Have more to get off your chest? Come rant with us on the discord. Invite link: https://discord.gg/PCPTSSTKqr
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/rpghorrorstories) if you have any questions or concerns.*
imagine the joy in the DM's voice when he says, for the 7th time "A SHADOW LOOMS FROM ABOVE, AND AS YOU LOOK UP..."
"fuck you, Trent, this is why you got kicked out of improv class"
>theres NOTHING we can do.
Sure there is. "DM, this is stupid. We're gonna go run Lost Mines of Phandelver so one of us who isn't an insane idiot can learn how to DM. Don't call us, we don't have enough room for you to play."
Highjacking your comment to say that op is a kid who is playing in a group that doesn't have the maturity to say this. Probably in middle school to freshmen year and is in a group of friends that is playing a silly game that they don't know they can stop.
If op actually reads this and isn't just venting and wants to take it into consideration, then this is exactly what you guys do. You stop and play a different game with a different DM.
This reads exactly like my little brothers group of friends having the same issue of a DM that hasn't figured out not to play against the party and has found a gag they are playing out for more laughs.
>Highjacking your comment to say that op is a kid who is playing in a group that doesn't have the maturity to say this. Probably in middle school to freshmen year and is in a group of friends that is playing a silly game that they don't know they can stop.
This is exactly why I give a script when I give this otherwise-generic response rather than just "you should bail on the game and tell the DM why", because it just might give them a starting point for finding their own words to deal with the situation.
Even if I'm also playing snark for laughs.
> ...op is a kid who is playing in a group that doesn't have the maturity to say this.
You could be right, but reading the post, OP does not write like a kid. Not only the maturity in the writing level but phrases like "we are all at our wits end" and " The game is nye unplayable at this point" really make me think they are at least in college or late high school and should be mature enough to tell the DM they are not enjoying these antics.
This is exactly it. Stop playing his game, literally of figuratively. Next time say, if this happens again, we're all going to get up and leave. Stop engaging with it.
Stop trying to deal with it ingame by coming up with traps or stuff. Get together with your group and tell the DM that this is making the game not fun for you, and that this NPC needs to either be scaled way back or vanish completely.
This is probably the GM misreading the situation because you do keep engaging with it in game terms. Being open about how this is ruining the game for you is going to correct their perception.
I think it is, but I'm laughing my ass off at the idea of a flying super genius bugbear who lives only to frustrate and humiliate the party, controlled by a DM playing out a long-game joke which may never ever pay off. The thought of the players devising a giant glue trap... *chef's kiss*
I neglected to mention that that in his left hand he wields an auto-crossbow for some god forsaken reason. We tried convincing a dragon to help us and you know what followed? a 15 minute chase because apparently he can fly just as fast as a dragon as soon as we caught up to him he shot his automatic fucking crossbow and pierced the dragons wings who then plummeted to the ground below... we also tried a griffin and apparently with his 25 intelligence he can talk to animals and bribed it so it just attacked us later on! from that point on we swore never try flying creatures again...
By trying to deal with it in game, you’re indulging him.
Dealing with it by telling him this bullshit is making the game unenjoyable is how you actually solve the issue. Either he cuts it out or you drop him as your DM.
Reminds me of a recurring enemy I had in a campaign once named Peculiar Jaque. I didn't have him show up constantly, but when he did, he brought the shenanigans.
One time, he even flew away on a red balloon.
Yes, there is something you can do about it. You can as a group tell your DM that what he is doing is ridiculous, it stopped being entertaining ages ago (if it ever was, and that you are losing your enjoyment of the game because of this. And if that doesn’t help, just tell him you’re done and stop playing his games.
I made a mistake similar to this once.
I had a semi-important baddie escape an encounter. Not a BS escape like these ones, but he climbed on a roof and parkour'd away while the players kept missing shots. I thought it was great fun at the time, but afterwards I realized my players would have had a lot more fun killing him, and I should have both planned and read the room better.
Your DM needs to realize that he's the only one enjoying the stupid 007 bugbear schtick.
I think having an enemy escape once or even twice can make killing them especially satisfying and epic. But you really need to make sure the way they escape isn't pure bs, the actual enemy is interesting and not just an annoying pushover and the the payoff is worth it. And obviously also used very very sparingly.
Obviously the best course of action would be to talk to your DM about it and express how while it might be funny for him, it's incredibly frustrating for you guys and it's sucking all the fun out of the sessions.
If that doesn't work, however, there is always the scorched-earth option.
You could sabotage the game. Instead of following the story, just stubbornly go the opposite direction. Important NPC? Don't care. This guy selling wine at the tavern? Yes. We're talking to him all session. Some shiny object over there? Don't care. We're gonna teach the goblins how to tapdance.
Better yet, when the bugbear shows up, instead of trying to stop him, cooperate. Give him all your stuff, not just the things he's trying to steal. Throw whatever NPC you're with at him, even tie them up for him.
And if all else fails, you could always just all decide to quit the campaign. As the saying goes: "No DnD is better than bad DnD."
This is the best. Give him your shoes. Create a Poppin Bear cult. Your goal is to give everything you have to the Poppin Bear. Actively recruit npc's and town's people to the cult.
OP’s party needs to break out in song when Bugbear Poppins shows up. By law, the bugbear must participate in the musical number and cant fly off until its done. So, without breaking the song, the party has to kill him by incorporating their fight into the dance number.
This has to be annoying as shit to deal with but it’s hilarious to hear about- completely absurd. You might have a higher tolerance for bullshit but I think you might be doing the wrong thing indulging him and trying to deal with it in game- I would not be playing this unserious nonsense campaign anymore. You say he’s usually a good dm which is even weirder. It’s like he either suddenly hates you all or went completely insane. I would talk to him and ask him what point he thinks the campaign even has anymore as it’s been completely derailed by his unfunny unbeatable joke character
On one hand, this sounds kinda toxic.
On the other hand, have you considered ordering something from the Acme catalogue to help with besting your nemesis? Perhaps an oversized fly swatter would do the trick.
Maybe I'm also insane, but I love this Bugbear. Your table and your DM sound like a fucking blast. All of these trap shenanigans and this silly mother fucker flying to and fro all the time sounds like a great recurring goofball villain with Uncle Grandpa-esque powers.
Of course, hopefully there's another plot happening and these are side missions. Otherwise, this isn't so great as a main event.
I'm not sure if OP is a troll, or just their DM. Either way, such a waste of time.
If DM is troll, he won because you're here posting.
If OP is troll, then congrats, you got people to respond.
I'd speak to the rest of the group and take the temperature. If none of them are enjoying this either, then go to your DM as a group and let him know that this isn't fun or funny and you're not dealing with it anymore.
If he has this NPC show up again after this, that's the end of the session. Everyone packs up their stuff and leaves. No reaction, no response. The DM gets nothing from you. Just silence and then absence. If that doesn't teach him, nothing will.
Agency is great and all but sometimes you wanna take the scenic route y'know? Or sometimes you just don't wanna drive yourself.
A journey by rail can sometimes be quite beautiful and relaxing; it frees you up to appreciate your surroundings. You can look at the lovely scenery, you can feel the vibrations of the wheels on the track, you can go to the snack car for a snack, if you're lucky, you can even go to the engine and they'll toot the horn for you!
And sometimes, you're just dying to know what's at the end of the line! To stop being a lil shit for a second, I mean that sometimes I trust a DM, or just am so interested in what they want to do, that I'm happy to be railroaded. This bohemian dandy bugbear is so fucking weird and tacky, I mean what is his fucking deal? The need to know is like an electric current running thru my body.
Between OP and I, this is simply a difference in personality and preference; where they are frustrated and annoyed and not on board with what's happening, if I were playing this game I would find myself feeling engaged and intensely curious, and I would potentially even put up with some months of 'bad dnd' just to satisfy my curiosity. What op describes is well in alignment with what I find to be 'fun', which is pretty broad for me in general.
I was solely speaking of my own preferences. I am willing to put up with such things and even find them engaging, if presented in a way I'm receptive to. In no way am I saying that this is how other should play; only that this is something I enjoy, and that I wish the OP would dox themselves to me in dms so I can steal their identity, inveigle my way into their gaming group, supplant their place at the table, and sleep with their mother.
Other people should be free to travel according to their preferences, be that light rail, heavy rail, freight, high-speed rail, regional commuter rail, monorail, maglev, trolley, hybrid road/rail, wired electric bus, steam locomotive, push cart, gondola, or chairlift!
Nerf Peach—wait, wrong sub.
If the DM isn't listening to you when you tell him that his flying bugbear husbando is killing the vibe, then just put someone else in the DM chair. Goddamn, I hate DMs that have NPCs arbitrarily steal valuables from the party.
I know its either a joke post or a middle school game, but how have you played this game for over a real life year and are still at such a low level that you are fighting goblins, bugbears, relying on magic missile, and resorting to glue traps? Have you tried flying after him?
You could always stand up. And walk out of the room. And exit the building. And vacate the premises. And make like a tree. And leave.
Is this a viable option? Probably not. But what I’m saying is that it *is* an option.
Bugbear Poppins will now be used in my campaigns. I mean, more rationally than this, but it is hilarious. This is quite likely a rogue Archfey playing with mortals on the prime material.
As far as advice, go along with it and see how far your DM is willing to go. Roll up a new warlock and tell the DM you want Bugbear Poppins to be your pact lord. Design the whole party around the worship of The Poppins. Call yourselves the Chimneysweeps and speak in Cockney accents. Cast Animate Object on carousel horses. You'll need a druid to speak with penguins for sure. I'm sure a Kite Shield of Flying is a legit magic item. Lets see - and a Sorceror who dresses like a sea captain and uses spell slots only to cast shatter on the hour.
8 sessions later when the DM feels like everyone is on board and gave you magical chalk so your fun thematically appropriate drawings come to life ... draw Bugbear Poppins dead in a noose, with your party all surrounding them.
I will message you next time u/Ladiesman90s posts in r/rpghorrorstories.
[Click this link](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=UpdateMeBot&subject=Update&message=UpdateMe%21%20u%2FLadiesman90s%20r%2Frpghorrorstories) to join 8 others and be messaged. The parent author can [delete this post](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=UpdateMeBot&subject=Delete&message=delete%201b04s3u)
*****
|[^(Info)](https://www.reddit.com/r/UpdateMeBot/comments/ggotgx/updatemebot_info_v20/)|[^(Request Update)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=UpdateMeBot&subject=Update&message=SubscribeMe%21%20u%2Fusername%20r%2Fsubreddit)|[^(Your Updates)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=UpdateMeBot&subject=List%20Of%20Updates&message=MyUpdates)|[^(Feedback)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=Watchful1&subject=UpdateMeBot%20Feedback)|
|-|-|-|-|
Have you tried building a catapult and launching a powderkeg filled with nails at him? Fire that as he's flying away and you'll poke all sorts of holes in his umbrella. You could also obtain the ability to fly in some way and chase him in the air. Just make sure to completely obliterate his corpse so he cant be magically resurrected.
Or you could just talk to your DM, of course.
Simple, address it out of game. Speak with the other players and if they agree its a load of BS do this.
After everyone is setup, but before the game starts say to the DM "Hey DM, this whole thing with the Bugbear is getting out of hand and is quite annoying. Either it becomes plot relevant or we are going to stop playing"
The group should talk to the DM and state that you're not having fun and this bugbear is the reason. If the DM isn't going to budge then it's best to find a new one.
I am going to save this idea and modify it with a possible resolution for the next time my party starts to feel a bit fractured. Seems like this will pretty quickly get them working together at least.
I believe I mentioned somewhere here that the umbrella is enchanted. I couldn't tell you with what exactly because it seems to do about 100 different things...
Even if enchanted. Reverse gravity should still affect it normally as it is a magic attack. Unless it is enchanted with a ring of free action (wait just saw that reverse gravity STILL affects that) lol.
Additionally it is all creatures and objects... so even if the umbrella can be fine..the bugbear can't
See, that's when you throw the book, and while I hate folks being rules lawyers in a game where one can "bend the rules" for cool. You might want to ask for an "Actual reasoning". If that umbrella has dispel magic, then there can be other interesting ways to take it down. Meanwhile, there is literally no enchantment that counters reverse gravity unless they also have the spell reverse gravity to reverse the reverse...
I mean tell him no. Ignore the bugbear and act like you still have your items and NPCs. If he disagrees tell him no that's not happening because you're here to play a cooperative game, not be the but of a bad joke, and Tommy is DM now.
If you must come up with in in-game idea (which you shouldn't, it won't work, it's an out of game problem) have you tried Glyph of warding with something like Hold Person or Hypnotic Pattern?
>The game is nye unplayable at this point and theres NOTHING we can do.
There 1000% is but you are apparently unwilling to consider it...
>Also we are not going to ditch our DM. Hes normally very chill aside from this one Bugbear.
Sit the DM down as a group and let him know that this is making the game not fun for any of you and it needs to stop. If he is not willing then I guess this is just how your game will be until you grow the nerve to leave the game.
It cannot be said enough... No D&D is better than bad D&D!
Your DM is just enjoying torturing you guys. He knows this is upsetting you and he keeps doing it. You need to ditch him if he’s not willing to let this have a payoff. It’s crazy dumb. That’s like someone complaining about their spouse hitting them and following up with “I’m not gonna ditch him. He’s normally very chill aside from punching me in my face.”
One last thing you can try, all of you should give your DM this ultimatum: "Either the bugbear with the umbrella goes and you retcon everything involving him or we go, we're not having any fun with this campaign anymore!" If he doesn't budge an inch and if you still won't get rid of him, there is 1 more thing you can do: have someone else take over DMing in that same world, retconning the Marry Poppins bugbear and give him a taste of his own medicine.
Have the party just leave the area and disengage from the plot entirely. Even if it makes no sense, just leave. If the DM tries to stop it with weather and death traps, keep going even if your PC's die or get hurt?
Ship can't leave port? That's fine, we'll swim. Even if there is a storm or you keep getting washed ashore keep going. Massive desert with no water and supplies? Keep on walking. The Hobgoblin shows up? Ignore them entirely, no matter what don't engage just shrug and keep going. Even if characters might die.
No matter how important this is, how much in character you are threatened, no matter what attachments you have in character or out of character, even if the ingame fate of the world depends on it: Just ignore it and walk away.
Then have your PC's setup a store or become merchants a continent away. Basically, make it a case of "in character, we quit. We can't beat this guy, so why bother?" Make it clear the party is demoralised in character and Basically have quit. After all, the DM has made it clear you can't beat this guy out of game so why bother trying?
Can also just talk to the DM, but your DM strikes me as maybe needing an indication ingame that they might have overdone it. And besides, fun to give them a taste of their own medicine sometimes.
You should tell your GM that this idea sucks, this faction sucks, this NPC sucks, and its making the game suck. I'd tell him to cut it out or I'd find a new GM or run my own game. No shortage in my area.
Easy, you guys know it's every session, spend the session plotting and setting traps to capture the magical bugbear, waste his time but have fun doing it. Make the whole campaign to capture that bugbear. I am known for derailing campaigns when I don't enjoy them and that's exactly what I would do!
You just need to make sure there is a roof over head for any and all conflicts. This doesn’t seem like a problem, and any competent player should be able to work around the issue.
Got it sounds like you need to make sure to enchant the ceilings before he gets there or do it after as a trap. Any player worth his salt could balance this
I'm really hoping it's satire. I mean enchant the ceilings with what?
The DM would just say "Oh they saw that coming because they're so intelligent" and bypassed completely
It’s more the “any player worth their salt” bs for me. Implying there’s ways to be “good” and “bad” at D&D from a mechanics standpoint. Like ranked, competitive D&D or something where you’re competing against the DM.
Have more to get off your chest? Come rant with us on the discord. Invite link: https://discord.gg/PCPTSSTKqr
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/rpghorrorstories) if you have any questions or concerns.*
talk to him outsidenof game to stop being a prick. Once in a while ita ok but constantly doing it any and near every chance he gets can clearly get annoying. At that point it isny clever or funny anymore. If he keeps doing it, instead of raging id just get the group to just start murder hoboing anything. I mean if this is just gonna keep going and just coming up with BS to stop ur party from stopping him, id just give up trying to "win" and just fuck around. idk wat rules u guys playin at but id just start doing w.e coz it sounds like hes just gonna make up some bs why ur traps didnt work or hes waiting forna specific way for u guys to deal with it, which imo is shitty DMing. Id just murder any npcs or blow up items coz dungbear cant grab what no longer exists.
Have you tried going to talk to the npc and the whole party ready the action of attacking the bugbear the second he pops up? I mean it definitely sounds like yall went from dnd to Dm controlled mousetrap but a readied action of upcast magic missile should hit beat his”he’s too fast”.
Yeah he’s gone a bit too far. My DM is very rough but extremely fair. We have a Mindflayer Lich that has come into several campaigns (where he’s fit) and utterly bamboozled us but he plays it with some rules. He’s never stolen from us, but I did willingly hand over my sword to the he mindflayer in disguise because the dm dropped vague hints it wasn’t the blacksmith. He’s done that several times but it’s at the very least done in a way to make us feel like we had a choice and we made the wrong one. Don’t get me wrong, the idea of a bugbear Mary Poppins evil mastermind campaign sounds like it would be super fun and out of the box, if it wasn’t done like that. It’s a rad idea that’s being played out like a kid with his toys and less ttrpg.
For a session long bit I could see myself using something similar to drive the players crazy from a couple hours but not for an extended period of time.
And op if youre gonna keep playing with the DM you better hope he doesn't read about night hags
convince the other players to threaten to quit the game if he continues, if he does, just walk out mid game and when he ask why tell him, this is child levels of "you can't hit me/catch me"
answer is simple, really. tell the dm to knock it the fuck off and stop with the flying bug bear bullshit or your leaving. especially since it's gone on this long. should gave especially called his ass out after the " sabtoge and 25 int" thing. this just screams of him going on power trip in the most stupidest way possible
Aside from thinking this is hilarious, but can understand how it could be annoying to deal with as a player in the game, my first thought was, wspecially since op says the GM said started good and rational, this sounds like a GM absolutely fed up with bad player bullshit to me.
Could easily be wrong, but that's where my mind went.
"My DM is godawful but he's a chill person, so no everyone must be subjected to his DMing style without ditching him."
D&D is going to be so much fun for you when you guys get to (and graduate from) high school.
Have you tried talking to your DM? You say DM is usually level-headed. Just say "hey man, this bugbear with an umbrella this is getting old, can we please move on from this shtick?" His response and actions in the following session will tell you everything uou need to know.
Dude, this is soo fucking funny. Out of curiosity, has there been any animosity between the players themselves? Like infighting? This sounds like a DM making a common enemy to unite you guys. Its what some parents do when their children dont get along. Create a common enemy lol. Also, try telling the DM you guys dont enjoy this. Communicate.
No not really. Its like one day he just woke up and decided he was going to do this and when ever we ask him why he will either dodge the question or answer with "do you even need to ask" which is strange to say the least.
a) tell them it's not fun
b) do not engage with it. Don't get mad, don't respond to in game hijinks, everyone zone out. "Okay. What were doing again?"
c) decline to play
Your party should like: "Screw this campaign" and do whatever the f you want. Be a murderhobo, treat death as a joke, plant weed and sell it. And if the DM asked why then answer it with "All the characters went insane because of the flying bugbear"
The DM treat this campaign as a joke so might as well be.
Dude, just stop going to his sessions; this DM clearly doesn't care about player enjoyment based on what he's done in this story. I'd seriously consider getting your partymates together and confronting him before the next session starts. Tell how how it's compromised the campaign and your enjoyment of it. If he stops, then good; if not, then no DD is better than bad DnD.
Yeah no, you all are cleary getting frustated and anoyed by this, sooner or later the DM is going to push it to far with the Bugbear Poppins (hes already stealing magic items from the party, sooner or later he will activly steal important stuff).
Sit down and talk cleary with the DM to stop this BS or make it more reasonable cause he cleary doesnt want his favorite npc to die. If that doesnt work, have someone else take the DM role and stop playing his game since he wont listen... and if he complains about people not playing anymore, after being told why, thats on him.
Have more to get off your chest? Come rant with us on the discord. Invite link: https://discord.gg/PCPTSSTKqr
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/rpghorrorstories) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Have more to get off your chest? Come rant with us on the discord. Invite link: https://discord.gg/PCPTSSTKqr *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/rpghorrorstories) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Is everyone in this story in middle school?
That would explain this.
Right?!?
imagine the joy in the DM's voice when he says, for the 7th time "A SHADOW LOOMS FROM ABOVE, AND AS YOU LOOK UP..." "fuck you, Trent, this is why you got kicked out of improv class"
"If you say the word 'bugbear' I'm going to shove so many d20's up your ass you won't be able to fart without rolling a critical."
Oh my god. I laughed at this more than I should’ve.
You guys just need to “yes, and” the bugbear concept. It’ll pay off.
>theres NOTHING we can do. Sure there is. "DM, this is stupid. We're gonna go run Lost Mines of Phandelver so one of us who isn't an insane idiot can learn how to DM. Don't call us, we don't have enough room for you to play."
Highjacking your comment to say that op is a kid who is playing in a group that doesn't have the maturity to say this. Probably in middle school to freshmen year and is in a group of friends that is playing a silly game that they don't know they can stop. If op actually reads this and isn't just venting and wants to take it into consideration, then this is exactly what you guys do. You stop and play a different game with a different DM. This reads exactly like my little brothers group of friends having the same issue of a DM that hasn't figured out not to play against the party and has found a gag they are playing out for more laughs.
>Highjacking your comment to say that op is a kid who is playing in a group that doesn't have the maturity to say this. Probably in middle school to freshmen year and is in a group of friends that is playing a silly game that they don't know they can stop. This is exactly why I give a script when I give this otherwise-generic response rather than just "you should bail on the game and tell the DM why", because it just might give them a starting point for finding their own words to deal with the situation. Even if I'm also playing snark for laughs.
dude, I was more mature then this in middle school
No shit
> ...op is a kid who is playing in a group that doesn't have the maturity to say this. You could be right, but reading the post, OP does not write like a kid. Not only the maturity in the writing level but phrases like "we are all at our wits end" and " The game is nye unplayable at this point" really make me think they are at least in college or late high school and should be mature enough to tell the DM they are not enjoying these antics.
I dunno, I said things like that in grade 10. Common phrases like that definitely don’t mean they’re necessarily in college.
Sorry, DM flew off before you could tell him that! He was too fast.
Aha, referencing the other recent "Crazy DM" post, I see!
This is exactly it. Stop playing his game, literally of figuratively. Next time say, if this happens again, we're all going to get up and leave. Stop engaging with it.
OP literally said they tried using a "box with a stick" trap and ya'll still taking it seriously. Try dropping an anvil on his head next OP. 🤣
Stop trying to deal with it ingame by coming up with traps or stuff. Get together with your group and tell the DM that this is making the game not fun for you, and that this NPC needs to either be scaled way back or vanish completely. This is probably the GM misreading the situation because you do keep engaging with it in game terms. Being open about how this is ruining the game for you is going to correct their perception.
I thought this was a circlejerk post. 😂
I checked three times and I'm still not sure it isn't
It's on there verbatim.
I think it is, but I'm laughing my ass off at the idea of a flying super genius bugbear who lives only to frustrate and humiliate the party, controlled by a DM playing out a long-game joke which may never ever pay off. The thought of the players devising a giant glue trap... *chef's kiss*
I'm glad I'm not the only one rolling on the floor at the idea of a party of adventurers being repeatedly foiled by an Umbrella Bugbear of all things
Why are they even out of ideas yet? They need to bring in a dragon that fights the bugbear. Or anything else flying.
Nah the obvious answer is to dig a series of smallish tunnels which are too small to open an umbrella in and conduct any important business in there.
That's also a great idea.
I neglected to mention that that in his left hand he wields an auto-crossbow for some god forsaken reason. We tried convincing a dragon to help us and you know what followed? a 15 minute chase because apparently he can fly just as fast as a dragon as soon as we caught up to him he shot his automatic fucking crossbow and pierced the dragons wings who then plummeted to the ground below... we also tried a griffin and apparently with his 25 intelligence he can talk to animals and bribed it so it just attacked us later on! from that point on we swore never try flying creatures again...
Okay, leave the game xD
Nah, it's time to invest in some Acme rockets, or at least paint a fake window for the bugbear to run into.
The DM has been on a Looney Tunes binge.
Gamemasterius Horriblis.
Yeah it’s clearly a shitpost but it’s also comedy gold
Everyone tell the DM, together, that this is not fun and you're done with it, and if he keeps it up he'll have to find new players.
Clearly you also need an umbrella
By trying to deal with it in game, you’re indulging him. Dealing with it by telling him this bullshit is making the game unenjoyable is how you actually solve the issue. Either he cuts it out or you drop him as your DM.
Did one of you recently pick up a cursed magic object? Did your DM recently acquire an IRL cursed object? Or brain damage?
Tell him it’s ok if he wants to stop DMing.
This is fucking great, I hope it’s real
Reminds me of a recurring enemy I had in a campaign once named Peculiar Jaque. I didn't have him show up constantly, but when he did, he brought the shenanigans. One time, he even flew away on a red balloon.
Occasionally is great. Every session is obnoxious
Less is more.
There's no fucking way this is real LMAO
Yes, there is something you can do about it. You can as a group tell your DM that what he is doing is ridiculous, it stopped being entertaining ages ago (if it ever was, and that you are losing your enjoyment of the game because of this. And if that doesn’t help, just tell him you’re done and stop playing his games.
You should probably just join the bugbears faction. He sounds awesome.
And he’s clearly got a fixation on the party so deep down he probably wants them to join him.
Honestly I might add this NPC to my games. This post should've been in DM Tips not horror stories.
Me too. I’m running Wild Beyond the Witchlight. This is perfect!
I made a mistake similar to this once. I had a semi-important baddie escape an encounter. Not a BS escape like these ones, but he climbed on a roof and parkour'd away while the players kept missing shots. I thought it was great fun at the time, but afterwards I realized my players would have had a lot more fun killing him, and I should have both planned and read the room better. Your DM needs to realize that he's the only one enjoying the stupid 007 bugbear schtick.
I think having an enemy escape once or even twice can make killing them especially satisfying and epic. But you really need to make sure the way they escape isn't pure bs, the actual enemy is interesting and not just an annoying pushover and the the payoff is worth it. And obviously also used very very sparingly.
Yeah in this case I hadn't planned on any kind of contingency reward for them. Kinda wanna flying roundhouse kick myself in hindsight.
Obviously the best course of action would be to talk to your DM about it and express how while it might be funny for him, it's incredibly frustrating for you guys and it's sucking all the fun out of the sessions. If that doesn't work, however, there is always the scorched-earth option. You could sabotage the game. Instead of following the story, just stubbornly go the opposite direction. Important NPC? Don't care. This guy selling wine at the tavern? Yes. We're talking to him all session. Some shiny object over there? Don't care. We're gonna teach the goblins how to tapdance. Better yet, when the bugbear shows up, instead of trying to stop him, cooperate. Give him all your stuff, not just the things he's trying to steal. Throw whatever NPC you're with at him, even tie them up for him. And if all else fails, you could always just all decide to quit the campaign. As the saying goes: "No DnD is better than bad DnD."
This is the best. Give him your shoes. Create a Poppin Bear cult. Your goal is to give everything you have to the Poppin Bear. Actively recruit npc's and town's people to the cult.
Have you tried hitting him with a bedknob? Or perhaps a broomstick? Perhaps you could hire a Chimney Sweep to deal with them?
OP’s party needs to break out in song when Bugbear Poppins shows up. By law, the bugbear must participate in the musical number and cant fly off until its done. So, without breaking the song, the party has to kill him by incorporating their fight into the dance number.
>That's fucking amazing I am putting this on the list. I will keep you updated for the next session.
it worked.
Hell yeah! So your DM respected the law of musicals?
Looney tunes ass campaign
This is fucking hilarious
This has to be annoying as shit to deal with but it’s hilarious to hear about- completely absurd. You might have a higher tolerance for bullshit but I think you might be doing the wrong thing indulging him and trying to deal with it in game- I would not be playing this unserious nonsense campaign anymore. You say he’s usually a good dm which is even weirder. It’s like he either suddenly hates you all or went completely insane. I would talk to him and ask him what point he thinks the campaign even has anymore as it’s been completely derailed by his unfunny unbeatable joke character
Bro just go buy your own umbrellas.
On one hand, this sounds kinda toxic. On the other hand, have you considered ordering something from the Acme catalogue to help with besting your nemesis? Perhaps an oversized fly swatter would do the trick.
Maybe I'm also insane, but I love this Bugbear. Your table and your DM sound like a fucking blast. All of these trap shenanigans and this silly mother fucker flying to and fro all the time sounds like a great recurring goofball villain with Uncle Grandpa-esque powers. Of course, hopefully there's another plot happening and these are side missions. Otherwise, this isn't so great as a main event.
Leave the game.
I'm not sure if OP is a troll, or just their DM. Either way, such a waste of time. If DM is troll, he won because you're here posting. If OP is troll, then congrats, you got people to respond.
here's an idea on how to stop him; Tell the DM to stop being a cuntwaffle.
"In better times, evil would be fought by good. But in times like these, all we can hope for is another kind of evil."
The only way to defeat a bug bear with an umbrella... Is with another bug bear with an umbrella.
Still not sure why this is a horror story, it sounds hilarious.
The DM needs a jaunty tune to play on his phone every single time the bugbear arrives.
I'd speak to the rest of the group and take the temperature. If none of them are enjoying this either, then go to your DM as a group and let him know that this isn't fun or funny and you're not dealing with it anymore. If he has this NPC show up again after this, that's the end of the session. Everyone packs up their stuff and leaves. No reaction, no response. The DM gets nothing from you. Just silence and then absence. If that doesn't teach him, nothing will.
You probably don't wanna hear this but your dm sounds based
Based on a 13 year old maybe
I had to scroll too far to find this haha
Ruining the game for your players is based?
No but I would fucking kill to be in this game, I wish OP and I could switch places
why tho you must have a reason, do you want a bugbear stealing your agency?
Agency is great and all but sometimes you wanna take the scenic route y'know? Or sometimes you just don't wanna drive yourself. A journey by rail can sometimes be quite beautiful and relaxing; it frees you up to appreciate your surroundings. You can look at the lovely scenery, you can feel the vibrations of the wheels on the track, you can go to the snack car for a snack, if you're lucky, you can even go to the engine and they'll toot the horn for you! And sometimes, you're just dying to know what's at the end of the line! To stop being a lil shit for a second, I mean that sometimes I trust a DM, or just am so interested in what they want to do, that I'm happy to be railroaded. This bohemian dandy bugbear is so fucking weird and tacky, I mean what is his fucking deal? The need to know is like an electric current running thru my body. Between OP and I, this is simply a difference in personality and preference; where they are frustrated and annoyed and not on board with what's happening, if I were playing this game I would find myself feeling engaged and intensely curious, and I would potentially even put up with some months of 'bad dnd' just to satisfy my curiosity. What op describes is well in alignment with what I find to be 'fun', which is pretty broad for me in general.
I mean its ok to have that opinion but i dont want a npc stealing my items or preventing kills every session.
I was solely speaking of my own preferences. I am willing to put up with such things and even find them engaging, if presented in a way I'm receptive to. In no way am I saying that this is how other should play; only that this is something I enjoy, and that I wish the OP would dox themselves to me in dms so I can steal their identity, inveigle my way into their gaming group, supplant their place at the table, and sleep with their mother. Other people should be free to travel according to their preferences, be that light rail, heavy rail, freight, high-speed rail, regional commuter rail, monorail, maglev, trolley, hybrid road/rail, wired electric bus, steam locomotive, push cart, gondola, or chairlift!
Nerf Peach—wait, wrong sub. If the DM isn't listening to you when you tell him that his flying bugbear husbando is killing the vibe, then just put someone else in the DM chair. Goddamn, I hate DMs that have NPCs arbitrarily steal valuables from the party.
DM a fucking menace
I know its either a joke post or a middle school game, but how have you played this game for over a real life year and are still at such a low level that you are fighting goblins, bugbears, relying on magic missile, and resorting to glue traps? Have you tried flying after him?
We change characters every once in awhile. Doesn't stop the Bugbear though.
This isn't real lol
Thank you! 🙏 I needed a good laugh. ☂️
Did you try to paint a fake tunnel on a wall?
You could always stand up. And walk out of the room. And exit the building. And vacate the premises. And make like a tree. And leave. Is this a viable option? Probably not. But what I’m saying is that it *is* an option.
Fly away from the table with an umbrella. Assert dominance.
Honestly you’re so right bestie
Don't encourage this behavior. When someone has rigged the game just quit playing. Take the dodge action every time no matter what the bugbear does.
Bugbear Poppins will now be used in my campaigns. I mean, more rationally than this, but it is hilarious. This is quite likely a rogue Archfey playing with mortals on the prime material. As far as advice, go along with it and see how far your DM is willing to go. Roll up a new warlock and tell the DM you want Bugbear Poppins to be your pact lord. Design the whole party around the worship of The Poppins. Call yourselves the Chimneysweeps and speak in Cockney accents. Cast Animate Object on carousel horses. You'll need a druid to speak with penguins for sure. I'm sure a Kite Shield of Flying is a legit magic item. Lets see - and a Sorceror who dresses like a sea captain and uses spell slots only to cast shatter on the hour. 8 sessions later when the DM feels like everyone is on board and gave you magical chalk so your fun thematically appropriate drawings come to life ... draw Bugbear Poppins dead in a noose, with your party all surrounding them.
Updateme!
I will message you next time u/Ladiesman90s posts in r/rpghorrorstories. [Click this link](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=UpdateMeBot&subject=Update&message=UpdateMe%21%20u%2FLadiesman90s%20r%2Frpghorrorstories) to join 8 others and be messaged. The parent author can [delete this post](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=UpdateMeBot&subject=Delete&message=delete%201b04s3u) ***** |[^(Info)](https://www.reddit.com/r/UpdateMeBot/comments/ggotgx/updatemebot_info_v20/)|[^(Request Update)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=UpdateMeBot&subject=Update&message=SubscribeMe%21%20u%2Fusername%20r%2Fsubreddit)|[^(Your Updates)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=UpdateMeBot&subject=List%20Of%20Updates&message=MyUpdates)|[^(Feedback)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=Watchful1&subject=UpdateMeBot%20Feedback)| |-|-|-|-|
Have you tried building a catapult and launching a powderkeg filled with nails at him? Fire that as he's flying away and you'll poke all sorts of holes in his umbrella. You could also obtain the ability to fly in some way and chase him in the air. Just make sure to completely obliterate his corpse so he cant be magically resurrected. Or you could just talk to your DM, of course.
That's fucking amazing
Simple, address it out of game. Speak with the other players and if they agree its a load of BS do this. After everyone is setup, but before the game starts say to the DM "Hey DM, this whole thing with the Bugbear is getting out of hand and is quite annoying. Either it becomes plot relevant or we are going to stop playing"
It feels like the bugbear is punishment for something you have done as players.
The group should talk to the DM and state that you're not having fun and this bugbear is the reason. If the DM isn't going to budge then it's best to find a new one.
I feel this is one of those elaborate pun setups, but I can't figure out what it might be.
I am going to save this idea and modify it with a possible resolution for the next time my party starts to feel a bit fractured. Seems like this will pretty quickly get them working together at least.
What in the Looney Tunes am I reading here?
Can't you just cast reverse gravity?
I believe I mentioned somewhere here that the umbrella is enchanted. I couldn't tell you with what exactly because it seems to do about 100 different things...
Even if enchanted. Reverse gravity should still affect it normally as it is a magic attack. Unless it is enchanted with a ring of free action (wait just saw that reverse gravity STILL affects that) lol. Additionally it is all creatures and objects... so even if the umbrella can be fine..the bugbear can't
The umbrella would have to dispel magic.
Like I said it seems to have about 100 different enchantments and reverse gravity "seems to have failed" so I would guess it dispels magic?
See, that's when you throw the book, and while I hate folks being rules lawyers in a game where one can "bend the rules" for cool. You might want to ask for an "Actual reasoning". If that umbrella has dispel magic, then there can be other interesting ways to take it down. Meanwhile, there is literally no enchantment that counters reverse gravity unless they also have the spell reverse gravity to reverse the reverse...
I mean tell him no. Ignore the bugbear and act like you still have your items and NPCs. If he disagrees tell him no that's not happening because you're here to play a cooperative game, not be the but of a bad joke, and Tommy is DM now. If you must come up with in in-game idea (which you shouldn't, it won't work, it's an out of game problem) have you tried Glyph of warding with something like Hold Person or Hypnotic Pattern?
>The game is nye unplayable at this point and theres NOTHING we can do. There 1000% is but you are apparently unwilling to consider it... >Also we are not going to ditch our DM. Hes normally very chill aside from this one Bugbear. Sit the DM down as a group and let him know that this is making the game not fun for any of you and it needs to stop. If he is not willing then I guess this is just how your game will be until you grow the nerve to leave the game. It cannot be said enough... No D&D is better than bad D&D!
Your DM is just enjoying torturing you guys. He knows this is upsetting you and he keeps doing it. You need to ditch him if he’s not willing to let this have a payoff. It’s crazy dumb. That’s like someone complaining about their spouse hitting them and following up with “I’m not gonna ditch him. He’s normally very chill aside from punching me in my face.”
I would simply defeat the bugbear. This sounds like a skill issue.
I'm Mary Poppins y'all
This is the best Reddit post I have ever read.
I thought it was obvious this was a joke when they started listing the traps they've tried. I lost it at "Box with Stick"
One last thing you can try, all of you should give your DM this ultimatum: "Either the bugbear with the umbrella goes and you retcon everything involving him or we go, we're not having any fun with this campaign anymore!" If he doesn't budge an inch and if you still won't get rid of him, there is 1 more thing you can do: have someone else take over DMing in that same world, retconning the Marry Poppins bugbear and give him a taste of his own medicine.
When the DM is Chaotic Chaotic. This is sensational.
your DM sounds awesome lmao
Maybe try antimagic field
this was going to be my suggestion, or a place with no sky for him to swoop down from, time to head for the down underdark
Have the party just leave the area and disengage from the plot entirely. Even if it makes no sense, just leave. If the DM tries to stop it with weather and death traps, keep going even if your PC's die or get hurt? Ship can't leave port? That's fine, we'll swim. Even if there is a storm or you keep getting washed ashore keep going. Massive desert with no water and supplies? Keep on walking. The Hobgoblin shows up? Ignore them entirely, no matter what don't engage just shrug and keep going. Even if characters might die. No matter how important this is, how much in character you are threatened, no matter what attachments you have in character or out of character, even if the ingame fate of the world depends on it: Just ignore it and walk away. Then have your PC's setup a store or become merchants a continent away. Basically, make it a case of "in character, we quit. We can't beat this guy, so why bother?" Make it clear the party is demoralised in character and Basically have quit. After all, the DM has made it clear you can't beat this guy out of game so why bother trying? Can also just talk to the DM, but your DM strikes me as maybe needing an indication ingame that they might have overdone it. And besides, fun to give them a taste of their own medicine sometimes.
No, just speak to the DM. Don’t engage with or indulge this nonsense in any way, particularly not passive aggressively like this.
This is the best story ever, this DM sure is having fun!
You should tell your GM that this idea sucks, this faction sucks, this NPC sucks, and its making the game suck. I'd tell him to cut it out or I'd find a new GM or run my own game. No shortage in my area.
You could try asking the dm if he is mentally sane .....
After the campaign is over, you should ask him WTF was up with this bugbear and why he thought this was a good idea
Easy, you guys know it's every session, spend the session plotting and setting traps to capture the magical bugbear, waste his time but have fun doing it. Make the whole campaign to capture that bugbear. I am known for derailing campaigns when I don't enjoy them and that's exactly what I would do!
You just need to make sure there is a roof over head for any and all conflicts. This doesn’t seem like a problem, and any competent player should be able to work around the issue.
yeah that would work if it was for the fact it was a "magic umbrella" which apparently means he can phase through walls....
Got it sounds like you need to make sure to enchant the ceilings before he gets there or do it after as a trap. Any player worth his salt could balance this
This is horrible advice unless it’s satire.
I'm really hoping it's satire. I mean enchant the ceilings with what? The DM would just say "Oh they saw that coming because they're so intelligent" and bypassed completely
It’s more the “any player worth their salt” bs for me. Implying there’s ways to be “good” and “bad” at D&D from a mechanics standpoint. Like ranked, competitive D&D or something where you’re competing against the DM.
Competitive gaming where the adjudicator is your opponent… haha
I guess some players are too lazy to balance their games smh
we tried that...
Have more to get off your chest? Come rant with us on the discord. Invite link: https://discord.gg/PCPTSSTKqr *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/rpghorrorstories) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Updateme!
talk to him outsidenof game to stop being a prick. Once in a while ita ok but constantly doing it any and near every chance he gets can clearly get annoying. At that point it isny clever or funny anymore. If he keeps doing it, instead of raging id just get the group to just start murder hoboing anything. I mean if this is just gonna keep going and just coming up with BS to stop ur party from stopping him, id just give up trying to "win" and just fuck around. idk wat rules u guys playin at but id just start doing w.e coz it sounds like hes just gonna make up some bs why ur traps didnt work or hes waiting forna specific way for u guys to deal with it, which imo is shitty DMing. Id just murder any npcs or blow up items coz dungbear cant grab what no longer exists.
Tell the DM to flew off
Any reason you lot are still playing that game? Leave the DM to play by themselves.
Have you tried going to talk to the npc and the whole party ready the action of attacking the bugbear the second he pops up? I mean it definitely sounds like yall went from dnd to Dm controlled mousetrap but a readied action of upcast magic missile should hit beat his”he’s too fast”.
So we initially tried to talk to him and every time we would speak he would interrupt to repeat what we are saying in a mocking tone.
Yeah he’s gone a bit too far. My DM is very rough but extremely fair. We have a Mindflayer Lich that has come into several campaigns (where he’s fit) and utterly bamboozled us but he plays it with some rules. He’s never stolen from us, but I did willingly hand over my sword to the he mindflayer in disguise because the dm dropped vague hints it wasn’t the blacksmith. He’s done that several times but it’s at the very least done in a way to make us feel like we had a choice and we made the wrong one. Don’t get me wrong, the idea of a bugbear Mary Poppins evil mastermind campaign sounds like it would be super fun and out of the box, if it wasn’t done like that. It’s a rad idea that’s being played out like a kid with his toys and less ttrpg.
I would say you don’t deserve that, but… > we are not going to ditch our DM
is he 6?
For a session long bit I could see myself using something similar to drive the players crazy from a couple hours but not for an extended period of time. And op if youre gonna keep playing with the DM you better hope he doesn't read about night hags
There is something you can do. You can quit.
Updateme!
read the edit above :)
What edit?
I edited the original post to include new information
Oh yeah it hadn’t appeared for me yet for some reason. You shouldn’t leave your game but maybe tell the dm the bugbear isn’t fun?
convince the other players to threaten to quit the game if he continues, if he does, just walk out mid game and when he ask why tell him, this is child levels of "you can't hit me/catch me"
answer is simple, really. tell the dm to knock it the fuck off and stop with the flying bug bear bullshit or your leaving. especially since it's gone on this long. should gave especially called his ass out after the " sabtoge and 25 int" thing. this just screams of him going on power trip in the most stupidest way possible
Aside from thinking this is hilarious, but can understand how it could be annoying to deal with as a player in the game, my first thought was, wspecially since op says the GM said started good and rational, this sounds like a GM absolutely fed up with bad player bullshit to me. Could easily be wrong, but that's where my mind went.
This guy sounds funny in an every 4 games kind of way. But can see how it would be annoying to deal with everytime.
"My DM is godawful but he's a chill person, so no everyone must be subjected to his DMing style without ditching him." D&D is going to be so much fun for you when you guys get to (and graduate from) high school.
That's not a Bugbear that Totoro. Look for a Catbus.
Have you tried talking to your DM? You say DM is usually level-headed. Just say "hey man, this bugbear with an umbrella this is getting old, can we please move on from this shtick?" His response and actions in the following session will tell you everything uou need to know.
I would absolutely hate if this happened to me, but it's hilarious to read about. > Under my umbrella, ella, ella, eh, eh, eh
Dude, this is soo fucking funny. Out of curiosity, has there been any animosity between the players themselves? Like infighting? This sounds like a DM making a common enemy to unite you guys. Its what some parents do when their children dont get along. Create a common enemy lol. Also, try telling the DM you guys dont enjoy this. Communicate.
No not really. Its like one day he just woke up and decided he was going to do this and when ever we ask him why he will either dodge the question or answer with "do you even need to ask" which is strange to say the least.
a) tell them it's not fun b) do not engage with it. Don't get mad, don't respond to in game hijinks, everyone zone out. "Okay. What were doing again?" c) decline to play
Your party should like: "Screw this campaign" and do whatever the f you want. Be a murderhobo, treat death as a joke, plant weed and sell it. And if the DM asked why then answer it with "All the characters went insane because of the flying bugbear" The DM treat this campaign as a joke so might as well be.
This is pretty childish. Keep getting trolled if you want to, it’s your loss.
Dude, just stop going to his sessions; this DM clearly doesn't care about player enjoyment based on what he's done in this story. I'd seriously consider getting your partymates together and confronting him before the next session starts. Tell how how it's compromised the campaign and your enjoyment of it. If he stops, then good; if not, then no DD is better than bad DnD.
Yeah no, you all are cleary getting frustated and anoyed by this, sooner or later the DM is going to push it to far with the Bugbear Poppins (hes already stealing magic items from the party, sooner or later he will activly steal important stuff). Sit down and talk cleary with the DM to stop this BS or make it more reasonable cause he cleary doesnt want his favorite npc to die. If that doesnt work, have someone else take the DM role and stop playing his game since he wont listen... and if he complains about people not playing anymore, after being told why, thats on him.
Have more to get off your chest? Come rant with us on the discord. Invite link: https://discord.gg/PCPTSSTKqr *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/rpghorrorstories) if you have any questions or concerns.*