Half Dragon Mindflayer

[Darkside]

As some of you may know, I've been having issues with our DM in our campaign that hasn't even started. Added to the long list of transgressions, he's allowing my boyfriend to play as a half-dragon mindflayer. You read right. Mind. Flayer. The half dragon I could live with, but super psychic brain sucker? That's beyond ridiculous, espcecially since his other character is a bloody Celestial.

 

After much debate, they voted me replacement DM. However, the old DM won't relinquish his command unless I let him -not my boyfriend, him- play as the all powerful half-breed. I can't talk them out of it, but the game will be no fun if we're having to face gold dragons at first level just to have a challenge. And there's no one else who'll play. What do I do?

[jaguars4ever]

[Kaftan Barlast]

Your group is in the ages 13-14 correct? I would say that you will simply have to allow these kinds of things in order for the players to get it out of their system so they will realise its bad and begin to play more seriously when they get older.

 

 

I mean, the first character I ever created for an RPG was an indestrictible cyborg with a giant tubolaser cannon for Mutant(classic swedish cyberpunk game). And in Drakar&Demoner me and a friend played giants who started a hockey tournament where we played against dragons and minotaurs

[Skynet]

Kill the kid.

 

OR

 

Ask everybody if they think it is fair for him to have such a huge advantage over the rest of his party. If you play your cards correctly, they will rally behind you. Also, try not to seem too aggresive against the old DM; intense conflict over this issue will surely bring the same in the near future.

[Weiser_Cain]

Point out being a halfdragon mindflayer is impossible as mindflayers can only be created by an illithid tadpole(spawned hermaphroditically mind you) converting a human into a Illithid, any other creature turns into a half-Illithid.

So it'd be a Half-illithid Halfdragon.

[Cantousent]

Dump 'im. He ain't worth it.

[Calax]

I said no, but you could toss a nice little thing called a Red Dragon at him for him to take down by himself.

[Archmonarch]

While Im all for player creativity, this is too much. There are several solutions I can see. First, try to tell him the build is illegal. If he is as much of a rules-lawyer as you previously mentioned, it might dissuade him from the char, though it is strange how often rules lawyer DMs become munchkin players. If that doesnt work, persuade the other players of how much of an advantage he would have. No one likes being second fiddle in a roleplaying game, especially as there is an unspoken understanding that you are as important in a campaign as you make yourself.

 

If neither of these work, simply announce you are using level adjustment rules without the buyout variant presented in Unearthed Arcana. A mindflayer character is naturally LA +7 and has 8d8 HD. The half-dragon template (using the version in the MM) is LA +3. Together this adds up to LA +10 and 8d10 HD (the half-dragon template bumps the HD die up one). Thus, his character would be the equivalent of an 18th lvl character even before his first class level. Allow everyone else to create characters normally at 18 or 19th if you want him to have a single class level. See how he feels about outlandish builds after that. It is usually better to use an idiot's stupidity against him than to force him to an unwelcome conclusion.

 

If you use this final method, also force him to roleplay his character. Good or neutral mind flayers are practically non existent. His alignment and actions should reflect that. Feel free to penalize him in exp or rewards if he does not live up to this obligation.

Edited October 25, 2005 by Archmonarch

[Moose]

I saw a similar problem happen once in SW-RPG. Someone wanted a deathstar.

 

In the end a compromise was reached by picking up the guys toy deathstar and feeding it peanuts.

[213374U]

What? No Illithid half-dragon? What kind of game is that?

 

Next thing you'll say is that you won't be allowing for the Tarrasque as a familiar, right?

 

How the hell are your players supposed to slay gods if you deny them the basic tools!? <_<

[Musopticon?]

The thread has reached it's potential. I just grinned. :D

 

 

Seriously though, Skynet and Archie are right. Very right.

Edited October 25, 2005 by Musopticon?

[Judge Hades]

*Urk*

 

How the hell can someone justify a half dragon mind flayer to even exist. They are anthropomorphic asexual amphibians. Meaning adult mind flayers are basically both sexes and create clutch of tadpoles when they reproduce. Mind Flayers have no way for a dragon, polymorphed or not, to have sex with.

 

Also there are only a very few races that are even compatible with ceremorphosis. Humans and elves are the only races that make good stock for the process of the tadpole illithid to be inserted. Gnomes have been tried but they create only mutant progeny. For all other races the ceremorphosis doesn't take hold and kills the host and tadpole.

 

Physiologically speaking there is no possible way for a half dragon mind flayer. I know you are a bunch of teenies but lets use some common sense here. Besided that would be a +12 ECL. That means, with class level that bugger would be the equivelent power of a 13th level character.

[Sarjahurmaaja.]

Kill him. He's a monster and a horrible abomination, after all.

[Judge Hades]

Think of the experience!!!!

[Judge Hades]

What do I do?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Now the initial shock is over here is my advice and remember, I have over 20 years of DMing experience.

 

As a DM this is what I do with difficult players: drop an elephant on him metaphorically speaking. He wants to play an abomination, an aberration, so let him. Just create a nice 10th to 15th level Paladin/Cleric, and his party who have heard of this evil incarnate creature and let them rip the character apart. These guys are not concerned with the lower level party members because they are not the abomination, not the evil that must be destroyed.

 

Also keep in mind that the mind flayer has to eat a sentient mind at least once per day or it will lose strength and starve. All the more reason for the paladin and his posse to kill the abomination. As for the other party members take note of their backgrounds and alignments. Why would a NG celestrial be even around such a creature. The moment his true nature is revealed the celestrial would either kill him (try to at least) or have nothing to do with him. Penalize for bad role playing.

 

So, let the guy play his abomination. Grin happily. Then kill the bugger within the first hour of the campaign, legitimately. My fastest kill is 47 minutes and you would be surprised how a player will step in line and make a character less outlandish when he or she knows that there are consequences involved.

 

Drop the elephant.

 

EDIT: Almost forgot about the Githyanki an the Githzerai. These guys love to kill illithids and being such abomination of incredible power they would send their top hunters, the ones with the silver vorpal swords that can kill with a single it or choasmatter magics to blast the bugger with. :D

Edited October 25, 2005 by Hades_One

[metadigital]

Dump 'im.  He ain't worth it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This is why you shouldn't date geeks ...

[213374U]

No geek would try to play a half-dragon mindflayer...

 

...as there are lots of prestige class combinations that allow for far greater Ultimate Power... :ph34r:

[Darkside]

Ah well, brilliant ideas that I was planning to employ, but my opposition to the "Thing", as I call it, got me switched back out with the old DM in record time. The DM took the half-dragon side away since I was able to convince him it was physically impossible, but the mindflayer remains.

 

As for the Celestial, I had to make that one myself since the DM was busy (go figure). It was a Ghaele, always chaotic good and super powerful, but the player (my boyfriend) was bent on being chaotic neutral. So I made him an exile, stripped of all the cool powers and with only half the bonuses.

[Cantousent]

You're obviously playing with a group of ten year old special ed students. I would simply say, "screw you and your horse, and then try to pass yourself off as college aged. Get in with a more mature group. Oh, goodness, did I just refer to college age as "more mature?" I'm tired, kid. It's all I got.

 

Dump the boyfriend anyhow. He's a yutz.

[Child of Flame]

Eldar I am college aged.

 

Darkside is more mature than me!

 

And all boys are yutzes from that age until somewhere between eighteen and thirty depending on the guy.

[Judge Hades]

You know, Darkside, if you lived in Ames Iowa I would let you join my little group of malcontents. Trust me, no one here would want to play something uber like a mind flayer or celestrial. When you play an uber character it makes you the target of the DM.

 

Such as in one early 3e campaign a player was playing a pretty damn powerful monk. During the course of the campaign he found himself in a situation where he will get severely hurt or killed. For example the party captured a kobold who was part of a raiding party. The primary weapons of these kobolds were one shot wands of fireballs that did 6d6 points of damage. The Monk convinced that the party that they should let the kobold live which in turn the kobold will take the party to the lair of his tribe. The Monk gave back the kobold's wand thinking it was used. It was not. :ph34r: The kobold led the party to a hallway in the lair of the kobolds. While going down the hall the paladin was "Detecting Evil" which only the kobold radiated. The Paladin told the kobold to get out of the way so he could detect evil. Well, the kobold led the party to a trap and shoved the wand of fireballs up the arse of the monk and send him a fiery enema. You can't use Evasion from a fireball when the wand of fireballs itself was shoved up your butt. MAX DAMAGE!!!! (w00t) The kobold's buddies launched their attack soon after with flaming arrows "

 

Nearly killed the whole party with that encounter.

 

During the course of the campaign I killed the monk 2 times, avia the neck. First time it was with a necklace of strangulation. Then it was a vorpal sword for a quick critical.

[Kaftan Barlast]

Thats doesnt quite sound like a serious way to deal with the problem of overpowered PC's. The GM should never set out with the goal of "getting" the party, that is not fair or fun in the least.

 

Either you adjust the adventure after the power of the PC's or you tell the players they have to adjust their characters.

[Tsel]

You could have also created a special custom made cursed item.

Just for the half dragon mindflayer to sport, that couldn’t be removed except via a god or another equivalent, to knock’em down a few notches.

 

Tsel

[metadigital]

Thats doesnt quite sound like a serious way to deal with the problem of overpowered PC's. The GM should never set out with the goal of "getting" the party, that is not fair or fun in the least.

 

Either you adjust the adventure after the power of the PC's or you tell the players they have to adjust their characters.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

But if the character is the "chosen one" ...

[Gabrielle]

How lame can you get? A half dragon mindflayer??? I would see to it that this persons character met a bloody end.

Edited October 26, 2005 by Gabrielle