Dealing with choices after they have been made

[Kazuel]

How do you, as GMs or players, deal changing characters after choices have been made? I took the feat Expert Tactician, but my GM feels it's too powerfull the way it is and changed it. Now I want to take a different feat, and my GM is letting me, but I'm a little ticked off that it didn't work like it said it should. I'm tired of making choices, then having them gimped and changed. I don't know really, guess I'm just ranting but I still want your opinions.

 

[Wolffenjugend]

I think your DM probably made the right choice. He designs the campaign afterall, and if he thinks ET is too powerful, well, he should know better than anyone. I think it would have been much worse for the DM to say, ah well, and let it go cuz the problem would continue to affect the game. Better to resolve the problem and make for a better campaign. That being said, when a rule gets changed like that it's best for the DM to give the player some leeway to pick another feat or otherwise adjust his/her character to reflect the change...

 

[Painfully]

The DM has to think a lot more about campaign and game balance overall than the players do.

If one of my players ever takes something I'm uncomfortable with because it might have unbalancing effects, I usually tell them no, offer an adjusted alternative that I feel is more balanced, or let them try it on a trial basis.

Nobody likes to have to go backwards in the campaign to keep things balanced, or consistent. But, in the end, the responsibility lies with the DM to have a clear picture of his own campaign world, and how to keep things challenging.

Most of the time I don't have problems with adding new feats as long as the players remember I can use them for the NPC's, and evil bad guys too. That is usually enough to keep them from asking for overpowered feats outside the core books.

 

[Crothian]

If something turns out to be too powerful the DM has the right to change it. Allowing the feat choice to be rethought is a good way to be fair to the PC. I think it was handled perfectly.

 

[Kazuel]

choices

I understand the DM has to keep a balance, it's just frusterating to find a really cool feat that compliments the character and have it changed on you. Like I said near the end of my original post, I'm just ranting. Thanks for your opinions though.

 

[Aust Diamondew]

I know what you mean. I really hate it when something of mine is changed or I have to change something for game balance.

 

[AeroDm]

The problem is that there are so many feats, classes, and abilities that you can make almost any power combo you want. If players begin abusing power-combos, then the NPCs need to as well or else challenges are no longer challenging. I know that in my games I try to keep things as simple as possible in combat so that emphasis can be placed else where.

To this end, I like to keep things _very_ balanced. Unfortunately that would basically mean not allowing in anything (my old approach) which the players don't like. A much better approach is to allow things in and then change them after they've been playtested a bit- which your DM did.

 

[Darklone]

Hmm. I rather adapt to my players and give them as much freedom of choices as possible... e.g. I give them the books they are allowed to use and other books and feats are only allowed after I had a good look at the character... but prolly I´m just blessed with roleplaying nonpowergamers.

I can understand the DM, but I´d rather give the player his cookie and would put a little bit more effort into my NPCs...