From Newsgroup: rec.games.frp.dnd
On Wed, 30 Sep 2026 09:32:56 -0400, The True Melissa <
thetruemelissa@gmail.comNOSPAM> said this thing:
My munchkin player is at it again. At setup, he created a
ridiculously dramatic backstory and successfully talked me into
trading some charisma points for ambidexterity. Since then, he
retooled his character into a paladin and gave himself dice which
can read people's souls (I didn't realize he thought the dice
were that powerful). He insists that this god wears a Gucci suit,
though I've said no to the anachronism.
Yeah, you definitely have to put your foot down on his trying to
roleplay his character's deity. He can say what he BELIEVES his god is
like but ultimately the DM is in control of that sort of thing.
It does introduce some fun role-playing opportunities, where the PC
says "this is what my god looks like" and either the god itself (or
the church) smacks him down for his heresy. Similarly, he might
BELIEVE his dice have these all-seeing powers, but it's all just in
his head. Let him roll the dice, tell people "This man has a dark
stain on his soul" and be found out to be a fraud. It makes for some
great storytelling opportunities, and he either learns from it... or
not.
But definitely you need to take the player aside and (re-) explain to
him that he controls his character and his character alone. The
effects of magical items, gods, and whatever else he thinks he has
influence over are actually in the purview of the DM. Just so he
understands ahead of time that you aren't 'changing the deal' on him
unfairly; that's just how the game works.
Most recently, he wanted to invent the guitar and introduce
"strange, entrancing tunes." Essentially, he wanted to invent
rock-n-roll and become a medieval Elvis, hoping that fame would
offset the charisma hit he chose. Um, no? I have told him that he
can seek work as a bard, but he'll be using a lute or zither and
should look into folk music.
I always hesitate to say to players that they can't do something. I
just put realistic obstacles in their way (and maybe give them some
warning about possible consequences). Your PC thinks he can fly? Let
them leap off a cliff, flap their arms and see what happens. Who
knows; maybe they're right and they'll soar into the atmosphere! I
wouldn't bet on it, but I won't tell them they can't try. ;-)
So the player wants his character to invent the guitar? Let him try.
But creating a new instrument isn't easy. Does he have carpentry or
musical skills? Is he spending the months and years to experiment and
build? Researching and buying special materials for strings and frame?
No? Then he's gonna end up with something akin to a rubber-band
strapped to a popsicle stick.
And just because he introduces a new style of music and dancing,
doesn't mean any of the NPCs will care for it. Elvis was castigated
for his 'wanton' gyrations and 'uncivilized' rhythms even in the
1950s. A thousand years earlier he might have been burned at the
stake. All the moreso since the lack of mass communication in the
medieval era means your Paladin's new ideas won't be comminicated far,
so he'll have to re-fight the same battles over and over to get his
musical stylings accepted in every single town and hamlet.
So let the Paladin try. It might work out the way he wants; it
probably won't. Either way, it'll be fun to see what happens.
IMO that's one of the main differences between 1e and 5e. In 5e,
we start exceptional. In 1e, we start out as ordinary people and
try to become exceptional.
I often describe the difference between the systems as playing heroes
vs. super-heroes but your description is catchier. ;-)
<Digression mode=on>
The thing is, I don't think 3E (and later) intended to be like that.
It's just that --by making every possible option a learnable skill
with fixed rules and benefits-- that was the result.
I often point to "Bulls Rush" as an example. It used to be that if a
player wanted their character to rush into battle, it was up to the DM
to determine the outcome: the penalties/bonuses, how the monsters are
affected, etc. Nothing was fixed and any character could do stuff like
that at any time. But when "Bulls Rush" became a learnable skill, it
became a 'power' that made the PCs seem exceptional in comparison to
other characters. It -and similar skills- led to a feeling of
continual power creep.
Again, I don't think that was the idea when WOTC redesigned the game
for 3E and later. I think they just wanted to standardize the rules
and put more ideas into the hands of players (especially with combat,
which too many DMs let devolve into opposing lines of foes just
whacking at one another until HP reached zero). The new skills, I
think, were made to enliven the game (and combat specifically).
But they also turned the PCs into superheroes.
</digression>
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2