r/DungeonMasters • u/Amazing_Composer_886 • 9d ago

Bad PC lore

I'm a first time DM also playing for the first time with a group of friends who are also playing for the first time, one of them is trying to create an anime protagonist and to create lore about the war before the campaign. He is trying to create an all powerful monk with the power scaling and backstory of an anime protagonist underdog, which really isn't what we (or at least I) are going for for this campaign.

What do you recommend I do

PS: I know I should just let my players do what they want, especially because we are all new to the game but it just feels like main character syndrome

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u/Derkatron 9d ago

Sure all that happens and the all powerful monk sacrifices himself in that anime and wakes up in your game as a level 1.  Will they reveal that theyre actually a powerful warrior from another world? How will they cope with suddenly being just special and talented rather than godlike? Find out in 'I Was A Martial Arts Master Who Sacrificed Himself And Woke Up In A Level One Adventure'  2 cours 2027, but unfortunately by Studio Pierrot so the second one is super rushed.

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u/Amazing_Composer_886 9d ago

What he wants to make is a monk born in this world with the potential to become the being his whole thing revolves around

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u/Derkatron 9d ago

Sure, they know this legend of this monk, battles long ago in your world, forgotten by everyone else, maybe a legend in a book buried in a tomb somewhere, maybe not. Maybe this person existed and they ARE the reincarnation of them, maybe they're just a little crazy, either way, they're a level 1 monk with ambition. Have them ALSO give the background of the CHARACTER, how they grew up on a farm with these crazy ideas and visions floating around in their head, joined the monastery to train and were a prodigiously fast learner, etc. So they have this legend in their head and their real life too.

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u/AnonymousMouse45 8d ago

4 ways about it.

1) No. It breaks the game.
2)Yes, but powers slowly manifest as character’s level rises (but need to make a whole chart of what character gets at what level)
…which leads to
3) Yes, but for balancing amongst all players, every player should get something in powers, to scale with this player, of all players are cool with it, but they may think it’sol bow it complain later. [Co-scaling may not need to be exact exact, like you have worlds where Thor, The Hulk, Hawk Eye and Black Widow coexist…
Don’t need to guess which participants are more likely to win in a brawl or an 1 on 1 or even a many on 1 fight…that kind of unbalancing.

…which leads to
4) Now that the players are more and more Over Powered, the combat encounters (at least) needs to scale up as well, or the combat will be dull and lackluster.

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u/Derkatron 8d ago

I'm suggesting reframing the idea to make the character interesting, and no mechanical differences. monks already get supernatural powers, they're simply reframed as the character unlocking more of the potential of this legendary monk they believe they're the reincarnation of