Our DM is somewhat getting annoyed at high-level play, particularily spells. Well, that is the feeling that I am getting.
For example: my character is the party wizard (18th), and he recently acquired Shapechange. Very quickly, and in the middle of play, there was some argument about which forms the wizard knows enough to change into, if Knowledge (Arcana) was sufficient to "know" a creature (since the wizard has something like +31 Knowledge (Arcana), 10+HD is trivial), etc. My DM was very clearly uncomfortable with all the possibilities of the spell, and made some comment on "9th level spells and doing something about them".
I do not want to rehash the arguments already discussed ad nauseam in the "which form can you change into" thread. That's not the point.
The point is that the DM is uncomfortable with high-level magic, and myself am sometimes uncomfortable when choosing the spells for my character, because I see the potential for arguments at the gaming table, which I would like to avoid at all costs.
I try to warn him when I am learning new spells of the potential problems, but it only seems to sink in at the table when the full impact of a spell is realized. I am after all the group rule lawyer, and I try to advise him as best I can about game balance.
We usually play by-the-book, with a minimum number of house rules. There are enough rules to keep track of as it is. I have suggested to the DM that he ban spells he is not comfortable with. I have no problem with that at all. Changing the spell with a house rule in the middle of a game is however more annoying for all parties...
BTW, there is no bad blood between us, we are longtime friends, and we are very much adult about it all (I'm in my late thirties, and I'm the youngest in the group...)
I would however like to know how you handle high-level play in your campaigns, so that some ground rules may be established. For example, do you outright ban spells? What happens when one of your players uses a spell you were not familiar with, but that can break your game?
Any advice for my DM and myself would be much appreciated.
Andargor
For example: my character is the party wizard (18th), and he recently acquired Shapechange. Very quickly, and in the middle of play, there was some argument about which forms the wizard knows enough to change into, if Knowledge (Arcana) was sufficient to "know" a creature (since the wizard has something like +31 Knowledge (Arcana), 10+HD is trivial), etc. My DM was very clearly uncomfortable with all the possibilities of the spell, and made some comment on "9th level spells and doing something about them".
I do not want to rehash the arguments already discussed ad nauseam in the "which form can you change into" thread. That's not the point.
The point is that the DM is uncomfortable with high-level magic, and myself am sometimes uncomfortable when choosing the spells for my character, because I see the potential for arguments at the gaming table, which I would like to avoid at all costs.
I try to warn him when I am learning new spells of the potential problems, but it only seems to sink in at the table when the full impact of a spell is realized. I am after all the group rule lawyer, and I try to advise him as best I can about game balance.
We usually play by-the-book, with a minimum number of house rules. There are enough rules to keep track of as it is. I have suggested to the DM that he ban spells he is not comfortable with. I have no problem with that at all. Changing the spell with a house rule in the middle of a game is however more annoying for all parties...
BTW, there is no bad blood between us, we are longtime friends, and we are very much adult about it all (I'm in my late thirties, and I'm the youngest in the group...)
I would however like to know how you handle high-level play in your campaigns, so that some ground rules may be established. For example, do you outright ban spells? What happens when one of your players uses a spell you were not familiar with, but that can break your game?
Any advice for my DM and myself would be much appreciated.
Andargor