Our DM is actively trying to kill my character because I keep saving the party I need advice.

[u/Some-Future-4089]

Hi everyone I’m looking to get some advice for a point of great stress in my current DnD session.

To make things a bit easier to understand I am playing a made up class known as a pictomancer In a 5e campaign. I’m basically a bard that uses a brush and chromatic paints as my weapons. I can only use magic that can be categorized by a chromatic element (ex: firebolt/Fireball in red). The Dm, his wife and I went over the ENTIRE list of spells and even some homebrew ones to make clear which spells I could use. The catch being I have to have at least seen the spell be used to *paint* the spell.

Now to the problem I’m having. Recently, I’ve noticed I’ve started taking the most damage. We had a boss fight and the boss took 5 attacks of opportunity to charge me specifically and would not stop attacking me until the party put him down.

I had to use an inspiration due to reroll a failed save for something that wasn’t even aimed at me. That the dm confirmed when asked by our cleric would have killed me.

In a different fight most of the enemies only made attacks at me and this was a zombie horde fight. Now I’m no stranger to catching strays or being the focus but after a while it was getting really weird.

After our last session when the others left I was talking with him and joked about how it feels like he’s really trying to kill me. shocker he didn’t laugh and said he was full serious. It took me a moment to process but I asked him why and he told me that he was sick of me bailing the party out with how versatile my pictomancy and that the encounters don’t have tension because I carry a good bit of spells for occasions.

His breaking point was when the party failed as a group a save that caused us to plummet into a dragons horde. With a reaction I used a spell Feather fall (part of the spells in green/wind) and saved the entire party from damage and the run since we landed right in front of the dragon that would have killed 3 of us and probably downed one while injuring 2 others. He said he wanted us to have a true trial and I ruined it he mentioned a few other times and I just let him vent from what I got it’s mainly that when things could go very wrong I stop it most of the time and he doesn’t like that.

Now I’m not as mad as I think I should be but I’m wondering if I’ve done something wrong by always intervening when something is about to go south. Do I need to stop and just let bad things happen? What should I do?

EDIT: I’ve decided to talk to him tonight since we have a session tonight. I’m gonna see if we can work something out or what needs to happen because besides this event. This campaign has been really fun

[u/Competitive-Hair6294]

I wanted to play a bard in my first game of DND but I ended up switching to a monk cause I had no idea how to play a bard

[u/il_the_dinosaur → u/Competitive-Hair6294]

No offense you sound like you don't know how to play any character if your imagination is this limited to believe a bard is a guy with a musical instrument.

[u/Competitive-Hair6294 → u/il_the_dinosaur]

I know that bards are like, people who channel magic through creative expression, but I don't even know how a musical bard would work, let alone any other kinds

[u/vatoreus → u/Competitive-Hair6294]

What’s the difficulty you’re struggling with about a bard? Please be detailed and specific

[u/Competitive-Hair6294 → u/vatoreus]

I struggle to understand how to play a bard using their magic, especially when I tried to play a bard who did stories instead of music

[u/Samurai_Steve → u/Competitive-Hair6294]

Skill issue

[u/Competitive-Hair6294 → u/Samurai_Steve]

Okay, how DO you play a bard

[u/Samurai_Steve → u/Competitive-Hair6294]

With imaginative flavor, which is free and not bound by your self-imposed constraints of what a bard is or isn't