Advice: Overpowered Abilities

[Retreater]

Last session, I allowed a spell from Xanathar's that seems overpowered. While I tend to be a DM who likes to say yes to his players, I can detect that this one will upset the balance of the game. (I didn't do my due diligence and research that the spell has an OP reputation before the game, because I tend to err on the side of allowing official, published content.)

How do other DM's deal with these situations? Forbid the spell? Make changes to the spell to bring the power level to a reasonable level? increase the difficulty of encounters?

 

[the Jester]

I use the banhammer liberally on material I find unbalanced. Sometimes, I'll let something in on a one-time-only basis to evaluate it, with the caveat that it's subject to change.

 

[Oofta]

Discuss it with your players, explain why you think it's overpowered, ban it if you can't come to an agreement on a modification.

I have a problem with heat metal for example - I run a lot of campaigns where many of the protagonists are human(oid) even at high level and thus in armor. Auto disadvantage while the bard runs away and hides is too powerful IMHO. So if it's cast on armor it no longer causes disadvantage. Still does decent damage, can be used to make the BBEG go to a backup weapon, but not an auto-nerf with no save that also does damage at second level.

 

[Swarmkeeper]

Last session, I allowed a spell from Xanathar's that seems overpowered. While I tend to be a DM who likes to say yes to his players, I can detect that this one will upset the balance of the game. (I didn't do my due diligence and research that the spell has an OP reputation before the game, because I tend to err on the side of allowing official, published content.)

How do other DM's deal with these situations? Forbid the spell? Make changes to the spell to bring the power level to a reasonable level? increase the difficulty of encounters?

Lemme guess.... Healing Spirit?

Initially, I was getting a bit agitated about this spell and worried it was OP, then I took a step back and realized it doesn't really matter that much in the grand scheme of the campaign. Sure it can heal a lot and the whole chacha line for the party to heal out of combat is a little absurd, but at the end of the day it's just a spell that gives the PCs a bit more protection from being deaded and lets them adventure a bit longer before that long rest.

I, too, like to allow the material in any official books into play - and without tweaking much at all since it makes it easier to remember for everyone at the table if it is just RAW.

Stepping up combat difficulty can certainly offer more challenge if the party is wielding something powerful. Also, as in the case of Healing Spirit, have the baddies notice if it gets cast during combat - then have them focus fire on the caster to try to disrupt concentration. The chacha line of healing outside of combat could perhaps trigger a wandering monster "check" (with advantage!). And so on...

So, you get to say yes and step up the challenge level - both of which are usually fun at the table.

Good luck!

 

[iserith]

"Overpowered," "balanced," "OP" - these are words that without qualifiers relative to the specific game are fairly meaningless in my view. What is imbalanced or overpowered about the spell? How does it specifically "upset" your game? Is it really doing that or is this something you feel might at some undefined point in the future? Further, are your players using it correctly? etc.

Without knowing some detail like this, it's hard to suggest a specific solution. In general, I strongly suggest tailoring which source books and rules options you allow based on the kind of campaign you run, especially as it relates to the theme of the campaign. For example, the only time I permit the use of all official, printed WotC material is in one-shots so I can see new stuff in play. (And I don't allow UA.) My campaigns are always highly tailored and never the same way twice because the theme will have changed from campaign to campaign. I don't do this for "balance" issues per se (because I don't care about that in an RPG) but I never seem to have any "balance" issues. So maybe there's something to it!

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[Les Moore]

The LAST time the spell was cast, it was an unbridled success. Next time the spell is cast it will be an epic failure.
Welcome to the wild world of magic. Balance is also at the center of a seesaw...

 

[ad_hoc]

I just don't allow the conga line of Healing Spirit. I don't think that was the intent. No one at the table would think to try it as it feels like trying to abuse the rules. 1 heal per round is fine.

I find most things at my table are fine as no one is seeking to abuse things. We're there to have a good time with each other.

Now, there are some things I won't allow that are WotC published. Hexblade is front and center there. It's incredibly overpowered and the theme undermines, well, the theme of the Warlock. It's just gamey and it overshadows every other patron.

 

[guachi]

I have no problem as a DM coming back next session and admitting that some thing or another was OP or didn't fit the look and feel I was going for or doesn't fit the setting.

In the case of Healing Spirit I don't think the conga line healing fits the spirit (ha!) of the spell and if it was intentional I don't think it fits with other healing spells or 2nd level spells in general. And in any event, when the spell was introduced it didn't fit my game as I was using Gritty Realism and Slow Natural Healing and Healing Spirit doesn't really play well with those rules.

So I basically said the above to my party and ruled that the spell does 10d6 total healing and (out of combat) the caster can distribute 10 six-sided dice to other characters that need healing. It's actually kind of fun to see the player take a fist full of dice and distribute them to the other players. "Can I have one more?" "Me, I only need one. I can use my HD for the remainder"

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Maintaining that concentration is definitely key. Some AOE and/or persistent damage effects will mitigate Healing Spirit (if that is indeed the spell).

I’m thinking a party of drow, with a drow mage. The mage casts Cloudkill. If that doesn’t do it, another drow can drop darkness on the cleric. Now they can’t move the spell around, because they no longer have line of sight.

Healing Spirit’s utility also seems like it’d diminish if the group was spread out or fighting on multiple fronts, rather than fighting in a single formation. Putting some foes at range to draw off some melee folks could also help, as well as having mobs attack from all sides.

If it’s not Healing Spirit, I’d re-read the spell description carefully. A lot of the time (but not always) things that seem overpowered in D&D have mostly come from someone messing the rules up (generally by accident).

Stepping up combat difficulty can certainly offer more challenge if the party is wielding something powerful. Also, as in the case of Healing Spirit, have the baddies notice if it gets cast during combat - then have them focus fire on the caster to try to disrupt concentration. The chacha line of healing outside of combat could perhaps trigger a wandering monster "check" (with advantage!). And so on...

So, you get to say yes and step up the challenge level - both of which are usually fun at the table.

Good luck!