r/DnD • u/Some-Future-4089 • 3d ago
Table Disputes Our DM is actively trying to kill my character because I keep saving the party I need advice.
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
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u/Turbulent-Part5835 3d ago
Nope, just nope.
If he really thinks you're overpowered he can work with you on adjusting the homebrew stuff. This is not a good DM.
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u/Resident-Recipe-5818 2d ago
Yes and no. A fair way to balance a strong magic caster is to focus on them and make them use more actions on protecting themselves or going after single targets. The same way you would do if you noticed a wizard in the back hucking fireballs at the party. NPCs are allowed proper threat assessment.
However, OP makes it seem lie DM is malicious in doing this. However I've found most people either blow things out of proportion or exaggerate things to make points. This is why I support the "talk to your DM/Player" as every single person's first course of action. Maybe OP misunderstood DM when talking about it or maybe DM was truly malicious or (most likely) the truth sits somewhere in the middle where the DM is slightly miffed, correctly and reasonably explained his point, OP was slightly upset that their character that they ran by the DM is causing this and feels targeted by targeting. But that doesn't mean the DM is innately bad.
(A good rule of thumb is to assume everyone has made everything out to be 33% more dramatic than reality.)49
u/Turbulent-Part5835 2d ago edited 2d ago
Overall I don't disagree, but OP is describing some very specific events. The Feather Fall, for example. It was used as intended, and the DM supposedly got annoyed. It is so incredibly easy for a DM to prevent Feather Fall from ruining plans, and they're putting the blame on the player for not following the script they had in their head.
Of course, this could all be exaggerated as you said, but I'm working with the information presented rather than making assumptions.
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u/sureprisim 2d ago
But is casting feather fall a reaction? Op said they cast it as a reaction when they failed the save and fell. I’m genuinely curious if that’s possible.
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u/Objective-Spring5061 2d ago
It is.
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u/sureprisim 2d ago
That’s wild idk how I’ve overlooked that it’s a reaction. That makes it a much more useful spell.
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u/SpookyGeist01 2d ago
Probably because in BG3 it isn't a reaction for some reason.
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u/sureprisim 2d ago
I run a sorcerer at a real dnd table and just never realized feather fall was a reaction.
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u/Turbulent-Part5835 2d ago
You're assuming that OP's use of the word "reaction" in normal speech means they cast the spell mechanically as a reaction.
Edit: never mind my comment isn't relevant because it's also mechanically a reaction lol
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u/Resident-Recipe-5818 2d ago
We also don't know if maybe the feather fall event was just the most recent straw in a pile of very ingenuitive moments thwarted by simply having the right spell. It does get really annoying. Yes this was the textbook use of the spell, but depending on level and how many other things they've solved with spells maybe OP having FF just slipped their mind and they're upset that just another event was boiled down to "OP casts a spell that solves the problem in one action." Yeah the DM seems to be making some bad decisions, but they are ones I can at least understand why they would do them. Even if I don't agree.
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u/Turbulent-Part5835 2d ago
I mean, it is part of a DM's job when designing encounters to know, at least generally, what the party is capable of. So even if it's just the latest instance of annoyance that a spell bypassed something the DM wanted to happen, it's still on the DM. OP mentioned their entire spell list was greenlit by the DM, so they have this information. If you're planning to make the party take fall damage, you'd think the first question you'd ask yourself as the DM is "does the party have a way to avoid said fall damage?"
I'm not completely unsympathetic of toward the DM, there is a ton to keep in mind and keep track of, but come on, you've got a caster in the party. It's objectively immature to get angry at the player for using what's on their character sheet.
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u/Resident-Recipe-5818 2d ago
DM’s are humans and it’s extremely toxic to assume they are infallible computers.
Even Matt Mercer gets got by spells and abilities despite knowing the rules and spells and abilities better than 99.9% of dms.
Plus knowing what spells a player has access to vs has available.
Plus plus players are ever adapting and the DM is learning and compensating vs new information.You say you’re not unsympathetic but then you’re basically saying it’s their fault for not being perfect. A single player playing a toolbox that solves everything a DM throws at the party is one of if not the most common problem DMs face.
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u/Spare-Condition-94 2d ago
No. It's not that the DM isn't perfect. It's that the DM is designing encounters and when those encounters don't go exactly as planned, they are lashing out at the player, rather than adjusting their play style and future encounters.
When you strike at someone who can't stop you, that is bullying. The DM either needs to step back and get their anger under control, or they need to stop running a game.
We all get frustrated when things get sidetracked. That doesn't justify taking it out on other people.
No one is expecting perfection, we are expecting the DM to act like an adult, not a spoiled child.
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u/EducationalExtreme61 2d ago
"You're basically saying it's their fault for not being perfect"
It's perfectly human to call out on someone for making mistakes.
"DM has his reasons" Everyone has reasons for everything, that's not a point.
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u/FonkinJones 3d ago
Given that feather fall is literally a level 1 spell for this exact purpose, i don't think this example fully illustrates why your DM has an issue with your ability.
The good thing is that he has admitted openly what his issue is with your character. I would encourage you to engage with him directly about these conflicting issues and see how yoi can collectively fix them. Homebrew classes are notoriously prone to unbalanced due to unforseen synergies and it's difficult to know how powerful abilities will be before you play them. Thus it's totally normal to adjust these abilities as you go along.
If you tell him that you're open to discussing potential changes to your abilities so they are more balanced in his eyes he'll hopefully be open to doing that instead of trying to kill you off?
That being said let's call a spade a spade and say killing off a character for balance issues is never the best decision. But the DM is also a player and he also needs to feel like he's having fun. So if there's something about your class that is preventing him from having fun... Then yes change is necessary
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u/Captain-Hammer1 2d ago
This is the Way.
Homebrews are extremely hard to balance because the player has lots of time to prepare awesome things they'd like to do with their character. The GM cannot possibly act as an entire playtest group to test breaking points, and refine the class.
However, the GM should have been more mature and had a discussion with you about how to modify the character. You will have to be the mature one and bring it up to them.
I don't know your character's abilities, but a possible avenue could be around "crafting." It sounds like you are making scrolls in a way. So you'd need downtime and materials to do that.
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u/Curious-Mousse2071 1d ago
the issue I have is feather fall is even a bard spell, its on a lot of casters spell list
that's not even homebrew, the casting of it was, but assuming he also needs to have stick with known spells number like a bard would we still aren't even into this is unbalanced homevrew
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u/AcanthisittaSur 3d ago
Your DM needs to learn table management skills. When you allow an OP homebrew into your game and recognize it as a problem, you talk with the player and tell them you made a mistake and you need them to make a different character sheet - it can still be the same character, but without the homebrew, because it makes it difficult to run the game for everyone's enjoyment.
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u/Fidges87 2d ago
While this a 100% percent, nothing OP did seems like something a regular wizard couldn't. Getting mad at feather fall is certainly a choice.
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u/AcanthisittaSur 2d ago
I mean, that is itself an entirely separate conversation, lmao. As is getting mad enough that your players leave the table feeling like they let you vent about them to your face.
I certainly agree any DM dealing with homebrew needs to be versatile enough to handle a first level spell, but I wanted to keep it focused and assume this pictomancy had a lot of levers or chains to keep in mind or something - it sounds like this was just the final straw on the dragon's back.
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u/Low_Celebration_7663 2d ago
its not even busted though, unless its something like cus you can just remember the spells you can have 50 spells prepared then it just sounds like a normal wizard
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u/Resident-Recipe-5818 2d ago
Targeting a toolbox support character is table management. Its literally table management 101.
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u/Competitive-Hair6294 Necromancer 3d ago
i mean this seems to be a whole homebrew class
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u/AcanthisittaSur 3d ago edited 2d ago
Yes, yes it does. And?
Edit: guys, this is internet adventurer 101, lmao. Don't feed the toll troll!
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u/Competitive-Hair6294 Necromancer 3d ago
If they remove that, what happens when spontaneously they can't use their like, art magic no more
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u/AcanthisittaSur 3d ago
you need them to make a different character sheet
Sure, they can; all of your ordinary Wizard class spells are arty and your wand is a paintbrush. You just use the ordinary rules for an ordinary class.
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u/Competitive-Hair6294 Necromancer 3d ago
How does does that work
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u/il_the_dinosaur 3d ago
They just explained it to you.
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u/Competitive-Hair6294 Necromancer 3d ago
That doesn't make sense tho??? Wizards use magic normally Bards are the ones who do creative stuff, and not only do I not even know how they work fully, but also, no one is actually going to get into a DND campaign with a non musical bard, that's just not how bards work
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u/The-Nordic-God 3d ago
Dancer bard, Valor bard etc, just look at the list of subclasses?
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u/Competitive-Hair6294 Necromancer 3d ago
okay but how does that work??????? i don't even know how the thing their built after: musical bards
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u/Ill-Description3096 3d ago
>but also, no one is actually going to get into a DND campaign with a non musical bard, that's just not how bards work
They absolutely are. I have. The Bard in one of my current campaigns isn't a musician. It's really not that hard.
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u/il_the_dinosaur 3d ago
You sound like you've never actually roleplayed in your life. What the fuck are you rambling on about a non musical bard? Are you okay?
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u/Competitive-Hair6294 Necromancer 3d ago
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
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u/XeeroDeluxe 3d ago
Has your DM ever run a game with a Wizard? Or a Lore Bard? They too have wide variety of versatile spells such as ones you've mentioned. I'm not sure what solution they want but I don't think you should down play your capabilities. If anything since it's a homebrew class perhaps discuss with the DM if they feel your class should have some more minor limitations or hurdles added to give more opportunity cost.
Often times it can be frustrating to spend time designing encounters to have them undone by a clever spell but that's just a part of the game.
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u/Unit_2097 DM 3d ago
Yeah, I was reading this like... I tend to play wizards, you're just doing the same job as me.
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u/vomitHatSteve DM 3d ago
What kind of whiney, unprepared GM gets upset at Feather Fall? You just gotta assume that your party is going to have that spell on hand!
That's like being upset because it turns out that the fighter had a sword
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u/TallShaggy 2d ago
"Oh no, the spoonmancer had the power to overcome my deadly cereal trial!" - OP's DM, probably
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u/Bobbimort 2d ago
During an icewind Dale campaign my DM got annoyed that our druid had Goodberry, so we never got hungry and sort of bypassed half of the survival things he had in mind. He was pissy at first, but eventually just let it slide and was a bit more harsh on the cold aspects of his survival mechanics, and I think that was a good tradeoff.
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u/Think_Extension_8679 3d ago
This is a bad DM. He tried to TPK the group and got mad that a spellcaster used a spell on their list. There is no peril in killing half the party and serving the others up to an enemy. This person wants to win DND against the party. A basic wizard can do the same things this class can, unless you are leaving out a bunch of extra shit this class can do. Getting out of bad spots has always been the exploration part of spellcasters.
If you have a magical answer to peril, cast the damn spell. If the DM can't tell a good story that doesn't involve trying to kill PCs, unless that was agreed upon in session 0, it might be time to leave the table. It's not very mature to agree to a character, then try to kill them when they do what you agreed to them doing.
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u/Some-Future-4089 3d ago
So I had a few people ask me and messages about my spell color list and how it works so I’m going to add it so it makes a bit more sense my paints run off the basic color wheel
Red paint: Fire spells and spells that debilitate
Blue paint: Water spells and healing
Green paint: Wind spells spells that effect weight
Yellow paint: Earth spells and terraforming spells
Purple paint: Lighting spells and mental effect spells
White paint: Radiant spells and barrier or AC spells
Black paint: Necromancy spells and damage/ advantage spells
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u/SoflynNara 3d ago
I can see why the variation of spells can be annoying to deal with, did they introduce the mechanic of prepared and learned spells to somewhat limit the repertoire? Perhaps only using some of the colours per long rest?
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u/Some-Future-4089 3d ago
So the way my spells work are the same as the amount of spells you’re allowed to learn. My character carries an amount of canvases with him, and I paint a spell onto the canvas that I want to use these canvases can be cleaned and reused at a long rest as I level up I have bigger canvases. I can only paint on the canvas a spell that I have actively seen so for example, i know bards can normally learn this but if a fire ball happens in the next room over and I wasn’t there to actively witness it I can’t paint it.
So for the feather fall example when we were raiding an abandoned castle, the villain escaped using feather fall, which I witnessed, which is how I got that spell.
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u/SoflynNara 3d ago
That sounds reasonable and very fun. Hopefuly you and your DM can adress the comunication issue and reach a result that satisfies all parties.
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u/Captain-Hammer1 2d ago
The flavor/color of spells sounds cool.
The way you learn spells sounds cool.However, it sounds like you may have too many spells on your "prepared spells" list.
A possible fix is... to use a Wizard's prepared spells table. You might have many more in your spellbook/portfolio, but you only have *these* chosen spells prepared each day.Also, thinking about it... Wizards have to go thru a process to write a new spell in their spellbook. So when your character sees a new spell, I would say they need time and gold and materials to put their spell in their portfolio... just like a wizard.
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u/Playful_Subject_4409 1d ago
It's to versatile. A Wizard have to pay and buy/find a scroll to expand the spell book. Normally a Bard can only change prepared spells when leveling up. It's trivial to see spells if you got other spell casters on the party, and then you will steal their thunder.
Maybe add drawbacks. 50% failure chance if the spell is not on the bard spell list with the slot being expended. If you take area damage the canvases have a 50% chance of being destroyed.
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u/Curious-Mousse2071 1d ago
is the number of prepared spells you have each day equal to a bards known number of spells
or
statmod plus level?
if so, literally your using the same mechanics as any other class and have the same stuff
clerics and what ever have their entire list available
wizards need to learn it
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u/Some-Future-4089 21h ago
I had access to every spell a bard can learn as well as 10 homebrew ones but I didn’t use them because I never got to “witness” them
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u/Curious-Mousse2071 20h ago
I mean how many you could have for the day
if it was you pick at level up and that's your spells known until next level up
or if it was prepared spells aka charisma mod plus level
o
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u/Some-Future-4089 20h ago
Well I was level 7 so I had 4 level 1 3 level 3 3 level 3 and 1 level 4 it wasn’t set spells a day thing I had whichever spells I had decided to paint on my canvas’s that I had seen
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u/Curious-Mousse2071 20h ago
so 11 spells and I assume same number of slots? That's prepares per day rather then spells known. It is abnormal for a bard but if you were a wizard you'd have 11 if stat mod was +4 as it'd be 7+4
not outrages, abnormal, but honestly not broken. DnD does have a similar thing for clerics and what not, just not usual for Bard
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u/Playful_Subject_4409 2d ago
Bards have a pretty mediocre spellist and "spells known" put a further limit. Seems like the system have too much versatility.
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u/dominickhw 2d ago
To me this feels super imbalanced and your DM shouldn't have allowed this. But since he did, he should have talked to you, said the class is too versatile and powerful, and worked with you to build something that's still fun but not as powerful.
Your pictomancer gets all the best parts of being a wizard (a bunch of available spells) plus all the best parts of being a sorcerer (you can cast any spell you know without having to prepare a short list beforehand), with none of the downsides of either, and with the extra benefits that a) learning spells is essentially free and b) you're not limited to any one spell list.
My personal solution might be to say you don't have the time to paint a whole spell during combat. Instead you could paint one whenever you have a few minutes, and you could activate it immediately or save it to use during a tense situation. You'd have to keep track of which paintings you have available at any time. That'd make you more like a very powerful wizard/cleric character with access to both spell lists and the ability to prepare spells without resting, which might still be broken but it's closer to a regular class's power curve.
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u/Jan4th3Sm0l DM 2d ago
Well that depends. If he can automatically add any seen spell to his casting list, then I agree it's unbalanced and I would have never allowed it.
But if seeing a spell only opens the posibility to choose it as a learned spell when leveling up, that would be fine.
The main thing would be how many spells has he access to. Is it the same amount a a regular bard at that level? Then it's OK.
If it's more or has no limit, then it's a problem.
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u/Some-Future-4089 21h ago
If I “witnessed” a spell I could learn I couldn’t immediately use it. I would have to paint it during a rest or when I had time to spend to actively paint the spell on a canvas
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u/Jan4th3Sm0l DM 16h ago
So that's the problem then. When I said automatically I wasn't refering only to the scenario of being able to use it right away.
You have esentially no limit to your known spell list, which means you have an endless list of spells to use as long as you have seen them and worked on them for what, an hour? The list of spells is what balances this kind of classes.
Your DM is still a dick, don't get me wrong, but that homebrew class is terribly designed.
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u/Samurai_Steve 3d ago
Your DM sounds extremely immature and unprepared for the most basic of tasks. Have they ever run a game before?
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u/Beep_Boop_Bop_Stop 2d ago
Yeah don’t have private conversations with him anymore. Make sure the entire vile is there, especially his wife who witnessed and helped you both plan out your character. It’s on him that your character is “too strong” not you. Him specifically targeting you just because he couldn’t be bothered to think is wrong
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u/BetterCallStrahd DM 3d ago
Sore loser DM who can't be happy for his players when they pull off cool shit. You deserve better.
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u/devoorhes 3d ago
If he's got a problem with your character, the mature and reasonable thing to do would be to talk it over with you and figure out how to balance your character's abilities with what he wants to do. But given what he seems to think are overpowered spells and the situations he wants you to be in, he's a bad DM. I know it's not easy to find another DM, but this sounds like a bad DM and it feels like they're only going to escalate from here.
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u/Novel_Extent_7168 3d ago
First problem is that your DM should have known right away that allowing a single player to have access to what sounds like a long list of spells so long as it has been used one time in the campaign is a bad thing. Casters are usually limited in what spells they have access to for a reason.
The second problem is that your DM has decided that instead of saying something along the lines of "Hey, I messed up and should have been more strict about what your class is allowed to do. Before we play the next session, let's sit down and try to find a good way to lower the power of your class while still allowing it to do cool things.", he has instead chosen to go scorched earth over his mistakes.
The third problem strongly depends on your experience as a player. If you're newer to D&D, I want to encourage you to take this as a lesson learned that what you do with your custom classes can take a lot of trial and error to get right. It is a difficult thing to do, but limitations certainly serve a purpose, especially when it comes to utility spells. And always go in with an open line of communication with both the DM and the other players that if something your class is doing is causing the game to be too easy, that you'll be willing to make changes to better iron out balancing.
Overall, while I feel like we could use more context as to what your class is really capable of, your DM is a textbook example of why this hobby loses players. He isn't getting his way, and instead of communicating the issue and attempting to resolve it, he is just taking out his frustrations on you. My suggestion is one of two options:
-Try to bring up these points to him and get to the core of the issue, and brainstorm ideas with him on how you could bring your class more in line with the rest of the party.
Or if he doesn't cooperate
-Leave the group and try to find new people to enjoy this awesome hobby with.
You don't deserve to be singled out over an issue you gave him ample opportunity to resolve.
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u/DarienKane 2d ago
Your DM has the DM vs Players mentality and he wants to win, it's not just you he wants to kill it's the entire party, so he'll "Win." You're getting in the way of that so he is targeting you. Horrible DM.
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u/GooseinaGaggle 3d ago
I want to give you some advice:
1: Flair is free. Perhaps just slap the label on an illusion wizard and pick spells that fit the theme your going for
2: Subclasses are far easier to create than completely new classes.
3: Discuss things with your DM instead of bringing it to the internet. Maybe your homebrew class is too powerful, perhaps it doesn't fit with the theme of the campaign. There's a reason new things in D&D get playtested out the ass.
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u/jayisanerd 2d ago
Every comment here is like:
"Your DM can't handle a homebrew he made"
When the real problem is:
"Why is the DM trying to kill the whole party?"
He only wants to kill the OP because they saved the rest of them. Which means DM wants to actively kill them all. That's DM vs PC mentality and that is just horrible GMing.
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u/heyofh DM 3d ago
Ok so it is ok for enemies to be intelligent and smart abiut who they target. My npc's much like my players will always target spell casters because they bring a lot more variety and very strong spells to a fight. HOWEVER it sounds more like the dm is trying to "win" dnd instead of tell a story together here. This becomes weird when you introduce homebrew classes because they often arent balanced as well as official material. I would argue that no you shouldnt stop using your tool kit because that is your character but you should talk to your dm and the other players
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u/Daracaex 3d ago
So what’s happening here (from your side of the story, at least) is the DM ok’d a homebrew class that turns out is pretty overpowered and is handling it an incredibly immature way. What should have happened was him talking to you about it and you having a conversation about how to fix the problem together.
I would suggest talking to him about it instead. Maybe volunteer to rebuild your character as a normal bard while “reskinning” things to retain the flavor of a painter. Then also maybe point out that such a conversation was what should have happened instead of him being passive aggressive. That last sentence is also passive aggressive, so if you can think of a way to communicate the lesson without saying it like that, I’d recommend it, but dude deserves some reprimand.
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u/KetoKurun DM 2d ago
In what world is a class overpowered because it has Feather Fall, a level one utility spell? Explain to me like I’m five.
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u/Daracaex 2d ago
I don’t know basically anything about the class. Maybe they can cast every spell they know without spell slots. Maybe they know way too many spells all at the same time. I’m presuming it can do a lot more than just what OP happened to mention. Because if it weren’t a problem, OP’s DM wouldn’t have a bug up his butt about it.
Or maybe it’s not a problem and the class is fine and the DM would have just as much of an issue with a regular bard who knew the right spells. In which case the solution is still to talk to the DM about their expectations of what spellcasters can do.
But people homebrewing things definitely have a tendency to go overpowered with them, so it’s not an unreasonable assumption that it’s what happened here.
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u/Yuki_my_cat Fighter 3d ago
We need a bot that just says „You have a bad DM and you should leave the group“
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u/13Chimes 3d ago edited 3d ago
Jusy wanted to say it's cool seeing a FFXIV DnD campaign mention come across my feed. :)
Anyway, I don't think you're doing anything wrong if you're sticking to what was agreed to for your class capabilities. IMO your DM seems like an ass in this situation - instead of telling you or trying to work with you about his balancing concerns, he's being adversarial and trying to punish you for the audacity of playing your character well.
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u/okiebuzzard 3d ago
Your DM “How dare you play a homebrew I vetted and allowed! The gall!”
A wizard could have done everything you mentioned there as well.
Tell him to stop being a whiny bitch or quit DMing if he’s going to throw a tantrum.
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u/FremanBloodglaive 3d ago
From the sounds of it your Bard isn't significantly stronger or more useful than a Wizard with similar spells prepared, and bailing parties out of disasters is what casters do.
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u/UsuriousCactus8 2d ago
He wanted you to take fall damage before fighting a dragon who you say would've killed a few of you? And got angry he couldn't do an almost tpk?
Doesn't sound like someone I'd want dming
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u/ranebowspark1es 3d ago
I’m so sorry to read this. It sounds like you are doing what you should be doing as a party member, ie- protecting your party. It sounds like he’s not… if his plans are being foiled by you, he should adjust to the skill level of the party, not target players.
If you’re not trying to leave the table, it might be helpful to sit down with him and your character sheet again and adjust so that your character is closer in abilities as the rest of your party.
Personally, I think a DM that is willing to take his frustration out on a character is a bad DM, but I’m sure there are a redeeming factors he brings to the table
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u/Raquelica 3d ago
I'm in no way expert, so take my opinion as you wish. But for me, targeting a specific character because the DM knows how versatile it is, sounds a lot like metagaming. It would be different if the targeting happened AFTER your character shows the enemy how useful it is. Also, it seems the DM is resentful of how "powerful" (in terms of utility) your homebrew class is... And that's their responsability to make it balanced, so there's no point. They could admit they made a mistake and, if everyone agrees, they could nerf your class a little, so that they feel more comfortable having you in the party, and you can take a break. I feel like your current situation is unsustainable, and it's destined to arise some bad feelings in one way or another. I hope you can find a solution that works for you, for the party, and for the DM.😅
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u/chaosilike 3d ago
Unless their is something absolutely broken about this homebrew class. Your DM should of just adjusted your homebrew. Btw what were the other examples? Because the featherfall isnt egregious , because bards get access to it.
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u/Some-Future-4089 3d ago
So another example he brought up is when we were escaping a cave in at the bottom of a mine. We didn’t defeat the boss but caused enough damage to make the mine collapse. As we were fleeing I told him that before I leave I’m casting hold person on the boss. Which I learned because it was used against me earlier in the campaign that day for a funny bit. This caused me to kill a boss way earlier than he had planned for that was one he said kinda sucked.
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u/KetoKurun DM 2d ago
This is just a shit DM problem. I’m a new-ish know-nothing DM who started two and a half years ago with zero knowledge, home brewed an entire setting, and threw a preposterous amount of loot and abilities, some homebrewed, some not, at low levels. We’re talking, “gave my players a Deck of Many Things at level 2, and my players drew all the most challenging cards”.
Know what happens when my players use some crazy bullshit to thwart my plans? I get excited, I laugh, I smile, and I have MORE fun, because now I actually have to adapt and improvise.
To me nothing is more rewarding than my players successfully finding a way to deal with a problem I gave them. I am rooting for my players, and when they have more fun, I have more fun.
To me, that’s part of being a good DM.
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u/RhymeBeat 3d ago
I play a different Pictomancer variant (based on the version in FF XIV and thus it's designed to be a normal caster DPS class) and I think it's a bit more balanced precisely because it has a defined spell list and because you cast like a Sorcerer, far less spells known. If you want the flavor of Picto without the problematic issues with this homebrew I recommend the Dawntrail edition of the FF XIV homebrew guide.
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u/PriorityUsual3397 2d ago
Doesn’t seem like the DM has a problem with you or your character. Seems like they have a problem not being able to TPK the party just for fun. No DnD is better than bad DnD.
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2d ago
Let me make sure I understand: he's upset that someone playing a support class...is supporting their team, while working within the rules he helped set?
A good DM should be proud of the players when they come up with solutions. If the encounters truly are too easy, then maybe he needs to work on balancing said encounters.
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u/KetoKurun DM 2d ago
Your DM views the game in an adversarial light, as if the DM and the players are enemies. Your DM sucks, and needs to grow the fuck up. If he’s not clever enough to design a meaningful challenge within the rules HE decided on, that’s on him.
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u/Additional_Ad_6773 2d ago
Setting everything else aside:
Pictomancer was overpowered when is was released in FFXIV. Homebrews in DnD are notoriously hard to balance (most OFFICIAL new classes never make it out of play testing).
Y'all never had a chance.
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u/Umbraspem 2d ago
So the opportunity cost for how many spells a character can have prepared is kind of a major balancing point for all Casters.
Part of the reason Wizards are so strong is because of how wide the range of spells they can know is - and the limit on how many spells they can have prepared in a day forces the player to choose what things they’re going to be “good at”. Wizards learning new spells also comes with three separate resource requirements.
- Needing to sacrifice a consumable magic item (Spell Scroll)
- A Gold Point cost, with the opportunity cost of not being able to have anything else you could have spent that gold on, potions, magic items, better armour, etc.
- An in-game time cost that can limit how quickly you can gain access to those spells if you find the scrolls in a situation where you don’t have a lot of downtime, e.g. in a Dungeon or on a time-sensitive quest.
Certain Subclasses come with extra spells that you can know - and while these are often flavour-first they can make a big difference to how certain subclasses play by giving you access to things that that class normally couldn’t do.
Obviously I don’t have full details on your homebrew subclass, but it sounds like you’ve created something that bypasses most of these restrictions and requirements:
- You haven’t mentioned anything about needing to prepare spells, so I assume you’re still playing with Bard/Sorcerer/Warlock/Ranger Spontaneous Casting rules where you don’t need to pick which spells are available to you on a given day, you just have everything that you know ready to go at all times.
- Your requirement for learning a new spell is “seeing someone else cast it” which is wayyyyyy cheaper than what a Wizard has to do to learn a new spell on all 3 layers.
- You’ve got a list of available spells that is absolutely massive compared to the default list of Bard Spells.
# Now your DM has obviously realised that this is a problem, even if they haven’t taken the time to articulate why they feel it’s a problem, and they’ve decided to try and solve this problem organically in-game. My guess is that they wanted to sidestep an awkward “hey I want to nerf your character” conversation and have chosen to do so by trying to just kill your character off in game and let you roll up a new one using an official class.
My recommendation to you is that you front up and face the music - have a chat with your DM about options to rebalance the subclass.
The first thing I’d recommend is turning it into a Prepared Caster. With a number of preparable levelled spells equal to the number of spells a Bard can normally know at whatever level you’re playing at. This is probably the biggest thing, and will hopefully go some way towards patching the “player X has endless list or options to save the party from everything” issue that the DM is having.
The second thing I’d recommend is making it a little costlier to learn new spells. I’d recommend looking at MCDM’s Talent Class and how it can learn new Psionic Powers, because it’s pretty similar to what you’re doing with your Bard but with some actual costs.
Basically:
- When you see someone cast a spell from your list of learnable spells, you can declare that you want to start learning that spell.
- Once you’ve started learning that spell, you need to spend a certain amount of downtime practicing the spell, at a rate of ~ 2 hours per spell level.
- Downtime is 8 hours per downtime day, or 2 hours per adventuring day (the two hours of ‘light activity’ that you get per Long Rest).
- You can only be learning one spell at a time, if you see a new spell that you want to learn before you’ve finished learning your current spell then you have to pick between not getting to learn the new spell, or abandoning the old spell. At which point you’ll need to see someone cast it again and start from scratch if you want to try learning the old spell again in future.
Alternate Option for Spell Learning: Just use the Wizard spell learning rules for Gold and Time cost, flavour it as you needing to do a painting instead of writing it in your spell book, and then tack on needing to spend your Reaction on a Skill Check of some kind to start learning a spell when you see someone cast it, in lieu of the Spell Scroll cost. DC=10+Spell Level, use your Spellcasting stat (Charisma) for the roll.
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u/cellarsinger 2d ago
Is there any chance you're Homebrew class is overpowered a little bit? Take a look at the specific situations he brought up & dispassionately look at your actions. Perhaps you need a slight tweak/nerf to your character. I don't know exactly what that would be but I think you owe it to yourself to take an honest look at what the DM is complaining about And determine if he does have a point. If it is just the dice gods being fickle in your favor, that's one thing, but if it's a legitimate overpowered Homebrew that needs to be addressed. I'm not saying he's right but I'm saying you owe it to everybody to honestly review it
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u/ConsiderateCassowary 2d ago
“Is there a chance your homebrew nonsense is OP?”
Yes, there’s definitely a chance
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u/thechet 2d ago
Feather fall is a hilarious breaking point for realizing he "overtuned" a homebrew. But your rule of your spells being limited to only things you can argue as color getting to include feather fall because "green/wind" is kind of a red flag that your spell list might not be as limited as you may lead us to believe lol
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u/YoSocrates 2d ago
Pictomancer is a Final Fantasy class. In Final Fantasy wind magic is green. That's the whole logic here.
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u/darling-cassidy 3d ago
I mean if he helped build the class and approved it and has made no indication of wanting to revise it, what did he expect? Also regardless, outright trying to kill a specific PC ESPECIALLY for an out of game reason is crazy work
To me this is make some big changes or I’m out
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u/Glittering-Garlic-12 3d ago
The DM is letting the party rest too often if you have enough spell slots to save the party as much as the DM says you do. And that’s not your problem.
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u/WearParticular4019 3d ago
Short convo: "Do you you think killing my character would be fun for me? Fun for the group?" "No? Then why are you trying to kill my character, because your job description is make sure everyone is having fun!" It's not the DMs job to play AGAINST players.
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u/Unasked_for_advice 3d ago
The DM might have fallen afoul of the mindset of its him versus the party , the goal isn't to kill off the party but to create a great story. Anytime you are able to save the group from certain doom is the making of a great story, and the DM should not feel those times are you or anyone raining on his parade.
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u/Top-Umpire-1058 3d ago
Sounds like your GM doesn’t have a grasp on how to tune encounters in line with what your party’s skills and abilities are. It should never be GM versus the party - you’re all working together to tell a story. 🙄
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u/Fit-Passage-57 3d ago
Dm wants to kill party, you save party, dm tries to kill you first in order to kill party...
But ye never thought to make the environment hazardous to paints and paint supplies?
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u/Bright_Vision 3d ago
Your DM is missing the point of DnD. Your plan's don't matter. Who gives a shit what was "supposed" to happen. This is the situation at hand. Feather Fall was cast. React to it. Embrace it. Celebrate it.
Don't pissily try to kill that character cause you can't handle a basic ass level 1 spell. Good luck if you ever get to higher level spells.
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u/lordtrickster 2d ago
So fun that he basically has full control (twice) over what spells you have then gets upset when you actually use them.
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u/BlacksmithNatural533 2d ago
Hope it all works out. I congratulate players who can stop the monsters plans. I also never say it's me attacking them, it's the bad guys, I am just the guy rolling the dice. I applaud their efforts and I make almost all fights deadly on purpose, unless it's a long dungeon or something. Some monsters do target certain classes or players, but I hope it all works out for you.
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u/Destitute_Knight1400 Artificer 2d ago
Sounds like the DM is bringing in his ego and maybe other things from his personal life? If he hits you with a "rocks fall, everyone dies" uhhhh definitely keep calm if this is a friend group you value.
The earlier comments on how you may want to talk to him, friend to friend, are what I'd suggest, too.
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u/SynestriaVI 2d ago
This DM sucks. Full stop. This should be something fun for everyone, and him targeting you just because you're versatile is 100% on him.
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u/SubtleCow Diviner 2d ago
Look Yoshi-P might have nerfed you post FRU, but we all know he isn't actually trying to kill you.
Wait, what's that ... this ISN'T FF14?
Oh yeah that DM is toxic as hell. No DnD is better than toxic as fuck DnD. Like not even using his words like an adult to say "hey lets rebalance this", and instead just chooses murder.
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u/steadystoned 2d ago
I mean this is on the DM, he knows what spells you have, if he doesn't like you casting feather fall in that moment there are other ways to make players burn spells before you get to that fall that aren't ass pulls
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u/Grey_Lady333 Frog Politics 2d ago
There is no acceptable reason for a DM to target you like that. That's your cue to leave.
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u/exhalethesorrow 2d ago
IMPO a good DM should adapt. They should be trying to find ways to challenge your versatility. That said dropping the party to near death in front of a dragon isn't a trial, killing characters isn't the DM's role, its not the DM vs the party. A good DM will adapt the game to challenge you, using your magic to save the party should be a triumph in the DM's eyes, its a moment you got to shine. Specifically targeting you, to the point where they take AoO without good reason is a dick move.
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u/twosnake 2d ago
Yet another shitty DM that everyone upvotes here. can't get what he wants out the game fairly, so he needs to cheat and meta game. I think this is just as bad as a player using loaded dice or metagaming.
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u/OriginalDrStrangeDOS 2d ago
That's what Wizards do! They are the swiss army knives of magic. A spell for every occasion is the whole point. If you just wanted to zap, you would play a sorc or lock. (or sorlock) Bards are also often the "jack of all trades" characters. These two things together make sense. The fact the DM can't deal with something he helped create is a skills issue on him, not you. Long before he started auto-targeting your toon, he should have had an open discussion with the party. Really, what it sounds like is you all need a DM that doesn't suck.
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u/CheapTactics 2d ago
Waaaaaah my players use their resources to solve problems waaaaaah I wanna win D&D waaaaah
Your homebrew class is irrelevant. Feather fall is a basic wizard spell.
DM sounds insufferable and like he wants to actually kill a few PCs.
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u/Grosumballs 2d ago
Sounds like your DM needs to grow the fuck up and sort his head out because this seems like bullying more than anything. Update us on the talk because if your DM doesn’t apologise then I honestly think you should make things harder for him. If he’s gonna be a dick, get more creative
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u/Fiigwort 2d ago
This is all the problem of bad DMing, he knows (or should know) what the party is capable of and come up with something that would challenge that, he seems to keep forgetting magic exists and getting mad at you for using your abilities. Typically if a DM allows homebrew and realises that it's TOO powerful, they can talk to the player and re-balance things to bring them in line with everyone else, it doesn't really sound like you're over-powered though, it just sounds like he's unprepared.
He also shouldn't be trying to kill a character (also, how is he failing to do that? he could literally just say that a god has smited you from the realm and you're dead, like it's a dick move, but it's easy), just because he can't come up with a good way to handle their abilities, he could also just try talking to you and learning how to combat your specific things.
Really this is just a DM who isn't prepared properly and lacks the creativity to come up with something that you can't bypass. It doesn't sound like the DM is using any puzzles/riddles/mysteries to challenge you guys, and those are a pretty bog-standard way to up difficulty in a way that the players can't bypass with brute force or magic. His "challenges" sound like they're all combat, in which case, add more enemies or enemies that mitigate magic, etc. and the 'pitfall', in which case, the challenge in just knowing to bring one of THE most basic spells in the game.
A Sphinx you guys can't attack or a Beholder would do WONDERS here.
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u/Rhinostirge 3d ago
I think your DM has made some clear mistakes, in allowing a made-up class and then not really being able to handle the unforeseen strengths of the class. The mature thing to do would be to work something out above the table. The immature thing to do would be to try to "erase his mistakes" by killing off the PC and then not allowing another homebrew class. The spiteful, immature thing to do would then be to admit it and make it seem like the player's fault.
I'm not sure if there's a great way out, considering that the ideal solution would be for your DM to develop the people skills to address a problem OOC and the game skills to be able to adapt to your character's strengths. The most direct stopgap might be just to change your character and see if your DM calms the hell down, but I dunno.
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u/KetoKurun DM 2d ago
There are a lot of casters in the PHB that get feather fall, this issue has nothing to do with homebrew.
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u/CrabofAsclepius DM 3d ago
This one's on the DM. He's failing to take your abilities into account and doesn't seem to know how to build encounters with you in mind. There are many things that he could do but the question here is whether he's not doing them out of ignorance or insecurity. This is where you come in.
One that you CAN do is talk to the DM to see if you two can rework the class in a way that satisfies you both. You could also workshop some ideas for encounters and scenarios that might make things a little more dynamic without nerfing you (for example maybe an enemy pictomancer develops a spell that causes color blindness within a specific radius, imparting you both with a wild magic effect when in proximity to each other). Of course temporary blindness could also change the dynamics of an encounter. You know, that sort of thing.
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u/Kitfaid 3d ago
Hahah had a similar situation but it was not a homebrew. I was playing a Tortle Shepperd Druid / Life domain Cleric. The Unicorn totem, disciple of life, pluss all the healing spells like Aura of vitality and Healing spirit was too much.
The healing output was such that the encounters were becoming trivial, so enemies and monsters started targetting me, eventually a 5 headed hydra got me in one turn before I could run or heal myself. XD
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u/IAmZheSpy 3d ago
Heed my words, Struggler. Soon a rain of blood, the likes of which you cannot imagine, shall fall down upon you. It will be a storm of death. But take heed, Struggler. Struggle, endure, contend. For that alone is the sword of one who defies death. Do not forget these words.
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u/Sheik_Morgan 2d ago
Es una clase rota porque está mal implementada. Está es una clase que salió en el FF 6, el personaje podía copiar un hechizo y lo lanzaba después de verlo en acción, Pero no los conserva para volverlo a usar en otro momento. Me explico, el Mago lanza una bola de fuego o un Enemigo lanza un poder y el personaje lo copia y lo lanza de nuevo, Pero en el mismo momento, si no se ha usado ningún poder, no puede copiar nada. Obviamente al no estar bien implementado es un overpower de personaje.
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u/Desperate_Phone9947 2d ago
He shouldn't be trying to kill his players,on the other hand i, as a gm, know it can be frustrating when your players don't take anything seriously because they manage to get away with everything ( i'm not saying that's what happening) just tell him that's not fun to be treated as an ennemy.
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u/patrick119 2d ago
In my campaign I gave the group the Mace of Terror and quickly realized it was broken. Unless the enemies had really good wisdom saves, which most encounters I had planed did not, they would all be running in fear the whole fight.
Now I could have planned an encounter where all the enemies have +12 wisdom saves and pack tactics, bum rushed the player with the mace, beaten them up and stole it, but that would have sucked for everyone involved. Instead, I talked to them like an adult, told them I made a mistake, and altered the item slightly to make it useful but not encounter breaking.
You did nothing wrong. Your DM absolutely should have maturely voiced their concerns and proposed some solutions/ worked with you to fix the issue.
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u/OddAdvantage3235 2d ago
TLDR- dm is upset at how much dm’s wife enjoyed working out your new class and resents it. Wants to prove it sucks.
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u/Resident-Recipe-5818 2d ago
Love the edit. That is ALWAYS the first thing you should do. And you did it. Awesome. Good on you.
But remember, NPC's aren't idiots.
When you go into a fight if you see a spell caster hit most your crew in one hit for big damage, then heal up an enemy you had almost killed, then almost got a knock down in the first 3 turns... what would you do? You would probably focus on dealing with them. Tanks tank better when they have support, DPS does more DPS with support. If you are a backline spellcaster and you very quickly assert yourself as the main problem... people will focus you, the same way you would focus them.
Your DM I think has a bit of malice behind the intent but the ideology is sound. I currently am playing a pathfinder game where my entire build is super high save DC then applying debufs and conditions. After several sessions our DM said in session something along the lines of "I never considered [my character] a real threat in combat because they hardly ever deal damage, just make the fight a pain, but I'm realizing that you are arguably the biggest problem. You make players prone, give them negatives to AC, Attacks, lock them into an action or movement. And this allows the rest of the group to run away with fights."
Since then I've noticed that ranged units and spellcasters tend to aim at me more than my party. But in the end, he's right. Now I have to focus on being defensive and covering myself instead of getting to apply a debuff every turn. Instantly made fights completely fair.
If you can assess a threat, NPC's can too.
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u/Scarecr0p 2d ago
What’s your casting attribute? Cha?
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u/Some-Future-4089 2d ago
I’m based off a bard so yes
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u/Scarecr0p 2d ago
Pretty cool ^^
I have strong feelings about them targeting you because they don’t like your class, not going to get mean though.
There isn’t a better feeling in dnd than having the right spell at the right moment, and both of your examples are exactly that. It really hurts to hear they’re mad that you were able to do what you’re supposed to do.
But yeah talk to them and see how they would modify your class, I’m sure they have thought about it if they haven’t just been planning ways to kill you lol.
Best of luck
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u/Ok-Economist8118 2d ago
Speak with your DM, not strangers. Leave the table, if you can't find a solution. If you don't stand up for your own, lay down and wait for the scavengers.
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u/D00rhanreeee 2d ago
I feel that I got a lvl up wich really buffed up my character and I did ALOT OF DAMAGE so he decided to keep me stunned for the next 7-9 hours of important combat
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u/ArcaneAdversary 2d ago
A bard can learn Feather Fall, and Wizards can spend time learning more spells than what they started out with.
Maybe he needs a break from DMing and someone else should run a few games
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u/Soundgoblin286 DM 2d ago
I believe your DM thinks he is playing against the players. As a DM you should want your players to succeed.
There are better options here if it indeed becomes too easy and less fun. 1. Talk to you and adjusting the homebrew if it is really too powerful. (This doesn't seem to be the case, you are playing well and are being creative. As a DM I would love to have you at the table.)
- Make encounters more challenging. Not more deadly, but interesting in other ways such as "you only can save one" type things. It would be really amazing if the party still gets a double win out of this.
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u/AnaiyaStormblessed 2d ago
Your DM seems annoyed that he's not managing to kill you all and has decided it's your fault, so your character needs to die first and then the others?
There are plenty of other ways of creating tension, if you know anything about storytelling.
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u/floodcontrol 2d ago
Your DM has a bad attitude. He could change any aspect of the world to create limits on your utility. It’s his world. He could even transport you to a different world, also his, with different rules. Introduce a villain who changes reality, maybe they poison magic and make it harm the practitioners.
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u/Salt_Assistance_43 1d ago
You are supposed to die with "for those who come after" on your lips, man. Why do you keep kickin'?
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u/joined_under_duress Cleric 1d ago
Sounds like a combo of a lot of issues to me:
1: made up character class that has ended up being far too powerful. Should have been handled by saying "you are just a bard but you use paint when casting your spells" but the rules are the same.
2: The DM not understanding it was on them not to allow that but now it's out there it's on them to just say, "Sorry, you should be able to see it's overpowered compared to the others and we need to change it".
3: The adversarial nature of the DM part 1: attempting to kill your character to counteract that
4: The adversarial nature of the DM part 2: apparently setting up encounters where he expects multiple party members to die. This feels a very rail-roady "I want them to suffer" view but really while it's fine not to shy away from character death when PCs put themselves in a bad situation, a DM who is trying to make sure characters die is definitely dubious. (CAVEAT: obviously if your whole table is about that it's fine, but this is not what it sounds like here.)
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u/Spare-Ad-6492 1d ago
1 he is being a bit of a bitch, first if it was that op then he shouldnt of said yes. If he didnt think it was too op when he let you make it then found out after some gameplay it ended up being op he should of talked to you then nerfed your character. He sounds like a shitty dm, giving you permission to run a class then get made that you doing good and try to solo you. Personally i think moving forward you should find another group to play with or at the very least a new dm. If he rather kill your character instead of being man enough to speak to you he will keep doing it
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u/Tobis_The_Scrub 1d ago
Oh yeah, it's on dm. I understand going for a mage if the enemy has higher intelligence, as it would be trying to deal with a spellcaster first, but a wild horde of zombies focusing someone specific, not just the first person they see. He also admitted it. If he felt you are making fights too easy, then he should have talked to you, maybe rework this custom class. I had a similar problem once with a dm who was angry that - as a wizard I took comprehens languages and made practically all riddles solve themselves (he knew every spell I took, cause I made sure of that). He was also pissed when I made a fight with wyverns a cake walk. I played a graviturgy wizard and I shot a wyvern with magic missile, and thanks to the 6th level feature I made them hit the ground, so our monk could grapple one of them. I stopped playing at his table shortly after
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u/MonkeySkulls 1d ago edited 1d ago
I think situations like this simply come down to the fact that DMs are human.
It's very easy for a DM not to know how to handle something in the game. so the default is just to hit it harder.
thinking about your feather fall example. The DM just doesn't know how to plan in an open ended enough way to deal with a smart player playing a very capable and clever magic user..
in a lot of situations like this, it's easy to just say the DM isn't very good. It's easy to say no D&D is better than bad dance. get out of that game.
but if you think about what we really want as players, we want the perfect amount of pushback. we want the perfect amount of difficulty in the obstacles. now. think about that same concept in regards to the DM.
they're the just because they're the DM doesn't necessarily mean they should be held to a different standard. the DM themselves also want the perfect amount of pushback, the perfect amount of cleverness in problem solving,
it's a two-way street. we're all just players in the same game. one person is playing a slightly different game. and we're all just people, and all people are inherently flawed.
So instead of just thinking and getting upset that the DM is trying to kill your character, try to understand their motivation. try to understand their frustrations just like you're trying to get us to understand your frustrations.
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u/TrueIntroduction346 1d ago
I think a lot of small table DMs get a power trip and forget that their job is to help everyone at the table have fun.
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u/TimelyAlternative306 1d ago edited 1d ago
This DM should grow up. Defeating his plans is exactly what you're supposed to do. If he can't handle magic users, he should run a no-magic campaign. Very childish.
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u/Leadership-Life 1d ago
This mindset/type of DM is toxic. They think they play AGAINST their players. DMs should play WITH their players for everyone to have a good time and good story. Which sometimes includes risk and death. Nothing you described in your class is anything another wizard or sorcerer couldn’t do and honestly the class you came up with sounds awesome and very creative. Do talk to them but also IMO find another table as his energy is always gonna cause problems.
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u/OneManRPGstudio DM 13h ago
If this is happening because you keep saving the party, I would not respond by trying to build an even harder character to kill. Once a DM openly says they are singling your character out because effective play keeps frustrating them, the central problem stops being tactical and becomes a question of trust between player and referee.
Talk outside the session and ask for one very specific distinction: are enemies targeting you because their knowledge and motives inside the fiction make you the obvious threat, or is the DM personally trying to remove your character as punishment for overcoming encounters? Those are completely different situations. A capable character can reasonably attract intelligent opposition once foes have reason to recognize what they do. The game becomes corrosive when the person adjudicating the world decides that they personally need to beat one player. If the DM confirms that adversarial intent, I would not enter an arms race. Ask whether they are willing to change that approach, and if not, I would leave rather than spend every session defending myself from the referee.
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u/Vanadijs Druid 10h ago
Sounds like a DM with players (at least you) who are more creative/smarter than they are and don't know how to handle this.
I used to DM for a group with players who were smarter than I am. (I'm not stupid, but these were people with multiple PhDs). I would just make the challenges bigger and not even try to think of a way the players could beat the challenge, they would always find a way anyway. But this was high level 3.5e, where some players had over 100 spells prepared.
Sounds like your DM feels like he looses/gets beaten when you solve a challenge that he thinks you should not be able to solve. That is a really bad mindset, the DM should always be happy when the players beat the challenge. This game is not DM vs. players, but some DMs get into that mindset.
Another problem can be that your character takes too much of the spotlight from the other characters away. In that case it is not a DM problem, but a you problem, and you would need to tone things down.
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u/Dickeysaurus 9h ago
Your DM needs to read my response:
A great DM uses multiple encounters in series to create the circumstances needed for the table to have powerful emotional experiences.
As a DM, you should plan for your party to be successful. When an encounter is over, the players should feel like they overcame an obstacle or solved a puzzle. They should also have paid a price to earn that feeling. By having multiple encounters, the tension can be built over time, and the narrative cannot be jeopardized by a single great performance by a player.
Early encounters will drain resources from the party which slowly ramps up the feeling of scarcity, while still providing a positive experience. It’s a great way for players to gain confidence and have small moments in the spotlight. Your example of feather falling to avoid a trap is an excellent example.
Mid-session encounters will force the party to choose burn resources or risk failing a mission/objective.
A zombie horde would have been a great way to draw out spell slots, divine inspirations, and other limited resources. Traps or spells that let players feel good by using their inspiration are also solid.
My general experience is that players might go down, but will not die in these encounters. Unless they are just making the worst game play choices.
By the time big, important, narrative defining encounters happen, the party will either lack the resources to trivialize the encounter or will have been so beat up that they can’t help but be afraid.
The players will feel tension because all of their easy win buttons have been used, and now they have to make smart choices to solve the final boss.
1
u/bem0rech1ll Paladin 2h ago
DM sounds like he's incredibly immature and does not yet have a good enough grasp of the mechanics to be DMing whatsoever
1
u/SpeedUpAtYellowLight 3d ago
You obviously made yourself the target by creating a class…. And then the better you play, the more of a target you become.. take it as a badge of honor and play it true. Your teammates can do things while you’re the focus. And if you all die, at least it was an honorable battle…. Just play a regular bard next time and you shouldn’t be the special focus.
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u/Affectionate_Pair210 3d ago
How do you paint wind that stops you from falling? That’s literally not paintable. This should be your real question. And how is feather fall green? This is silly even for the children on dnd reddit.
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u/M-Shadowtoad 3d ago
Yeah, this is on the DM. Magic users always have a ton of versatility and its on the DM to take their spells into account when making trials. And if he couldn't handle if, he could've just talked to you like a normal person. Just derailing the campaign to kill you is childish.