Player problem

[KallMeKip]

So One of the players in our group has become a wall flower and if that wasn't bad enough he sometimes forces the whole group to avoid situations. Here is his reason Character death. Everytime My character had gotten into a situation that should be fatal it ends up getting him caught in it and My character comes out  smelling like a rose.
An example is my character pisses off a powerful wizard the wizard fireballs me. The other player gets caugh in the blast rolls a nat one on his save and takes more d6s than he as d10 hitdie. I however have evasion and make my save. This has happend so many times that he takes no risks and gets angry when another player takes some risk.

I need adivice on how to get him back to his active risk taking self.

[Tadanori Oyama]

His position sounds completely reasonable based on the scenario you describe.

Step 1: Somebody else does something.
Step 2: His character dies as a result.
Repeat.

He's got no insentive to do anything in the game, or let other players do things, if he gets punished for things other people do. You, the other players, and the especially the GM, need to work on not persecuting this dude.

[KallMeKip]

None of the deaths were on purpose. All were freak results of a player doing something. None were ever ment to get him killed or die. Sometimes it was a simple as 4 failled dc 10 swimchecks, hell the last one was dc 5 and he still failed. We had even had a out of character of character plan with the dm to use baby gloves on his character without him knowing but he seems fixed in the pattren. Even though his spell of bad luck is over.

plus his death when i was dming was not my fault. When a player summons a shoggoth i am not responsible for the tpk that insues

[Tadanori Oyama]

Alright, so the problem is that, by astounding coincidence, whatever happens with other players, this character dies or is somehow gravely injuried.

There's only so much of "it's just a game" a dude can take. I mean, dodgeball is "just a game" but when you end up on the ground being pelted by balls every time you play, you learn to keep close to the sidelines or stay off the field altogether.

I'd suggest playing some games with no death  (or at least very rarely) to try and get him to ease into taking risks again.

[KallMeKip]

Ok Im not up for dming dues to the rotating dm schedule we have with this group but I will talk to sundays Gm.

[IDaMan008]

You could talk to the GM about working in a metagame plot device whereby his character is given the power to heal or reincarnate after freak accidents. Maybe a powerful sorcerer who scryed into the character's past lives took notice of his pattern of unfortunate deaths and decided to make him a charm that would allow him to break the cycle. This would encourage him to take his own risks by eliminating the consequence of being hurt by others' decisions. It wouldn't be enough to save his skin if he died in a fair fight, but in situations where his character would hold up the proverbial "YIPE!" sign, he'd bounce back without a problem.

[Mckma]

You could talk to the GM about working in a metagame plot device whereby his character is given the power to heal or reincarnate after freak accidents. Maybe a powerful sorcerer who scryed into the character's past lives took notice of his pattern of unfortunate deaths and decided to make him a charm that would allow him to break the cycle. This would encourage him to take his own risks by eliminating the consequence of being hurt by others' decisions. It wouldn't be enough to save his skin if he died in a fair fight, but in situations where his character would hold up the proverbial "YIPE!" sign, he'd bounce back without a problem.

I read this and remembered the bowl of petunias (I believe it was petunias, as well as his other incarnations) from Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy...

[IDaMan008]

 

I read this and remembered the bowl of petunias (I believe it was petunias, as well as his other incarnations) from Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy...

Agrajag was my favorite character from THHGTG series. I was really sad that Douglas Adams didn't make more use of him.

[Shallazar]

Or play 4e....

[Avoozel]

Firstly, there are worse things imaginable.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_unusual_deaths

Secondly, the oft expressed mantra of "It's only a game" does only go so far, but its important to realize the special type of game.   This is a pen and paper "roleplaying" game.   This is not a first person shooter, or a round of Contra, or Ninja Gaiden.   When a character dies, the story does not go to "Game Over."   Especially in D&D where death is not always permanent.   A group must decide when it starts the game how character death is handled.

In two campaigns I have played in, the characters were either a group of "Chosen Ones" or one character was the "Chosen One."   Then, through players leaving and characters failing saves vs. deadly nasty stuff, the plot felt apart because it all hinged on one character.   Typically getting killed in "chump" fashion (Invisible Ogre Magi w/ Cone of Cold in the parlor).

Yes, no one envisions their burly character, strong of will and mighty in their martial prowess, is going to get blindsided and dropped.   They also don't envision their character getting poisoned, caught in a collapsing building, landing in a pool or water while wearing full plate armor, or failing a save against a gelatinous cube while the rest of the party is in another room.   Shit happens, and a new character is right around the corner ("O, hi Mark II" "O, hi party who I have just met.")

"If you can't take a little bloody nose, maybe you oughtta go back home and crawl under your bed. It's not safe out here. It's wondrous, with treasures to satiate desires both subtle and gross; but it's not for the timid." - Q, Star Trek:TNG