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In your opinion what would you guys do for a party that is getting way to strong way to fast because of other DMs and want to tone them down a-bit without pissing them off?
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In Your Opinion?
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Old Fezziwig
a man builds a city with banks and cathedrals
Is it just XP — I mean, are they advancing too quickly? I'd give out less XP. Cut the total in half.
If it's that they're getting too much treasure, that's trickier. You could give out less for a bit until it balances back out. There's always thieves (although this may not work if it isn't pulled off well — you seem to be aware of the danger of this one). Have people target items with attacks maybe.
This is really vague and probably not of much help, but how are they too powerful? I guess I'm looking for more specifics. Oh — have you tried to talk to the other DMs? This seems like a rotating DM deal, and that's probably a good first step. I apologize if you've already done that, but it bears mention.
Best,
tKL
If it's that they're getting too much treasure, that's trickier. You could give out less for a bit until it balances back out. There's always thieves (although this may not work if it isn't pulled off well — you seem to be aware of the danger of this one). Have people target items with attacks maybe.
This is really vague and probably not of much help, but how are they too powerful? I guess I'm looking for more specifics. Oh — have you tried to talk to the other DMs? This seems like a rotating DM deal, and that's probably a good first step. I apologize if you've already done that, but it bears mention.
Best,
tKL
BigFreekinGoblinoid
First Post
Hmmm... maybe have them use different PC's with other DM's? Otherwise you will never have the level of control you want in your campaign...
Delemental
First Post
questionmark said:
It would help us to answer this question if we had a few more details. This sounds like it's a campaign set in a single world but with multiple DMs. How many people (including yourself) are running the game, and how frequently do you rotate? (Different DM every session, or does one DM run for six months, or somewhere in between)
What do you mean by "getting too strong too fast"? Is it because of plentiful magic items, or are they gaining levels too fast? What would you prefer to see? Is there a specific reason you want a power-down (such as a storyline idea that requires less potent characters), or just want less power in general? Would this have to be a permanent power-down, or only during the sessions you run?
As far as "pissing them off", no player likes to lose things they've 'earned' in game, even if it's really more than they deserve. Have you discussed the problem with the other DMs or the other players? Have there been times in the past where something similar has happened? If so, how did they react?
"Because of other DMs" ??
Do you have a single party in rotating DMs or something? If so, how frequently do you change off? (The reason I ask -- whatever changes get made by one DM/you could easily get undone by the next DM). -- of course, this could also explain "why" (because if they also have characters in the same group, upping the general power level of the group benefits their own character when they go back to PC mode -- but that's conjecture...)
As for the answer to your question (and assuming that you have some sort of rotating dm system or something), depowering a group and not pissing off people that are comfortable/like/implemented the power-up can be tricky. (And, if you are rotating DMs then anyone can undo whatever you do implement).
Possible suggestions (your results may vary depending on the group members)
* rob an item from one person (the one item that is most noticable as a power item gets stolen by a thief / wizard some how). Don't over do this and don't make it seem vindictive, just some item that has been shown to be powerful is obviously going to be coveted by others who seek power
* similar to the above, sunder items..
* undead that drain levels .... permanently..
* change the situations thrown at them - some antimagic area / dungeon that they are trapped in for several games. Creatures with high SR. Stuck on another plane where things operate differently. (basically, working with the upped-power to find adventures that could still offer a challenge)
* new group of PCs - or at least rotate groups for each DM so that each party is under influence of only one DM. You can pitch the idea as for continuity and world-ranging plots (if you think they may like that idea)! No need to scrap the current ones, just not for when you are the DM.
hmmm.. i'll stop there in case I am making an incorrect assumption about the rotating DM thing ...
Do you have a single party in rotating DMs or something? If so, how frequently do you change off? (The reason I ask -- whatever changes get made by one DM/you could easily get undone by the next DM). -- of course, this could also explain "why" (because if they also have characters in the same group, upping the general power level of the group benefits their own character when they go back to PC mode -- but that's conjecture...)
As for the answer to your question (and assuming that you have some sort of rotating dm system or something), depowering a group and not pissing off people that are comfortable/like/implemented the power-up can be tricky. (And, if you are rotating DMs then anyone can undo whatever you do implement).
Possible suggestions (your results may vary depending on the group members)
* rob an item from one person (the one item that is most noticable as a power item gets stolen by a thief / wizard some how). Don't over do this and don't make it seem vindictive, just some item that has been shown to be powerful is obviously going to be coveted by others who seek power
* similar to the above, sunder items..
* undead that drain levels .... permanently..
* change the situations thrown at them - some antimagic area / dungeon that they are trapped in for several games. Creatures with high SR. Stuck on another plane where things operate differently. (basically, working with the upped-power to find adventures that could still offer a challenge)
* new group of PCs - or at least rotate groups for each DM so that each party is under influence of only one DM. You can pitch the idea as for continuity and world-ranging plots (if you think they may like that idea)! No need to scrap the current ones, just not for when you are the DM.
hmmm.. i'll stop there in case I am making an incorrect assumption about the rotating DM thing ...
questionmark
First Post
Ok for the first question one DM gave everyone a +6 to anystat...tell me how you take that away without getting a handful of D20s in the head...
secondly we switch DMs every week or so really people will go twice in a row unless they are starting a campaign
secondly we switch DMs every week or so really people will go twice in a row unless they are starting a campaign
Old Fezziwig
a man builds a city with banks and cathedrals
+6 to any stat is kind of hard to take away retroactively. I guess if PCs get it, then NPCs should, too (not mooks, but named, important NPCs). That might help to balance. The other thing to do would be to increase the level of the encounters. Your party's got a bit of a leg up by having that +6, so everything else should scale accordingly (at least sometimes, not always).
Best,
tKL
Best,
tKL
questionmark said:
umm.. during a fight, they get an artifact/something used against them that is basically a super-curse spell. It doesn't just go away with a remove curse but requires something specific (it's own quest for some components) in order to get it removed... or the person that used the artifact says he/she will use the artifact to remove the curse if they help him/her in some otherwise unscrupulous way. (I would recommend that after all the hard work that the curse can eventualy be removed - maybe not by the person who put it on them (he/she is only lying) but some superhigh cleric can do a mircle with certain components that requires the other quest)...
questionmark said:
buut given this, anything to do implement can easily be undone by anyone else....
i'd really say that your option here may just be different characters for different dms. You can even desguise it with "new characters thaht are students of the first " but you're net effect will be new untarnished characters (no doubt, however, the other DMs may do whatever so you'll want to be careful....)... you could also help "sell" this idea by saying you have a really cool game idea but it is for lower level characters so make some students of the older characters to try this out ...
(i'm on pain medicine so I am rambling, sorry. don't mean to.. hope this makes some sense.
)
toberane
First Post
Be creative with the situations you throw the characters into. We have a group that has played forever, we are all level 23+, most of us have more than one Artifact-level magic item, and many of us have special abilities that came from roleplaying the situations we were thrown into (one of our group kept getting killed and ressurected so much that she developed an ongoing conversation with Corellon, the elven god, and now she is something like a chosen of Corellon.)
Overpowered? You bet! But that still doesn't stop the DM from putting us in challenging situations. One of our group got stuck with a piece of a dead god's psyche in her head, and it happened to be the piece that has an almost sociopathic hate of Humans. Last week we met up with a monster the DM had created (an elemental from the Elemental plane of Magic) and came really close to a total party kill. (hint: Pure Magic + Antimagic Aura = Matter + Antimatter. We nearly nuked the entire plane, and did destroy almost every last shred of magic on it.)
In other words, no matter how powerful the characters are, the DM has the power to challenge them. In most cases, your players will enjoy this a lot more than you coming up with clever ideas to make their characters less effective.
Overpowered? You bet! But that still doesn't stop the DM from putting us in challenging situations. One of our group got stuck with a piece of a dead god's psyche in her head, and it happened to be the piece that has an almost sociopathic hate of Humans. Last week we met up with a monster the DM had created (an elemental from the Elemental plane of Magic) and came really close to a total party kill. (hint: Pure Magic + Antimagic Aura = Matter + Antimatter. We nearly nuked the entire plane, and did destroy almost every last shred of magic on it.)
In other words, no matter how powerful the characters are, the DM has the power to challenge them. In most cases, your players will enjoy this a lot more than you coming up with clever ideas to make their characters less effective.
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jasper
Rotten DM
in a Maxwell Smart voice,"the OLD multiple Dms in the same world trick..."
Run away man Run Away. I have never seen work. One dm gives out only copper pieces for killing a dragon. Another has Kimberly Kobolb with the Axe of Dwarven Lords. Still another has the hand of Veca walking into the thieves back pocket.
Run away man Run Away. I have never seen work. One dm gives out only copper pieces for killing a dragon. Another has Kimberly Kobolb with the Axe of Dwarven Lords. Still another has the hand of Veca walking into the thieves back pocket.
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