Techniques to offset perceived inequities among player characters derived from differences in capability.
27
votes
7answers
702 views
What makes a character/creature/power/ability/etc. over-powered?
In generic terms, what makes something, regardless of what game it's being used in, over powered?
I hear the term a lot, and while I can recognize it when I see it in-play (often due to someone ...
24
votes
12answers
2k views
How does a DM correct the balance after accidentally giving the players too much gold?
Inspired by some of the answers to Pitfalls of using the optional 'XP for Gold' rule in a Basic D&D Retro Clone game?
As DM/GM, you slipped up and ended up giving the PCs significantly ...
23
votes
9answers
1k views
Is there a limit to Rule 0?
Rule Zero: All other rules can be changed by the GM.
I appreciate that there is a massive amount of work that goes into be a GM and the last thing that any GM wants or deserves is to have his ...
22
votes
10answers
595 views
How do I balance game interactions between a giant mecha that can level cities and its pilot?
I have had recurring trouble with a subject I like, and would like to implement into my games, but can't find a good way to do so: mechas (big huge robots)
From a system point of view, it is usually ...
17
votes
6answers
723 views
How to encourage a player's creativity without breaking the game?
I've just started a new D&D 4e campaign with a new group of players. One of my players came straight from 2nd edition, and has never played 4e before. She doesn't seem to grasp the layer of ...
14
votes
5answers
292 views
Rules for player inventions
To illustrate what I mean, let me give a quick example:
In the-dark-eye, there is a Staff Ritual named Hammer des Magus (No idea what the term is in english). Its effect is that everything ...
12
votes
8answers
4k views
Vow of Poverty, overpowered or underpowered?
I have read plenty of things about VoP in forums, and i have seen both opinions expressed.
If i understand it correctly, it does work on the assumption of a linear magic item acquisition from the ...
12
votes
5answers
303 views
How can I balance an enemy that my players might encounter at different levels?
My story revolves around 8 angels that my players must defeat. The thing is I want them to look for them in no particular order. How can I balance an enemy easily in advance, since they may encounter ...
12
votes
4answers
439 views
How can one prevent the gadgeteer edge in Savage Worlds from becoming overpowered without banning or nerfing it into oblivion?
According to the text in the Deluxe Edition of Savage Worlds, the Gadgeteer edge available to weird scientists (WS) allows a player to indefinitely accumulate devices at a rate of one per session, ...
12
votes
3answers
594 views
Balancing a monk variant with full base attack bonus
I'm gearing up for a 2-person campaign (my wife and myself, with myself as DM). The party will be two characters, with occasional hirelings/NPCs. One of the characters will be a DMPC (we've run one ...
11
votes
5answers
302 views
How can I stop a large level disparity from being a problem?
In my campaign, my players each have several different characters at the home base. Every session, they pick which one they want to play. However, some players always use the same one and so have more ...
11
votes
2answers
465 views
My players almost die in my encounters every time. Does this mean my encounters are too hard?
I'm running my first campaign with three friends. This is the first time any of us have done any table-top role-playing. I'm working the party through the H1: Keep on the Shadowfell campaign using ...
11
votes
3answers
615 views
How can you balance a system without making it bland?
In one of my long-term PvP LARP games, we've done a lot of work trying to balance the system we're using, either by banning certain "classes" or "powers" or by altering their specs slightly to make ...
11
votes
2answers
194 views
What's the easiest way to adjust a module intended for 5 players so that it can accommodate 6 players?
I'm playing with a 6 character group in the H series of modules, Keep on the Shadowfell and Thunderspire labyrinth, which are both intended for 5 players.
Frankly the combats are usually too easy, ...
11
votes
4answers
332 views
Rules modifications for Exalted Clinches
In the basic rules for Exalted a successful clinch allows the attacker to do the all of following:
Squeeze the target for damage
Reduce the targets DV to zero
Changes the tick on which the target ...
10
votes
6answers
723 views
My fifth level PC has a +2 longsword but that's about all
How much can any single possession take up a character's wealth? For this question, I'd like answers that operate under the presumption that wealth-by-level isn't a minimum but instead a target.
I've ...
10
votes
6answers
318 views
How to deal with broken combos?
Based on Rob Schwalb's article Stuck in the Middle:
How do you, as a player or DM, deal with choosing or forbidding broken combos in your character, group, and system?
10
votes
3answers
316 views
How should I handle nerfing a player for the purposes of game balance?
Background
I run a Live Action Role-Playing game on a monthly basis (from March through November) for anywhere from 10-30 PCs (with 3 other Plot members and anywhere from 0-10 NPCs). The majority of ...
10
votes
3answers
397 views
Players rolling all of the dice in D&D 4th Ed
I was looking at the variant rules listed in the Unearthed Arcana, and noticed one that I think could work pretty well in 4th Ed.
Players Roll All The Dice
Basically it turns the monster's attack ...
8
votes
2answers
2k views
Dealing with Tome of Battle's power inflation
Wait, your swordsage can run up and stab a guy with a fireball (which
he's immune to), on top of a normal attack. He can do this 4 times,
and take a one round break to get a full charge again?
...
8
votes
2answers
462 views
Would magic 'weapons' make the monk more balanced?
The monk in D&D 3.5 (and, to a lesser extent, in Pathfinder) is generally considered underpowered.
Would adding magic 'weapons' that could add enhancement bonuses and magic weapon effects to a ...
8
votes
4answers
668 views
Is magic, hacking, or rigging vital for balance in SR4?
I play Shadowrun now and then but ignore magic, hacking, and rigging in my games. Every time I mention this to others they tell me that I should just play Cyberpunk or d20 Spycraft. I ask why, and the ...
7
votes
4answers
231 views
Pathfinder Battle Royale!
A friend and I were thinking about doing a Colosseum battle to the death with our group, for game sessions when not everyone was there, or just to let people test out character builds.
What we were ...
7
votes
3answers
5k views
Is two-weapon fighting only as a full-round action balanced versus fighting with a two-handed weapon?
One of the players in a Pathfinder game in which I am playing is arguing that characters should be able to get the additional attack for fighting with two weapons when attacking as a standard action, ...
7
votes
1answer
450 views
Will magic items with raw stats break game balance in DnD4e?
I, and all the players in my campaign, are all experienced WoW players. (Multiple 85s, reminiscences of 40-man raids when your class — no matter who you were — sucked but was somehow better, etc.…) I ...
6
votes
2answers
179 views
Would a greatsword that is +1/+3 vs aberrations unbalance my game?
My current D&D 3.5 campaign is about aberrations and I want to give my low-level characters an advantage against aberrations. (They're level 2 at the moment). One of my players is playing a ...
6
votes
3answers
404 views
Minor Effects for Magical Items
I tend to prefer high-magic fantasy games, where magical items can be purchased (at around the DMG prices, in D&D) in many large(ish) towns - it's common for the very well-off to have magical ...
6
votes
1answer
140 views
Using Arms Law with HARP: does this affect play balance?
I've played HARP using both the rules in the core rulebook for combat, as well as those presented in Martial Law. I felt neither gave a good result but Martial Law was better. I've played Rolemaster ...
5
votes
10answers
568 views
Balancing players' rolls, not characters
I have been the worst dice-roller in my party as far as I can remember. Be it D&D 3.5, 4th Edition, or any other dice based system, the goddess of luck has always been mean to me.
To give you an ...
5
votes
4answers
305 views
What can be done to maintain balance in a magic system in which mages must construct their own spells?
I'd like to build a magic system in which every spell is a one-off. A spell is created to serve a particular purpose and is cast once. I'm thinking that the time and place of the casting would be ...
5
votes
4answers
599 views
Balancing a mixed game in nWoD
Jadasc raised a great point here.
There are few problems that can challenge a mage that won't completely outclass a vampire, unless the vampires are extraordinarily experienced or well connected ...
5
votes
1answer
325 views
Power levels of RIFTS classes
Someone posted this link to a set of "tiers" for D&D 3.5 classes, and it got me thinking.
I haven't played RIFTS in forever, and one of the reasons is the wide disparity in class power and ...
4
votes
3answers
383 views
Why do Weapon Mastery feats have the requirements they do?
I've been playing and DMing in Epic tier for some time now, and have introduced quite a few house rules already (mostly common ones - free expertise feats, free improved defences), and I'm wondering ...
4
votes
3answers
124 views
How do I estimate puzzle durations?
I'm looking to run an immersive/ARG style LARP and I'm trying to block out the time that I'm estimating players will spend on different tasks. One part of this is going to involve puzzle solving, and ...
4
votes
1answer
276 views
What steps should I go about to balance a character class?
I'm trying to tweak/balance the Wizard (and to a lesser extent the Cleric) class(es) in Pathfinder.
The two things that really irritate me are:
Spell components. Tongue of frog and Eye of newt ...
3
votes
2answers
762 views
Leaders Healing too powerful/polarizing in 4e?
My friend and I were having a discussion about Leaders in D&D 4e.
At any rate, it was suggested that it would be better if our party had fewer leaders rather than more: their main purpose ...
3
votes
1answer
94 views
How can I maintain game balance at extremely high levels of power in a point-build system?
More specifically, how do I keep the game fun when all parties involved are extremely powerful? The game I'm asking this about is a Wild Talents 2nd Edition game where everyone is built on a budget of ...
3
votes
3answers
316 views
Better Weapon Focus
Last time a played DnD it was 3.0, I remember, the Weapon Focus feat, thinking ti is kind of dull, but sometimes prerequisite for more advanced feats.
So I would changed it in a way like:
...
2
votes
1answer
244 views
Rebalancing the Orc Brutes in Thunderspire labyrinth?
The Orc Beserker is a miserably designed sack of hitpoints:
Orc Berserker
HP 66; Bloodied 33
AC 15; Fortitude 17, Reflex 13, Will 12
Speed 6 (8 while charging)
Greataxe ...
