Months Long DnD Ruined By DM | r/rpghorrorstories

[@bethanyhutter5433]

“Hi Lucky!” Simba: 👁️👄👁️

[@AWhite33190]

Simba: AM I A JOKE TO YOU

[@hyphz]

Hard lesson. Never ever ever have "the bad guys need to get ALL the As, Bs, and Cs" as an overarching plot. It means that the whole thing is over if the PCs defend just one of them, which guarantees either a quick and unsatisfiying ending or a long series of fights which are railroaded into failing, as happened here.

[@shadiafifi54]

One good way to get around that is, have the BBEG resurrect anyways, but weaker, meaning the more pieces they can't get, the weaker they are and easier to beat. Or do it the other way around; the BBEG comes back but needs his MacGuffins to regain full power. The more pieces they're denied, the better the final fight gets. Though this gets balanced out by the villain becoming more and more desperate and coming up with other solutions to cover their vulnerabilities.

[@ArcCaravan]

Ways I've seen that kind of stuff work is if the mcguffins are already powerful separately so even one in the wrong hands is a threat.

[@deltagearadvanced5140]

OP of the first story. Funny enough that's what happened after I l;eft the game. One player DM'd me in the weeks following me leaving and detailed how the DM kinda rushed the plot forward and had the boss resurrect early to fight. From what i hear it was incomplete and was kinda easy. Which makes me believe that he realized how bad things where going and how little fun we were having and decided to just speed run to the final. I don't hold anything against the DM he was a great guy and was fun to chat with, it just really felt like he had no clue what to do with all of our powers and class stuff so he opt'd to shut us down a lot and force story beats.

[@Svartalf14]

DM vs Players mentality, that's a trait I had in my youth, due to the players being overly powerful christmas trees.... I no longer organize games for preexisting characters, and I don't strive to kill or humiliate my players anymore. Working with the players for shared fun is much easier

[@Omnywrench]

I don't make joke characters often, though in most games I like to name my characters based on puns or some other reference. For example, I once had a character in a cyberpunk setting who, among other things, was a Japanese merchant, and named him Manny K. Neko, after the "Maneki-neko" or "lucky cat" statues found in front of some Japanese shops.

[@TigerKirby215]

Regarding the second Call of Cthulhu story: I really think the DM needs to question if that friendship is worth keeping.

[@Doodle1776]

That first story is a perfect example of a "storyteller" GM. Someone who has his own story to tell and the party will go along with it, if they like it or not. Dice rolls, choices, all are meaningless because he has a story to tell and the players will act it out.

[@DarkEvilFoxy]

than the dm need to give up playing dnd and write a book

[@GarkKahn]

Gm wrote a fanfic and players are now hostage

[@polarisastralwarrior6717]

​@@DarkEvilFoxy I came here to say exactly this, thank you.

[@Redtail45044]

To be fair, I agree-it seems like an anti-player mentality. Or the DM had something against chrono-magic. I've seen that myself-that class can do some VERY crazy things to bog down and wreck a DM's plans. Some DMs take that very personally, and they extend that to the party when the party tries to help their caster out.

[@SinnerChrono]

As a very inexperienced dm. It is very frustrating when your players who are more experienced and knowledgeable than you make the most efficient and effective builds they can and it feels like nothing you do ever gives them a challenge or none of your traps and plans being effective. Sure maybe in a few thousand hours I will have read all or any of the books and will have learned ways to make better encounters etc. Or. And hear me out on this. Or my players can just not do everything they can to derail my plans and encounters and maybe just maybe play this like an actual person would do and walk into a trap. Or not unravel an encounter to make it trivial.

[@Redtail45044]

@@SinnerChrono I hear you, I thought that way at first. Personally? You don't have to read all the books. Observe how they handle things, and consider that this is what a party does-they act like people do. Ergo. They're going to look at what we as DMs present them and go 'How would I, as my character, get out of this? How can I make this situation where I can handle it?'. It's not your fault if it becomes trivial-it just proves you have some smart players and that you can, at least, learn from them. You don't have to make it harder. Just...more interesting. Like sure. You can cast Grease on that knight's hands so that he can't hold weapons. But that doesn't stop him from punching you with his mailed fists, which now if you attempt to grapple him will make it harder for him to be pinned. And the average person won't just walk into a trap. if they're in a new area, they're going to be wary-consider it. Would you walk into a dungeon or tomb presuming the place is safe? What if you listened to people in the area and heard that its dangerous? Aren't you going to be looking out for traps, or finding ways to flush out those traps? Reward players for clever play, but also add caveats. Like, you revealed all the pit traps with a clever use of a spell. Now you have the caveat of having to perform checks to get over those holes, or to find ways to bridge the gaps. But most of all. Look at yourself in their shoes. If you were the player. if you were their character...what would you do in this situation? What's the most likely solution? What's the craziest one you can think of that might actually be fun for the party if they consider it, and may even present them with a little reward like some dead adventurer's item pouch with a few silver and a minor healing potion that might actually save their lives in the next fight? All in all. It's normal for a campaign to derail. Don't try and prepare for the unexpected-embrace it. So you didn't expect them to try and make friends with the town guard? Maybe there can be something in it for them the next time they come to town, such as the guard helping them with an issue, or offering them a small side job that they can make money from! I could go on...but this is plenty.

[@GarkKahn]

​​@@SinnerChronowell to be fair, if you find the classic rat trap with cheese as bait, would you take the cheese knowing it's a trap??? No matter if it'll be an interesting story, if you want to eat you'll at least try to be smarter-faster than the trap (still knowing it's a Bad idea)

[@JustAPasserby-e6z]

Not only is that not D&D those are NOT friends.

[@paulman34340]

Yep, Sorry Doge, but they know EXACTLY what their doing and being asshats about it! A DM I play with mentioned once being in a group like that! Sadly SHE was the OP of that last story! Last she heard, they provoked someone they really shouldn't have with that behavior (turns out they just needed a fresh body to FEEL like they don't have an NPC, yet still have the privilege of having an NPC under their control!) She doesn't feel sorry for the DM who allowed this as he got STABBED by the "Play around and find out" player he shouldn't have provoked! Wished him well, but no one can say he and his group didn't have it coming (Best Part was his "friends" up and abandoned him in fear for their own lives! Which actually SAVED his life as the Nutjob went after THEM after stabbing the DM so attention was brought to the house and 911 was called, he got lucky, but she said the group broke up shortly after and she's heard DM was a player in some tables, not exactly well LIKED as he's a problem player, she found out the group were one of those "Last Road for Problem Player" type groups where no one wants you around for being a problem player that eventually you can only find groups that HAVE tons of Problem Players VIAing to be the Problem Player KING to DOMINATE the rest! Another Player at our table practically GOES to those types of tables just to ENJOY watching them make fools of themselves! He's a bit of a troll who gets off on assholes fucking each other over essentially! Once warned a few newbies AWAY as he knew they were FRESH victims by those types of DM's for the IDIOTS, mostly because he enjoys the meltdown that happens when the idiots are only fighting other idiots and those DM's getting upset about it then because he's really being nice....well maybe a little being nice and saving a Newbie from a "First Time Horror Story" LOL) OP is better off just ditching the losers and move on

[@miket3827]

Listening to the first story is very interesting. I think that the only version of dm vs player that is acceptable is a “I’m a dm and I want my players to destroy me” sort of thing. Obviously not a fully thought out idea but I think you get the message.

[@watcherofmemelords7967]

Indeed, as a dm I love it when my players completely wreck my shit, it means they are paying attention and thinking critically about how they play. What greater complement could you give a dm aside from making one of their npcs a dmpc when you start one of your own games.

[@miket3827]

@@watcherofmemelords7967 that’s a good point! I’m a bit of a noob dm and my players are super new and inexperienced. One day I’d like to get to that point.

[@watcherofmemelords7967]

@@miket3827 So long as you put your players first I have no doubt you can get there, just be patient and if problems come up don't be afraid to talk about them with your players, you'd be surprised how many horror stories could have been easily solved if more people did that.

[@miket3827]

@@watcherofmemelords7967 for reals. I want them to be my goal. I think I was a touch selfish the first few sessions. I know one fun encounter I made I was SUPER rough. I had one specific thing in mind and every brilliant idea they had I shot down. I did tell them later and apologized for it. It’s haunted me ever since. It’ll be a “here’s my fun idea but if yours is better I won’t punish you again”. That’s the thing that listening to horror stories has taught me: be the dm you’d skip work to play for.

[@watcherofmemelords7967]

@@miket3827 Who all do you listen to? I can share some of the channels I studied prior to being a dm if you like, though I imagine there may be a bit of overlap.

[@M_Alexander]

Missed opportunity to say "No CoC is better than bad CoC."

[@damienhailey118]

No need to get into Doge's dating experiences

[@LucyBean42]

I played with a guy who made a half-orc barbarian who only fights using pro wrestling finishing moves. He wasn't proficient in unarmed, took penalties to hit, and the few times he did hit, it did 1+STR bonus damage. He complained later he didn't do much, and when my friend said "use your weapon instead of being a wrestling dork", he threatened to throw him out of a window.

[@RiveroftheWither]

Was he new? Because simply multiclassing a little into monk or unarmed fighting (if Tasha's was allowed) would have made that joke character at least somewhat playable and a fun experience. I love joke characters but people need to learn that you HAVE to make them usable, they by no means have to be optimized but if you can't do the thing that your character is supposed to do... Well yeah, the novelty will quickly wear off, you're going to get frustrated, you're going to get bored, you aren't going to have fun in the game anymore. In fact speaking from experience, it's significantly more fun if your joke character is really good at something. When the goofy shenanigans actually succeed it's a great laugh.

[@CyberPunkBadGuy]

@@RiveroftheWither There is a tavern brawler feat/Unarmed fighting style that would allow him to deal damage as well. Its just that he doesnt know how to make pcs to match his fantasies and also socially a bum so he acts a dick, if we take OPs post by word.

[@ArcCaravan]

Your friend making threats over this sounds like a garbage person.

[@isaakvanast]

So basically pro wrestling

[@GarkKahn]

Did he at least managed to throw him or he failed too?

[@clericofchaos1]

I've been playing for 14 years, joke characters are pretty much all i do now. Though i can honestly say, i've never made a gag character that had some kind of disability or detriment to their stats. Some of my gag characters have included (but are not limited to), Dr. Feelgood (a nature cleric who worshipped the goddess Ganja and used his nature powers to grow and hand out pot), BludBath (A berserk barbarian that ate people and acted completely insane around the party but who would sneak away at night to go do karaoke at local taverns and occasionally quoted bits of poetry that hinted that he was far more intelligent than the party knew), and Dr. Heart (An alchemist, symic hybrid, artificer, that was played off as a combination of Victor Frankenstein, hannibal lector, freaky fred, and slender man. A serial killer, a fact he was able to keep hidden from the party, who's long term goal was to create a flesh golem via vivisection.)

[@MissBoxxx]

I would have loved to be part of the campaign that had Dr. Feelgood in it 😂

[@KitsuneYojimbo]

Damn. Best I ever managed for a character with a disability was a blind warlock that gave up her eyesight as part of her pact and had a familiar that acted as her seeing-eye dog.

[@tesuniekataren46]

@@KitsuneYojimbo I guess my blind warlock wasn't as original as I thought, with two seeing eye Ravens... but the "I'll tell you when I see it" blind jokes were fun to do.

[@monikasernek1177]

How the heck are this gag characters - They sound interesting. (Well the cleric is an weed joke but the barbarian reminds me of Ragnvaldr for F&H)

[@tesuniekataren46]

@@monikasernek1177 Their concepts are based on joke concepts. That doesn't mean he played them as a joke. I think that is the difference. I have a friend who plays a wood Warforge as a joke character, but he is able to do so in a serious way so even in serious campaigns he just fits right in providing a few laughs along the way. I think joke characters are fine, depending upon the campaign and how they are played.

[@justinmargerum2559]

No intro cats? Patience... Story 1: Patience rewarded! Pertaining to the story itself, yeah, that feels more than a little targeted against OP. Actually, it's starting to look like all the players are on the worst kind of railroad, where nothing they do matters and the characters just aren't allowed to score a single meaningful "win." Doge is right; DM could/should have been prepared to reward a success by having a slightly less than fully powered BBEG. Even if it wasn't actually less powerful than planned, the players didn't have to know they failed to prevent that. Story 2: Okay, getting absolutely blasted before learning any TTRPG is just rude. Absolute "no go" for that kind of player. Also, a "like and subscribe kitty" bit is always welcome! Sorry for not remembering to "like" after the first cat clip! Story 3: Sucks to play with a party saboteur AND a DM/GM who enables it. Story 4: Good on OP for stopping Joke Character's player from destroying his campaign. Three strikes was generous but fair and reasonable. Final story: Nope; not normal. Players play their own player characters. As long as it doesn't violate house rules such as those restricting PvP or deliberate sabotage, players make the final call on what their characters do. Otherwise, that "player" isn't a player but a spectator.

[@deltagearadvanced5140]

Hey, OP of the first story. First: HI Simba! Second: I dont think the DM fully was DM vs player, i think he just was new to telling this kind of mcguffin style story as, after i left, about a few weeks later one player reached out and detailed how the DM sped tracked the story and had the BBEG fight happen sooner and be weaker. From what i know it was fairly easy which makes me think after i left he realized how bad things were going and opt'd to end things faster.

[@DrawciaGleam02]

The OP of the first story?! Hi there!

[@zacharysieg2305]

I definitely need an update to that last story if one ever comes along

[@Darkman9000]

The Cthulhu one had me imagine Adrian Monk in a TRPG setting 😂 While the story Monk sounded like an idiot sandwich, the thought of Tony Shalhoub meticulously going around an RPG world correcting objects, tapping them, and solving mysteries in under a minute is hilarious 🤣

[@Slushea]

I wouldn't be surprised if the first DM had some personal vendetta

[@starofjustice1]

Sounds more out of his depth to me.

[@nigeltucker4202]

I don't think I would have lasted as long on the first story. After canceling out my magic, making other magic not "casting" and then hunting me down before my turn and poofing my familiar would have been the end. I would have told the DM at the end of that session that it's to much, listed why, then left and not come back. There is no point of playing when a DM takes your abilities and class features away then makes it impossible to use what you are left with.

[@vortega472]

Lucky and Simba - a true duo of delight and purriness. Seems like the DM from the 3rd story could use some of the backbone of the 4th story DM. Feel bad for the OOP in the final story. I hope they can find a nurturing place for them to play.

[@Blackscar2]

As for the last story, it was probably a group of power gamers who were trying to have your role be optimized and probably not realizing their taking all player agencie from you. Definitely talk to them.

[@fabriziopedani5315]

By this stories around mechanics i think we should introduce the concept of 'this is such a DnD problem'

[@oneandonlymario659]

Re: the rude or not inquiry - That's very rude behavior. That table is too insular and seem to think they know better than the player. I know the advice is to talk it out, but they've shut the player out and this doesn't feel like they will take an outsider's input. The OP needs better friends.

[@zrswitch8434]

That joke character story is so wild. Although I do know some people who just have to make a joke character and can't do anything else...that player should have just said that and saved themselves and the DM time. That being said, a blind thief could have worked.

[@Wraithspartan]

Was here to say that! Blind would be quite workable as long as Jokester didn't make "terrible at stealing" a deal breaker.

[@brianvance1178]

Story 3: I honestly might have beaten Monk and the GM to bloody pulps after all that bs, purely out of rage and frustration

[@Svartalf14]

last story. OK, anybody making changes to somebody else's character is a red flag, and doing so without their agreement is one of the worst no noes I can think of in RPG,. Yes, I love my characters and am protective of them. my character is MY character, and you don't change it without my agreement. such conduct is gross and grounds for instant ghosting of the guilty parties, and leaving the table.

[@GarkKahn]

Last story: Dnd? I think a better title would be "is this friendship?"

[@jayheffronuzun6733]

On the topic of the second story, I feel like there are a lot of DnD players haven't realised they don't actually wanna play DnD just want an excuse to hang out

[@jacksparrowismydaddy]

last story: no sweetie thats just really rude what they do to you. you are the player of that character not them. this is so beyond abnormal that it might as well be a different game. those people are toxic players. please find a better table. hey Dodge say hi to all the cats for me :)

[@davidtherwhanger6795]

Is This DnD Story. I'm hoping the rest of that group is just trying to help. But I'm not going to bet on that. I honestly have never heard of this happening for any GOOD reason before.

[@krystlvines]

I NEED an update on that last one

[@Svartalf14]

Had I been OP in the failed CoC episode, I'd have asked Susan to share her bed, even with no fooling around permitted.

[@Svartalf14]

The bombed out CoC campaign... maybe the OP could have kept in touch with the others than Monk and DM

[@tylersands8685]

I'm sorry but everytime I hear the name Phillip all I can think of is the Jeff Dunham bit with Walter.

[@theinfiniteking]

I thought this was my story until I remembered I had to delete it because I got bullied off of reddit.

[@yaldabaoth2]

Last story honestly sounds very sus.

[@Blindy_Sama]

The joke character story I could see the blind thief working out in a specific setting with specific other feats... And it could be done as not a joke character it could someone who thinks they're a wizard but they're actually a sorcerer. The spinning top one kind of annoys me because I feel that one is definitely a joke character versus the other ones could be very interesting if done right instead of as a joke

[@Galaxykuma]

The last one. Op should talk to the DM and the rest of the group. Tell them how They feel about this and if they try again or they just flat out ignore them. Leave.

[@Svartalf14]

D&D and 'typical comedic style'??? doesn't compute, we play for keeps in the groups I'm part of, even in the more light toned campaigns. the DM did the right thing, as joke player seemed bent on derailing the campaign with unplayable characters. maybe I'm too serious, but this player went too far in the joke, and did not stop when called out.

[@marybdrake1472]

Yet another screw job campaign, what a pointless waste. I would have left much sooner, like the moment the targeting began.

[@deltagearadvanced5140]

OP here. Sunk cost fallacy. I kept telling myself it would get better and everything started out fine and we had a few storylines that were awesome for the Barbarian and Rogue (Though that immortal rebellion guy kind screwed with the rogues story) Hell, i didn't ask, didn't know, but ended up with an army of golems at my command! They all died off screen to the demons as i had left them in a lost city we found (I had the archeologist background and the city was important to the lore. A mini story arch for me) but we traveled back to that lost city just find the army i never got to use dead and the body part released. Hindsight is 20/20. But in the game? Idk man, just was desperate to actually get to play so i tortured myself hoping things would get better.

[@marybdrake1472]

@@deltagearadvanced5140 It's a n easy trap to get caught in sadly. It happens to a lot of people too.

[@lessoriginal]

I actually like story 4's illiterate mage character. Except I'm thinking instead of a wizard make him a sorcerer or a warlock. A child is kidnapped by a mad wizard who "wants an apprentice" but he's evil and not entirely sane so all he does is abuse the child and call it "teaching". The child, desperate for any way to save himself from his abusive master (he can't run he's tried) begins to manifest power (sorcerer) makes a pact with the voices that whisper from ??somewhere?? (warlock). He begins to show promise as a mage, the wizard is proud of himself because he's a narcissistic prick. Until one day.... (trails off ominously)

[@Svartalf14]

THC soda? where/how do you get that.... and I"ve come to hate people who play stoned, that's disrespectful of those who take the game a bit seriously.... I remember a particularly awful session where I got stone from their smoke and it turned a Ravenloft session into comedy ewww.... but it took me time to understand what 'edibles' meant in this context. As a total non smoker, I have nothing against edibles, but please not prior to a game.

[@joshpiotrowski3487]

They're accessible in almost all pot shops. Don't tell others what they can and can't do if they can handle their gear, if they can't, toss em. But a blanket rule of not getting grooved before hand is going too far.

[@tesuniekataren46]

From one of my own horror stories, I can say drugs and D&D do not mix. It's hard to play with players who have fried their brains...

[@Mabra51]

5:02 "track there general" What is that supposed to mean ?

[@deltagearadvanced5140]

Honestly? I have no clue. For whatever reason our warlock could "See" them when she closed her eyes and through teleportation shinannagins via me have having teleportation circle we would teleport to cities and try to triangulate the demons position (I had prof in cartographers tools) In spite of this whole connection thing that we never figured out the warlock was not a main character or receiving special treatment as i pointed out in the story. Even with a way to track them the moment we'd teleport to a city (Which we had to have been to previously for me to learn its teleport runes) the demons would just start moving towards a different city even if they were close to one we had just teleported too.

[@krybling]

I love the edible story i have stories like that only mistake they didnt offer op some

[@Svartalf14]

and rolling a 9 on a d6 is a mistiake I already did, stone cold sober (I was 14 so the option not to be so did not even exist)

[@MelonTartVA]

Hi, Doge. I uploaded my first rpghorror story on the sub-Reddit. I know you have a lot of stories to look at, but hope my story was at least entertaining to you even if you don’t cover it. Story is titled “Am I too sensitive or is my experienced DM sister being rude?”

[@PowerStar004]

13:07 Wait, don't d6s usually have pips, not numerals?

[@sailorsloth8183]

Some d6s have numbers, especially ones found in dice sets.

[@whitenekos]

2nd story. Those candies likely laced with something else.

[@joshpiotrowski3487]

No, people just can't handle edibles like smoke. Plus, people have low tolerances.

[@whitenekos]

@joshpiotrowski3487 True, some can't handle but too become unintelligent x.x

[@joshpiotrowski3487]

@@whitenekos well, I guess sucks to be you with those experiences.

[@whitenekos]

@joshpiotrowski3487 haven't had any just seems strange for just THC. X.x

[@joshpiotrowski3487]

@@whitenekos not at all. For people who are only recreational folks this can happen, and it most certainly would if they're recreational users and maybe had a couple beers on the way. That's a sure fire way for the to be vomit comet.

[@BabyGamerPlays]

Ohio bork

[@stevencavanagh7990]

I don't know an Illiterate Wizard sounds like a good idea. could have been played that all he can read and write are his spells, and he has to learn to read and wright to assist the Party.

[@ArcCaravan]

Depends on how the player used it and if such a character fits the campaign.

[@CallMeKes]

See, if I am stuck in "pointless fights" I do this slightly passive aggressive tone that shows how bored and annoyed I am. It's not good to be passive aggressive, but in this case it works pretty well without making a huge deal about it ooc. But I wish the writer of that first story told us how his DM reacted when he said he wasn't having fun. And why did he leave instead of telling the DM and giving him a chance to change it.

[@starofjustice1]

Actually there's a guy lower down who claims to be the OP, and he says what he did.

[@deltagearadvanced5140]

Yeah i did chat with the DM, publicly multiple times, and he said that our choices did matter and things would get better. About two months-ish before i left we had the whole searching for magic items run, spent many sessions doing that till we reached our second run in. No less than 3 times i pointed out how one sided/pointless things felt and the DM reassured us multiple times that it wasn't the case. Course, then the whole demon melting through a ceiling in a tomb in less than 4 rounds happened, the session i missed, and etc. At that point i realized either he had a story he wanted to force or just didn't have the experience to mold the story around player choice and actions. He was never malicious, rude, or out right toxic. And yes, the group echoed my concerns... Kinda, i had many private chats in dms and solo calls after the DM left and the Rogue and Barbarian both agreed with me. Though again i was new to the group which is why they probably didn't speak up or leave as well. It was an already established group and all and they all seemed to be close friends. In the end i asked myself if i was having fun and answered "No" politely left and said why and we split on good terms. The Barbarian was bummed i left and was the one who kept me updated on the games ending after i left.

[@dracone4370]

Assuming all off Doge's cats are Tabaxi for the purposes of character creation; What sort of Bard do you think Lucky would be? As for Nipsy, what Charisma Class do you think they would be?

[@BabyGamerPlays]

First

[@wolfherojohnson2766]

Eloquence for sure. Nipsy gives me paladin vibes

[@tesuniekataren46]

We know Luna has the Street Urchin/Orphan background.

[@dracone4370]

@@tesuniekataren46 And I like to think Luna is a Cleric, most likely Twilight Domain or Night Domain

[@BabyGamerPlays]

Second

[@BabyGamerPlays]

Mewing

[@abcgefp]

Bruh the illiterate character was fine😊

[@starofjustice1]

If he blatantly ignores the DM's tone guidelines just during character creation, what would he like during a prolonged campaign? Trolling everywhere probably.

[@CooperAATE]

Doge time!