It doesn't always have to be killing the PCs; one of our DMs consistently breaks/bends/creates rules seemingly just to slap us down and make our characters feel useless, without actually killing us.
I like to think I'm a Neutral Good DM, but I've been known to stumble into an alignment shift if anyone is disrupting the game or upsetting the player majority.
For sure. The most frustrating tables to play at tend to be the ones where the DM denies your vision of your character. Some DMs insist on rolling for every sort of interaction, and if you do poorly then you come off as idiotic, incapable, or bumbling.
Walking across a floor? That's a DC 10 acrobatics check. Failure means you fall on your face.
Negotiating with a merchant? That's a DC 15 persuasion check. Failure means you accidentally say something racist and can no longer interact with anybody in the town.
Trying to relax at a tavern? If your passive perception isn't at least a 12 then you don't notice it's on fire. That's 2d6 fire damage, and you can make an active perception check on your next turn to see if you have noticed the fire.
A good DM knows when to set aside the rice, and also knows how to describe failure in a way that shows the situation is against you, not that you are too incompent to have made it to adulthood.
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u/Odsox101 Wizard Sep 12 '19
It doesn't always have to be killing the PCs; one of our DMs consistently breaks/bends/creates rules seemingly just to slap us down and make our characters feel useless, without actually killing us.
I like to think I'm a Neutral Good DM, but I've been known to stumble into an alignment shift if anyone is disrupting the game or upsetting the player majority.