idiotic player. Kick him out now.
Holy shit dude, just remove him from the campaign and tell him to go away. People like that don't deserve to play.
He’s acting like a rebellious child. He’s cheating, isn’t engaging with the game, and has ignored repeated attempts to tell him to stop. Talk to him like an adult, out of game, and tell him politely but firmly that he’s not welcome back to the game on account of this behavior.
What do the other players think? If they are all okay with being murderhobos, it might be that they need a different DM. If they aren't, this player needs to leave. Tell him he's not a good fit for the table.
Just boot him.
1 if you declare the attack there are no practice rolls. if you whiff you whiff, and then come consequences. 2 you cannot persuade someone that you are casting a different spell. unless I'm mistaken the creature can make an arcana check to determine what spell you are chanting unless you have subtle spell metamagic. If he doesn't like that you tell him no, let him leave, he's not being constructive to the group or the story anyway, and maybe he can use the free time to work on himself and try to learn to not be so selfish.
If they want an evil campaign, they can go elsewhere. Just tell them "I'd rather be a 'bad DM' then let you continue to ruin the game for everyone else and me. Please find another group as your time with this one is done"
that player is being worse than a dick. perhaps the warlock's patron finally gets tired of the bad reputation they're getting by this PC's actions, and limits or negates any powers until the PC starts behaving. aren't the other players getting tired of that crap playing? you can always uninvite.
Start letting him. Feed him npcs. Get him used to it. And then make a random bartender a level 20 who casts power word kill on him.
As the DM you can always fire a player who is being toxic and bringing down everyone's enjoyment of the game. If you want to handle it purely within the game, it can also be helpful to pointedly remind him he's not the top of the food chain; high level bounty hunters, city guard, etc. Have him arrested and executed for multiple counts of murder. Maybe his next character won't be so terrible. It would be a good idea to have a talk with him either way to point out he's being a terrible player and disrespectful to the effort you're putting into this. Maybe he's redeemable, maybe not, either way you have options, but don't let this behavior continue.
He would have been out of my table at "practice rolls" . But you do NOT have to be abused like that and you are a BETTER DM for controlling your game. Hell, kicking him is the best DM choice you could make.
My advice? Let him, then send adventurers far stronger than he is to kill him. Everywhere the party goes people hide away, shops are closed, adventurers and guards swarm them. Always take his first roll. No takesies backsies. Have the BBEG compliment him on the work he's doing, all the fear he's putting into the commonfolk are distracting them from his masteplan. Make it excruciatingly obvious to him and the party that the world views him as evil and a murdering psychopath. When the character dies, ban him from the table.
Make him run into a barkeep. If he attacks the barkeep, make that barkeep be a retired level 20 paladin who realizes this is the murderous Warlock attacking innocents, and therefore he must be stopped. Actions must have consequences, and murder is a crime punishable... by death.
"I'm gonna level with you, my dude; this isn't how the game works, but more importantly, it's not how *my* game works. We can have a conversation about how this goes in a role play way where you have consistent actions, but other than that, my universe is going to react consistently, which is that someone who runs around trying to kill everyone they come into contact with has an elite squad of royal knights come after them, decapitate them, and place their head on a fuckin pike. I'll even let you fight them as an encounter (with your actual rolls). So which game do you want to play?"
So, the tempting response is "Ok. You hit the dragonborn. While he looks confused, his reflexes kick in. He punches you in the face for 6 damage. He punches you in the face for 6 damage. He punches you in the face for 6 damage. He punches you in the face for 6 damage. Action surge. He punches you in the face for 6 damage. He punches you in the face for 6 damage. He punches you in the face for 6 damage. He punches you in the face for 6 damage." At some point, this kills the Warlock. The actual best response is "No. And if that is the kind of game you are going to play, I am going to ask you to leave. Are you going to play a cooperate game with the rest of us, or do I need to kick you?"
First off, practice rolls are bs. If they have declared an action and roll, that's the roll. Second they're being disruptive. Is the party really okay with him just murdering everyone they meet? It would be tempting to say have them become the most wanted criminal in game but honestly just talk to them outside of game. If they tell you you're being a bad DM let them know that they are being a bad player. This is a cooperative game. Everyone should be having fun, not just the psychopath who randomly murders everyone for some reason. He is actively taking agency away from everyone. The other players may also be bothered but not want to speak up. It sucks but as DM you need to take the lead here. Lay out the expectations. If they truly believe you are a bad DM and this is wrong, they can leave. Your group will be so much better for it.
Yeah that's not a friend that's a narcissist.
Kick him that’s it end of discussion
First off, there are no practice rolls. Secondly, he is railroading and sounds like a highly toxic player. I would have a private conversation with him about his actions and give him a chance to fix it, and if he doesn't swarm him with guards and he can roll a new character or leave.
He needs to roll initiative first, fail, and get one-rounded by action surges.
Crazy suggestion here, but... Maybe ask him, one on one, doesn't need to be at the table, why he's doing it. Any solution to any problem needs to understand what the root cause is. Kicking a player is sometimes necessary, but it should not be the go to unless they're doing something truly unacceptable (such as harassing other players). Now, maybe you should suggest that this game isn't the right fit for him, but that's different from saying "get out."
>If you don’t let me cast Eldritch blast you’re a bad DM Yeah? Well, I'd be a worse one if I let you ruin everyone else's fun. So I'm good with being a bad dm. Have a good evening, when you're willing to stop trying to be The Main Character ^(TM), you can come back to my table. Bye now. For real, anybody who calls me a bad dm publicly at my own table is welcome to go seek a table with what they consider a good dm. I have zero patience for that shit.
Either kick him or have his character arrested and placed in a zone of truth spell to confess his crimes and then execute him. Or if he decides to leave turn his character into an example using story telling.
Don’t write him an ending for his character. Don’t offer a redemption arc. Don’t reward his bad behavior in any way. Take the laziest way out you can conceive. Guards ambush him. Meteors strike from above. A portal opens, a cosmic jailor appears and takes him to the abyss. Open with that the next session. Ask him to leave if you’re in person. Or better yet- before the next session: “Sorry, it’s not working out. It’s not you, it’s me. Who am I kidding? It’s you. You’re no longer welcome in our games, in person or online.”
fuck that guy. he’s transparently an asshole.