BSF
Explorer
Matafuego said:Hello everybody!!
That is the last advice WoTC gives in their latest "Save my Game" column: "PCs with Excessive Firepower".
The rest of the column is very good for any DM that has reached high (14+) levels for the first time ( http://wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sg/20060915a ) since it guides you through the very different encounters and encounter results (always related them to the treasure they have, which is, supposedly, larger than normal).
It's just that last point that irks me...
What will be next?
I know Frenzied Berserker is a very powerful class... shouldn't it be errata'd or something instead of saying "do not use it"?
What's your opinion about it?
And about the rest of the article?
Thanks a lot for reading.
I think you are interpreting this a little off.
Here is the thing, each campaign is going to have a different tone and feel to it. While I have been DMing for 26 years and I am comfortable telling players "yes" and "no" based on things that could be construed as arbitrary decision making, I know exactly what kind of campaigns I want to run. I know what tone, feel, power level I want to emphasize. Some games the Frenzied Berserker would be stupid insane to allow. Other campaigns it would almost enhance a certain feel. I know that! I have learned that from years and years of gaming. That means mistakes that were made, lessons that were learned.
What if I was just starting out as a DM? This is my first or second campaign. I have a player that has the Complete Warrior and loves the idea of a Frenzied Berserker. The campaign I am running is set with a tone where the PCs are a small group of friends that are good and honorable and the rest of the world isn't. I am emphasizing how a small group of people can change the world for the better through the power of cooperation and mutual trust. Maybe I haven't quite figured out how to state that yet, but it is the dynamic that the game has grown into. Now I have one player that wants to play a Frenzied Berserker and it makes my stomach knot when I look at it. As the DM I know that everyone will think the Frenzy is cool the first time it is used. Then the Frenzied Berserker will start wailing all over the other PCs and the dynamic around the table will change. One player might get a little upset when his cleric get's aced by the frenzied berserker. And since the cleric is who can cast Raise Dead, and the rest of the world is disinclined to offer any assistance to the PCs, it might mean the equivelant of permanent death. That doesn't seem like it will be a good thing right? It is going to change the dynamic at the table. It is going to change the in-game tone as well. Now the PCs are less able to trust each other. It is going to spiral in a different direction.
At least, that might be my fear. But I have a player that bought the Complete Warrior and he wants to play a Frenzied Berserker. He has the prerequisites. He has the book. As a new DM, should I let him play the class? It isn't fair to deny him, is it? Woud a new DM have the confidence to say "no"?
What if I have read a ton of horror stories about heavy-handed DMs that arbitrarily make decisions and are tyrants about what is allowed in the game? What if I have seen the posts from players complaining about an environment where "no" is all the DM ever says? Will I feel good about telling the player "no"?
What if I am perusing the WotC site and reading articles? I am in the "Save my game" columns because I am still learning the ropes and I am trying to run the best damn game I can. Here is an article telling me it is OK to tell a player "no" if I have reason to believe it will disrupt rather than enhance the game. Will I feel good about telling a player "no" now? Now that I have read advice and wisdom from people that are paid to know the game well, can I benefit from this one peice of wisdom? Maybe the article will help less experienced and less confident DMs say "no".
The reasons for disallowing something in any given campaign are many. Maybe something is overpowered. Maybe something is thematically divergent. Maybe any number of other things. There is a time to allow and a time to disallow. But it is important that the DM be confident and thoughtful when making those decisions. I see the "save my game" columns as focusing on helping DMs build that confidence while leveraging the experience of others that might have already dealt with similar situations. This isn't a personal crusade agains the Frenzied Berserker, but the class is an easy example of a potentially disruptive choice that you can disallow.