New DnD Player Dissatisfied with Character’s Performance in Combat Despite Having Wild Strengths, Dungeon Master Attempts to Improve Player’s Experience

Author image for Eleonora Bader
Eleonora Bader
Apr 8, 2024 1:00 PM EDT

What is a Dungeon Master to do when one of their players is unhappy in their campaign? The player in question had a circle of shepherd's druids but was continuously dissatisfied with her character's performance in combat. She primarily relied on spells like Ice Knife and Magic Stones, occasionally healing when necessary, but was upset her wild shapes were weak. Her DM was at a loss of what to do, because they offered her advice on utilizing her summons and other abilities effectively, which didn't help. She was also expressing frustration during gameplay, and even though the DM knew it wasn't their responsibility to keep her happy, they were still concerned. So, the DM posted to r/dnd, asking fellow DnD players for help on how to solve the issue, well aware they might get some answers they didn't like. Scroll down to read the thread, and then check out these Harry Potter memes for potterheads who enjoy the wizarding world.

Advertisement
  • 01
    Dealing with a player who feels useless at the table but actually has the most impact on the game
    via u/Lucimon45
  • 02
    This is a very strange one. The player in question has a circle of shepherds druid, which is arguably one of the strongest subclasses in 5e. Especially for me as a DM her summons are painful. However, during every encounter, the player doesn't seem to enjoy it. Most of the time, she just uses Ice Knife or Magic Stones and if heals are needed, she heals. She is also pretty unhappy that her wildshapes are pretty weak.
    via u/Lucimon45
  • 03
    Since she is a new player and druid isn't the easiest class by far, I took her aside and gave a bitbof advise, that her summons are absolutely bonkers. Also her unicorn spirit totem buffers up the whole group for 14 temp HP each, yet she still feels useless. She also doesn't want to use her high level spells just in case something goes wrong and she needs to revive someone (there is no Cleric or Barf in the party). I think her character is one of the most impacted one's in the whole group, so I
    via u/Lucimon45
  • 04
    The only thing bugging me is that after every failed check/save/attack or a low roll on healing, I always hear a "man im so useless" comment. That feels like she's not enjoying the game at all and that somewhat k "s the fun for me too. I offered her to swap the subclass to moon druid if she wants stronger wild shapes or even switch the class entirely. But she doesn't want it. I'm a bit out of ideas but I don't want to give up. And before you all say that it's not my responsibility that everybody
    via u/Lucimon45
  • 05
    Psychological-Wall-2 1 day ago The only thing bugging me is that after every failed check/save/attack or a low roll on healing, I always hear a "man im so useless" comment. Respond, "No. That was just a low roll." TBH, this really sounds more like negative self- talk than anything. 2.0k Reply Share YRUZ 22 hr. ago DM ngl i felt the same way when i played shepherd druid, although my issue was likely related to me dumping con and having 11 hp at level 3. 203 Reply Share ...
    via u/Psychological-Wall-2, u/YRUZ
  • 06
    Erinofarendelle. 20 hr. ago Oh hey! I'm currently playing a shepherd Druid, where I made Con her second- lowest stat. She's my first ever DND character... I didn't realize how important Con is 100 Reply Share ... YRUZ 20 hr. ago DM yeah, out of all classes, druid is the one where con is the least important; but mind you, my character had a 5 in CON, so a -3 modifier. if you have your CON at 10 or 11, you'll be fine. 53 Reply Share ...
    via u/Psychological-Wall-2, u/YRUZ
  • 07
    Begoneeth 1 day ago I struggled personally with this for a while, and one cause of this is being locked out of your "cool thing" I was a human fighter in 3.5 who mostly focused on tripping and sundering. This meant that unless I was going up against something with two legs and a weapon (and something I didn't just k l in one hit), I didn't get to do the thing I designed my character to do. We were fighting some low level bandits and I found myself ki ing 2/3 of them, the last one getting sniped
    via u/Begoneeth
  • 08
    During the encounter, I felt flat-out useless. Like I didn't get to do anything that encounter and I got carried through it. However, statistically, (as I was later told by my DM, I had done the most. My insane AC and HP had tanked for the rest of the party, and I still got to I'll the majority of the bandits. I only felt like I wasn't useful because I had a different notion of what "useful" was. TL;DR, ask the player what they want out of their character. It seems like they'd get a lot of enjoy
    via u/Begoneeth
  • 09
    WoNc. 22 hr. ago OP, this person's comment is honestly the best advice you can get. It doesn't matter if her character is objectively powerful or if her contributions are objectively useful. It matters how well they align with what makes her feel useful. While it's possible to reframe her idea of usefulness via conversation, it's often also easier to just help someone achieve their own vision of it. 327 Reply Share ... KaiTheFilmGuy - 17 hr. ago This. Simply ask what would make her feel useful a
    via u/WoNc, u/KaiTheFilmGuy
  • 10
    Does she prefer rolling high skill checks and doing lots of damage? Try rogue. Or skill checks and magic? Try bard. Or high AC and damage? Try paladin. A 22 Reply Share ...
    via u/KaiTheFilmGuy
  • 11
    Emotional-Total-5435 1 day ago I'll preface by saying that I had this same exact problem not too long ago in my main campaign I've been playing in for 4 years now.djm I've been cooking with a Divination Wizard Rock Gnome, a powerful combination of traits considering portent, the gnome's advantage on mental saves against magic and the ample spell list of the wizard. Yet in every combat I felt utterly powerless, as if the. outcome of fights wouldn't change at all without my presence. Just like you
    via u/Emotional-Total-5435
  • 12
    The way I fixed my issue, along with many talks with my DM, was by identifying the root of the issue, in this case what could make me feel useful. I took a long minute to think about what would make me feel useful for my party, after applying minor changes here and there that ultimately didn't help. Turns out, while I built my character to be amazing at roleplay and scenarios that aren't combat, all I secretly wanted was to smack bad guys in the face with a stick. And so my gnome now has a blade
    via u/Emotional-Total-5435
  • 13
    Rabid Lederhosen 1 day ago What's her issue with swapping to Moon Druid? Because I agree that seems like a good idea. 139 Reply Share ... Vinterbjork 21 hr. ago Indeed, Druids feels like one of the easiest classes to change subsclass on lore wise. Moon Druid is great for shapeshifting, and if you want some versatility (and less luck dependant with Dragon Form) Stars is amazing. Lands could be an good option if one wants some short rest spellslots with Natural Recovery, not having to worry as muc
    via u/Rabid_Lederhosen, u/Vinterbj0rk
  • 14
    BunsenHoneydews Eyes 20 hr. ago It's so interesting to me to hear so many folks talk about summoning as being their go to. I just finished a campaign of CoS and my DM kept things super scarce as I guess is the norm for that book. So I never got the gilded acorn or gilded whatever you need to do most summons. I kinda missed it, but never felt useless really. There are so many cool Druid spells. That said, I did get to finally cast Draconic Spirit in the final battle because I found a Pipes of Hau
    via u/BunsenHoneydews
  • 15
    WizCrafting 23 hr. ago I think this is a bit of a new player problem who does not quite understand the impact of certain spells and abilities. If you are new I think getting big hits with big numbers makes you feel good. Cause it is easy to understand. But as you progress you understand the impact of other things. Druide is not a class for big numbers, but many, many small numbers. So this could be difficult for someone new. If you just healed like 5hp and then the fighter next to you hits for 2
    via u/WizCrafting
  • 16
    TheHalfwayBeast - 23 hr. ago Honestly, that sounds like me during my first few sessions - because I have de n and anxiety, and was really concerned about Doing Well. Being Useful. The fact I was playing an Arcane Trickster alongside three heavy hitters wasn't helping. Eventually, I managed to relax a bit and have fun. Learning more about what I could do helped. 36 Reply Share zarroc123 19 hr. ago DM I've had Rogues be the DPS carry of groups before. Sneak Attack can really add up. Glad you reali
    via u/TheHalfwayBeast, u/zarroc123
  • 17
    DefinitelyPositive 1 day ago In my campaigns, when I want to 'test' my players and see how they play in combats (both style and skill), I introduce a dream/vision sequence (that ofc is tied in to the plot). In this dream sequence I include a fight at some point, and make it clear that losing has no negative consequences but winning will make a difference (a blessing, lore reveal etc) and most importantly, any resources spent will be reset on waking up. I think this is one way even for anxious/co
    via u/DefinitelyPositive
  • 18
    Of course, there's no guarantee for that- and whining players are going to whine no matter what usually because there's nothing rational behind it, only perceived nonsense notions. OOC, you could talk to them about it and say as it is- when they complain about feeling useless, it brings you down too. Ask them what you can do to help mitigate that; or tell them to tone it down, failing is part of the game. IC, you could mitigate it a bit mechanically by introducing an item with a "Lucky" feat, al
    via u/DefinitelyPositive

Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.

Tags

circle of shepherds druids healing fantasy dming combat roll dice druid tabletop games dnd roleplaying players dungeon master dnd spells characters dnd campaign dungeons and dragons
Scroll Down For The Next Article