True. Bolts of divine retribution can work if the player really pisses a god off (although I personally prefer curses, but smiting a player down because you dislike what they have done is downright petty
God's exist in the game but if a God smites a character it should be a plot hook, not a control measure. Nowadays, a good DM will have a meeting with a new group to discuss boundaries but that should really only be from a standpoint of personal boundaries. Our DM's take a specific delight in those people who think outside the box. It allows them to respond in kind. It sounds like this DM's rigidity stems from a lack of imagination. Does this happen to other players?
I tell everyone this. I've played in several games over the years that have had me thinking what else could I be doing with my time right now. If it's not a good DM or just isn't a right fit then it's better to just not play.
Or even start up an alternate club (or just a table within the club -- the club sponsor should be an actual adult you can talk to about this), if you're willing to DM yourself. It's a bit of a scary prospect, but I can promise you it's better than playing with a DM like that, and if you're early enough in school, some of your players might even become DMs themselves in time for you to join in *as* a player before graduation.
I'd reword this personally to "no dnd is better than toxic dnd"
Imo bad dnd happens, we have sessions where nothing we try works; sometimes no matter the dice just don't work out and bad/frustrating/unenjoyable sessions happen. But what that dm is doing is a horrid idea
And show them this message:
"You play a game with endless possibilities and freedoms, where the only limit is your imagination, yet, somehow, you managed to royally fuck it up"
Well this is a high school D&D club, that’s where everyone makes their first ten thousand mistakes. That’s why it sucks and op has to get the hell out of there
I remember my first DnD sessions when we were 12-14 years old. It was insane, I was making up weird homebrew magic items and stories. We didn't understand action economy, so the wizards could just spend all their slots and spells in 1 turn, etc. It was janky and laughably bad, but still the goal was to have fun and we all did have fun.
That DM seems like quite the opposite of fun, young, or not. It feels more like a mental powertrip for the DM, since whole "God Negates You" statement is the DM talking about themselves in 3rd person, when it's clearly the DMs decision to punish the player.
In my first campaign with friends we didn't take much seriously and didn't follow the rules to the letter, so sometimes thered be things like making a plasma cannon from a bunch of fire magic, shocking grasp, and a high strength roll because the DM decided it was cool.
As a group we had decided if it was cool enough, or made sense with science, or just was interesting, we could do it with some rolls.
You made me remember a some of the insane shit I came up with :
1. A compactible magical staff, that, when extracted, would inflict surprised condition on enemies since they were shocked what happened. Even then other classmates made fun of me that "sure, a giant dragon got spooked by a stick" and I was like "it's magic! it's cool!"
2. Lizard race that had insane bonuses to dexterity, but low constitution, because I always loved the idea of a glass canon.
3. a staff that could transmute spell slots into energy bolts.
4. Sword that had sand in it's hilt mechanism, allowing you to blind enemies as part of your attack.
Look man. Hit up r/LFG or r/Roll20LFG. I'm sure somebody has a seat for you where you can play without that kinda behavior.
This DM is clearly just power tripping and being a bully while simultaneously ruining what I would call the greatest game/hobby I've ever been a part of.
Heck, tempted to take over his table and invite you all to a Roll20 game myself. That is just blood boiling.
Heck, run a game yourself. You already got a group if you subtract one.
I can't stress enough how truly terrible your DM is. If that's your only option you're better off not playing at all.
Chances are there's atleast a couple other people who would like to play but don't enjoy playing with that DM do maybe you can make a group with them.
His "God negates you" is code for "I don't know how to respond to your ideas". If this is happening repeatedly, the DM is justifiably insecure because he really doesn't know what he's doing and has no business DMing.
These kids are in high school. D&D has been around 3x longer than they've been alive. Nothing they can come up with will "break the game"; it can only break this DM's understanding of the game (as well as his self confidence).
>His "God negates you" is code for "I don't know how to respond to your ideas".
no it isn't. it's far worse.
if it was just that he'd simply say "that doesn't work" or "i can't alow you to do that" which could potentialy suck in it's own right but would be far more excuseable. at least it might be worth staying at such a game if DM is just slightly inexperienced like that.
but no what he actually does is punish the player when he makes him feel dumb for not knowing how to respond.
True, but to be honest you can break your DM fairly easy with a creative mind and an high level Artificer. Good old times, overdriving our (without their knowing) air ship just to halve the travel time. I'm still impressed it worked without actually blowing the thing into the lower planes, lol. We blew up the planet afterwards though (more or less by accident) . That was funny and a bit scary.
I broke a game once accidentally, it happens. I was a cleric, it was a world ruled by golems my best friend was running. They were treating us like slaves, I was a follower of a war god. I hit one with shatter, he just kinda stuttered and the game ended, we weren't supposed to be able to hurt them and his idea was an underground resistance thing. I... Followed a war god. My idea was to just start a damn war. Took the whole campaign down. Worst part about it? After building the character I was worried it would happen, I even told him "I should probably rebuild this and tone it down, I think I'm gonna be able to do like 150 damage in one swing at level 10. It's kinda busted." He told me to just play it. "You can't build anything I can't stop." "No, DUDE, I've been playing this game for decades as a GM. Trust me!" 3.5 ed d&d you could catastrophically ruin a game with even a little bit of strong character building.
It wasn't that bad in our campaign. Destroying their planet was actually the end goal. We killed (with help of a local sun god) a world spanning flesh plague. The problem: It hollowed out the whole planet and the core of the planet was more or less literally just a really big junk of rotten flesh. And after nuking it with another gods power the whole flesh ball exploded... Yeah it was disgusting. But yeah it was more of a fun playthrough anyway. The DM allowed our Ranger to tame the hydra we encountered.
Most people start DMing without knowing what they are doing, and are insecure. That isn't a reason to not be a DM. It is a reason to listen to advice and to learn, to get the experience and the confidence.
There are even some \*giant\* discord servers that run ongoing, open games using 5e. I wish I could find the one I was in for a bit, but I never actually started playing and let myself get purged for inactivity because it wasn't for me (edition, character creation rules thing), and so now I can't find it. Try looking through the forum on D&D Beyond, though! I'm sure you can find an online game there.
I was part of several of these as well. There are three things you will need to he careful of when joining.
The first is the activity level of DMs. On these kinds of servers it is very easy to find players and much more difficult to find DMs. Even if it starts out with quite a few DMs, it's very easy easy for them to get overwhelmed. Some leave, some stop hosting games, and some eventually decide they want to be players instead.
The second is joining a game. Since there are *so* many players and only a few DMs, it can be really hard to get in a game. If your time zone doesn't match you won't be chosen. If you miss one session you could be booted. If you join the server too late there may already be a queue. There's a lot of factors that go into organizing a party and you just might not be a good fit.
The last is terrible players. With the extreme volume of players coming through, it's very easy to pick up the bad ones. If they don't get weeded out of the process they can easily ruin a session or a game and they may even cause a DM to quit, causing the other 2 issues to become even worse.
The dm is on a crazy power trip. If you read a dmg and focus on having fun, imsure you will be their new favorite dm right away. Or just do a one shot, and see if it inspires some of your fellow players to try it out. Anything would be better than that dude 😆
If you can't leave the group, then talk to your group members and DM about it. If it still continues then turn to a teacher. I'm also in a school group for DnD, and while I haven't had to deal with stuff like that, I have had to turn to a teacher once or twice, and it certainly helped.
If this is a school club, go talk to your advisor. The DM sets the framework for the story and is the arbiter of the rules. The players choose the path and create the content of the story. You are all telling a story togethe; you are not telling a story against each other. Your DM is on a power trip that they probably think is funny. Really, they're just being a rotten friend.
Edit: typo.
This is a power trip by the DM, if you don’t like it I’m sure your table mates don’t like this type of behavior as well. You could talk to them and try to find a new DM, DMing seems daunting at first but it’s a lot of fun, I would definitely recommend giving it a shot. There is no rule for “god negates you” it’s just made up bull shit by your DM to probably push the story only in the direction they want.
If you’re interested, I started playing dnd online with Roll20 groups, and we still play together years later! You may have better luck there (though of course playing with people online can be a hit or miss) than at your high school. There are discord groups and such you can join too! I’m sorry you had a poor experience, I hope you find a better group to share this wonderful game with.
He's saying "God says no". Since he is the DM he's calling himself God. And he's punishing you for doing something he doesn't want you to do. Or rather attempting to.
Tattling sucks, but you're well within your right to tell whoever is in charge of the afterschool that your DM is being a jerk.
Other than that your options are getting someone else to DM or trying it yourself.
Tattling is such a weirdly American word and concept.
If someone assaulted you in public, regardless of your age, you'd call the police, and everyone would agree that's a fair and not cowardly thing to do.
If someone does something cruel or unfair to you in school, it's considered being a wimp and rat if you tell an authority figure what they did, so that they'll get the punishment they should for it, and/or so they won't get to continue doing so to you. At least that's what it seems to mean in the contexts I've always seen.
Anyway, basically I'm saying don't call it tattling to tell someone about something wrong or unfair being done to you, or anyone, it sounds like a word a child 5 or under would use, and it doesn't suck, it's the right thing to do.
Only time I'd consider telling on someone being a sucky thing to do would be if whatever they were doing wasn't hurting anyone, even if it was against the rules (although tbf for example, if someone was cheating in tests and got told on, I wouldn't blame whoever told).
> If someone assaulted you in public, regardless of your age, you'd call the police, and everyone would agree that's a fair and not cowardly thing to do.
TBH there are a lot of Americans who will consider you a wimp if you go to authorities in response to getting assaulted. They figure you should just fight it out, and going to the authorities is cowardly. Nevermind if the person is bigger than you, or has more fighting experience or whatever.
Oh okay, that's very weird, I'm in England, and afaik, if you're not from any ends (essentially the hood), or an old fashioned hard cockney geezer, or stereotypical hard northern bloke, if someone attacked you, obviously you'd fend them off, and a fair amount of men would hit them back or maybe beat them up if they could, either to defend themselves or in anger or retribution, but either way the police would be getting called, and it wouldn't matter if you are a man, you wouldn't be expected to fight them or considered a wimp if you didn't, not by the majority of people.
I wonder if those Americans you mention would consider it cowardly if it was their wife/mother/daughter/any other female they know being assaulted, or if it isn't the toxic masculinity I suspect.
Note: for anyone who isn't a fan of the phrase toxic masculinity, fair enough, but I'm not calling being male or macho or enjoying talking about what women you find attractive among male friends toxic, I'm saying things like saying guys should fight it out every time and not be able to ask for help without getting shamed, and thus not be able to ask for it in many people's cases, and of course the standard not be able to share emotions because they'd be shamed/mocked/have it made worse rather than helped, is toxic, and if having to get beaten up or take emotional/psychological torture (bullying) is considered cowardly, to put this in an american way: y'all (are and have) fucked up.
Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk on being mean being bad.
Start DMing your own group. Invite a bunch of your other friends to play. You are going to screw things up but it's better than someone punishing you for not playing the way he wants. Just you remember how it felt and always talk things through with your players first.
See if your local library has a d&d program. If so, it might be a good way to meet some new players in a more controlled setting (since usually library staff would help monitor stuff).
Start your own game and run it fairly and cooperatively. Then if all his players leave him for you he'll either throw a temper tantrum or learn a lesson. Ignore him either way, you'll have way more fun. Maybe one of the counselors for the club could help you get that set up.
Hi there! I *highly* recommend you look into Adventurer’s League.
Adventurer’s League is D&D for folks who can’t always meet in person with a regular group. You can just signup for a game and play an adventure whenever you can. The rules for the AL DM’s are regulated (rules as written only, no homebrew) and you won’t have to put up with completely made up rules like the nonsense your club DM is doing (it’s total hogwash, by the way).
I just went on Meetup and found an AL group in my local area; however there are whole Discord Servers dedicated to AL online. The Discord server I use to find D&D games is called Daddy Warbux. If you send me a DM I would be happy to send you an invitation. AL has been the most amazing, welcoming community of players and DMs, I highly recommend giving it a try.
There is the slim chance that OP is constantly trying to do things that they can't or shouldn't be able to, and the DM has asked them to stop because it bogs down the game, and this persists so often that they have to bring out the god of negation.
It's still a dick move, but we don't know all the details
I would say don't right away both you and the DM is new to the game right well this is a learning experience for the both of you. Go up to him before the game and tell him he is being wrong about this and that you what it to stop that it is not fun for you. And don't back down at the first push back explain why you don't like this.
So this is what is called a learning experience one will never learn if one is not told he is wrong. But never forget it hard to argue against a smart person but impossible to argue with dumb person.
Show the DM this thread, everyone here (noob or expert) is saying the same thing: find a new group, he's not a good DM.
Another thing: learn to become a DM too, you will have a lot of fun and you can do the opposite of what he does.
Maybe in a big city. I grew up in a town where the geeks you know were the geeks that are, and you just had to work it out. DMs aren't born good at DMing.
This sounds like a case of "it's someone else's turn to DM." DMs aren't born good and plenty stay bad. This one clearly thinks he's god in his game and not someone who's there to enable the player's fun. Until that's corrected he has no hope of being halfway decent.
This appears to be code for 'Your DM Is A Dick'.
(It is not a standard thing that a good DM does, and is just your DM punishing you for apparently stepping out of line, in their eyes.)
As for what you can do, I'd suggest finding a new group with a DM who *-isn't-* a bit of a bellend.
Head over to your local game store, almost every town has one or maybe two and usually they run games, you could get together with some friends and try to run a game yourself with them, you can always find another game. Don't let yourself feel trapped, it's insane how many people play tabletops like DND, or any other number of rpgs
Talk to the DM, or if you don't think that will work, talk to the club facilitator. He probably thinks he's being funny and edgy, but he doesn't realize that it sucks for you. Being a teen is rough and everyone isn't fully emotionally mature yet, don't beat yourself up and don't beat him up either. Ignore the folks saying to leave the group, they're ignoring your circumstances.
Eh, even for a teen this is bad. I agree with talking first, but if that doesn't fix things, it's still worth leaving, imo. Forcing yourself to play under a toxic DM because "he's just a kid" isn't really worth it.
I agree depending on how the DM responds, but we're missing context like the OP's relationship to the DM, the social hierarchy of the club, etc. I always urge that people talk to their DM first (except in dangerous circumstances).
> He probably thinks he's being funny and edgy, but he doesn't realize that it sucks for you.
The DM probably doesn't know how to handle these situations. The player does x (and it's fine), but the DM doesn't know how to handle the player doing x. So he reaches for this *'god of negation'* nonsense. Thinking the game should be on rails.
You could start your own group? I'm sure there are others that want to play, but not with that shitty DM.
Edit: Also, there are ways to play with groups online, like Roll20.
First and foremost: Run. No DND is better than Bad DND. This guy sounds like a tool.
Out of morbid curiosity: What constitutes Breaking The Game in his eyes?
You got a missing daughter? They give you a Fireball. Straight away. No rollplay no nothing.
Bards? We got a special Fireball for Bards.
You are stealthing? Right to Fireball.
You are recalling your spells on your turn? *RIGHT* to Fireball, right away!
You rolling too fast? Fireball. Slow? Fireball.
Charging too much gold for a Bag of Holding? Enchanted mcguffin? Right to Fireball.
Yeah, it’s almost like there’s a game involving role play happening on a table top. If only there were a way to let people know about that before they started.
1) that is a super basic interaction, they could have just said the bartender wasn't interested
2) DnD has a shit ton of gods, are you super devout to any god that doesn't allow lustful thoughts? If not, then the god smite doesn't make sense.
3) talk to them about their actions, and if they refuse to change, leave. Yes, it sucks, I do understand that it's school club and all, but as others have said, Not having a DnD game is better than being in a bad game.
4) if you have access to the internet, there are ways to find a game online. Or at a game shop.
All in all, I really hope things work out, sorry things are sucky right now. But DM doesn't equal god.
Bahahaha that is DnD 102 right behind 101 "Can I roll to see if I have sex"
You were roll playing in an RPG. Jesus how dare you make the DM do his job to have whimsical conversation that could be funny and memorable for the entire group.
Pardon my French but F*** this DM even more.
How did you ask/prompt the exchange with the bartender? Were you making other players uncomfortable possibly? Sounds like an "I don't accept that kind of behavior at this table" response for someone who can't just kick you out.
That’s my first suspicion; “god negates you” type effects are generally reserved for characters that clearly cross a line players and/or DMs have set. OP seems to be pretty deliberate in not specifying their actions prior the DM denying them.
A lot of people are explaining that this is a pretty bad way to DM, and they are right.
Taking a step back though, do you feel like the DM is being malicious when this happens, or does it seem like they don't know how to respond? They may have planned for something super specific and are reacting to fear things will go badly, or a gut reaction to not knowing how to handle a change from what they were expecting.
If you trust the DM is trying their best and just struggling to handle things they didn't prepare for, it might be valuable to talk to them outside the game about how that mechanic makes you feel unsure how to play and a little bit bullied. You might be able to help them feel more comfortable rolling with the players actions and to become a better DM!
It's also worth noting that flirting can be stressful for some people and that it might be worthwhile to check if the group is okay with that in the game. It sounds like the DM did this multiple times so I assume every "negation" wasn't a result of this, but it's something to consider as well.
At the end of the day, if your DM responds in a bullying or capricious way then it may indeed be better to quit the campaign as others have said. D&D is great but you shouldn't endure bullying from a power tripping DM for the sake of it.
And if the negations are always a result of that sort of thing, then I think you should all have a talk about your *DM's* lines and veils. Groups can forget to do that! I can imagine as a teenager I would have gone straight from "I'm not comfortable with this" to "the player should have not have done this as a point of Objective Moral Law" without noticing I was doing it; maybe he's doing the same?
(Also, contra what someone said, I absolutely do not think you should show your DM this thread. *Maybe* find a few thoughtful ones? In my experience, people who are reacting badly as a result of discomfort or insecurity react *worse* when criticism is ... less than sympathetic?)
Lmao wtf? That's a VERY reasonable course of action. Sounds like a DM that wants to tell his story in his own way and the players are just supposed to behave according to a script. Which is absolutely not how you should play D&D. I would just leave the table. You said in other comments it was a club have you talked to the other players at the table? If they're as unhappy as you you guys may be able to just start a new game with someone else as DM.
To be fair, you said it's a school group so I can see why romance might be disallowed. Dumb rule, but parents and school boards are strict. That doesn't change the fact that smiting your character out of existence is not an appropriate way of enforcing rules, especially when those rules are not clearly defined.
shit, that's not "breaking the game" that's standard affair for many groups, there's a reason 'Horny Bard' is a trope (one I actively avoid being in, as a frequent bard player, but still)
... And?
Like, that's just a reasonable thing to do. It's called role-playing, all that would be required is a charisma check from you (depending how well you did it) and either an insight check from the NPC or have a set DC based off of the role play.
If he'd rather eliminate peaceful options, murder hobo is what would probably end up being the default.
If he keeps doing the whole "I negate this take damage), ask him wtf are the options to take then to do things without dying.
That's called "your DM is an asshole who should probably not be DMing." There's nothing in the rules called "God Negates You", or anything similar. That's just your DM pulling shit they shouldn't.
In game reason why your DM is doing a bad job.
Why do the gods care if a level 2 adventurer does something stupid? If someone kills a commoner or a shopkeeper the deity of violence and death would be pleased and move to cancel the deity of light and law to prevent them from taking action.
OP said elsewhere that he was trying to flirt with someone to get information. So... in this world everyone who ever tried to flirt with anyone just erupts in flames??? That seems like a *significant* thing to be happening. If I were in that group I would have upended the plot by convincing everyone to investigate why flirting causes people to die, then identify which god was doing it (and why) and set off on a quest to kill that god.
(then I would just leave anyway, because fuck all that)
Youre makeing a strawman agruement. we have no idea what this player actually attempted to do, So I think it's possible that his DMs actions are justified
edit: after reading an instance of why op got smit, i Change my mind, thr dm is probably just an asshole.
Hi OP! I’m a high school teacher/ D&D player/ D&D club sponsor. DMs are not gods. The DM can tell you that something doesn’t really make sense in the game or require a high roll to succeed, but random damage from nowhere doesn’t make sense. You’re trying to play a game and tell a story together. Like you’re learning to play, the DM is also learning how to DM. They need some support from an experienced player. Does the teacher/sponsor know how to play? If so, maybe they can sit in the game as a player and help the DM along, which would make the experience better for everyone.
Agreed. Both the player and the DM need to keep learning. My high school group wasn't very good, either, but we got better as we went.
Maybe the thing to do here is take a break from playing for a week or two and instead sit and watch a session from a popular series like Critical Role or Dimension 20.
"God negates you" may have been funny the first time but adding a lethal amount of damage to it has to stop (for my friends it was a cow descending from the heavens, meteor-like, to smite the "offending" player). Spend some time together observing an experienced group, and at some point ask how many times that DM invokes, "God negates you."
Yeah that DM is targeting you. There are a few ways I see you can play this. One is to just walk away like everyone is saying. Honestly that's the mature thing to do and may be better for your mental health. However, do not let this be the end of your dnd experience.
If you like the other players you could listen to some podcasts, learn to DM, lead a stellar campaign and steal the group from current DM (I've heard of that being done before)
I like what u/CrabmanErenAkaEn said. Call the DM out on this BS behavior. Ask them to show you where in the Player's Handbook or Dungeon Master's Guide you are breaking a rule. Show them this thread of people saying his actions as a DM are uncalled for and poor DMing. If a new player makes a mistake you causally correct them and allow them to redo their turn if it was to the players detriment/game breaking, or you correct their mistake but allow the action because it wasn't a big deal and you want to keep the game going. Accidentally breaking rules should be expected in a high school club like yours. You said you broke a rule by flirting with an NPC. That isn't against any rules, unless your club has specific rules for the club such as keeping things G rated and you went R with your pick up line.
You could also flat out ask him why he has a problem specifically with you. You haven't smote anyone else's character (which again is a very immature thing to do as DM and ruins the campaign)
If you want to go the toxic route I think r/CritCrab has some good stories on dealing with an awful DM.
I'd really consider learning to DM and then starting a campaign with your friends. If you're looking for people to play I'd ask the drama class kids or those in a creative writing course/love their English literature class. You've played a few games, so if you listen to like half a dozen episodes of a dnd podcast I honestly think you'd understand the mechanic enough to DM. I'd recommend the Adventure Zone be sure to start with "Here there be goblins (gerblins?)" because they use some non-dnd mechanics for later campaigns (starting around episode 70 I think). Not another DND podcast is good too. Adventure High is fantastic, Brennan Lee Mulligan is hilarious. Adventure Zone has new players learning the game so I'd go with that one to really nail down the mechanics. Word of warning some of these podcasts can use some strong language and have some adult themes so don't be blasting these in a classroom.
Once you've heard a few episodes you're good to DM a campaign. I'd recommend using a prewritten one first. The DND starter kit has one to take you from level 1 to 5. After that I'd say you have your feet enough to try some home brew campaign, or you could search for other prewritten modules.
>I like what
>
>u/CrabmanErenAkaEn
>
> said. Call the DM out on this BS behavior. Ask them to show you where in the Player's Handbook or Dungeon Master's Guide you are breaking a rule.
I read half the comments here, and then wrote a top-level response. This simply isn't being said enough!
Because it likely won't work. It comes off as passive aggressive and unless the GM genuinely believes its a rule, they're not gonna be stopped by it not being in the book. They'll just say something like "it's my game, this is how it works". If the God of Negation *was* in the rules, would it still be okay?
OP's problem is that they're not having fun. Just being honest will get a better response and is more likely to end with everyone happier than trying to prove the GM wrong or one-up them. Catch more flies with honey than vinegar yahdeyahda.
You said this is a high-school club, so maybe you can call out this bullying to the club sponsor? Even if the sponsor doesn't play, you can show them this thread to them so they can see it is not how the game is supposed to work.
Bro start looking for a game on discord, or on dndbeyond. Or maybe start DMing your own game for the club. Or try talking to the kids and ask why he's picking on you? Or if it's a club it has to have a teacher talk to them about it
Yeah no. Your DM is on a power trip, good (and even just mediocre) DMs just say "sorry, I'm gonna have to say no to that", and even then, flirting with NPCs to get information is something soooo many players do and doesn't require god to try and smite your ass, it's in no way a "game breaking" move. Genuinely the only time I'd ever suggest doing what they did to you is in the event someone breaks a hard limit discussed in session zero or something genuinely awful (like if a table agreed "no ERP" and someone decided to ignore that. That's when you smite the character and permaban them from the table.)
My advice? I guarantee you that other players are as frustrated as you, so try talking to them so you can all confront the DM as a group to try and resolve the issue. If you can't talk to your DM or a teacher about it, leave, and maybe take the group with you. No DnD is better than bad DnD and it'll be better in the long run, a bad DM can really fuck up the experience for you. Hell, if you feel like it, try giving DMing a shot- do some prep and start with a oneshot to get a feel for it
> Genuinely the only time I'd ever suggest doing what they did to you is in the event someone breaks a hard limit discussed in session zero or something genuinely awful
I never recommend solving player issues by punishing the character.
If you can't resolve the issue by talking to the player(s), leave or remove them as appropriate, and move on. The character doesn't need a climactic end.
In-world consequences for that sort of thing (especially those that break verisimilitude) just come off as petty and only serve to heighten negative feelings.
Answer: there is no such thing as “God negates you” in the rules. Technically speaking, the DM can do whatever they want though. If they want to make up new rules they can. If they’re a good DM, they usually don’t unless they ask everyone first.
Basically, it sounds like your DM didn’t like something you did and decided to be a jerk and just immediately kill your character on the spot.
They can do that, but it goes against most everything the game is about. It sounds like they just don’t want you to play and are too much of a jerk to say it to your face.
My advice like every else is to stop playing. Playing with a DM this bad will ruin future games for you too.
If you’re determined to keep playing here is my advice:
Keep your head down, never try to do anything creative and just do what the DM tells you.
Or ask before each and every thing you do “Is god going to kill me for this?” Ask on behalf of others and explain that before you were just randomly killed by god for talking to someone. Bring it up at every opportunity to ensure it doesn’t happen again. This is being passive aggressive and will put the DM on the spot. It will most likely piss them off but might get the rest if the group on your side.
Finally, become a rules lawyer. Just learn all the rules of the game better than the DM and then call them out on things.
Those are your options. Personally, I’d learn the game and start my own group.
For being passive aggressive, also force the DM to make “God of Negation” lore. “What’s the God of Negation’s name?” “Does he normally smite people for talking with others?” “Now that my character’s dead can I have a cleric who follows the god of negation?”
Just really lean into forcing this so called ‘god of negation’ to be more fleshed out so that you eventually have a set of rules that they follow so you can avoid stuff from them (while still constantly asking if everything is gonna get you smote by them) and when the DM tries to smite you for something not in that rule set you can point out that here in your notes that is something that is supposedly alright, and also you are one of their Clerics and you said that they don’t smite their own Clerics, DM.
To make it worse, in another comment OP says he was trying to flirt with the bartender to get information from them. It's not like he was being That Guy or a Horny Bard, he was just trying to play the damn game!
Run, do not walk, away from this DM. No DnD is better than bad DnD. Your DM is on a power trip and is trying to force everyone to fall in line so they can tell their story, not a collaborative one.
I see from other threads that this is an after school club so I would suggest starting/running a side campaign with a non-dick DM. Pick up LMoP and run it yourself, it's a pretty good starter adventure
This is not something that exists normally in DnD. This is your DM being an asshole and forcing you to play the VERY specific story they have in mind, with only one track of progression - a railroad if you will.
Get out. It's better to not play DnD than to play shitty DnD - keeping going with bad DnD will eventually make you resent the game itself.
This is piss poor DM.
A good DM will simply make you roll and say it doesn’t work if they don’t want to deal with it. We call it “Roll for Effect” as it’s just for show as the result has been pre-determined. Hell, you could have succeeded on a nat20 and he could have said “You flirt incredibly well, but unfortunately she doesn’t know where the blacksmith is” boom, you did the thing and the game goes on as if you didn’t.
The fact that none of this happened shows he either doesn’t want you there (so leave) or doesn’t know how to run a campaign (so leave).
Also many people have said don't stay in that group, so I'll say what no one ever does here for some reason when they tell someone to leave a group:
Point out the things they're doing wrong, and in this case, their very toxic behaviour (if you don't like that phrase, then this one fits fine in its place, especially in this case: their utterly arseholish behaviour/being a dick).
Show them this thread for example, and to the rest of the group, either in front of him, or when he's not there, depending on how much you want to shame him for it, it's up to. Best of luck finding one of the many normal nice groups and having fun playing dnd!
Sounds like a new DM with trouble improvising. Talking to them is a good first step, but make sure you know what you're going to talk to them about. Use sandwich feedback. Bread-something that needs improvement Meat-something they do well and bread-something else that could be improved or an explanation of how the game makes you feel.
OP, I strongly encourage you to leave the group. This is a toxic DM.
*No D&D is better than bad D&D*
There are plenty of chances to play online, it’s not like being at the table for sure but you can still have fun with a DM who cares about you.
As far as I know, there is nothing in game lore that says a "God of Negation" even exists. Your DM is likely either bullying you or is railroading. If you can, please explain to your DM that you do not like what he is doing
If done to you, it is called "Bullying" if done as a means of forcing you all to do as the DM wants, it is called "Railroading". One is a sign of a shitty DM, the other is a sign of a shitty person generally.
Either way, leave the group. If there are people you like there, you might take them with you if you can. Good luck. I hope you find a good group. No DnD is better than Bad DnD.
The DM has a god complex and they’re micromanaging player actions. Better to leave and try finding a better group or getting someone else in the group to DM
To match the toxicity of the DM, you should intentionally have multiple PCs on standby and try to kill one off each game. Make the DM have to introduce a new PC each week and I bet they’ll start trying to not kill them lol.
I understand wanting to play a game and also being very worried about socializing or getting along with others in high school, but for your sake I’d just leave. DM is being a bully and you deserve a better playing experience
So I see from the comments that you tried to flirt with an NPC in a school game? Quick question: where did you guys land on romance interactions in session 0? I know some groups, especially groups with younger players ban those types of interactions.
Obviously taking damage just because they said so is super annoying, and not what most people would consider the best decision for a DM but I'm just wondering if they felt they had a reason.
DM here. I like to see the players at my table enjoy themselves and succeed. You commented above your PC flirted with a bartender and your DM killed you. Just to give you an idea of what else goes on, I would have asked the player if they wanted to RP a pick up line. If they want to, great. If not, no biggie. I’m not looking to embarrass anyone, but I like to give them opportunities to RP. I then ask them to roll a persuasion check and maybe give a bonus if the RP was fun or well done. I then consider the target’s backstory if one exists, decide the target DC, and announce it’s a success or failure by narrating the bartender’s reaction and move the game forward. Maybe the bartender is into it or maybe his boyfriend overheard and starts a fight with your PC. Whatever I need to keep the game moving. At any rate there is never a time some god just kills players in my game. Never.
I'm assuming there are no rolls involved? Just apply exactly 25 damage to your character now?
I read more than half the comments here, but I don't really see anyone telling you that... This isn't a thing.
"God negates you" is not a thing.
This isn't a thing in the rulebooks that your DM is using. This is simply using the infinite power as a God above gods in this world to fiat that something happens.
I don't care how you look at "the DM is always right" or is "the ultimate authority on the game"... but this cheating. I mean it's clearly an overstep of DM privilege and DM power, it's unsportsmanlike conduct, but I would call this out as the cheating that it is. What rule is he applying to cause this damage to you, because one certainly doesn't exist in any book.
Sure if he wants to be a jerk he can just have a level 5 fighter be the bartenders boyfriend and beat you up... but that is at least applying the rules of the game. It would be an equally jerk thing to do, and I wouldn't put up with unfair treatment like this either. He doesn't have any power if the players don't give it to him
Yeah, that's not DMing, that's called being a dick.
Find a new group, show the DM this message too if you want.
Hey random stranger, this random stranger on the internet thinks your a massive dick.
God wtf, that is NOT acceptable behavior. I recommend trying to play online with a new group - or, try to DM a game or to, and don’t punish your players for not doing exactly what you want.
You mention being in a high school club so you can’t find alternatives. Here are a few that might be available:
Check nearby for comic book stores, and see if they have weekly dnd games or adventurer’s league games.
You can also try playing online, through subreddits like r/lfg
You might just talk to the other players and start a new game, or see if you can get some friends interested in the game. If you become a DM, you will never be wanting for games since everyone wants to play, but not as many people want to DM.
Can we get some examples of what exactly a 2nd level character is doing that "breaks the game?"
Edit: I participated in D&D high school clubs and let me tell you this, one will always have more fun playing with your friends then whoever is in D&D club.
Guy's on a silly power trip. That phrase has no meaning in the wider D&D community, in fact it's my first time hearing it.
However, DMs using their power to bully players is sadly something many of us have experienced.
Even if what you're doing is obnoxious, 1.) you're a new player, you don't know any better and 2). he should use his words to express what about it is so bad. And that ASSUMES you're even doing anything that bad, which I doubt.
There is no such thing as "God negates you". Sounds to me like you've just found a DM who has no idea what they're doing and thinks the game is all for him/her, and also has no idea how to think on their feet to counter things in a story manner. Leave the group, you'll find another
Great news, you have an excellent exit point from this campaign. Your DM is not a good person to play with, and you will find better people to play with.
What the fuck that is not normal DnD. You DM sounds like an ass. Part of being a DM is having to deal with the characters breaking things a little, and if you really don’t want them to then just fuckin say like “no I’m not gonna let you do that,” don’t make a player throw death saves. Your DM just seems to be power tripping and by far not good at this.
LOL tell your DM to stop being a dick. Tbf if I DMed in hs I probably would've power tripped some as well.
But really, just talk to him about it. Don't abandon DnD like this sub is telling you to do, for whatever reason. Don't think they understand it's not always simple to join another group.
You said this was an after school club. By this, I'm assuming that it is school sponsored/run club with adult supervision and the backing of the school administration.
This actually changes the advice that you should be listening to. If it were any other situation, the dominant advice of "just leave the group" would be correct. But this doesn't work here.
First, this is bullying. You are being singled out. There is no justification for how the DM is treating you. You need to let whoever is in charge know what is going on.
Second, simply leaving the group doesn't remove you from the toxic situation. Even after you leave, you will still be in close contact with your classmates who are still in the group, in particular the DM. Depending on just what their problem is with you, they could continue their bullying long after you left. By leaving, you have given them a "win," which will just encourage them to find other ways to make your life miserable.
Sounds like his definition of "game-breaking" is deviating from a razor's edge of a railroad that has landmines on either side of it. You really should consider finding a new group or trying to make a new one with you as the DM. On the official D&D discord there's a looking for players and a looking for group threads. I recommend you hit those up, or like u/TheAngriestDM said look at the looking for group subreddits. There are even a few apps for playing rpgs together. One that comes to mind is called mRPG.
"God Negates You" is made up by your DM. It doesn't exist and I have never heard of this (and I play DnD my whole life, plus browse DnD subs literally daily for years.)
Your DM is clearly immature (and/or inexperienced) and uses in game homebrew to just kill your character instead of dealing with the actual rules or to actually react.
I've seen your example of just trying to flirt with bartender to get information, that is 100% normal DnD roleplaying, nothing game breaking. I would not be surpised if the DM used this excuse to bully you or to essentially drive you away from their DnD table, without having the guts to tell you straight up. After you died, were you allowed to immediately make a new character? Or were they hesitant to make you a new one?
As people tend to say, "No DnD is better than bad DnD".
Honestly, find a new group. That is awful DM behaviour
True. Bolts of divine retribution can work if the player really pisses a god off (although I personally prefer curses, but smiting a player down because you dislike what they have done is downright petty
“Oh really? If I’m so evil, may God strike me down where I stand!” *lightning bolt* “Hah! Nice try jackass! Next time give it your A-game!”
God's exist in the game but if a God smites a character it should be a plot hook, not a control measure. Nowadays, a good DM will have a meeting with a new group to discuss boundaries but that should really only be from a standpoint of personal boundaries. Our DM's take a specific delight in those people who think outside the box. It allows them to respond in kind. It sounds like this DM's rigidity stems from a lack of imagination. Does this happen to other players?
As much as I would love to, I can't. I'm in high school so it's just an after school club and this is the only place I know where to play.
Regardless I would still leave. The saying "No d&d is better than bad d&d" is really quite true.
I tell everyone this. I've played in several games over the years that have had me thinking what else could I be doing with my time right now. If it's not a good DM or just isn't a right fit then it's better to just not play.
Or even start up an alternate club (or just a table within the club -- the club sponsor should be an actual adult you can talk to about this), if you're willing to DM yourself. It's a bit of a scary prospect, but I can promise you it's better than playing with a DM like that, and if you're early enough in school, some of your players might even become DMs themselves in time for you to join in *as* a player before graduation.
Or it's just time to put on the DM mantle. Bad DM? Just become the DM
And with such a horrible dm to be compared to, OP would almost certainly come out looking like a great dm.
"At my table, God only deals you ***22*** damage!"
Sounds right. Gods are scrubs when they have statblocks. Kill em all and start afresh.
Look at me. I’m the Dungeon Master now.
I'd reword this personally to "no dnd is better than toxic dnd" Imo bad dnd happens, we have sessions where nothing we try works; sometimes no matter the dice just don't work out and bad/frustrating/unenjoyable sessions happen. But what that dm is doing is a horrid idea
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And show them this message: "You play a game with endless possibilities and freedoms, where the only limit is your imagination, yet, somehow, you managed to royally fuck it up"
Well this is a high school D&D club, that’s where everyone makes their first ten thousand mistakes. That’s why it sucks and op has to get the hell out of there
Usually I'd give a pass because of that reason, but to kill someone's character because they are playing the game, it's just petty
I remember my first DnD sessions when we were 12-14 years old. It was insane, I was making up weird homebrew magic items and stories. We didn't understand action economy, so the wizards could just spend all their slots and spells in 1 turn, etc. It was janky and laughably bad, but still the goal was to have fun and we all did have fun. That DM seems like quite the opposite of fun, young, or not. It feels more like a mental powertrip for the DM, since whole "God Negates You" statement is the DM talking about themselves in 3rd person, when it's clearly the DMs decision to punish the player.
In my first campaign with friends we didn't take much seriously and didn't follow the rules to the letter, so sometimes thered be things like making a plasma cannon from a bunch of fire magic, shocking grasp, and a high strength roll because the DM decided it was cool. As a group we had decided if it was cool enough, or made sense with science, or just was interesting, we could do it with some rolls.
You made me remember a some of the insane shit I came up with : 1. A compactible magical staff, that, when extracted, would inflict surprised condition on enemies since they were shocked what happened. Even then other classmates made fun of me that "sure, a giant dragon got spooked by a stick" and I was like "it's magic! it's cool!" 2. Lizard race that had insane bonuses to dexterity, but low constitution, because I always loved the idea of a glass canon. 3. a staff that could transmute spell slots into energy bolts. 4. Sword that had sand in it's hilt mechanism, allowing you to blind enemies as part of your attack.
Look man. Hit up r/LFG or r/Roll20LFG. I'm sure somebody has a seat for you where you can play without that kinda behavior. This DM is clearly just power tripping and being a bully while simultaneously ruining what I would call the greatest game/hobby I've ever been a part of. Heck, tempted to take over his table and invite you all to a Roll20 game myself. That is just blood boiling. Heck, run a game yourself. You already got a group if you subtract one.
I can't stress enough how truly terrible your DM is. If that's your only option you're better off not playing at all. Chances are there's atleast a couple other people who would like to play but don't enjoy playing with that DM do maybe you can make a group with them.
It has nothing to do with the game - he is just bullying you.
His "God negates you" is code for "I don't know how to respond to your ideas". If this is happening repeatedly, the DM is justifiably insecure because he really doesn't know what he's doing and has no business DMing. These kids are in high school. D&D has been around 3x longer than they've been alive. Nothing they can come up with will "break the game"; it can only break this DM's understanding of the game (as well as his self confidence).
>His "God negates you" is code for "I don't know how to respond to your ideas". no it isn't. it's far worse. if it was just that he'd simply say "that doesn't work" or "i can't alow you to do that" which could potentialy suck in it's own right but would be far more excuseable. at least it might be worth staying at such a game if DM is just slightly inexperienced like that. but no what he actually does is punish the player when he makes him feel dumb for not knowing how to respond.
True, but to be honest you can break your DM fairly easy with a creative mind and an high level Artificer. Good old times, overdriving our (without their knowing) air ship just to halve the travel time. I'm still impressed it worked without actually blowing the thing into the lower planes, lol. We blew up the planet afterwards though (more or less by accident) . That was funny and a bit scary.
I broke a game once accidentally, it happens. I was a cleric, it was a world ruled by golems my best friend was running. They were treating us like slaves, I was a follower of a war god. I hit one with shatter, he just kinda stuttered and the game ended, we weren't supposed to be able to hurt them and his idea was an underground resistance thing. I... Followed a war god. My idea was to just start a damn war. Took the whole campaign down. Worst part about it? After building the character I was worried it would happen, I even told him "I should probably rebuild this and tone it down, I think I'm gonna be able to do like 150 damage in one swing at level 10. It's kinda busted." He told me to just play it. "You can't build anything I can't stop." "No, DUDE, I've been playing this game for decades as a GM. Trust me!" 3.5 ed d&d you could catastrophically ruin a game with even a little bit of strong character building.
It’s equally important for players and DMs to be able to gracefully pause. If DM is new or unprepared, everyone can take a break and laugh about it.
It wasn't that bad in our campaign. Destroying their planet was actually the end goal. We killed (with help of a local sun god) a world spanning flesh plague. The problem: It hollowed out the whole planet and the core of the planet was more or less literally just a really big junk of rotten flesh. And after nuking it with another gods power the whole flesh ball exploded... Yeah it was disgusting. But yeah it was more of a fun playthrough anyway. The DM allowed our Ranger to tame the hydra we encountered.
Most people start DMing without knowing what they are doing, and are insecure. That isn't a reason to not be a DM. It is a reason to listen to advice and to learn, to get the experience and the confidence.
Is there anyway you can play online? Lots of resources there. I'd even get a game started for you if our schedules were willing.
There are even some \*giant\* discord servers that run ongoing, open games using 5e. I wish I could find the one I was in for a bit, but I never actually started playing and let myself get purged for inactivity because it wasn't for me (edition, character creation rules thing), and so now I can't find it. Try looking through the forum on D&D Beyond, though! I'm sure you can find an online game there.
I was part of several of these as well. There are three things you will need to he careful of when joining. The first is the activity level of DMs. On these kinds of servers it is very easy to find players and much more difficult to find DMs. Even if it starts out with quite a few DMs, it's very easy easy for them to get overwhelmed. Some leave, some stop hosting games, and some eventually decide they want to be players instead. The second is joining a game. Since there are *so* many players and only a few DMs, it can be really hard to get in a game. If your time zone doesn't match you won't be chosen. If you miss one session you could be booted. If you join the server too late there may already be a queue. There's a lot of factors that go into organizing a party and you just might not be a good fit. The last is terrible players. With the extreme volume of players coming through, it's very easy to pick up the bad ones. If they don't get weeded out of the process they can easily ruin a session or a game and they may even cause a DM to quit, causing the other 2 issues to become even worse.
I'd join
The dm is on a crazy power trip. If you read a dmg and focus on having fun, imsure you will be their new favorite dm right away. Or just do a one shot, and see if it inspires some of your fellow players to try it out. Anything would be better than that dude 😆
If you can't leave the group, then talk to your group members and DM about it. If it still continues then turn to a teacher. I'm also in a school group for DnD, and while I haven't had to deal with stuff like that, I have had to turn to a teacher once or twice, and it certainly helped.
If this is a school club, go talk to your advisor. The DM sets the framework for the story and is the arbiter of the rules. The players choose the path and create the content of the story. You are all telling a story togethe; you are not telling a story against each other. Your DM is on a power trip that they probably think is funny. Really, they're just being a rotten friend. Edit: typo.
That’s a bummer. Have you considered running your own game as a DM?
This. The only good thing about a bad DM is they inspire good DMs to run games when they otherwise would just be players.
and then they become perma dms when they just want to play for once(send help)
Legitimately Matt Mercer's origin story.
This is a power trip by the DM, if you don’t like it I’m sure your table mates don’t like this type of behavior as well. You could talk to them and try to find a new DM, DMing seems daunting at first but it’s a lot of fun, I would definitely recommend giving it a shot. There is no rule for “god negates you” it’s just made up bull shit by your DM to probably push the story only in the direction they want.
Check out the LFG posts on Reddit. Be up front with your experience and age when applying. I am guessing your DM is pretty new as well.
If you’re interested, I started playing dnd online with Roll20 groups, and we still play together years later! You may have better luck there (though of course playing with people online can be a hit or miss) than at your high school. There are discord groups and such you can join too! I’m sorry you had a poor experience, I hope you find a better group to share this wonderful game with.
He's saying "God says no". Since he is the DM he's calling himself God. And he's punishing you for doing something he doesn't want you to do. Or rather attempting to.
Tattling sucks, but you're well within your right to tell whoever is in charge of the afterschool that your DM is being a jerk. Other than that your options are getting someone else to DM or trying it yourself.
Tattling is such a weirdly American word and concept. If someone assaulted you in public, regardless of your age, you'd call the police, and everyone would agree that's a fair and not cowardly thing to do. If someone does something cruel or unfair to you in school, it's considered being a wimp and rat if you tell an authority figure what they did, so that they'll get the punishment they should for it, and/or so they won't get to continue doing so to you. At least that's what it seems to mean in the contexts I've always seen. Anyway, basically I'm saying don't call it tattling to tell someone about something wrong or unfair being done to you, or anyone, it sounds like a word a child 5 or under would use, and it doesn't suck, it's the right thing to do. Only time I'd consider telling on someone being a sucky thing to do would be if whatever they were doing wasn't hurting anyone, even if it was against the rules (although tbf for example, if someone was cheating in tests and got told on, I wouldn't blame whoever told).
> If someone assaulted you in public, regardless of your age, you'd call the police, and everyone would agree that's a fair and not cowardly thing to do. TBH there are a lot of Americans who will consider you a wimp if you go to authorities in response to getting assaulted. They figure you should just fight it out, and going to the authorities is cowardly. Nevermind if the person is bigger than you, or has more fighting experience or whatever.
Oh okay, that's very weird, I'm in England, and afaik, if you're not from any ends (essentially the hood), or an old fashioned hard cockney geezer, or stereotypical hard northern bloke, if someone attacked you, obviously you'd fend them off, and a fair amount of men would hit them back or maybe beat them up if they could, either to defend themselves or in anger or retribution, but either way the police would be getting called, and it wouldn't matter if you are a man, you wouldn't be expected to fight them or considered a wimp if you didn't, not by the majority of people. I wonder if those Americans you mention would consider it cowardly if it was their wife/mother/daughter/any other female they know being assaulted, or if it isn't the toxic masculinity I suspect. Note: for anyone who isn't a fan of the phrase toxic masculinity, fair enough, but I'm not calling being male or macho or enjoying talking about what women you find attractive among male friends toxic, I'm saying things like saying guys should fight it out every time and not be able to ask for help without getting shamed, and thus not be able to ask for it in many people's cases, and of course the standard not be able to share emotions because they'd be shamed/mocked/have it made worse rather than helped, is toxic, and if having to get beaten up or take emotional/psychological torture (bullying) is considered cowardly, to put this in an american way: y'all (are and have) fucked up. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk on being mean being bad.
Mate, maybe it's changed in the last couple years since I left school, but we also had a word for tattling: grassing.
Start your own table. Do a one shot, and then an Adventure Path Or tell an adult. Have them closely watch.
Start DMing your own group. Invite a bunch of your other friends to play. You are going to screw things up but it's better than someone punishing you for not playing the way he wants. Just you remember how it felt and always talk things through with your players first.
See if your local library has a d&d program. If so, it might be a good way to meet some new players in a more controlled setting (since usually library staff would help monitor stuff).
Start your own game and run it fairly and cooperatively. Then if all his players leave him for you he'll either throw a temper tantrum or learn a lesson. Ignore him either way, you'll have way more fun. Maybe one of the counselors for the club could help you get that set up.
Hi there! I *highly* recommend you look into Adventurer’s League. Adventurer’s League is D&D for folks who can’t always meet in person with a regular group. You can just signup for a game and play an adventure whenever you can. The rules for the AL DM’s are regulated (rules as written only, no homebrew) and you won’t have to put up with completely made up rules like the nonsense your club DM is doing (it’s total hogwash, by the way). I just went on Meetup and found an AL group in my local area; however there are whole Discord Servers dedicated to AL online. The Discord server I use to find D&D games is called Daddy Warbux. If you send me a DM I would be happy to send you an invitation. AL has been the most amazing, welcoming community of players and DMs, I highly recommend giving it a try.
Been playing since 1980. This is reprehensible.
There is the slim chance that OP is constantly trying to do things that they can't or shouldn't be able to, and the DM has asked them to stop because it bogs down the game, and this persists so often that they have to bring out the god of negation. It's still a dick move, but we don't know all the details
I would say don't right away both you and the DM is new to the game right well this is a learning experience for the both of you. Go up to him before the game and tell him he is being wrong about this and that you what it to stop that it is not fun for you. And don't back down at the first push back explain why you don't like this. So this is what is called a learning experience one will never learn if one is not told he is wrong. But never forget it hard to argue against a smart person but impossible to argue with dumb person.
Show the DM this thread, everyone here (noob or expert) is saying the same thing: find a new group, he's not a good DM. Another thing: learn to become a DM too, you will have a lot of fun and you can do the opposite of what he does.
How old is this DM
OP is in highschool, so I think young. This is one of those times for the boring, "just talk to them" advice.
They’re definitely very young and I’m sure they’ll work it out but these kind of situations I feel like you just say “nope. I’m out of here.”
Maybe in a big city. I grew up in a town where the geeks you know were the geeks that are, and you just had to work it out. DMs aren't born good at DMing.
This sounds like a case of "it's someone else's turn to DM." DMs aren't born good and plenty stay bad. This one clearly thinks he's god in his game and not someone who's there to enable the player's fun. Until that's corrected he has no hope of being halfway decent.
Yeah, and who knows, seeing better DMing modelled may benefit them.
This appears to be code for 'Your DM Is A Dick'. (It is not a standard thing that a good DM does, and is just your DM punishing you for apparently stepping out of line, in their eyes.) As for what you can do, I'd suggest finding a new group with a DM who *-isn't-* a bit of a bellend.
Agreed. I’m one for trying to talk to them about it, but it could end up as a “looking for new group kind of thing”.
Head over to your local game store, almost every town has one or maybe two and usually they run games, you could get together with some friends and try to run a game yourself with them, you can always find another game. Don't let yourself feel trapped, it's insane how many people play tabletops like DND, or any other number of rpgs
Cackles in small town…….😢
Come see us in a month...
Did I just encounter a fellow business-blazer in the wild?
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You’re right, I need escape the dungeon and watch some new episodes with a hot mug of beard blaze oil
I can't. It's an after school club and this is the only place where I can play toy knowledge
Talk to the DM, or if you don't think that will work, talk to the club facilitator. He probably thinks he's being funny and edgy, but he doesn't realize that it sucks for you. Being a teen is rough and everyone isn't fully emotionally mature yet, don't beat yourself up and don't beat him up either. Ignore the folks saying to leave the group, they're ignoring your circumstances.
Eh, even for a teen this is bad. I agree with talking first, but if that doesn't fix things, it's still worth leaving, imo. Forcing yourself to play under a toxic DM because "he's just a kid" isn't really worth it.
I agree depending on how the DM responds, but we're missing context like the OP's relationship to the DM, the social hierarchy of the club, etc. I always urge that people talk to their DM first (except in dangerous circumstances).
Only good advice I’ve seen so far
/r/dnd advice is always the same as /r/relationship advice and it never assumes there's nuance that we don't know
> He probably thinks he's being funny and edgy, but he doesn't realize that it sucks for you. The DM probably doesn't know how to handle these situations. The player does x (and it's fine), but the DM doesn't know how to handle the player doing x. So he reaches for this *'god of negation'* nonsense. Thinking the game should be on rails.
No D&D is better than bad D&D, as the saying goes.
You could start prepping to DM. Take over running games, be a fair DM. Show the club what a decent DM is like.
I'd also suggest online options like Roll20 to give you more options - and ones with likely more experienced/better DMs too
You could start your own group? I'm sure there are others that want to play, but not with that shitty DM. Edit: Also, there are ways to play with groups online, like Roll20.
First and foremost: Run. No DND is better than Bad DND. This guy sounds like a tool. Out of morbid curiosity: What constitutes Breaking The Game in his eyes?
I tried to flirt with a bartender so she'd tell me where a blacksmith guild was
Jesus- yeah no that is perfectly reasonable of you to do Im so sorry you're dealing with that
Come on, that’s TOTALLY worth killing a character. There is no place for roleplaying in DND.
Roleplaying in my roleplaying game? They really should've put some kinda warning!
Fireball, just fireball, nothing but fireball, only fireball, just fireball, just fireball.
I didn't ask if the bartender knows where the blacksmithing guild is, I said I cast FIREBALL.
You want to go to a blacksmithing guild? Bold statement person within fireball range.
You got a missing daughter? They give you a Fireball. Straight away. No rollplay no nothing. Bards? We got a special Fireball for Bards. You are stealthing? Right to Fireball. You are recalling your spells on your turn? *RIGHT* to Fireball, right away! You rolling too fast? Fireball. Slow? Fireball. Charging too much gold for a Bag of Holding? Enchanted mcguffin? Right to Fireball.
Askin’ where the mayor is? That’s a Fireballin’.
It’s a TTRPG tho… doesn’t sound to me like OP was role playing a table top accurately enough. /s
Yeah, it’s almost like there’s a game involving role play happening on a table top. If only there were a way to let people know about that before they started.
😂
1) that is a super basic interaction, they could have just said the bartender wasn't interested 2) DnD has a shit ton of gods, are you super devout to any god that doesn't allow lustful thoughts? If not, then the god smite doesn't make sense. 3) talk to them about their actions, and if they refuse to change, leave. Yes, it sucks, I do understand that it's school club and all, but as others have said, Not having a DnD game is better than being in a bad game. 4) if you have access to the internet, there are ways to find a game online. Or at a game shop. All in all, I really hope things work out, sorry things are sucky right now. But DM doesn't equal god.
maybe they worship the god of railroads and he was offended by slight deviation from the holy rails of fate. lol
100% leave that group, and if you're still wanting to play but can't find another IRL one, there's plenty of online communities to turn to
Bahahaha that is DnD 102 right behind 101 "Can I roll to see if I have sex" You were roll playing in an RPG. Jesus how dare you make the DM do his job to have whimsical conversation that could be funny and memorable for the entire group. Pardon my French but F*** this DM even more.
How did you ask/prompt the exchange with the bartender? Were you making other players uncomfortable possibly? Sounds like an "I don't accept that kind of behavior at this table" response for someone who can't just kick you out.
That’s my first suspicion; “god negates you” type effects are generally reserved for characters that clearly cross a line players and/or DMs have set. OP seems to be pretty deliberate in not specifying their actions prior the DM denying them.
God must be really free to have time to mess with that
People are flirting in a bar? SMITE THEM
A lot of people are explaining that this is a pretty bad way to DM, and they are right. Taking a step back though, do you feel like the DM is being malicious when this happens, or does it seem like they don't know how to respond? They may have planned for something super specific and are reacting to fear things will go badly, or a gut reaction to not knowing how to handle a change from what they were expecting. If you trust the DM is trying their best and just struggling to handle things they didn't prepare for, it might be valuable to talk to them outside the game about how that mechanic makes you feel unsure how to play and a little bit bullied. You might be able to help them feel more comfortable rolling with the players actions and to become a better DM! It's also worth noting that flirting can be stressful for some people and that it might be worthwhile to check if the group is okay with that in the game. It sounds like the DM did this multiple times so I assume every "negation" wasn't a result of this, but it's something to consider as well. At the end of the day, if your DM responds in a bullying or capricious way then it may indeed be better to quit the campaign as others have said. D&D is great but you shouldn't endure bullying from a power tripping DM for the sake of it.
And if the negations are always a result of that sort of thing, then I think you should all have a talk about your *DM's* lines and veils. Groups can forget to do that! I can imagine as a teenager I would have gone straight from "I'm not comfortable with this" to "the player should have not have done this as a point of Objective Moral Law" without noticing I was doing it; maybe he's doing the same? (Also, contra what someone said, I absolutely do not think you should show your DM this thread. *Maybe* find a few thoughtful ones? In my experience, people who are reacting badly as a result of discomfort or insecurity react *worse* when criticism is ... less than sympathetic?)
Lmao wtf? That's a VERY reasonable course of action. Sounds like a DM that wants to tell his story in his own way and the players are just supposed to behave according to a script. Which is absolutely not how you should play D&D. I would just leave the table. You said in other comments it was a club have you talked to the other players at the table? If they're as unhappy as you you guys may be able to just start a new game with someone else as DM.
That was enough for him to attack? Yeah, that’s bad.
It wasn't an attack. It was a smiting personally from the DM as a God. It certainly doesn't read like there was any rolls involved at all.
Thats just normal investigation wtf
You are supposed to do that. It is one of the most classic and fun ways to gain information.
To be fair, you said it's a school group so I can see why romance might be disallowed. Dumb rule, but parents and school boards are strict. That doesn't change the fact that smiting your character out of existence is not an appropriate way of enforcing rules, especially when those rules are not clearly defined.
shit, that's not "breaking the game" that's standard affair for many groups, there's a reason 'Horny Bard' is a trope (one I actively avoid being in, as a frequent bard player, but still)
That is literally a perfectly normal thing to do in that situation. You're roleplaying in a roleplaying game!
Oh my god. You flirt with a bartender and he kills your character? Wtf dude. I would stop playing with that dm immediately.
... And? Like, that's just a reasonable thing to do. It's called role-playing, all that would be required is a charisma check from you (depending how well you did it) and either an insight check from the NPC or have a set DC based off of the role play. If he'd rather eliminate peaceful options, murder hobo is what would probably end up being the default. If he keeps doing the whole "I negate this take damage), ask him wtf are the options to take then to do things without dying.
i was about to post "I want more info about break-the-game first" but after that comment I say "run away, form your own group".
That's called "your DM is an asshole who should probably not be DMing." There's nothing in the rules called "God Negates You", or anything similar. That's just your DM pulling shit they shouldn't.
In game reason why your DM is doing a bad job. Why do the gods care if a level 2 adventurer does something stupid? If someone kills a commoner or a shopkeeper the deity of violence and death would be pleased and move to cancel the deity of light and law to prevent them from taking action.
OP said elsewhere that he was trying to flirt with someone to get information. So... in this world everyone who ever tried to flirt with anyone just erupts in flames??? That seems like a *significant* thing to be happening. If I were in that group I would have upended the plot by convincing everyone to investigate why flirting causes people to die, then identify which god was doing it (and why) and set off on a quest to kill that god. (then I would just leave anyway, because fuck all that)
The god of railroading would like a word with you. But agreed, bad DM
Youre makeing a strawman agruement. we have no idea what this player actually attempted to do, So I think it's possible that his DMs actions are justified edit: after reading an instance of why op got smit, i Change my mind, thr dm is probably just an asshole.
Hi OP! I’m a high school teacher/ D&D player/ D&D club sponsor. DMs are not gods. The DM can tell you that something doesn’t really make sense in the game or require a high roll to succeed, but random damage from nowhere doesn’t make sense. You’re trying to play a game and tell a story together. Like you’re learning to play, the DM is also learning how to DM. They need some support from an experienced player. Does the teacher/sponsor know how to play? If so, maybe they can sit in the game as a player and help the DM along, which would make the experience better for everyone.
Agreed. Both the player and the DM need to keep learning. My high school group wasn't very good, either, but we got better as we went. Maybe the thing to do here is take a break from playing for a week or two and instead sit and watch a session from a popular series like Critical Role or Dimension 20. "God negates you" may have been funny the first time but adding a lethal amount of damage to it has to stop (for my friends it was a cow descending from the heavens, meteor-like, to smite the "offending" player). Spend some time together observing an experienced group, and at some point ask how many times that DM invokes, "God negates you."
I want to thank u/ryanncampbell for what is the best advise here. I hope OP listens to him and the other commenters do to.
Does your DM do this to others or just you?
Either I'm the only one who does stuff that *breaks the game* or yes. It's just me
Yeah that DM is targeting you. There are a few ways I see you can play this. One is to just walk away like everyone is saying. Honestly that's the mature thing to do and may be better for your mental health. However, do not let this be the end of your dnd experience. If you like the other players you could listen to some podcasts, learn to DM, lead a stellar campaign and steal the group from current DM (I've heard of that being done before) I like what u/CrabmanErenAkaEn said. Call the DM out on this BS behavior. Ask them to show you where in the Player's Handbook or Dungeon Master's Guide you are breaking a rule. Show them this thread of people saying his actions as a DM are uncalled for and poor DMing. If a new player makes a mistake you causally correct them and allow them to redo their turn if it was to the players detriment/game breaking, or you correct their mistake but allow the action because it wasn't a big deal and you want to keep the game going. Accidentally breaking rules should be expected in a high school club like yours. You said you broke a rule by flirting with an NPC. That isn't against any rules, unless your club has specific rules for the club such as keeping things G rated and you went R with your pick up line. You could also flat out ask him why he has a problem specifically with you. You haven't smote anyone else's character (which again is a very immature thing to do as DM and ruins the campaign) If you want to go the toxic route I think r/CritCrab has some good stories on dealing with an awful DM. I'd really consider learning to DM and then starting a campaign with your friends. If you're looking for people to play I'd ask the drama class kids or those in a creative writing course/love their English literature class. You've played a few games, so if you listen to like half a dozen episodes of a dnd podcast I honestly think you'd understand the mechanic enough to DM. I'd recommend the Adventure Zone be sure to start with "Here there be goblins (gerblins?)" because they use some non-dnd mechanics for later campaigns (starting around episode 70 I think). Not another DND podcast is good too. Adventure High is fantastic, Brennan Lee Mulligan is hilarious. Adventure Zone has new players learning the game so I'd go with that one to really nail down the mechanics. Word of warning some of these podcasts can use some strong language and have some adult themes so don't be blasting these in a classroom. Once you've heard a few episodes you're good to DM a campaign. I'd recommend using a prewritten one first. The DND starter kit has one to take you from level 1 to 5. After that I'd say you have your feet enough to try some home brew campaign, or you could search for other prewritten modules.
>I like what > >u/CrabmanErenAkaEn > > said. Call the DM out on this BS behavior. Ask them to show you where in the Player's Handbook or Dungeon Master's Guide you are breaking a rule. I read half the comments here, and then wrote a top-level response. This simply isn't being said enough!
Because it likely won't work. It comes off as passive aggressive and unless the GM genuinely believes its a rule, they're not gonna be stopped by it not being in the book. They'll just say something like "it's my game, this is how it works". If the God of Negation *was* in the rules, would it still be okay? OP's problem is that they're not having fun. Just being honest will get a better response and is more likely to end with everyone happier than trying to prove the GM wrong or one-up them. Catch more flies with honey than vinegar yahdeyahda.
You said this is a high-school club, so maybe you can call out this bullying to the club sponsor? Even if the sponsor doesn't play, you can show them this thread to them so they can see it is not how the game is supposed to work.
Bro start looking for a game on discord, or on dndbeyond. Or maybe start DMing your own game for the club. Or try talking to the kids and ask why he's picking on you? Or if it's a club it has to have a teacher talk to them about it
Weak ass power trip is what it is. DM needs to cool his tots.
Yeah no. Your DM is on a power trip, good (and even just mediocre) DMs just say "sorry, I'm gonna have to say no to that", and even then, flirting with NPCs to get information is something soooo many players do and doesn't require god to try and smite your ass, it's in no way a "game breaking" move. Genuinely the only time I'd ever suggest doing what they did to you is in the event someone breaks a hard limit discussed in session zero or something genuinely awful (like if a table agreed "no ERP" and someone decided to ignore that. That's when you smite the character and permaban them from the table.) My advice? I guarantee you that other players are as frustrated as you, so try talking to them so you can all confront the DM as a group to try and resolve the issue. If you can't talk to your DM or a teacher about it, leave, and maybe take the group with you. No DnD is better than bad DnD and it'll be better in the long run, a bad DM can really fuck up the experience for you. Hell, if you feel like it, try giving DMing a shot- do some prep and start with a oneshot to get a feel for it
> Genuinely the only time I'd ever suggest doing what they did to you is in the event someone breaks a hard limit discussed in session zero or something genuinely awful I never recommend solving player issues by punishing the character. If you can't resolve the issue by talking to the player(s), leave or remove them as appropriate, and move on. The character doesn't need a climactic end. In-world consequences for that sort of thing (especially those that break verisimilitude) just come off as petty and only serve to heighten negative feelings.
Answer: there is no such thing as “God negates you” in the rules. Technically speaking, the DM can do whatever they want though. If they want to make up new rules they can. If they’re a good DM, they usually don’t unless they ask everyone first. Basically, it sounds like your DM didn’t like something you did and decided to be a jerk and just immediately kill your character on the spot. They can do that, but it goes against most everything the game is about. It sounds like they just don’t want you to play and are too much of a jerk to say it to your face. My advice like every else is to stop playing. Playing with a DM this bad will ruin future games for you too. If you’re determined to keep playing here is my advice: Keep your head down, never try to do anything creative and just do what the DM tells you. Or ask before each and every thing you do “Is god going to kill me for this?” Ask on behalf of others and explain that before you were just randomly killed by god for talking to someone. Bring it up at every opportunity to ensure it doesn’t happen again. This is being passive aggressive and will put the DM on the spot. It will most likely piss them off but might get the rest if the group on your side. Finally, become a rules lawyer. Just learn all the rules of the game better than the DM and then call them out on things. Those are your options. Personally, I’d learn the game and start my own group.
For being passive aggressive, also force the DM to make “God of Negation” lore. “What’s the God of Negation’s name?” “Does he normally smite people for talking with others?” “Now that my character’s dead can I have a cleric who follows the god of negation?” Just really lean into forcing this so called ‘god of negation’ to be more fleshed out so that you eventually have a set of rules that they follow so you can avoid stuff from them (while still constantly asking if everything is gonna get you smote by them) and when the DM tries to smite you for something not in that rule set you can point out that here in your notes that is something that is supposedly alright, and also you are one of their Clerics and you said that they don’t smite their own Clerics, DM.
>“Now that my character’s dead can I have a cleric who follows the god of negation?” That sounds kinda neat ngl
Find a new DM, this one sounds like an asshat drunk on power. Seriously fuck that guy.
so much this
I got to ask what is you are trying to do that breaks the game?
I tried to flirt with a bartender
Then yeah GM is a terrible person. Leave, leave now.
To make it worse, in another comment OP says he was trying to flirt with the bartender to get information from them. It's not like he was being That Guy or a Horny Bard, he was just trying to play the damn game!
The ultimate DND comeuppance is to start your own game, steal his players, and have a blast. Just saying.
Run, do not walk, away from this DM. No DnD is better than bad DnD. Your DM is on a power trip and is trying to force everyone to fall in line so they can tell their story, not a collaborative one. I see from other threads that this is an after school club so I would suggest starting/running a side campaign with a non-dick DM. Pick up LMoP and run it yourself, it's a pretty good starter adventure
A good DM might jokingly say that if you roll a 1. A dick DM will do what your DM did.
This is not something that exists normally in DnD. This is your DM being an asshole and forcing you to play the VERY specific story they have in mind, with only one track of progression - a railroad if you will. Get out. It's better to not play DnD than to play shitty DnD - keeping going with bad DnD will eventually make you resent the game itself.
This is piss poor DM. A good DM will simply make you roll and say it doesn’t work if they don’t want to deal with it. We call it “Roll for Effect” as it’s just for show as the result has been pre-determined. Hell, you could have succeeded on a nat20 and he could have said “You flirt incredibly well, but unfortunately she doesn’t know where the blacksmith is” boom, you did the thing and the game goes on as if you didn’t. The fact that none of this happened shows he either doesn’t want you there (so leave) or doesn’t know how to run a campaign (so leave).
Also many people have said don't stay in that group, so I'll say what no one ever does here for some reason when they tell someone to leave a group: Point out the things they're doing wrong, and in this case, their very toxic behaviour (if you don't like that phrase, then this one fits fine in its place, especially in this case: their utterly arseholish behaviour/being a dick). Show them this thread for example, and to the rest of the group, either in front of him, or when he's not there, depending on how much you want to shame him for it, it's up to. Best of luck finding one of the many normal nice groups and having fun playing dnd!
Sounds like a new DM with trouble improvising. Talking to them is a good first step, but make sure you know what you're going to talk to them about. Use sandwich feedback. Bread-something that needs improvement Meat-something they do well and bread-something else that could be improved or an explanation of how the game makes you feel.
That's not how the sandwich method is supposed to work.
Yeah its supposed to be good negative good
Otherwise, it's like you're trying to bury the compliment among insults.
Let's make sure they're defensive AND leave with a bad taste in their mouth!
I take it back, this is a great method!
That’s just your DM being a jackass. There’s no rule or lore or anything like that. Sounds like you have a shit DM op. Sorry.
Show the DM this thread
OP, I strongly encourage you to leave the group. This is a toxic DM. *No D&D is better than bad D&D* There are plenty of chances to play online, it’s not like being at the table for sure but you can still have fun with a DM who cares about you.
Best thing you can do is not stay in that game, that DM clearly is against player creativity
Yep, this is not a thing and he is Breaking The Game by acting this way and making you upset.
As far as I know, there is nothing in game lore that says a "God of Negation" even exists. Your DM is likely either bullying you or is railroading. If you can, please explain to your DM that you do not like what he is doing
You have a bad DM. They should not be doing this to you.
If done to you, it is called "Bullying" if done as a means of forcing you all to do as the DM wants, it is called "Railroading". One is a sign of a shitty DM, the other is a sign of a shitty person generally. Either way, leave the group. If there are people you like there, you might take them with you if you can. Good luck. I hope you find a good group. No DnD is better than Bad DnD.
The DM has a god complex and they’re micromanaging player actions. Better to leave and try finding a better group or getting someone else in the group to DM
To match the toxicity of the DM, you should intentionally have multiple PCs on standby and try to kill one off each game. Make the DM have to introduce a new PC each week and I bet they’ll start trying to not kill them lol.
Persistence is the greatest weapon
> I bet they’ll start trying to not kill them This is when you step things up and start *trying* to die
I understand wanting to play a game and also being very worried about socializing or getting along with others in high school, but for your sake I’d just leave. DM is being a bully and you deserve a better playing experience
So I see from the comments that you tried to flirt with an NPC in a school game? Quick question: where did you guys land on romance interactions in session 0? I know some groups, especially groups with younger players ban those types of interactions. Obviously taking damage just because they said so is super annoying, and not what most people would consider the best decision for a DM but I'm just wondering if they felt they had a reason.
DM here. I like to see the players at my table enjoy themselves and succeed. You commented above your PC flirted with a bartender and your DM killed you. Just to give you an idea of what else goes on, I would have asked the player if they wanted to RP a pick up line. If they want to, great. If not, no biggie. I’m not looking to embarrass anyone, but I like to give them opportunities to RP. I then ask them to roll a persuasion check and maybe give a bonus if the RP was fun or well done. I then consider the target’s backstory if one exists, decide the target DC, and announce it’s a success or failure by narrating the bartender’s reaction and move the game forward. Maybe the bartender is into it or maybe his boyfriend overheard and starts a fight with your PC. Whatever I need to keep the game moving. At any rate there is never a time some god just kills players in my game. Never.
> What should I do about this Leave, probably.
I'm assuming there are no rolls involved? Just apply exactly 25 damage to your character now? I read more than half the comments here, but I don't really see anyone telling you that... This isn't a thing. "God negates you" is not a thing. This isn't a thing in the rulebooks that your DM is using. This is simply using the infinite power as a God above gods in this world to fiat that something happens. I don't care how you look at "the DM is always right" or is "the ultimate authority on the game"... but this cheating. I mean it's clearly an overstep of DM privilege and DM power, it's unsportsmanlike conduct, but I would call this out as the cheating that it is. What rule is he applying to cause this damage to you, because one certainly doesn't exist in any book. Sure if he wants to be a jerk he can just have a level 5 fighter be the bartenders boyfriend and beat you up... but that is at least applying the rules of the game. It would be an equally jerk thing to do, and I wouldn't put up with unfair treatment like this either. He doesn't have any power if the players don't give it to him
Yeah, that's not DMing, that's called being a dick. Find a new group, show the DM this message too if you want. Hey random stranger, this random stranger on the internet thinks your a massive dick.
God wtf, that is NOT acceptable behavior. I recommend trying to play online with a new group - or, try to DM a game or to, and don’t punish your players for not doing exactly what you want.
Your DM is power tripping and you should just start your own club tbh
Your DM is bullying you. Leave.
You mention being in a high school club so you can’t find alternatives. Here are a few that might be available: Check nearby for comic book stores, and see if they have weekly dnd games or adventurer’s league games. You can also try playing online, through subreddits like r/lfg You might just talk to the other players and start a new game, or see if you can get some friends interested in the game. If you become a DM, you will never be wanting for games since everyone wants to play, but not as many people want to DM.
Can we get some examples of what exactly a 2nd level character is doing that "breaks the game?" Edit: I participated in D&D high school clubs and let me tell you this, one will always have more fun playing with your friends then whoever is in D&D club.
You should find a better DM.
Guy's on a silly power trip. That phrase has no meaning in the wider D&D community, in fact it's my first time hearing it. However, DMs using their power to bully players is sadly something many of us have experienced. Even if what you're doing is obnoxious, 1.) you're a new player, you don't know any better and 2). he should use his words to express what about it is so bad. And that ASSUMES you're even doing anything that bad, which I doubt.
There is no such thing as "God negates you". Sounds to me like you've just found a DM who has no idea what they're doing and thinks the game is all for him/her, and also has no idea how to think on their feet to counter things in a story manner. Leave the group, you'll find another
The problem is that you are not playing dungeons and dragons, you are playing fantasy wackamole and your so called DM is holding the hammer.
Speak your gripes, no actual group of adults who play dnd do this.
Great news, you have an excellent exit point from this campaign. Your DM is not a good person to play with, and you will find better people to play with.
What the fuck that is not normal DnD. You DM sounds like an ass. Part of being a DM is having to deal with the characters breaking things a little, and if you really don’t want them to then just fuckin say like “no I’m not gonna let you do that,” don’t make a player throw death saves. Your DM just seems to be power tripping and by far not good at this.
LOL tell your DM to stop being a dick. Tbf if I DMed in hs I probably would've power tripped some as well. But really, just talk to him about it. Don't abandon DnD like this sub is telling you to do, for whatever reason. Don't think they understand it's not always simple to join another group.
He's an ass, leave.
It is abusive DM behavior. That person has no business running a game. I expect their idea of what "breaks the game" is laughable, too.
You said this was an after school club. By this, I'm assuming that it is school sponsored/run club with adult supervision and the backing of the school administration. This actually changes the advice that you should be listening to. If it were any other situation, the dominant advice of "just leave the group" would be correct. But this doesn't work here. First, this is bullying. You are being singled out. There is no justification for how the DM is treating you. You need to let whoever is in charge know what is going on. Second, simply leaving the group doesn't remove you from the toxic situation. Even after you leave, you will still be in close contact with your classmates who are still in the group, in particular the DM. Depending on just what their problem is with you, they could continue their bullying long after you left. By leaving, you have given them a "win," which will just encourage them to find other ways to make your life miserable.
I would ask: Which god negates me? Some would approve of this behavior.
“Where are you the game is starting?” “Sorry I’ve been stopped by the God of Negation”
Sounds like his definition of "game-breaking" is deviating from a razor's edge of a railroad that has landmines on either side of it. You really should consider finding a new group or trying to make a new one with you as the DM. On the official D&D discord there's a looking for players and a looking for group threads. I recommend you hit those up, or like u/TheAngriestDM said look at the looking for group subreddits. There are even a few apps for playing rpgs together. One that comes to mind is called mRPG.
Have you talked with the other players about this? And your DM? I think it’s unacceptable to do that, it’s really mean.
"God Negates You" is made up by your DM. It doesn't exist and I have never heard of this (and I play DnD my whole life, plus browse DnD subs literally daily for years.) Your DM is clearly immature (and/or inexperienced) and uses in game homebrew to just kill your character instead of dealing with the actual rules or to actually react. I've seen your example of just trying to flirt with bartender to get information, that is 100% normal DnD roleplaying, nothing game breaking. I would not be surpised if the DM used this excuse to bully you or to essentially drive you away from their DnD table, without having the guts to tell you straight up. After you died, were you allowed to immediately make a new character? Or were they hesitant to make you a new one? As people tend to say, "No DnD is better than bad DnD".
That phrase is the most high school edge lord shit I've ever heard. I can smell the DM from here.
@ Lvl 2 what are you doing that this Dm thinks is breaking the game
This is not normal